Delhi Private Hospitals Diversify Nursing Hiring to Northeast and North India
Private hospitals across Delhi are experiencing a steady demographic shift in their nursing workforce, expanding recruitment from traditional southern strongholds like Kerala to the Northeast, northern, and eastern states.
According to nursing administrators and industry estimates, candidates from Manipur, Sikkim, and Mizoram are increasingly taking up junior and mid-level roles, alongside growing hiring from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh. The transition has altered hospital staffing that was once dominated by Malayali professionals.
Estimates provided by Deepa Kakkar, chief nursing officer at Asian Institute of Medical Sciences, show that Kerala nurses represented 50 to 65 percent of nursing staff in many Delhi-NCR private hospitals between 2008 and 2012, while north Indian nurses accounted for 10 to 15 percent. That distribution shifted over the decade, accelerating sharply after the pandemic. Since 2021, Kerala nurses make up roughly 10 to 25 percent of the workforce in several facilities, while north Indian recruits account for 40 to 50 percent, and eastern states like West Bengal and Odisha contribute another 20 to 30 percent.
Kakkar noted that Uttar Pradesh alone now accounts for 20 to 30 percent of nursing recruits in several private hospitals in the region, followed by Bihar at 10 to 20 percent, West Bengal at 10 to 15 percent, and Odisha at 8 to 12 percent.
Hospital administrators attribute the shift to multiple factors, including revised salary scales in Kerala, greater local demand in southern states, and expanded international opportunities, which reduced the outflow of nurses to the capital. At the same time, a rapid increase in nursing institutes across Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities in northern and eastern India has widened the local talent pool.
At Aakash Healthcare, which employs nearly 420 nurses and hires 100 to 125 staff annually, managing director Dr Aashish Chaudhry said that while southern states continue to contribute, participation from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, and the Northeast has risen steadily in recent years.
At PSRI Hospital, general manager for human resources Basant Panda stated that while senior nursing administration remains led by experienced Malayali professionals, most junior recruitment now originates from Manipur, followed by Sikkim and Mizoram. Hiring records indicate recruitment from Manipur and other northeastern states grew noticeably from 2022 to fill operational requirements.
To adapt to varied linguistic and educational backgrounds, Delhi hospitals have expanded induction programmes and clinical competency bridge courses, shifting toward competency-driven hiring focusing on adaptability and patient care.
