The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi, the country's premier medical institution, has witnessed an unusual exodus of senior faculty in recent years. At least 15 professors and department heads opted for voluntary retirement between 2023 and 2025, according to a report by ThePrint.

Many of those who left still had years of service remaining, and several have since joined private hospitals.

One of them was Dr Shiv Kumar Choudhary, former Head of the Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS), who opted for voluntary retirement in 2024 after spending 27 years at AIIMS. He later joined Fortis Escorts Heart Institute in New Delhi.

Choudhary reportedly said one reason behind the departures was what some faculty viewed as a disruption of the institution's traditional hierarchy.

"An institution runs on a particular order of seniority," he said. "When a new director was appointed, who was much younger than many senior doctors, who had spent their lives at AIIMS, it never settled well."

In September 2022, Dr M. Srinivas became the youngest director in AIIMS Delhi's history, succeeding Dr Randeep Guleria. Srinivas later moved to NITI Aayog as a member and was replaced by interim director Dr Nikhil Tandon.

Several senior faculty among those who left

According to the report, the departures included some of AIIMS Delhi's most prominent department heads.

Among them were Dr Rajesh Malhotra, Head of Orthopaedics, who left in June 2023 after 31 years; Dr M.V. Padma, Head of Neurology and chief of the Neurosciences Centre, who left in October 2023 after 30 years; Dr Balram Bhargava, Head of Cardiology and chief of the Cardiothoracic Centre, who left in April 2024 after more than 31 years; and Dr S.V.S. Deo, Head of Surgical Oncology, who retired in February 2024 after nearly 29 years.

The report noted that all cited "personal" reasons in their official paperwork.

A senior doctor who retired from AIIMS said that several doctors who left had between two and four years of service remaining, while at least four had more than three years left before retirement.

Bureaucratic hurdles and administrative burden

ThePrint spoke to more than a dozen doctors who had resigned, taken voluntary retirement, or were currently serving at AIIMS Delhi. Most cited similar concerns, including bureaucratic hurdles, limited career progression, leadership constraints, and growing administrative responsibilities that were taking time away from patient care and research.

Some doctors pointed to procurement delays and lengthy tender processes, while others highlighted the widening gap between salaries at AIIMS and compensation offered by private hospitals.

The report said a recurring complaint among faculty was that doctors were being asked to shoulder increasing administrative responsibilities while receiving fewer institutional incentives.

'It was causing me guilt'

Dr Milind Padmakar Hote, a professor in the cardiothoracic surgery department, reportedly said he opted for voluntary retirement in 2024 because of frustrations linked to procurement delays, cancelled surgeries and administrative work. He has since joined Fortis Escorts Heart Institute.

According to Hote, cardiac surgeries were cancelled five to six days every month, and waiting lists for patients, including children, stretched up to 15 months. "About five percent of patients on the waiting list died before their surgery date… including small children. It was not just frustrating. It was causing me guilt," he was quoted as saying.

Hote also said administrative work consumed a significant portion of his time. According to him, around 60 percent of his working hours were spent on tender files and administrative disputes. "I am supposed to attend to patients and operate. Why should I be doing this?"

Published on: Jun 23, 2026 6:05 PM IST