India’s doctor-population ratio improves to 1:778 with rise in medical seats: Centre
New Delhi, July 24 (TNT): The number of medical seats in the country has witnessed a significant increase over the past two academic years, with MBBS and postgraduate seats registering substantial growth, the Union Health Ministry informed the Lok Sabha on Friday.
In a written reply, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda said the number of MBBS seats increased from 1,09,115 in the academic year 2023-24 to 1,28,976 in 2025-26.
The Union Minister said postgraduate medical seats also increased from 31,185 in 2023-24 to 86,360 in 2025-26, as per data provided by the National Medical Commission (NMC).
According to the Indian Medical Register (IMR), the country currently has 15,35,155 registered allopathic doctors and 7,51,768 registered practitioners under the AYUSH system of medicine.
Assuming that 80 per cent of registered practitioners from both allopathic and AYUSH systems are available for service, the doctor-population ratio in the country is estimated at 1:778, the Union Minister said.
The government said the expansion of medical education infrastructure and increase in available healthcare professionals would help strengthen healthcare delivery across the country.
TNT TS
