The Bihar government would appoint 150 assistant professors to fill up vacancies in all the state run medical colleges in the next 15 days, announced health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey in the legislative council on Tuesday. Replying to a query, the minister said the vacancies were being filled up to meet the requirements of the Medical Council of India (MCI). He said it was for the first time in the last 17 years, that appointment of medical teachers on such a large scale was being made. “We will soon appoint a significant number of retired teachers to fill up the vacant posts in various categories,” he added.

Turning to the vacancies in the Patna Medical College, Choubey informed the house, that against the sanctioned posts of 370 teachers, 196 teachers were working in the college. About the rest of the vacancies, he said the measures had already been taken to fill them up.

Earlier raising the issue, Congress member Jyoti expressed her concern over the vacant positions of senior doctors in the PMCH for the last 10 years. She wanted know as to when the vacancies would be filled up.