Doctor-Population Ratio Estimated at 1:811, Government Expands Medical Education Infrastructure
New Delhi: The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel, informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday that India has 13,86,150 registered allopathic doctors and 7,51,768 practitioners in the AYUSH system of medicine, leading to an estimated doctor-population ratio of 1:811.
In a written reply, the minister also revealed that India currently has 1,18,190 MBBS seats and 74,306 postgraduate seats across various medical institutions.
Government Initiatives to Boost Medical Workforce
To increase the number of doctors and improve healthcare access, the government has implemented several key initiatives:
- New Medical Colleges: Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme, 131 out of 157 approved new medical colleges have already become operational by upgrading district/referral hospitals.
- Super Specialty Blocks: Under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), 71 out of 75 approved projects for upgrading government medical colleges have been completed.
- Expansion of AIIMS: A total of 22 new AIIMS institutions have been approved, with undergraduate courses already operational in 19 of them.
Rural Healthcare & Skill Development Initiatives
To address doctor shortages in rural areas, the government has introduced:
- Family Adoption Programme in the MBBS curriculum, ensuring better healthcare access for rural populations.
- District Residency Programme, where second- and third-year PG medical students are posted in district hospitals for hands-on experience.
- Non-monetary incentives, including preferential admission to PG courses for doctors serving in remote areas.
- Multi-skilling of doctors under the National Health Mission (NHM) to tackle the shortage of medical specialists.
- Skill upgradation of existing healthcare personnel as a major strategy under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).
The government remains committed to strengthening medical education and healthcare accessibility to ensure better healthcare outcomes for the population.
