Kottayam: It has come to light that a large majority of medical professionals in the country are currently unemployed. In a survey conducted by the Indian Institute of Public Health, it was found that 20 percent doctors and 30 percent nurses are not working in the health sector.
Majority of them are women aged above 35 years. Many of them are also working abroad after completing professional qualification. Due to the absence of such a huge number of workforce in the sector, India does not have health workers in proportion to the population here.
India has only half of the ratio suggested by the world Health Organisation (WHO). India also lags behind in the ratio of other health professionals like lab technicians and midwives.
WHO has suggested that the ratio of health workers should be 44.5 for 10,000 people. India has only 6.1 doctors and 10.6 nurses. When the total number of health workers is assessed, the ratio will remain maximum 20 for 10,000.
The country will experience an absence of upto 10 lakh health workers by 2030 during a crisis like COVID pandemic. The medical sector can function smoothly only if the number of nurses increases by 200 percent by 2030.
It is assumed that if at least 50 percent of the medical professionals could be brought back to work, the crisis can be partially resolved. A new policy may need to be formed at the central level to encourage them.
