ArticleHuman resources for health2021
Size, composition and distribution of health workforce in India: why, and where to invest?
Article in Human resources for health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 83 papers.
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Who cites it
83 citing papers in PubMed.
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- Let her shine: Empowering women and closing India's gender gap in STEM.PLoS medicine · 2026Article
- Healthcare career pathways: a case study of strengthening health workforce and empowering marginalised women in Bihar, India.Frontiers in health services · 2026Article
- Reported prevalence of interprofessional conflict in Indian health care, training adequacy and patient safety consequences: a multi-state cross-sectional study.Frontiers in health services · 2026Article
- Association between healthcare providers type and maternal-child healthcare services utilization in Pakistan: evidence from 2018 DHS using generalized structural equation modelling.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Psychological and socio-contextual factors influencing preventive healthcare decision-making: evidence from IT and ITES companies in three cities of India.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Frontline workers in India's tuberculosis (TB) elimination efforts: a street-level bureaucracy perspective.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Diagnostic Translational Considerations for Global Health Settings: Portable Detection of Human Papillomavirus for Cervical Cancer Screening in India.JCO global oncology · 2025Article
- Effort-reward imbalance, subjective sleep quality, and inflammation in female nurses at a tertiary hospital: a pilot study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Disjunctions between contractual and civil service recruitment: public sector doctors' perspectives from two Indian states.Human resources for health · 2025Article
- Article
- The nexus between healthcare provider distribution and neonatal mortality based on the context of maternal and child healthcare services in Pakistan.Journal of health, population, and nutrition · 2025Article
- Health workforce status in India: A qualitative analysis of parliamentary questions documented in the last two decades.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2025Article
- Development and Validation of the "Basic Oral Health Assessment Tool" (BOHAT) for Nondental Health Care Professionals to Use With the Indian Adult Population: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
23 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Abstract
backgroundInvestment in human resources for health not only strengthens the health system, but also generates employment and contributes to economic growth. India can gain from enhanced investment in health workforce in multiple ways. This study in addition to presenting updated estimates on size and composition of health workforce, identifies areas of investment in health workforce in India.
methodsWe analyzed two sources of data: (i) National Health Workforce Account (NHWA) 2018 and (ii) Periodic Labour Force Survey 2017-2018 of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). Using the two sources, we collated comparable estimates of different categories of health workers in India, density of health workforce and skill-mix at the all India and state levels.
resultsThe study estimated (from NHWA 2018) a total stock of 5.76 million health workers which included allopathic doctors (1.16 million), nurses/midwives (2.34 million), pharmacist (1.20 million), dentists (0.27 million), and traditional medical practitioner (AYUSH 0.79 million). However, the active health workforce size estimated (NSSO 2017-2018) is much lower (3.12 million) with allopathic doctors and nurses/midwives estimated as 0.80 million and 1.40 million, respectively. Stock density of doctor and nurses/midwives are 8.8 and 17.7, respectively, per 10,000 persons as per NHWA. However, active health workers' density (estimated from NSSO) of doctor and nurses/midwives are estimated to be 6.1 and 10.6, respectively. The numbers further drop to 5.0 and 6.0, respectively, after accounting for the adequate qualifications. All these estimates are well below the WHO threshold of 44.5 doctor, nurses and midwives per 10,000 population. The results reflected highly skewed distribution of health workforce across states, rural-urban and public-private sectors. A substantial proportion of active health worker were found not adequately qualified on the one hand and on the other more than 20% of qualified health professionals are not active in labor markets.
conclusionIndia needs to invest in HRH for increasing the number of active health workers and also improve the skill-mix which requires investment in professional colleges and technical education. India also needs encouraging qualified health professionals to join the labor markets and additional trainings and skill building for already working but inadequately qualified health workers.
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