Lok Sabha Question No. 4561 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-19
Subject: Shortage of Manpower in Health Sector
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Shivkumar Chanabasappa Udasi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4561 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19 TH JULY, 2019

## SHORTAGE OF MANPOWER IN HEALTH SECTOR

## 4561. SHRI SHIVAKUMAR C. UDASI:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  healthcare  in  the  country  has  been  steadily  improving  and  medical  is  to booming, but there still is a lack of manpower in the country; and

- (b) if so, the details there of along with the measures taken by the Government to overcome the shortage?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a)& (b): Public  health  and  hospitals  being  a  State  subject,  the  primary  responsibil ensure availability of healthcare professionals in public health facilities lies with t Governments.  However,  under  the  National  Health  Mission  (NHM),  financial  and technical support is provided to States/UTs to strengthen their healthcare systems including supp engagement of doctors on contractual basis, based on the requirements posed by the State in their Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs).

U nder  NHM,  States  are  encouraged  to  adopt  flexible  norms  for  engaging  special doctors for public health facilities. These include various mechanisms for 'contracting in' and 'contracting out' of specialist services, methods of engaging specialists outsid e the government system for service delivery at public facilities, offering negotiable salaries to attrac including flexibility in strategies such as 'You quote, we pay".

Financial support is also provided to States for providing performanc e- based ince tives, hard area allowance, providing accommodation and transport facilities in rural and remote sponsoring  training  programmes,  etc  for  engaged  human  resources  to  address  the  issue shortage in the public health facilities.

Also, St ates are advised to put in place transparent policies of posting and transf ensure rational deployment of healthcare professionals. As the posts required for health are filled up by respective State/UT Governments, they are impressed upon f om time to time to fill up the vacant posts.

Further, t here are 536 medical colleges, 313 dental colleges, approx. 80,000 MBBS and 47,000 Post Graduate medical seats, approx. 27000 BDS and 6300 MDS seats available in t country. Besides, there  are around 8,500 Nursing  Institutes producing about 3.2 lakh nursing personnel annually.

As  per  the  information  available  with  the  respective  Councils, 9.27 lakh  allopathic doctors, 2.01 lakh dentists and 19.63 lakh nursing personnel may actually be available for active services.

The Government has taken several steps to increase the number of doctors in the cou These include:

- I. The ratio of teachers to students for Professor has been revised from 1:1 to 1:2 MD/MS disciplines and 1:1 to 1:3 in all clinical subjects in Government funded med colleges and in Private medical colleges with 15 years standing. Further, for As sociate Professor, the said ratio has been revised from 1:1 to 1:2 and 1:3 if he/she is a in all clinical subjects in Government medical colleges and in Private medical co with 15  years standing.    This would  result in increase in number of PG seats in the country.
- II. DNB  qualification  has  been  recognized  for  appointment  as  faculty  to  take  care 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 Colle ge in terms of requirement for faculty, staff, bed strength and other infrastructure.
- V. Minimum requirement of land for establishment of medical college in metropolitan ci 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 P courses/Increase of PG seats.
- VII. Establishment of New Medical Colleges by upgrading district/referral preferably in underserved districts of the country.

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- VIII. Strengthening/ upgradation of existing State Government/Central Government Medica 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 u pto 70 years.