(a) the number of doctors/nurses available per thousand population in the rural and urban areas in the country;
(b) whether the number of doctors/nurses is less in the country in comparison to other developing countries
of the world;
(c) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
(d) the details of the per capita expenditure incurred on the health services in the country; and
(e) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to improve upon the situation?
MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI GHULAM NABI AZAD)
(a)to(e): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 238 FOR 12.03.2010
(a) As per information available, the total number of registered allopathic doctors in the country
is 5.5 lakhs. The doctor-population ratio works out to 1:2000 approximately. There are around 3.72
lakh nurses in the country and the nurses-population ratio comes to 1:2950.
(b) & (c) As per World Health Organization’s World Health Statistics 2009, as regards the number of doctors,
India stands at 67th rank amongst around 133 developing countries and in respect of number of nurses, India
is at 75th rank.(d) The total public expenditure on Health (incurred by Central and State Governments) was
around 1.1% of GDP during the year 2008-09.
(e) To facilitate setting up more medical colleges and nursing institutions, improve the doctor/nurse-
population ratio in general and also correct the urban bias in the availability of doctors/nurses, the
Government has taken following steps:
# Rs. 1350 crore have been earmarked for providing financial assistance for strengthening and upgradation
of State Government medical colleges.
# Six AIIMS like institutions are being established in under-served States.
# Upgrading 13 existing Government Medical Colleges/Institutions in ten States.
# Under NRHM, over 7.30 lakh Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) in States have been positioned
to operate as links between the citizens and public health eventuality in the village.
# Liberalization of Medical Council of India’s norms/regulations related to land, bed strength, etc. to enable
opening up of new medical colleges.·The ratio of post graduate medical teacher to the student has been relaxed
from 1:1 to 1:2 which will result in availability of more medical specialists.
# It has been proposed in the scheme of development of nursing services for upgradation of existing schools
of nursing into colleges of nursing.