Shimla, April 3 -- Himachal Pradesh government plans to address acute staff crunch in medical colleges by re-hiring retired professors at Rs.2.5 lakh per month to stabilise teaching, patient care and institutional functioning. The Himachal government has cleared a proposal to re-engage retired professors across key government medical colleges, aiming to stabilise academic and healthcare services in the short term. The decision, issued by the department of medical education and research, comes amid growing concerns over the lack of experienced faculty-particularly at the professor level-which is essential for maintaining teaching standards, patient care quality, and compliance with regulatory requirements. Under the plan, retired professors from both clinical and non-clinical streams will be appointed on a contractual basis in four relatively new government medical colleges: Dr YSP Government Medical College, Nahan, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College, Nerchowk (Mandi), Dr Radha Krishna Government Medical College, Hamirpur, and Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru Government Medical College, Chamba. Senior official termed the move as "interim arrangement" in the "larger public interest" to ensure that academic sessions, hospital services, and institutional operations continue without disruption until regular recruitments are completed. The state has fixed a consolidated monthly remuneration of Rs.2.50 lakh for the re-engaged professors. Authorities have been directed to fast-track the process by issuing advertisements and inviting applications in line with prescribed norms, with prior approvals made mandatory for each appointment....