Draft Report of the High Level Group on Services Sector

5.2.4 Skill Deficit in Healthcare
A distressing feature of India’s Healthcare Services is the shortage of human resources. The number of doctors registered by different State Councils stood at 6, 68,131 during the year 2006, giving a doctor to population ratio of 60:100000. Although this is better than the standard set in India by the Bhore Committee just after independence (50:100000), it is well short of the ratio prevalent in the developed countries (Australia: 249.1; Canada: 209.1; United Kingdom: 166.5; and USA: 548.9). The state-wise distribution of doctors is highly skewed, with certain States and Union Territories (Delhi, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala) having a favourable ratio and other States (Haryana, Bihar and UP) being underserved. If the targeted doctor population norm is taken as 1:1000, there is a requirement of at least 600,000 doctors.
There is a more acute shortage of dental surgeons in India. Here there is a shortage even according to the recommendations of the Bhore Committee. The Task Force on Human Resources in the Health Sector set up by the Planning Commission for the XI Plan assessed the number of dental surgeons registered in India was 73,271 against the requirement of 282,130 in 2007.
There is a similar shortage of nurses. Going by the Bhore Committee norm of nurse population ratio (1:500) the requirement of nurses should be 2,188,890 in 2007, against which only 1,156,372 nurses were available.
Although the number of pharmacists is considered to be adequate in the country (578,261 available in 2006 against the requirement of 564,261 according to the Bhore Committee nurse population norm of 1:2000), there is also an acute shortage of paramedical staff, such a radiographers, x-ray technicians, physiotherapists, laboratory technicians, dental hygienist, orthopaedist, optician etc.