Doctor-population ratio in India 1:811, including AYUSH practitioners: MoS Health informs parliament

New Delhi: A total of 7,51,768 AYUSH practitioners are registered with their respective State Medical Councils across the country. These qualified professionals are legally permitted to practice within the scope of their training, and as a result, they are included in the calculations of the doctor-patient ratio, the Union Minister of State for Health Smt. Anupriya Patel informed the Rajya Sabha recently.   

India's healthcare system, which is a vast and diverse network includes practitioners from various medical fields. Among the most prominent are the allopathic and AYUSH (Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) systems of medicine. 

Also read- Altogether 13,86,136 registered Allopathic Doctors in India: Health Ministry

According to recent data shared by the minister, the total number of registered doctors in the country includes over 13 lakh allopathic professionals and approximately 7.5 lakh practitioners in the AYUSH system.

It is to be noted that the previous year's data presented by the Ministry in the Lok Sabha indicated that there were around 5.6 lakh AYUSH practitioners. However, this year's data reflects an increase of 1.9 lakh practitioners, bringing the total to 7.5 lakh.

"Assuming that 80% of registered practitioners in both the allopathic and AYUSH systems are available, the doctor-population ratio in the country is estimated to be 1:811," said MoS Health Smt Patel.

The Minister was asked to respond to a series of questions raised by Shri Mohammed Nadimul Haque and Shri Dereck O'Brien regarding the reasons for the inclusion of AYUSH doctors in doctor-patient ratio calculation data, the detailed data regarding the inclusion of AYUSH doctors in the doctor-patient ratio and whether Government acknowledges the impact of such discrepancies on the calculation and depiction of such numbers?

In response, MoS Health said, "AYUSH doctors are qualified professionals who undergo a recognized medical education program in their respective traditional Indian systems of medicine (Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy). They are registered with their respective State Medical Councils and are legally permitted to practice within the scope of their training."

Further, he added, "According to the National Medical Commission (NMC), there are 13,86,150 registered allopathic doctors. The Ministry of AYUSH has informed that there are 7,51,768 registered practitioners in the AYUSH system of medicine. Assuming that 80% of registered practitioners in both the allopathic and AYUSH systems are available, the doctor-population ratio in the country is estimated to be 1:811."

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