India’s doctor-population ratio has improved to 1:811, surpassing the World Health Organization (WHO) benchmark of 1:1000, according to data shared by the Union government in Parliament on Tuesday.
In a written reply to Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, said the country currently has 13,88,185 registered allopathic doctors and 7,51,768 registered AYUSH practitioners. Assuming that 80 per cent of registered practitioners in both systems are actively available, the estimated doctor-population ratio stands at 1:811.
The Minister said the data is based on Health Dynamics of India (Infrastructure & Human Resources) 2022–23, an annual publication compiled using healthcare administrative data reported by states and Union Territories.
According to figures from the Indian Nursing Council (INC), India has 39.40 lakh nursing personnel. Assuming 80 per cent of them are active, the nurse-to-population ratio works out to 2.23 nurses per 1,000 population.
To meet the growing demand for nursing professionals, the country currently has 5,310 nursing institutions, including 806 government-run institutions, which together produce nearly 3.82 lakh nursing personnel annually, the Minister said.
The Minister reiterated that the primary responsibility for strengthening public healthcare systems, including filling vacancies in government hospitals, rests with the respective state and Union Territory governments. However, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare provides both technical and financial support to states under the National Health Mission (NHM).
Under the NHM, states submit proposals through Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs), which are approved by the Centre in the form of Records of Proceedings (RoPs), subject to norms and availability of resources. States are encouraged to create adequate regular posts in line with Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) over the long term, while NHM-supported positions are used to address critical human resource gaps in the short and medium term.
The NHM plays a key role in supplementing regular human resources, particularly in primary and secondary healthcare facilities, including district hospitals and below, the Minister added.
