India has 8,60,688 hospital beds in Government Hospitals: MoS Health

New Delhi: The Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Prataprao Jadhav, recently addressed the growing concerns over the inadequate number of hospital beds in India relative to its population.

The National Health Profile 2023, compiled by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI), reports that India has 8,60,688 beds in government hospitals, including rural and urban areas managed by state and local governments. Although this figure may seem significant, it remains inadequate in relation to the country's population of over 1.4 billion.

In addition to supporting state-level efforts, the central government has made substantial budgetary allocations to improve healthcare infrastructure in central hospitals and medical colleges.

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The minister was responding to the series of questions posed by Dr Bhim Singh about whether the hospitals and medical colleges in the country have a disproportionately small number of beds as compared to the population and they do not meet the international standards;

He seeks to know if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor, the number of beds available in the hospitals and medical colleges of the country, especially in the Central Government hospitals and their affiliated hospitals; and

He also asked about the quantum of funds allocated, during the last three years and the current year, hospital/medical college-wise, and the steps taken by the Government to improve the ratio between beds and population.

In response to these questions, MoS Health Shri Prataprao Jadhav informed as per data of National Health Profile-2023, compiled by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI), the total number of beds in Government Hospitals including State Government and Local Government bodies in rural and urban areas in the Country is 8,60,688. As far as Central Government Hospitals i.e. Safdarjung Hospital, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College & Associated Hospitals, and Rural Health Training Centre, Najafgarh are concerned, the total number of beds available in these hospitals are as under:

‘Public Health’ & ‘Hospitals’ being State subjects, it is primarily the responsibility of the State Government to make efforts to increase the bed strength in their Hospitals in accordance with requirements and fund availability. However, the Central Government provides assistance to the State Governments in their efforts to provide better healthcare facilities to people through various schemes Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), National Health Mission Scheme (NHM) and Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM). In respect of Central Government Hospitals, augmentation in the number of beds is done from time to time on the basis of functional requirements in different departments. Funds allocated at the budgetary Estimates(BE) stage during each of the last three years and the current year to Central Government Hospitals and associated Medical Colleges are as under: