industry

Cabinet okays bill to regulate allied, healthcare professions


The Cabinet has approved the Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill, 2018 that seeks to regulate and standardise education, training and services of healthcare professionals such as physiotherapists, nutritionists and lab technologists.

The proposed law provides for new central and state councils to set standards for over 50 allied and healthcare professions, and will override any existing regulations for these professions, the government said in a statement Thursday.

“Though such professionals have existed in the Indian healthcare system for many decades, a considerable gap in the allied and healthcare space is because of a lack of a comprehensive regulatory framework and absence of standards for education and training of allied and healthcare professions,” it said.

The bill covers 15 major professional categories comprising 53 professions in allied and healthcare streams and includes offences and penalties to check any malpractices.

The proposed legislation is expected to directly benefit around 8-9 lakh existing allied and healthcare professionals in the country and several other graduating professionals in this space, the government said.

The budget required for the legislation is expected to be Rs 95 crore for the first four years, with Rs 75 crore earmarked for states and the remaining funds expected to support the central council’s operations.

It is expected to create qualified, highly skilled and competent jobs in healthcare that would cater to the global shortage of healthcare workforce, which WHO has projected to touch 15 million by 2030, the release said.

The bill provides for various functions of the central and state councils, including framing policies and standards, regulating professional conduct, and provisions for common entry and exit examinations. The central council will comprise 47 members, including 33 who mainly represent the 15 professional categories. The state councils, which will undertake recognition of allied and healthcare institutions, will have 28 members each, the release said.

Professional advisory bodies under these councils will examine issues independently and are expected to provide recommendations relating to the specific recognised categories.

An interim council, to be constituted within six months of the bill being passed in Parliament, will hold charge for two years until the establishment of the central council, the statement said.





READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.