The popular benchmark that every 1,000 people should have one doctor is widely used in policy debates, but it turns out to be unfounded. The World Health Organization (WHO) has clarified that it never issued a blanket doctor-to-population ratio of 1:1,000. Public health experts say this metric has been wrongly adopted by multiple governments to argue for rapid expansion of medical colleges, even when structural issues persist.

Instead, the WHO uses a broader threshold of 4.45 doctors, nurses and midwives per 1,000 people as an international‐average benchmark linked to basic essential health-service coverage—still only a guideline, not a universal standard.

The lesson is clear: health-workforce planning must take into account a country’s demographics, disease burden, infrastructure and fiscal capacity—not rely on a one-size-fits-all number. The misuse of the 1:1,000 “standard” has helped push quantity over quality, ignoring factors like distribution of doctors (urban vs rural), specialisation gaps and system readiness. Recognising the myth is the first step toward more realistic, tailored planning—ensuring health policy moves from symbolic targets toward meaningful outcomes.