📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Health
Uttarakhand has only 295 specialist doctors against 840 sanctioned posts, RTI shows
✍️ Medical Dialogues
🗓 10 Oct 2026, 03:02 PM
👁 11
An RTI filed with the Uttarakhand health department reveals that just 295 specialist physicians are currently serving against 840 sanctioned positions, highlighting a severe staffing gap.
A Right to Information (RTI) application obtained data from the Uttarakhand health department indicating a stark shortfall in specialist medical staff. The department has sanctioned 840 specialist doctor posts across the state, but only 295 positions are presently filled.
The discrepancy points to a vacancy rate of more than 60 percent, a figure that health officials say could hamper the delivery of specialized care in district hospitals and tertiary centres. The RTI response did not provide reasons for the gap, but analysts suggest recruitment delays and migration to better‑paying private facilities may be factors.
State health authorities have been urged to accelerate hiring and to consider incentives to attract specialists to remote areas. The data, reported by Medical Dialogues, underscores the urgency of addressing human‑resource constraints to improve health outcomes in Uttarakhand.
The discrepancy points to a vacancy rate of more than 60 percent, a figure that health officials say could hamper the delivery of specialized care in district hospitals and tertiary centres. The RTI response did not provide reasons for the gap, but analysts suggest recruitment delays and migration to better‑paying private facilities may be factors.
State health authorities have been urged to accelerate hiring and to consider incentives to attract specialists to remote areas. The data, reported by Medical Dialogues, underscores the urgency of addressing human‑resource constraints to improve health outcomes in Uttarakhand.