A recent study has found that India has a sufficient number of healthcare professionals, although their distribution is uneven between rural and urban India and across different states.

A statement released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that the research was carried out by the Indian Institute of Public Health and is based on the data collected from the registry institutions and the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO).

The data from the NSSO suggested that there are an estimated 29 doctors per 10,000 people in India, whereas the data collected from the registry institution estimates the figure to be as high as 38. Both the figures are more than the World Health Organisation’s minimum threshold of 22.8, as per the statement reported.

The study also reports an overall discrepancy in the density of doctors and nurses across the country, from the fact that their numbers are more in states like Kerala and the Union Territories than in larger states such as Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Bihar.

In addition, only 23 per cent of the health workers work in the rural areas whereas nearly 71 per cent of the country’s population lives, as per the study.The release also read that the study used the 2011-12 National Sample Survey data and projected Human Resource for Health (HRH) number for 2016 using census projection and worker participation rate. Also, the survey used 2017 registry data of health professionals (Medical Council of India, India Nursing Council, Dental Council of India and other professional associations).