DNB recognised for Appointment of Faculty: MOS Health Tells Parliament on addressing HR Shortage in Healthcare

New Delhi: Diplomate of National Board (DNB) qualification has been recognized for appointment as faculty to take care of shortage of faculty and the ratio of teachers of students has been revised in order to add more seats, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey recently informed Lok Sabha.

The minister was responding to a question asking about the human resource inputs in healthcare delivery and the steps that are taken by the Central Government of India to fill the gaps in human resources

There are 499 medical colleges, 313 dental colleges, more than 70,000 MBBS, approximately 45,000 Post Graduate medical seats, approximately 27000 Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) and 6300 Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) seats available in the country. Besides, there are around 8,000 Nursing Institutes producing about 2.9 lakh nursing personnel annually, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Heath and Family Welfare added

Further, as per the information available with the respective Councils, 8.93 lakh allopathic doctors, 2.01 lakh dentists and 19.10 lakh nursing personnel may actually be available for active services.

Public health and hospitals being a State subject, the primary responsibility to ensure the availability of healthcare professionals in public health facilities lies with the State/UT Governments, the minister added. However, under the National Health Mission (NHM), financial and technical support is provided to States/UTs to strengthen their healthcare systems including support for engagement of doctors on a contractual basis, based on the requirements posed by the States/UTs in their Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs) within their overall resource envelope.

The Government has taken various steps to further increase the availability of the human resource in the country which include:

I. The ratio of teachers to students has been revised from 1:1 to 1:2 for all MD/MS disciplines and 1:1 to 1:3 in subjects of Anaesthesiology, Forensic Medicine, Radiotherapy, Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology and Psychiatry. Further, teacher: student ratio in public funded Government Medical Colleges for Professor has been increased from 1:2 to 1:3 in all clinical subjects and for Associate Professor from 1:1 to 1:2 if the Associate Professor is a unit head. The same has also been extended to private medical colleges with certain conditions. This would result in the increase in the number of PG seats in the country.

II. Diplomate of National Board (DNB) qualification has been recognized for appointment as faculty to take care of shortage of faculty.

III. Enhancement of maximum intake capacity at MBBS level from 150 to 250.

IV. Relaxation in the norms of setting up of Medical College in terms of requirement for faculty, staff, bed strength and other infrastructure.

V. The requirement of land for the establishment of the medical college in metropolitan cities as notified under Article 243P(c) of the Constitution of India has been dispensed with.

VI. Strengthening/upgradation of State Government Medical Colleges for starting new PG courses/Increase of PG seats.

VII. Establishment of New Medical Colleges by upgrading district/referral hospitals preferably in underserved districts of the country.

VIII. Strengthening/ upgradation of existing State Government/Central Government Medical Colleges to increase MBBS seats.

IX. Enhancement of age limit for appointment/ extension/ re-employment against posts of teachers/dean/principal/ director in medical colleges from 65-70 years.

X. Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Strengthening / upgradation of Nursing Services (Auxiliary Nurses Midwives [ANM] / General Nurse Midwives [GNM]), the Government has approved 128 ANM and 137 GNM Schools to be set up in the country.

The details of requirement and availability of General Duty Medical Officer (GDMO), Specialists, Laboratory Technicians, Pharmacists Radiographers, ANM and Staff Nurse at PHCs and CHCs as per the Rural Health Statistics (RHS) Bulletin, 2017 – 18 is at Annexure.