Focus on workforce boost in health sector considering global demand: Govt

The Minister of State (MOS) for Health also reiterated that there is no need to fear the JN.1 subvariant of coronavirus but states have been asked to be alert about its spread

The Indian health sector has a good image globally and the government is working to increase the workforce in view of growing demand, Union minister Bharati Pawar said here on Saturday.

The Minister of State (MOS) for Health reiterated that there is no need to fear the JN.1 subvariant of coronavirus but states have been asked to be alert about its spread.

Dr Pawar was speaking to reporters after reviewing OPD and IPD services, and government schemes like AB-PMJAY, and Jan Aushadhi Kendra at the AIIMS Nagpur.

"India is progressing in all sectors globally. There is a lot of demand for Indian healthcare professionals across the globe. The Indian health sector has a good image. It is trusted and the demand for healthcare personnel is growing in many countries," the Union minister said.

She said Indian nurses are in good demand in many countries including Japan.

"Considering the demand for nurses, the Central government has started Japanese language courses in some Northeastern states," Dr Pawar said.

She said the government is also working to increase the number of seats for MBBS courses.

"The number of medical colleges in the country stood at 350 before 2014. This number has gone up to more than 700 after 2014. Similarly, regions like the Northeast which did not have a single medical college in the last 70 years now have medical colleges in Mizoram and Nagaland," the Union minister said.

Dr Pawar said the government is focusing on expanding medical tourism and working on the 'Heal in India and Heal by India' concept.

Speaking about the COVID-19 scenario, the Union minister said the number of patients is on the rise in the US, Italy, Germany, and some other countries.

"A review meeting was held last week. The number of cases was 50,000 globally but India has around 3,500 cases including 2,800 in Kerala. Some cases were reported from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra," she said.

The Centre has given necessary directions to all states and asked them to be on alert mode regarding COVID-19, she added.

"Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is coordinating with health ministers in various states via video conferencing. The JN.1 is a sub-variant of Omicron. It is mild and one need not be afraid but it spreads fast and the WHO has classified it as a 'variant of interest'. We have to be alert," the Union minister added.