Cancer is one of the leading threats to public health in India. An estimated 2.25 million people live with the disease in the country, with more than 1.15 million new cases registered and an estimated 784,821 deaths recorded last year. Despite this, the country’s cancer infrastructure is sorely lacking – as phrased by a parliamentary […]
specialist doctors
Specialist doctor recruitment drive in Karnataka
The state health and family welfare department in Karnataka is embarking on a recruitment drive to fill almost a thousand vacant specialist doctor positions in the state. Karnataka has just one doctor for every 13,556 people, versus the national average of one doctor for 10,926 people and World Health Organization recommendations of one for every […]
Doctor-patient ratio improves but still far from ideal
India’s doctor-patient ratio has improved according to the National Health Profile, 2019. However, the ratio still does not measure up to World Health Organization (WHO) norms of one doctor for every thousand people. According to the data, collated by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI), there is one allopathic doctor for every 10,926 people […]
Doctors in Bihar: Efforts to increase numbers
![By Ghajinidetails. Ghajinidetails [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/AIIMS_Patna_classes_started_on_September_25%2C2012.jpg)](https://i1.wp.com/www.healthissuesindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/AIIMS_Patna_classes_started_on_September_252012.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 "Health minister Choubey tells AIIMS doctors to turn Bihar patients away")
Efforts are underway to increase the number of doctors in Bihar to address its shortage, with both the National Health Mission (NHM) and the state government taking steps to plug the gap. The state health department is aiming to recruit 2,425 doctors to staff government hospitals, as the state’s public health infrastructure grapples with a […]
Achieving the ideal doctor-patient ratio
India could reach the doctor-patient ratio recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) within the next few years, a member of the Centre’s leading think tank Niti Aayog has said. “With the efforts of the Government of India, the country would be able to achieve the WHO norm of one physician for 1,000 population before […]
India’s shortage of specialist doctors is still staggering
July 1st marked Doctors’ Day – and while the occasion was an opportunity to thank the medical professionals who work to ensure good health, it also was a bitter reminder of the public health crisis India is facing. The government has put a figure to the mammoth medical staff shortage India is battling. The new […]
Raising the retirement age of doctors
Punjab has announced it may raise the age at which government doctors may retire in a bid to address the state’s shortage of doctors. The doctor-patient ratio in Punjab was actually ranked as one of the best in India in September last year. The Times of India reported that Punjab had one medico for every […]
How an unskilled workforce leads to subpar healthcare
When talking about the state of healthcare in India, accessibility is only one part of the problem. Healthcare must be readily available, yes, but it must also be high-quality. A workforce dogged by shortages of qualified personnel presents a significant challenge to making this a reality. New research published in BMJ Open shows that India […]
India facing shortage of surgery trainees
India’s shortage of surgeons could get worse in the coming years, new government data suggests. The number of medical trainees studying to become surgeons is declining. Of 2,029 surgery seats in super speciality courses for the 2018-19 academic year, 189 went unfilled. Super speciality courses are those for which candidates have to clear National Eligibility-cum-Entrance […]
In Warangal, the biggest hospital sits in crisis
The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Warangal, Telangana is the city’s largest government-run hospital – and it’s in crisis. Shortages of staff and equipment plague the facility. In recent weeks, the situation has forced emergency meetings to be held between hospital officials and Hospital Development Society (HDS) officials. Present included the hospital’s superintendent Dr B. […]