Govt plans to launch central database for allied healthcare professionals

The Union government is planning to launch a central register for allied and healthcare professionals soon. This will help it make a repository of qualified allied healthcare personnel across the country, according to official sources.

This comes as the Supreme Court last month had directed the central and state governments to implement the National Commission of Allied and Healthcare Professionals (NCAHP) Act, 2021, effectively by October 2024.

 

Enacted by Parliament in 2021, the Act aims to provide for regulation and maintenance of standards of education and services by allied and healthcare professionals, assessment institutions, and maintenance of central and state registers.

 

The central repository for allied and healthcare professionals comes after the launch of similar registers for doctors, dentists, nurses and healthcare facilities. These are under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)’s ‘One Nation One Register’ programme. 

 

According to the Act, the NCAHP will maintain an online and live register of persons in separate parts in each of the 56 recognised categories. These would be known as the Central Allied and Healthcare Professionals’ Register, containing information like the name and qualifications of the person.

 

The categories recognised as allied and healthcare professionals under the Act include technicians, therapists and duty assistants, among others. 

 

“The register will also serve as a repository for recognised institutions that provide allied and healthcare education. The professionals will be linked with the institutes as well,” a person in the know said.  

 

The move stems from concerns of mushrooming of unrecognised institutes providing courses in allied and healthcare aspects of medical treatment.

 

“The lack of regulation, in fact, has led to a proliferation of institutes offering diplomas and certificate courses without any standardised curriculum or teaching methods,” he added.

 

“While the central register will open for enrollment, the verification process necessary for certification will get delayed. This is due to the lack of state councils under the NCAHP,” sources said.

 

Subject to the conditions and restrictions laid down in the NCAHP Act, every person whose name is enrolled in the central register will be free to provide any service. This must be within the defined scope of practice as an allied and healthcare professional. 

 

“Only persons who are enrolled on the central register can hold office as an allied and healthcare professional in government or in any institution maintained by a local authority. They will have to enrol to provide service in any of the recognised categories in any state,” a person in the know said. 

 

While the timeline for launch is not known, sources indicate that it can happen in the next two-three weeks. But it will be subject to the ministry’s approval.

 

Queries sent to the NCAHP and ABDM did not elicit a response till the time of going to press.

Keeping record

 

The move comes after the SC directed the Centre and states to implement the NCAHP Act, 2021

 

The Act aims to provide for regulation of standards of education and services by allied and healthcare professionals 

 

The NCAHP will maintain an online and live register of persons in separate parts in each of the 56 recognised categories

 

The repository for allied and healthcare professionals comes after the launch of similar registers for doctors, dentists and nurses