Doc-population ratio 1:854, assuming 80% availability of allopathic docs, 5.65 lakh AYUSH docs: Govt

New Delhi, July 23
There is one doctor for every 854 people in the country, assuming 80 per cent availability of registered allopathic doctors and 5.65 lakh AYUSH doctors, Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.
In a written reply, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar also said that considering around 70 per cent availability of registered nursing personnel, the nurse-population ratio is 1:559.
“There are 12.68 lakh allopathic doctors registered with state medical councils and the National Medical Commission (NMC),” she said.
“The doctor-population ratio is 1:854 in the country, assuming 80 per cent availability of registered allopathic doctors and 5.65 lakh AYUSH doctors,” Pawar said.
The minister said according to information available with the Indian Nursing Council, there are around 32.63 lakh registered nursing personnel — 22.72 lakh registered nurses and 9.91 lakh registered nurse associates.
The nurse-population ratio is 1:559, considering around 70 per cent availability of registered nursing personnel, Pawar said in her reply.
The government has taken various steps to further increase the availability of doctors, nurses and paramedics in the country and these include the centrally-sponsored scheme for establishment of new medical colleges by upgrading district hospitals in under-served districts, she said.
The minister also said that the government through another centrally-sponsored scheme aims at strengthening or upgrading existing state government or central government medical colleges to increase MBBS and post-graduate seats.
Other initiatives also include the Viability Gap Funding Scheme for establishment of medical colleges in public-private partnership mode, allowing a consortium — a group of two or up to four private organisations — to establish a medical college; and relaxation in norms for setting up medical college in terms of requirement of faculty, staff, bed strength and other infrastructure.
Increasing maximum intake capacity at MBBS level from 150 to 250 and increasing the age limit for appointment, extension and re-employment against posts of teachers, dean, principal and director in medical colleges up to 70 years are also part of the steps to strengthen health services, Pawar said.
The ratio of teachers to students has been rationalised to increase the number of post-graduate (PG) medical seats in the country, she said.
By amending the regulations, it has been made mandatory for all medical colleges to start PG courses within three years from the date of their MBBS recognition or continuation of recognition, Pawar said.
Requirement of land to construct building for a school or college of nursing and hostel has been relaxed and the requirement of a 100 bedded parent hospital has been relaxed for hilly and tribal areas for school or college of nursing and hostel, she said.
The minister said that as informed by the NMC, there are 558 medical colleges and these have 83,275 MBBS seats and 42,720 PG seats for MD, MS, DM, M.Ch and Diploma, Pawar said in response to a separate question.
The health ministry administers a centrally-sponsored scheme for establishing a medical college by upgrading district hospitals in districts which neither have a government nor a private medical college.
Under the scheme, 157 new medical colleges were approved in three phases, she said.
Funds to the tune of Rs 7,541.1 crore, Rs 3,675 crore and Rs 5,519.11 crore have been released under the three phases, respectively, Pawar said.
She said as informed by state and Union Territory governments, Rs 3,238.09 crore, Rs 365.23 crore and Rs 200 crore have been utilised by them under phase one, two and three,respectively. Out of 157, 47 medical colleges are functional.
Responding to a question on details of medical colleges, universities, institutes and hospitals, which have been de-recognised, Pawar said during the last academic session 2020-21, no medical college was de-recognised.