Context

National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill passed by Parliament to regulate practice of allied and healthcare professionals.

About

• The health workforce in the Indian scenario has been defined with a focus mainly on a few cadres such as doctors, nurses and frontline workers.
• Many other professionals belonging to more than fifty allied and health care professions continue to remain under-utilised and unregulated in the health system and there has been a persistent demand for a regulatory framework for such professions for several decades.

Features of the Bill

• National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions: The Bill seeks to set up a National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions to regulate and standardize the education and practice of allied and healthcare professionals.
• The functions of the proposed National Commission: include framing of standards for education and practice, creating and maintaining an online Central Register of all registered professionals, providing basic standards of education, and providing for a uniform entrance and exit examination.
• State Register or the National Register: Under the legislation, only those enrolled in a State Register or the National Register as a qualified allied and healthcare practitioner would be allowed to practice as an allied and healthcare practitioner.
• The Bill defines an ‘allied health professional’: as an associate, technician, or technologist trained to support the diagnosis and treatment of any illness, disease, injury, or impairment.
• A ‘healthcare professional’ includes: a scientist, therapist, or any other professional who studies, advises, researches, supervises, or provides preventive, curative, rehabilitative, therapeutic, or promotional health services.
• Allied and healthcare professions: that are mentioned in the Bill include professionals working in life sciences, trauma and burn care, surgical and anaesthesia related technology, physiotherapists, and nutrition science.

Significance of the Bill

• The bill will increase the employment opportunities for the healthcare and allied professionals and will also provide dignity to their valuable works.
• There is an extreme demand for qualified healthcare professionals and that the legislation will provide the required impetus in providing affordable healthcare to the people.
• It will standardise and regulate education and practice.
• It would provide for a uniform entrance and exit examination, among others.