The Crossbill News Desk
The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh is facing a severe crisis due to an acute shortage of nursing officers, with more than 3,000 positions currently lying vacant, according to staffing norms set by the central government’s Staff Inspection Unit (SIU) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Manjeek Kaur, President of the PGI Nursing Association, said that while the institute has been pushing for additional nursing posts since 2022, the focus has remained limited to filling sanctioned vacancies rather than creating new posts in line with the increasing workload.
“Departments like ICUs, gynaecology, post-labour and medical-surgical wards, and adult urology are severely understaffed. Nurses are handling three to four times the recommended patient load, which puts both patients and staff at risk,” she told The Indian Express.
Kaur further pointed out that official figures understate the true scale of the crisis.
“Only bedded patients are counted, while hundreds of patients on trolleys in the emergency and in hospital corridors also receive full nursing care — but this invisible workload remains unaccounted for. Our staff is at a breaking point,” she added.
The staffing crisis extends beyond frontline positions. There are currently 194 vacancies for senior nursing officers, and only 12 out of 22 deputy nursing superintendent positions are filled.
Kaur highlighted that stringent eligibility norms for promotions have made it nearly impossible for many qualified candidates to move up the ladder.
“There are many eligible nursing officers waiting for promotions, but the file has been pending for over three years. The last large-scale recruitment of nursing staff happened in 2015. Since then, PGI has repeatedly sent proposals to the Ministry, including one for 1,500 new posts, but nothing has moved,” she said.
In PGIMER’s Emergency department, which sees a daily influx of nearly 350 patients, only seven to eight nurses are typically on duty, each attending to up to 50 patients.
The situation is further aggravated by rising outpatient department (OPD) numbers, which have surged from around 6,000 before the COVID-19 pandemic to over 10,000–11,000 daily.
Manjeek Kaur, President of the PGI Nursing Association, said that while the institute has been pushing for additional nursing posts since 2022, the focus has remained limited to filling sanctioned vacancies rather than creating new posts in line with the increasing workload.
“Departments like ICUs, gynaecology, post-labour and medical-surgical wards, and adult urology are severely understaffed. Nurses are handling three to four times the recommended patient load, which puts both patients and staff at risk,” she told The Indian Express.
Kaur further pointed out that official figures understate the true scale of the crisis.
“Only bedded patients are counted, while hundreds of patients on trolleys in the emergency and in hospital corridors also receive full nursing care — but this invisible workload remains unaccounted for. Our staff is at a breaking point,” she added.
The staffing crisis extends beyond frontline positions. There are currently 194 vacancies for senior nursing officers, and only 12 out of 22 deputy nursing superintendent positions are filled.
Kaur highlighted that stringent eligibility norms for promotions have made it nearly impossible for many qualified candidates to move up the ladder.
“There are many eligible nursing officers waiting for promotions, but the file has been pending for over three years. The last large-scale recruitment of nursing staff happened in 2015. Since then, PGI has repeatedly sent proposals to the Ministry, including one for 1,500 new posts, but nothing has moved,” she said.
In PGIMER’s Emergency department, which sees a daily influx of nearly 350 patients, only seven to eight nurses are typically on duty, each attending to up to 50 patients.
The situation is further aggravated by rising outpatient department (OPD) numbers, which have surged from around 6,000 before the COVID-19 pandemic to over 10,000–11,000 daily.
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