In the last three years only 12 persons have registered as clinical psychologists in Telangana, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in a reply in the Rajya Sabha.
Responding to a question on the number of clinical psychologists and psychiatric nurses asked by Seema Dwivedi, Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Satya Pal Singh Baghel said that as per the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), there are a total of 3,372 clinical psychologists registered with it (RCI) as of July 2023.
In a State-wise data, while many States had single digit numbers, Telangana has only 12 who registered in the last three years. Psychologists speaking to The Hindu said that the number of persons who are practising is much higher than that and despite that there is still a shortage of psychologists because there are no government sanctioned posts for psychologists. Additionally, the comparatively higher posts and higher salaries offered by certain State governments has resulted in elevated numbers of RCI-registered clinical psychologists in States such as Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Tamil Nadu.
