Current Snapshot of the Faculty Shortage in Telangana Medical Colleges

A recent survey by the Telangana State Resident Doctors Association (TSRDA) has exposed a dire faculty shortage across the state's government medical colleges, with 27 departments operating without a single teaching faculty member. This crisis affects 36 government medical colleges, many of which were rapidly established in recent years to expand medical education access in India. Pre-clinical and para-clinical departments, essential for building foundational knowledge in subjects like Anatomy (full form: Anatomy, the study of body structures), Physiology (the study of body functions), and Biochemistry (the chemistry of living organisms), are hit hardest, often relying on overburdened senior residents or contract staff.

The shortage is not isolated; over 150 departments lack senior faculty such as Professors or Associate Professors, and more than 120 run with just one junior faculty member, typically an Assistant Professor. This situation raises alarms about the quality of medical training for the approximately 5,400 MBBS seats in these colleges, potentially compromising India's healthcare workforce development.

Background: Explosive Growth in Medical Infrastructure

Telangana's medical education landscape transformed dramatically between 2021 and 2024, with the state adding 24 to 32 new government medical colleges, achieving one per district by 2024. This expansion, the sharpest in India, aimed to boost MBBS seats from around 2,850 to over 7,000, aligning with national goals to address doctor shortages in underserved areas. However, infrastructure and staffing lagged behind, creating 'ghost departments'—units listed on paper but devoid of dedicated educators.

Older institutions like Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad and Gandhi Medical College in Secunderabad retain some senior faculty, but newer district-level colleges such as Government Medical College (GMC) Jayashankar Bhupalpally and GMC Jogulamba Gadwal struggle severely. The National Medical Commission (NMC), India's apex regulator for medical education, mandates specific faculty-student ratios under its Minimum Standard Requirements (MSR) guidelines: for every 100 MBBS students in a department like Biochemistry, at least one Professor, one Associate Professor, two Assistant Professors, and two Senior Residents are required.

Key Findings from the TSRDA Survey

Conducted in late January 2026 across 441 departments in 36 colleges, the TSRDA survey revealed stark deficiencies: only 47% of required faculty strength is in place, indicating a 53% overall shortfall. Notably, 159 departments (one in three) have no Professor, critical for postgraduate (PG) training and NMC approvals. Associate Professors, the 'missing middle,' number just 310 statewide against higher needs, as promotions create bottlenecks without sufficient inflows from Assistant levels.

• 27 departments with zero faculty across all cadres (Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor).
• 31 departments with a single teacher, straining academic loads.
• Non-clinical departments like Forensic Medicine and Toxicology (FMT), Social and Preventive Medicine (SPM), and Pharmacology worst affected.
• 16 departments even lack Senior Residents for practical training.

Dr. D Srinath, TSRDA President, highlighted: 'First-year departments like Anatomy and Physiology are often run by a single Assistant Professor handling everything from practicals to exams.'

Most Affected Institutions and Disciplines

Newer colleges bear the brunt. GMC Jayashankar Bhupalpally reports 4 zero-faculty departments, GMC Jogulamba Gadwal 3, and GMC Kodangal 3. Clinical areas like Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology (DVL) and Radiology in Gadwal and Khammam also suffer. Even established teaching hospitals attached to Kakatiya Medical College (Warangal) and GMC Nizamabad face senior faculty depletions, as experts are redeployed to remote centers lacking advanced diagnostics like CT or MRI scanners.

This misallocation hampers tertiary care and PG training in high-volume specialties such as General Medicine, Surgery, Cardiology, and Paediatrics.

Root Causes Fueling the Crisis

Several interconnected factors drive the shortage. Recruitment delays plague the process: notifications issued months ago await merit lists, with court cases over reservations reducing general seats despite 50-60 applicants per vacancy. Contract posts deter candidates due to salary instability, no Non-Practising Allowance (NPA), and bans on private practice. Faculty development timelines—minimum 7 years to Professor—cannot match expansion pace.

Nationally, a NITI Aayog report identifies barriers like 2-4 year delays in regular hiring, lack of vacancy databases, and competition from private sectors offering better pay. In Telangana, peripheral postings in tribal districts like Asifabad see minimal applications (e.g., 3 for 100 posts). Migration abroad and burnout exacerbate the issue.

National Context: A Widespread Challenge

Telangana's woes mirror India's broader medical faculty crisis. With 780+ colleges and 118,000+ MBBS seats, the country requires 138,000 faculty per NMC norms, but vacancies hover at 30% (41,000+ positions). States like West Bengal (5,000 deficit) and Jharkhand face similar NMC flags. Rapid seat additions—60% national rise, Telangana leading with 4,890 new seats—outpace staffing.

For more on faculty opportunities across India, explore higher-ed-jobs/faculty and professor-jobs listings tailored for medical educators.

Impacts on Students, Training, and Healthcare

Students in foundational years memorize past papers sans proper labs or lectures, entering clinical rotations deficient in basics—a recipe for errors. PG aspirants suffer curtailed training, risking NMC denials for new programs. Patient care in attached hospitals declines with overburdened juniors; flagship facilities like Osmania General Hospital operate shorthanded.

Dr. Kiran Madhala of TTGDA notes: 'The recruitment system has collapsed,' underscoring long-term healthcare risks.

NMC Directives and Regulatory Pressures

In June 2025, NMC issued show-cause notices to 26 Telangana colleges for faculty and infrastructure gaps, urging fixes. Violations of Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations (requiring 3 faculty per specialty) threaten seat cuts or closures. Relaxed 2023 guidelines enabled approvals, but sustained shortages invite stricter scrutiny.

Government Responses and Recruitment Efforts

Telangana's Directorate of Medical Education (DME) is advancing 607 Assistant Professor recruitments, with results imminent, and plans for 714 more. The 'You Quote, We Pay' scheme under National Health Mission offers up to ₹6 lakh monthly (3x standard) for hard-to-fill specialties in remote areas. Incentives of 30-50% extra pay target tribal districts, alongside absorbing 300 eligible doctors. DME Director Dr. Narendra Kumar identifies Associate Professors as the key bottleneck.

Check India-specific academic jobs and higher-ed-jobs for openings in Telangana medical colleges.

Expert-Recommended Solutions

NITI Aayog proposes a national faculty registry, Medical Recruitment Boards (MRBs) for swift hiring, performance incentives, and faculty sharing between colleges. Other ideas include campus selections post-PG, longer contracts, research grants, and separating admin cadres. Digital classrooms and virtual labs are piloted in Telangana to bridge gaps.

• Streamline via MRBs, reducing delays from 203 days.
• Parity in contractual/regular pay and NPA.
• Targeted allowances for scarce specialties like Orthopaedics.
• Objective appraisals and KPI-based promotions.

Future Outlook: Pathways to Resolution

With Union Budget 2026-27 allocating over ₹1.06 lakh crore for health—including faculty recruitment—momentum builds. Telangana's one-district-one-college model succeeds if staffing catches up. Success stories from Andhra Pradesh's incentives offer hope. Aspiring professors can rate experiences via rate-my-professor or seek career advice at higher-ed-career-advice.

Sustained action could stabilize education, but delays risk national ripple effects on doctor quality.

Photo by Pew Nguyen on Unsplash

How Faculty Can Contribute and Thrive

For medical professionals eyeing teaching, Telangana offers high-impact roles. Prepare with a strong academic CV—tips at how-to-write-a-winning-academic-cv. Explore university-jobs and postdoc paths leading to faculty positions. Institutions value expertise in high-need areas; joining now shapes India's future doctors.