Upper house passes National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill
17 Mar 2021 15:56:14
New Delhi, March 17: Rajya Sabha has passed the “National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professional Bill, 2020”, to regulate and standardise the education and practice of allied and healthcare professionals. It was passed by the voice vote on 16 March 2021 to fulfill the long-pending demands for the sector.
Speaking on the Bill, Union Health Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said the passing of the Bill will certainly bring cheers to the faces of allied and healthcare professionals across the country. Describing the Bill as a pathbreaking initiative, he said it will change the future of the healthcare sector.
The bill will create an institutional structure to enhance employability. It will benefit around 8 to 9 lakh existing allied and healthcare professionals. It defines ‘allied health professional’ as an associate, technician, or technologist trained to support the diagnosis and treatment of any illness, disease, and injury.
With that bill, these professionals will be more ready to cater to the global shortage and demand of 1.80 crores professional by 2030 which was predicted by the WHO global workforce report. Apart from this, it also provides for the assessment of institutions and maintenance of the central and state register.
Under this bill, each state will be having a separate state professional council with four autonomous boards about undergraduate education, postgraduate education, assessment, and rating. The bill will also help to create the system to improve the research & development and adoption of the latest scientific advances. The Bill provides an opportunity to regulate and leverage the qualified allied and healthcare workforce and ensure high-quality multi-disciplinary care in line with universal health coverage.
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