Health manpower refers to all categories of people who are trained and employed to provide health services to individuals, families and communities. It includes doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, physiotherapists, health educators, community health workers, administrators and other supportive personnel. In nursing, health manpower is particularly important because nurses constitute a major proportion of the health workforce and provide continuous care in hospitals, community settings and other health institutions. Proper planning and development of health manpower are essential for providing accessible, effective, safe and equitable health services. Health manpower requirement means the number and type of health personnel needed to meet the health needs of a particular population during a specified period. It is determined by considering population size, demographic characteristics, disease patterns, health service requirements, geographical distribution, available resources and national health policies. The objective is to ensure that the right number of qualified health workers with appropriate skills are available at the right place and at the right time. Health manpower requirements can be considered at different levels. At the national level, manpower planning is related to the overall health needs of the country. At the state and district levels, planning considers the population, health problems and available health institutions. At the institutional level, manpower requirements are determined according to the workload, number of beds, services provided and working hours. In nursing, the requirement may be calculated according to the number of patients, type of nursing care required, nurse-patient ratio, working shifts and special services such as intensive care, operation theatres and maternity units. Several factors influence health manpower requirements. Population size and growth are important because an increasing population requires additional health personnel. The age and sex composition of the population also influence requirements because children, elderly people and women may have different health needs. The pattern of disease is another important factor. Areas with a high prevalence of communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health problems or occupational diseases may require specialized personnel. Geographical distribution is also significant because rural, remote and urban areas may have different