Number of Doctors Registered with State Medical Councils: Health Ministry Data

New Delhi: According to data from the National Medical Commission (NMC) as of November 2024, there are 13,86,145 allopathic doctors registered with State Medical Councils across India.

The Maharashtra Medical Council has the highest number of registered doctors (209,540), followed by the Tamil Nadu Medical Council (149,399) and the Karnataka Medical Council (141,155).

This data was shared in the Lok Sabha by Union Health Minister Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, in response to queries from Members of Parliament Shri Murari Lal Meena and Shri Ramshankar Rajbhar. The MPs sought details about the MBBS doctor-population ratio, availability of doctors in government hospitals, the annual number of medical graduates, and plans to reduce medical education fees.

Key Highlights:

• Doctor-Population Ratio:
  The Minister stated that, considering 80% availability of registered allopathic doctors and 6.14 lakh AYUSH practitioners, the doctor-population ratio in India is approximately 1:811, surpassing the WHO-recommended standard of 1:1000.
• Registered Doctors by State:
  The breakdown of registered doctors across various State Medical Councils is as follows:
  

• Expansion of Medical Education:
  The government has significantly expanded medical education infrastructure:
  • Medical colleges increased by 102%, from 387 in 2014 to 780 in 2024.
  • MBBS seats rose by 130%, from 51,348 in 2014 to 1,18,137 in 2024.
  • Postgraduate (PG) seats increased by 135%, from 31,185 to 73,157.
• Government Initiatives:
  1. Establishing 131 new medical colleges under a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
  2. Upgrading existing government medical colleges to increase MBBS and PG seats.
  3. Developing super-specialty blocks under the PMSSY scheme—69 of 75 approved projects have been completed.
  4. Launching undergraduate programs in 19 out of 22 new AIIMS facilities.
  5. Recognizing DNB qualifications for faculty positions to address faculty shortages.
• Fee Regulation:
  The NMC has implemented guidelines to regulate fees for 50% of seats in private medical institutions under the NMC Act, 2019.

The Union Health Ministry reiterated its commitment to improving access to medical education and healthcare resources across the country.