India has only 1 anaesthetist per lakh people, reveals global study

On Wednesday, the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA) officially launched a landmark online resource tool mapping the total number of anaesthesia providers worldwide. A large number of countries reported less than 5 anaesthetists per 1,00,000 population. It highlights the current crisis in the surgical and anaesthesia workforce that has left 5 billion people without access to safe and affordable anaesthesia and surgical care. In India, there are only 1.27 physician anaesthesia providers per lakh individuals.

The WFSA undertook a global survey during 2015-2016, collecting information from member societies as well as non-WFSA-member countries.

WFSA’s data for countries representing more than 7 billion people also highlights the gap between the rich and poor. There is a large difference between the average anaesthesia provider workforce densities in high income countries compared with low income countries.

Countries in Africa, West Asia, Caribbean, Central and South America had less than six anaesthesia providers per 1,00,000 population. Meanwhile, North America and European regions recorded a healthy workforce density.
“The crisis in anaesthesia is perhaps most apparent in terms of workforce. In high income countries we have ratios of 20 per 1,00,000 or higher, and experience very low mortality from anaesthesia. In low income countries we actually have examples of there being 1,000 times fewer trained providers and 1,000 times higher mortality rates. It’s wrong.” Julian Gore-Booth, WFSA Chief Executive, said.

Recent seminal papers have highlighted major discrepancies in the provision of safe anaesthesia and surgery worldwide. The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery estimated that 5 billion of the world’s 7 billion people do not have access to safe, affordable anaesthesia and surgical care when needed. As the essential role of anaesthesia in the provision of surgical care is not always understood by decision makers, the development of anaesthesia has often been given a lower priority in the global health agenda.

Dr Wayne Morriss, Director of Programmes at the WFSA, shared the significance of the findings: “Anaesthesia provision is affordable with research from the World Bank highlighting a return on investment as high as 10 to one.

Substantial investment in educating anaesthesia providers is required urgently. WFSA is well placed to work with the WHO, other specialist medical organisations, governments, and NGOs to correct the workforce gap and achieve safe anaesthesia for all by 2030.”

Numbers speak

Density of physician anaesthesia providers per 1,00,000 population in India
1.27 

Population: 1,300,000,000
Physician: 8,83,812
Surgeons: 31,560
Physician anaesthesia
Providers: 16,500
Nurse anaesthesia providers: 0
Other anaesthesia providers: 0

A click away

WFSA’s online resource tool can be accessed on http://www.wfsahq.org/workforce-map