In an attempt to plug acute staff shortages across government hospitals, the Delhi government has asked health institutions to bring back retired paramedical personnel as consultants. While the move is being projected as an urgent, stop-gap arrangement, it has triggered sharp criticism from employee unions, who say the decision sidelines regular recruitment and shuts the door on thousands of young aspirants.

According to an official circular issued by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, government hospitals have been directed to rehire retired paramedical staff on a contractual basis. Only those who are willing to return and had a clean vigilance record at the time of retirement will be considered. The department has asked hospitals to submit details of eligible retirees along with clear justification for their requirement.

The government says the decision is in line with earlier policies framed in 2015 and 2017, which allowed retired personnel to be appointed as consultants. Hospitals have been warned against delays, partial proposals, or post-facto approvals, with the department making it clear that no piecemeal requests will be entertained. Proposals must be sent well before the expiry of existing consultant contracts, and the exercise will continue on a quarterly basis.

However, the announcement has not gone down well with paramedical unions.

Vijay Kumar, President of the National Paramedical Health Association (NPHA), has emerged as one of the strongest voices opposing the move. He argues that instead of strengthening permanent hiring, the government is increasingly leaning on temporary arrangements that undermine the future of the workforce.

“The government is clearly avoiding permanent recruitment,” Kumar said. “By repeatedly extending or rehiring retired staff, hospitals are bypassing the regular recruitment process and denying job opportunities to qualified young candidates who have been waiting for years.”

Kumar explained that hiring fresh paramedical staff follows a well-defined but time-consuming procedure. Vacancies are first reported by hospital technical cells to the Health Secretariat, which then forwards the requirement to the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB). The DSSSB conducts examinations and completes the recruitment process before appointments are made.

“Yes, the process takes time,” he said, “but that cannot be an excuse to indefinitely delay permanent hiring. Today, hospitals are becoming heavily dependent on contractual and retired staff instead of investing in a stable, long-term workforce.”

Union leaders also fear that such short-term fixes could impact the quality of care in the long run. While retired professionals bring experience, they say, over-reliance on consultants weakens institutional continuity and limits career growth for the next generation of healthcare workers.

With hospitals struggling under staff shortages and patient load continuing to rise, the government maintains that the move is urgent. But critics insist that emergency measures cannot replace systematic recruitment.

As the debate intensifies, the decision has once again highlighted a larger concern plaguing public healthcare—whether temporary solutions are quietly becoming the norm, at the cost of long-term reform and employment generation.