NITI Aayog claims nailed, 39,000 doctors on Telangana’s rolls
With a rough population estimate of 3.98 crore in Telangana, the 39,000 physicians in the State are just about enough to meet the WHO norms of doctor to patient ratio
Hyderabad: Ever since Statehood, between 2014 and June 2021, roughly 39,000 doctors have registered themselves with the Telangana State Medical Council (TSMC) to practice medicine and treat patients in Telangana. The fact that 39,000 physicians are registered practitioners in Telangana is quite contrary to studies that recently claimed the State does not have enough doctors.
A few days ago, a report (Sustainable Development Goals, 2021) released by NITI Aayog suggested that the number of physicians in Telangana was far less than the set norms. The report, which compared availability of physicians, nurses and midwives said the numbers did not meet World Health Organization (WHO) norms. According to WHO norms, typically one doctor should cater to healthcare needs of 1,000 people.
With a rough population estimate of 3.98 crore in Telangana, the 39,000 physicians in the State are just about enough to meet the WHO norms of doctor to patient ratio. However, forces inimical to Telangana have unleashed a blitzkrieg saying that the doctor population ratio was too less in the State in utter disregard to the facts available with the Telangana State Medical Council.
Between 2014 and 2016, the State Medical Council registered about 16,500 doctors and then from 2016 to till date, another 22,507 doctors got themselves registered with the Council.
“Since Statehood, we have registered about 39,000 doctors, who are practicing medicine only in Telangana. We are the sole legally authorised body to either cancel the license to practice or register doctors so that they can practice medicine in the State,” TSMC registrar Dr Ch Hanmantha Rao said.
The SDG report of NITI Aayog also noted that Telangana has recorded improvement in other vital healthcare parameters including Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), institutional deliveries, notification of TB cases and vaccination of children.
“Is it possible to improve in all vital healthcare parameters without adequate number of doctors, nurses and other ancillary staff? For the last few years, there have been concerted efforts by the Health department to focus on overall development of healthcare services. Unfortunately, this is not reflected in the SDG report,” doctors said.
Health officials also pointed out that data related to recruitment of healthcare workers in Telangana in the SDG report was based on data available in 2016-17 with the Union Health Ministry.
“If you need accurate data on availability of doctors, State Medical Councils are the only organisations that can provide updated information. Since Statehood, the Council has been quite active in separating TS and AP registrations of doctors and maintaining a separate register for doctors in Telangana,” Dr Hanmantha Rao said.
In the next few years, the number of physicians in Telangana is expected to further rise, as Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has given the green signal to launch seven more medical colleges. Apart from that, as part of preparing for the Covid-19 third wave, the State government is also planning to directly recruit doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff in the coming months.
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