Does the WHO’s “benchmark” of 1 doctor per 1,000 people actually exist?

For years, India’s political debates, parliamentary discussions, and health-policy arguments have leaned heavily on a simple figure of one doctor per 1000 people supposedly set by the World Health Organization or WHO

But the WHO in a written reply to the Hindu has clarified that it has never actually recommended this ratio.

This episode breaks down the history behind the 1:1000 myth, examines the WHO’s current SDG-linked framework for assessing health worker availability, and explores why India’s own data paints a far more uneven picture — from rural-urban gaps to ongoing disputes over counting AYUSH doctors.

Guest: Siddhesh Zadey, health-systems researcher and co-founder of the Association for Socially Applicable Research (ASAR)

Host: Devyanshi Bihani

Edited by Jude Weston

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