India to meet 1:1000 doctor-patient ratio by 2024
India is expected to meet the WHO norm of 1:1000 doctor-patient ratio by 2024. With the establishment of 2500 new hospitals proposed in the next five years, It is expected to create 2.5 million additional jobs in the health sector, thus attaining the WHO norm of one doctor for every 1000 patients, said Dr VK Paul, Member of NITI Aayog.
With the improvement in the ease of doing business in the private healthcare sector, new players will enter the sector which will not only create new employment opportunities but also provide better healthcare services, added Dr Paul. FICCI and NITI Aayog has been jointly working on identifying innovative alternate methods of strengthening the number of specialized doctors in India that can be scaled-up, especially for high burden diseases and conditions. In continuation to this, FICCI has partnered with ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) to launch the first of its kind Diabetes Certification Course for General Practitioners (GP), considering the WHO statistics of 69.2 million Indians suffering from diabetes in 2015 and not enough endocrinologists to deliver specialized care.
“The ECHO model is unique in more than one ways, but what makes this program even more unique is the partnership with the industry through FICCI,” said Dr Paul. The government has made provisions to double the number of UG seats in medical education by 2024. Also, 80,000 PG seats will be added by 2024, with the participation of private sector healthcare providers. Manoj Jhalani, AS & MD (NHM), Union Health Ministry said: “It is important to empower primary health teams and General Physicians (GPs). The Ministry is working on several aspects to increase the number of specialist doctors in the country and is also exploring participatory approaches for engaging private sector like a contribution for stipends paid to DNB students at both public and private hospitals.”
But the fact is, attaining the required number of specialist doctors is five times more difficult agenda.
Source: Daily Pioneer, UNI India