In a major step toward strengthening the public healthcare system in the national capital, Union Health Minister Shri J.P. Nadda on Sunday distributed appointment letters to 1,388 newly recruited nursing officers and 41 allied healthcare professionals at a ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan. The recruitment, facilitated through the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB), aims to address a long-standing shortage of staff in government hospitals.
“This recruitment is historic. For the first time in 15 years, a large-scale hiring drive has been successfully completed to fill critical vacancies in the healthcare sector of Delhi,” said Nadda during his address. He noted that over 1,270 appointees have already accepted their offers.
Alongside the appointment ceremony, the Union Minister also flagged off 20 Ayushman Bharat registration vans, which will travel across all Assembly constituencies in Delhi over the next 30 days. These mobile units will facilitate on-the-spot registration for beneficiaries under the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) and Vay Vandana Yojana, focusing on low-income families and senior citizens.
The initiative is part of a broader push to strengthen healthcare infrastructure under the PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, under which Delhi has been allocated ₹1,700 crore. The funding will support the creation of 1,100 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs)—comprehensive primary health centres—by March 2026. As of now, 34 AAMs are operational, with 100 more in the pipeline.
Highlighting past administrative lapses, Nadda criticized the previous state government for not utilizing the central allocation efficiently. “Between 2021 and 2025, only ₹15 crore out of ₹1,700 crore was spent,” he said.
Newly appointed Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who was also present at the event, echoed the concerns, citing inadequate hospital bed ratios, shortage of diagnostic equipment, and stalled infrastructure projects.