Lok Sabha Question No. 1361 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-09
Subject: Availability of Doctors in PHCs
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Rahul Kaswan

## GOVERNMENT OFINDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1361 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 9 th FEBRUARY, 2024

## AVAILABILITY OF DOCTORS IN PHCS

## 1361. SHRI RAHULKASWAN:

Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has prescribed any criteria for having adequate number of doctors to ensure healthcare facilities for every citizen in the country;
- (b) if so, the State/UT-wise prescribed criteria in this regard;
- (c) whether the Government has taken effective steps to ensure availability of doctors and nurses in PHCs due to lack of health facilities in rural areas of the country; and
- (d) if so, the State/UT-wise details of the efforts made by the Government in this regard including Rajasthan ?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

(a) to (d) There are 13,08,009 allopathic doctors registered with the State Medical Councils and the National Medical Commission (NMC) as on June, 2022. Assuming 80% availability of registered allopathic doctors and 5.65 lakh AYUSH doctors, the doctor-population ratio in the country is 1:834, which is better than World Health Organization (WHO) standard of 1:1000.

The primary responsibility of strengthening the public healthcare system, including provision of critical human resources for health including doctors and nurses in the Primary Health Centres (PHCs), lies with the respective State Governments. Under the National Health Mission (NHM), financial and technical support is provided to States/UTs to strengthen their health care systems including augmenting health human resource on contractual basis based on requirements posed by the States in their Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs) and within their overall resource envelope.

Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) provide guidance on the various health system components including human resources for delivering health services at heath facilities including

Primary Health Centres (PHCs). They are used as the reference point for public health care system including human resources in the States and UTs. The guidelines of IPHS are available at website of National Health Mission (NHM) at the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) as under:

https://nhm.gov.in/index1.php?lang=1&level=2&sublinkid=971&lid=154

Under NHM, following types of guidelines for encouraging doctors to practice in rural and remote areas of the country to minimize the gap between supply and demand for doctors:

-  Hard area allowance to specialist doctors for serving in rural and remote areas and for their residential quarters so that they find it attractive to serve in public health facilities in such areas.
-  Honorarium to Gynecologists/ Emergency Obstetric Care (EmOC) trained, Pediatricians & Anesthetist/ Life Saving Anaesthesia Skills (LSAS) trained doctors is also provided to increase availability of specialists for conducting Cesarean Sections in rural & remote area.
-  Incentives like special incentives for doctors, incentive for Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife (ANM) for ensuring timely Antenatal Checkup (ANC) checkup and recording, incentives for conducting Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health activities.
-  States are also allowed to offer negotiable salary to attract specialist including flexibility in strategies such as 'You Quote We Pay'.
-  Non-Monetary incentives such as preferential admission in post graduate courses for staff serving in difficult areas and improving accommodation arrangement in rural areas have also been introduced under NHM.
-  Multi-skilling of doctors is supported under NHM to overcome the shortage of specialists. Skill upgradation of existing HR is another major strategy under NRHM for achieving improvement in health outcomes.

As per Rural Health Statistics 2021-22, the State-wise details of availability of doctors and Nursing Staff in PHCs in the Rural areas in the country are available at website of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at the URL as under:

https://main.mohfw.gov.in/sites/default/files/RHS%202021-22\_2.pdf .