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The healthcare sector in the country needs to invest in modern training technologies, simulation centres, and professional development which will prove critical for retention and improved quality of care, said Anuj Chahal, founder & CEO, Maverick Simulation Solutions.
As the founder of Maverick which is India's only indigenous designer and manufacturer of advanced medical simulators, Chahal told Pharmabiz that while the healthcare facilities in India continue to improve, the investments in modern training technologies, simulation centres, and professional development will prove critical for retention and improved quality of care. Once doctors get world class experiential training at all levels, they will be well equipped to work in district hospitals, tertiary centres, and the community.
The doctor-population ratio is at roughly 1:811, ahead of the WHO benchmark of 1:1,000. But a large share of doctors are concentrated in cities, rural India appears to have far lower specialist density and a significant number of Indian-trained doctors have gone on to work in health systems abroad.
According to Chahal, “There has been considerable development in India in the area of increasing the number of doctors. However, the health workforce cannot be estimated according to one national ratio because it represents national averages. It does not take into account where doctors work, how many of them are a part of the working medical team and whether they have access to the proper training which would allow them to provide adequate medical care regardless of their locations and the specialty, he added.
This is why district hospitals may still struggle to cope with the lack of workforce despite the positive figures at the national level. These days, it is more difficult not to produce more doctors but rather to distribute them evenly, develop clinicians' skills and create systems which would allow healthcare providers to work effectively. In light of the ever-developing healthcare sector, each clinician needs to have medical knowledge along with the ability to work effectively under stress. This is where simulation-based training becomes very important, because it allows doctors to practice crucial procedures, scenarios and cooperation in a safe environment, he pointed out.
This same theory can be used in explaining how doctors from India who practice abroad are a demonstration of the caliber of the medical professionals in India. This can be seen as more than just the issue of brain drain; it is also a demonstration of how competitive Indian healthcare professionals are in the global market. What needs to happen now is for India to create an environment where healthcare professionals can get as good a learning experience and exposure to medicine as those in other countries, noted Chahal.
In the end, there must be a shift in perspective from the question of whether India has enough doctors. The pertinent question is rather whether every health worker is ready to be placed and used in places where their skills can produce maximum results. It will not be just about having a big number of people in the healthcare field but rather about their competence and readiness to perform their duties, said Chahal.
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