Budget Push to Add 1 Lakh Allied Health Professionals Gains Momentum

India is set to significantly expand its allied healthcare workforce after policymakers, regulators, academic experts and industry leaders outlined a roadmap to add 1,00,000 Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) over the next five years, a key announcement made in the Union Budget. The strategy aims to strengthen India's healthcare ecosystem by expanding allied health education, improving training standards and addressing the growing demand for skilled healthcare support professionals.

The discussions took place during a Post-Budget Webinar breakout session on "Scale-up Allied Health Professionals" under Para 53 of the Union Budget, organised as part of the broader theme "Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas – Fulfilling Aspirations of People." The session brought together representatives from government, regulatory bodies, academia and healthcare industry stakeholders to chart actionable strategies for expanding allied healthcare education and workforce capacity.

Rising Demand for Allied Health Workforce

Moderating the session, Dr. Vinod Kotwal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, highlighted the rapidly growing demand for allied health professionals in India's healthcare system.

She noted that demographic changes, rising non-communicable diseases (NCDs), expansion of healthcare infrastructure and increasing adoption of advanced medical technologies are collectively driving demand for trained allied healthcare personnel.

"Disciplines such as diagnostics, imaging, physiotherapy, emergency care and anaesthesia technology are witnessing strong growth and require a significantly expanded workforce," she said.

India's healthcare sector has expanded rapidly in recent years, with thousands of new medical colleges, diagnostic facilities, speciality hospitals and telemedicine services emerging across the country. However, the availability of trained allied health professionals has not kept pace with this expansion, creating a critical gap in healthcare delivery.

Priority Disciplines Identified for Expansion

To address this gap, the government has identified several priority disciplines for expanding training capacity. These include:

• Optometry

• Physiotherapy

• Medical Laboratory Sciences

• Dialysis Therapy

• Radiology and Imaging Technology

• Radiotherapy Technology

• Anaesthesia and Operation Theatre Technology

• Emergency Medical Technology

• Occupational Therapy

• Applied Psychology and Behavioural Health

• Palliative Care

Experts noted that professionals in these areas play a critical role in diagnostics, rehabilitation, patient care management and life-saving emergency services, forming the backbone of modern healthcare systems.

Strengthening Training Infrastructure

India currently has over 500 government institutions offering nearly 48,000 seats in allied health programmes, while approximately 3,800 private institutions collectively offer more than 3.6 lakh seats. However, panelists observed that significant variations exist in infrastructure, laboratories, equipment and faculty availability across institutions.

The new initiative therefore aims to:

• Expand seats in diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate allied health programmes

• Modernise government institutions in line with National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) norms

• Upgrade laboratories, simulation centres and skill training facilities

• Address shortages of qualified faculty

• Increase awareness among youth about career opportunities in allied health professions

Regulatory Reforms Strengthen the Ecosystem

The discussions highlighted the transformative role of the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP), established under the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021.

The commission is responsible for standardising education, regulating professional practice and ensuring uniform training standards across allied health disciplines.

Experts noted that the operationalisation of NCAHP has created a strong regulatory foundation for expanding allied health education while maintaining quality and professional standards.

Leveraging Medical Colleges and Hospitals as Training Hubs

Panelists proposed several innovative approaches to rapidly scale training capacity across the country.

One key recommendation was to leverage existing hospitals and district medical colleges as allied health science teaching and skill development hubs. Since many components of medical college infrastructure—such as laboratories, imaging units, operation theatres and diagnostic facilities—align closely with allied health training requirements, these institutions can be quickly adapted to support large-scale training.

This approach could significantly accelerate the development of skilled professionals while optimising existing healthcare infrastructure.

Strengthening Industry–Academia Collaboration

Experts also emphasised the importance of stronger collaboration between academic institutions and the healthcare industry.

Panelists suggested expanding faculty exchange programmes between universities and medical colleges to address faculty shortages and enhance teaching quality. Such collaborations can facilitate knowledge sharing, exposure to best practices and continuous capacity building across institutions.

They also called for greater industry participation in curriculum design and training programmes, ensuring that allied health graduates possess skills aligned with real-world healthcare needs.

Allied Health as a High-Potential Career Path

Speakers highlighted that allied healthcare offers diverse and rewarding career opportunities for young professionals, ranging from diagnostic sciences and emergency care to rehabilitation therapy and behavioural health.

However, awareness about these professions remains limited compared to traditional medical careers. Panelists stressed the need for national-level awareness campaigns to promote allied healthcare as a respectable and promising professional pathway.

Wide Participation from Health Sector Stakeholders

The distinguished panel included:

• Dr. Yagna Unmesh Shukla, Chairperson, National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP)

• Dr. Abhijat Chandrakant Sheth, Chairperson, National Medical Commission (NMC)

• Ms. Aswathy S, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare, Odisha

• Shri Siddhartha Bhattacharya, Director General, NATHEALTH

• Dr. Sanjeev Singh, Medical Director, Amrita Group of Institutes, Faridabad

• Dr. Anurag Shahi, Head of Academics, Virohan

• Dr. Sanjay Dinkar Sawant, Director, Regional Institute of Paramedical and Nursing Sciences (RIPANS), Aizawl

• Dr. D. Jagadeswaran, Dean, Allied Health Sciences, SRM Medical College Hospital & Research Centre

• Dr. Girdhar J. Gyani, Director General, Association of Healthcare Providers (India)

• Shri Rahul Singh, Director, Infrastructure Support and Development Division, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA)

The webinar was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, state health departments, industry associations, healthcare providers and faculty from leading allied healthcare institutions.

Building a Future-Ready Healthcare Workforce

Participants agreed that scaling up allied health education is essential to building a resilient, accessible and high-quality healthcare system capable of meeting India's future health challenges.

The insights and recommendations from the session are expected to help shape a robust implementation roadmap for expanding allied healthcare education and developing a large, skilled workforce of allied health professionals across the country.

As India's healthcare sector continues to expand rapidly, the success of this initiative could play a pivotal role in strengthening healthcare delivery, improving patient outcomes and supporting the country's long-term public health goals.