New Delhi: India's public healthcare system is facing a shortage of about six lakh doctors and nine lakh nurses despite increasing number of government hospitals, industry body Assocham today said.
India currently has around 6,25,000 doctors and faces acute shortages of qualified medical practitioner and nurses which impacts the quality of health services in the country, the chamber said.
"Indian public healthcare system has an estimated shortfall of six lakh doctors and 9 lakh nurses despite the fact that number of government hospitals have increased in number from 4,571 in the year 2000 to over 8,500 in 2009," it said.
It also said that the current bed to population ratio is nine which is far below the global average of 40 beds per thousand population.
It further added that public expenditure on health services as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in India is less than one per cent, one of the lowest across the globe.
PTI
First Published: Friday, January 15, 2010, 21:40