The Planning Commission has suggested improving the doctor-population ratio from the present level of 1:2000 to 1:1000 by the end of the current Five Year Plan period, said Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad.

“The current doctor-population ratio in the country is estimated to be around 1:2000. Though, there are no specific standards/norms which prescribes doctor-population ratio, the High Level Expert Group on Universal Health Coverage for India constituted by the Planning Commission in its report, has inter-alia recommended increase of availability of doctors to 1:1000 population,” he disclosed in Parliament recently.

There are various factors, including shortage of doctors, which impact the mortality rate in the country. The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) have declined over the past few years. IMR has come down from 58 per 1000 live births in the year 2005 to 47 per 1000 live births in the year 2010. Similarly, MMR has also come down from 254 per lakh live births in 2004-06 to 212 per lakh live births in 2007-09, he said.

The government has already taken a large number of steps to address shortage of doctors, specialists and faculty in the country. Relaxation in the norms for setting up of a medical college in terms of requirement for land, faculty, staff, bed/ bed strength and other infrastructure, relaxation in teacher-student ratio to increase the seats at Postgraduate level, enhancement of maximum intake capacity at MBBS level from 150 to 250, enhancement of age limit for appointment/extension/re-employment against posts of teachers/dean/principal/director in medical colleges from 65 to 70 years, and  financial support to State medical colleges, under the scheme of “Strengthening and Upgradation of State Government Medical Colleges,” to increase postgraduate seats in various disciplines or to start new postgraduate medical courses are some of them, he said.

Financial support under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) for engagement of staff on contractual basis and approval for establishment of eight AIIMS-like institutions (six in first phase and two in second phase) in the country under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yozana (PMSSY) were among other measures in this regard.