Newz Desk, Durgapur: India currently has one doctor for every 811 people, the Union Health Ministry informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, highlighting a significant improvement in medical manpower availability but also underlining the challenges that persist in underserved regions.
Responding to a written question in the Upper House, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said the estimated doctor-population ratio is calculated by considering 80% of registered practitioners from both modern medicine and AYUSH streams as being active and available for service.
According to the Minister, the country has 13,88,185 doctors registered in modern medicine, along with 7,51,768 practitioners registered under the AYUSH systems — comprising Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy. When combined, the functional pool of medical professionals provides a ratio of 1 doctor per 811 people, an improvement from past estimates that hovered around 1:1,000.
Centre Says India’s Doctor Availability Improving — But Challenges Remain
The Minister stated that while the numbers indicate strengthening medical capacity, the challenge lies in uneven distribution, particularly in rural, tribal and remote areas. To address this, the Centre has rolled out several measures to encourage medical practitioners — especially specialists — to serve in difficult regions.
Nadda noted that a “hard-area allowance” is being provided to specialist doctors posted in remote and inaccessible locations to improve healthcare access in those pockets. Besides this, initiatives such as upgrading district hospitals, expanding medical college infrastructure, and increasing MBBS and postgraduate seats aim to bridge the gap in healthcare delivery.
The Minister also pointed out that the government’s continued investment under schemes like the National Health Mission (NHM) is helping states strengthen primary and secondary healthcare systems.
While the latest figures show progress, experts believe India still needs to improve doctor availability, modernise healthcare infrastructure, and expand training capacity to meet the growing medical demands of a population of over 1.4 billion.
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