Bajaj Committee, officially known as “Expert Committee on Health Manpower Planning, Production, and Management,” was constituted by Government of India in 1986. Chaired by Dr. J.S. Bajaj, then-Professor at AIIMS, New Delhi, committee was a response to National Policy on Education (1986), which for first time recognized critical link between education and health services.
While earlier committees (like Bhore or Mudaliar) focused on physical infrastructure of clinics and hospitals, Bajaj Committee shifted it to Human Resources for Health (HRH)—ensuring that India didn’t just have buildings, but a trained, well-managed workforce to run them.
Key Objectives
The committee was tasked with:
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Assessing current and future national health manpower requirements.
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Suggesting ways to integrate health planning with education system.
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Developing a vocational education framework for health-related fields at the +2 (higher secondary) level.
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Creating a mechanism for continuous review of health manpower needs.
Major Recommndations
1. Educational Reforms
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Educational Commission for Health Sciences (ECHS): Committee recommended establishing an apex body for health education on lines of University Grants Commission (UGC).
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Health Science Universities: It proposed that states and union territories establish dedicated Health Science Universities to bring uniformity to curricula and standards of medical, nursing, and paramedical courses.
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Vocationalization: To address shortage of paramedical staff, it suggested introducing vocational health courses at10+2 level with incentives to encourage students to join these professions.
2. Policy and Planning
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National Health Manpower Policy: Committee called for a formal policy specifically for manpower to ensure that “production” (training) met “deployment” (actual jobs).
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Health Manpower Cells: It recommended creating dedicated cells at both Central and State levels to maintain databases and forecast future workforce needs.
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Realistic Manpower Survey: It stressed need for a nationwide survey to understand actual availability of healthcare professionals in both public and private sectors.
3. Service and Management
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4-Tier Health System: Committee reinforced organization of health services into a four-tier structure (Village, Sub-center, PHC, and CHC) to reach “Health for All by 2000 AD.”
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Career Structure: It advocated for a uniform employment procedure and a clear career progression path for all categories of health workers to improve morale and retention.
4-Tier Service Structure
Committee outlined population norms for delivery of health services:
| Level | Population Coverage (Plains) | Population Coverage (Hilly/Tribal) |
| Village Level | Trained Village Workers | Trained Village Workers |
| Sub-Center | 5,000 | 3,000 |
| Primary Health Center (PHC) | 30,000 | 20,000 |
| Community Health Center (CHC) | 100,000 | 80,000 |
Legacy and Impact
Bajaj Committee is remembered for pioneering the idea that health manpower is a specialized field of management. Its push for vocational health education paved way for numerous paramedical diplomas and degrees available today. Furthermore, several states in India (such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu) eventually followed recommendation to establish dedicated Health Science Universities to oversee medical education.