A considerable regulatory gap in the allied health space is attributed to the lack of a comprehensive regulatory framework and absence of centres for excellence or apex bodies for professional development and training of allied health professionals (AHP), according to a study.

“A number of councils such as the Medical Council of India (MCI), Dental Council of India (DCI) to name a few, have already been established by Government for regulating the standards of education and training, as well as the registration of practitioners in respective fields. The aim is to prevent unqualified people from practising and also for maintain the standards of these professions. However, there is no central regulatory mechanism for AHPs. As threes councils are established by an Act, it is recommended to set up a National Board for Allied Health Sciences as an interim measure to undertake the work of capacity augmentation and re-organization for this group of the healthcare workforce,” said the report of the National Initiative for Allied Health Sciences (NIAHS).

The report titled, “From Paramedics to Allied Health Professionals: Landscaping the Journey and Way Forward” was released here on Friday by Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

The project has studied over 1000 institutes and carried out literature review which reveals a plethora of institutions across the country all offering a wide variety of courses varying in quality and output on allied subjects.

“The lack of planned courses and institutions non-uniform nomenclature for the existing courses, diverse standards of practice and lack of qualified faculty pose a threat to the quality of education and skills of the AHP, thus there is a need to standardize the course duration, curricula, training methodologies and other such components pertaining to the education and training of allied health professionals,” the report said.

“A supply-demand analysis undertaken using an access-efficiency factor for urban and rural population based on best practices of HRH norms reveal a total national shortage of approx. 64 lakh AHPs with highest gaps in the states of UP, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Bihar and AP. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare aims to address the shortage by establishing one national and eight regional institutes of allied health science across the country, which will serve as the centres of excellence based on the lines of AIIMS in medical education,” it said.

“For effective management of the institutes, it is recommended that the national and regional institutes of allied health science may be established as autonomous bodies fully funded by GoI, lands to be provided by the state government and they should be encouraged to find ways to sustainable operational cost,” the study said.