State to Recruit More Than 6,000 Healthcare Staff to Boost Rural Health Infrastructure

MP, 10 Aug 2025, Kolkata: In a bid to further enhance the health infrastructure in the state, the Health department is set to recruit more than 1,200 General Duty Medical Officers (GDMOs) and over 5,000 nursing personnel. The majority of these GDMOs and nursing staff will be posted in rural areas, sources said. Additionally, about 621 assistant professors are also expected to be recruited.

According to a health official, rural health facilities require additional manpower, including doctors and nurses. In 2022, over 1,100 medical officers were appointed. This time, more than 1,200 medical officers will be recruited through the ongoing drive and will be assigned to rural health facilities.

The West Bengal Health Recruitment Board (WBHRB) has started processing the recruitment for these posts. The Bengal government will also recruit 621 assistant professors, 1,227 doctors (GDMOs), and more than 5,080 nursing staff to fill vacant positions at state medical facilities.

The Health department is also planning the recruitment of medical technologists. Applications for assistant professors’ posts are being accepted in various disciplines, including cardiac, CTVS, ENT, plastic surgery, chest medicine, urology, and infectious diseases.

The number of seats in MBBS and PG courses had increased in recent years, but the growing number of vacant faculty posts at medical colleges has worsened the teacher-student ratio. Vacancies at medical colleges in districts are notably higher than those in urban centers.

The Mamata Banerjee government has already started revamping the infrastructure at block and primary health centers, as well as wellness centers or Suswasthya Kendras (SSK), to better serve the rural population. However, there are concerns regarding posts reserved for OBC candidates, as well as the 344 positions to be filled by male nurses.

Meanwhile, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has pointed out a nationwide shortage of faculty in medical colleges, including in Bengal. The number of faculty members at medical colleges has not increased according to the NMC’s prescribed norms. The NMC has also noted that new medical colleges require an adequate number of faculty members to meet the growing demand.

Source: Millennium Post