IANS
 
New Delhi, Aug 21: India claims it is going to become a healthcare hub for the world, but data available with the health ministry suggests there is only one allopathic doctor for 1,634 people.

According to the Medical Council of India, the total number of registered allopathic doctors in the country is 683,582. Thus the allopathic doctor-population ratio at present is 1:1,634.

Though the ministry does not have data relating to the doctor-patient ratio in rural and urban areas, Minister of State for Health Panabaka Lakshmi said on Monday that the ratio varies from case to case "depending upon various factors like the type of disease, nature of specialisation, type of patient-care required".

Lakshmi informed the Rajya Sabha that there are 269 medical colleges in the country with annual intake of 30,922 students, who add up to the existing medical manpower.

In 2005, there were 233 medical colleges with annual intake of 26,192 students.

The minister added that there were more than 600,000 practitioners of Indian systems of medicine and homoeopathy.

The minister said if both the figures were taken together, the ratio would come down to one doctor per 870 people.

"The National Rural Health Mission has been operationalised with the main aim of providing accessible and reliable primary health care facilities especially to the poor and the vulnerable sections of the population," Lakshmi said.