Delhi hospital bed-population ratio 50 percent below norms

New Delhi: The hospital bed-population ratio in Delhi during 2014 was almost half the prescribed level, reveals the Economic Survey of Delhi 2014-15 released on Wednesday.

The World Health Organization recommends five hospital beds per thousand of population.

But in the national capital, the ratio is 2.71 per thousand in 2014 — up from 2.25 in 2004. In 2014, Delhi had 48,096 hospital beds for its 1,77,37,344 people.

The per capita expenditure on health in Delhi has gone up from Rs.1,696 in 2013-14 to Rs.1,936 in 2014-15.

According to the survey, Delhi has 95 hospitals, 1,389 dispensaries, 267 maternity homes, 937 polyclinics and 16 medical colleges.

About 82 per cent of the total births were institutional in 2013, while Delhi also enjoys a high life expectancy of 72 years, as compared to the national average of 68.

(IANS)