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- A World Health Organisation database has put India into the “critical shortage of healthcare providers” category. India continues to have low density of health professionals with the number being lower than those of Sri Lanka, China, Thailand, United Kingdom and Brazil.
- There are also inequitable distributions of skilled health workers. Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are the worst hit when it comes to density of health professionals; while Delhi, Kerala, Punjab and Gujarat are comparatively better.
- Further, a paper titled ‘Forecasting the future need and gaps in requirements for public health professionals in India up to 2026’ published in the WHO South-East Asia Journal of Public Health, has noted that government statistics for 2008, based on vacancies in sanctioned posts showed 18% of primary health centres were without a doctor. Also about 38% of primary health centres were without a laboratory technician and 16% were without a pharmacist.
- The health workforce in India comprises broadly eight categories, namely: a) doctors (allopathic, alternative medicine); b) nursing and midwifery professionals; c) public health professionals (medical, non-medical); d) pharmacists; e) dentists; f) paramedical workers (allied health professionals); g) grass-root workers (frontline workers); and h) support staff.
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