India is facing a doctor shortage problem. What makes this situation more concerning is that it is not driven by a lack of talent. India continues to produce bright and capable students who are more than qualified to become excellent doctors. The real issue lies in the system itself which is making it harder for them to enter, survive and stay.

My niece is in her 4th year of MBBS. In a batch of around 100 MBBS students, only 9 are men and nobody is talking about it. This is not about one gender being more capable than another, it actually points to changing perceptions about the profession. Families proudly talk about having a doctor at home. But the lived experience of medical students and young doctors tells a different story. Becoming a doctor in India is not just academically demanding, it is physically, emotionally and financially taxing. A typical MBBS student faces:

• 5–6 hours of intensive classes every day
• 6–7 years of nonstop studying and hospital work
• Passing rates in many medical colleges hover below 50%
• After all that, fresh MBBS doctors often earn ₹30,000–₹40,000 a month

This mismatch between effort and reward is one of the biggest reasons young people are stepping away from medicine. With engineering or technology careers starting salaries go higher even with four years of undergraduate education and paid internships during the final year, and also unlike other fields, there is little room for flexibility. Students cannot easily switch tracks or look for other alternatives without loss of time and effort.

Expansion Without Retention

India has significantly increased the number of MBBS seats over the past decade. More seats mean more opportunities. But this approach focuses only on entry and not on retention. A medical seat is just the beginning of a long journey. What matters is how many of those students slowly become practicing doctors and continue in the profession.

So, the number of increasing seats is only part of the solution. A seat does not automatically translate into a practicing doctor. Between admission and long-term practice, there are multiple drop-off points:

• Graduates who choose non-clinical careers
• Doctors who move abroad for better opportunities
• Professionals who leave due to burnout
• Less pay for the freshers

Without addressing these retention challenges, simply producing more graduates will not solve the problem.

The Emotional and Human Side of the Problem

Medicine is not just a profession, it is a deeply human role. Doctors carry responsibility that goes beyond usual tasks and targets. They deal with life, death and human suffering every day. But the system often treats them as replaceable resources rather than skilled professionals.

Long shifts, limited support and rising patient loads gives them an environment where burnout becomes almost inevitable. Over time, this leads to emotional fatigue, reducing satisfaction in the job and in some cases, complete withdrawal from clinical practice.

Also, when young doctors look at their seniors who are exhausted, underpaid and constantly stressed, they begin to question whether this is the future they want. And that question is what slowly reduces the number of people willing to commit to this path.

The Backbone of Healthcare

Healthcare is about people no matter how much technology has advanced. Technology can improve efficiency, diagnostics and expand access to different medical services. But it cannot replace the human judgment, empathy and expertise that doctors provide. Hospitals, machines and digital tools can only function effectively when it is supported by skilled professionals.

If the pipeline of trained and motivated doctors begins to thin, the consequences will be:

• Longer waiting times for patients
• Increased pressure on existing doctors
• Reduced quality of care
• Strain on emergency and critical services
• Weakening of primary healthcare systems

As a health tech founder, this worries me more than any tech problem.

On one hand, there is a huge growth in infrastructure, technology and access. On the other hand, there is a growing strain on the human resources that make healthcare possible.

If we want to address this problem meaningfully, we need to shift focus from just producing doctors to supporting them throughout their journey. The system should value the doctors as much as the patients. If we don’t, we may soon find ourselves asking not why there aren’t enough doctors, why we didn’t listen when the warning signs were clear and feel the consequences as patients tomorrow.

What do you think needs to change first?