The Indian government often refers to the World Health Organization (WHO)
guideline of having one doctor for every 1,000 people. However, the WHO has
never officially set this as a standard.
Parliament records show that until at least 2010, the government said the WHO
had not given any specific doctor-to-population ratio. But in answers from 2015
and 2024, the government mentioned the 1:1,000 ratio as a benchmark.