{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Assam Medical College Faces Staff Crunch With Over 25% Doctor Posts Vacant",
  "summary": "Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh is facing a severe shortage of doctors, nurses, and support staff, with 121 out of 434 sanctioned doctor posts currently lying vacant.",
  "content": "Guwahati: Assam Medical College and Hospital located in Dibrugarh is confronting a significant shortage of doctors, nurses, and support staff, which is placing additional strain on Upper Assam's major tertiary healthcare center.\n\nDoctor Vacancies Across Departments\n\nOut of the total 434 sanctioned posts designated for doctors at the hospital, 121 are presently vacant, leaving a total of 313 doctors actively in position according to a senior official. These vacancies impact 23 different departments, while a scarcity of junior doctors has further compounded the daily workload carried by the available medical personnel.\n\nImpact of Staff Transfers\n\nThe overall staffing situation deteriorated following the official transfer of various doctors and other employees to newly established medical colleges situated in Tinsukia and Lakhimpur. Positions that became vacant in the wake of these operational transfers have not yet been backfilled, according to administrative officials.\n\nNursing Shortage and Bed Capacity Disparity\n\nThe nursing workforce is similarly dealing with a major shortfall. The institution, which operates nearly 2,000 beds, currently maintains around 449 nurses on duty. This operational disparity has grown much more pronounced over the decades. When the facility was upgraded from a medical school into a full medical college back in 1947, it featured roughly 900 beds alongside a comparable number of nurses.\n\nWhile the hospital bed capacity has more than doubled over the years, its nursing strength has remained largely stagnant. This severe shortage forces nurses to manage exceptionally heavy patient loads during their shifts. During certain night shifts, a single nurse may reportedly be required to attend to anywhere between 150 and 200 patients, raising serious concerns regarding the limited time available for patient monitoring and individualized clinical care.\n\nSupport Staff and Referral Pressures\n\nAdditional vacancies persist across various other categories of hospital employees, including Grade IV support staff. The combined manpower shortage has directly added to the operational pressure on existing workers as the medical facility continues to handle a massive daily patient turnout.\n\nThe institution serves as a major referral center for Upper Assam, catering to patients arriving from multiple regional districts as well as neighboring states such as Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.\n\nDiagnostic Equipment Breakdowns\n\nIn addition to manpower constraints, the hospital diagnostic services have experienced operational difficulties, with MRI and CT scan machines reportedly suffering from frequent breakdowns. When essential diagnostic equipment remains unavailable, patients, particularly those coming from economically weaker sections, are frequently forced to seek out diagnostic services at private medical centers where scans can cost several thousand rupees.\n\nBroader Healthcare Expansion Context\n\nThese persistent shortages at the medical college emerge at a time when Assam is actively expanding its broader network of medical colleges and healthcare facilities across the state. However, for ordinary patients who rely heavily on the Dibrugarh institution for affordable specialized treatment, gaps in staffing and diagnostic infrastructure continue to pose daily challenges.\n\nWhat this means for you\nThe severe staff and doctor shortage at Assam Medical College directly impacts patients in Dibrugarh and surrounding regions seeking timely and specialized medical care.\n\n• Across India: Shortages of medical staff in major government healthcare institutions highlight systemic capacity challenges. This frequently leads to extended waiting periods and heavier burdens on available clinical personnel across public hospitals.\n\n• In Dibrugarh: Local patients and those traveling from neighboring states face regular hurdles, including frequent diagnostic equipment breakdowns that force them to spend thousands of rupees at private scan centers. High patient-to-nurse ratios during night shifts can also affect individual monitoring.\n\nWhy this happened\nThe acute staffing shortages at Assam Medical College stem from administrative transfers and historical imbalances between bed capacity expansion and workforce recruitment.\n\n• Staff Transfers: The transfer of doctors and medical employees to newly established medical colleges in Tinsukia and Lakhimpur left numerous posts vacant, which have not yet been backfilled.\n\n• Stagnant Nursing Strength: While bed capacity more than doubled since the institution became a medical college in 1947, the number of nursing personnel has remained largely unchanged over the decades.\n\n• Equipment Maintenance Gaps: Frequent breakdowns of high-end diagnostic machines like MRI and CT scanners have created severe bottlenecks in providing internal testing services to patients.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. Where is Assam Medical College located?\nAssam Medical College and Hospital is located in Dibrugarh, Assam.\n\n2. How many doctor posts are currently vacant at the hospital?\nOut of 434 sanctioned doctor posts, 121 are currently vacant, leaving 313 doctors in position.\n\n3. What is the status of the nursing staff?\nThe nearly 2,000-bedded institution currently has around 449 nurses on duty.\n\n4. What caused the recent worsening of the staffing situation?\nThe shortage worsened following the transfer of doctors and employees to newly established medical colleges in Tinsukia and Lakhimpur without backfilling the vacant posts.\n\n5. Which diagnostic services frequently face technical issues?\nThe hospital's MRI and CT scan machines have reportedly suffered frequent breakdowns.\n\n6. Which neighboring states rely on this referral center?\nThe institution caters to patients from several regional districts as well as neighboring states like Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/assam/assam-medical-college-faces-staff-crunch-over-25-doctor-posts-vacant-30940",
  "category": "Assam",
  "publishedAt": "2026-09-10",
  "tags": [
    "Assam Medical College",
    "Dibrugarh",
    "healthcare shortage",
    "doctor vacancies",
    "Assam news",
    "hospital staff crunch"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}