Huge shortage of 64.1L allied health professionals: Report
India has a huge shortfall of 64.1 lakh allied health professionals with Uttar Pradesh accounting for the maximum shortage of over a million paramedics.
A report prepared by Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) shows a gap of 20.42 lakh dental assistance-related technologists, 18.22 lakh rehabilitation-related workforce, 8.93 lakh miscellaneous health workers and 8.58 lakh surgery and anaesthesia-related professionals.
As per the report, there is a gap of around 2.36 lakh medical technologists, 1.98 lakh surgical and intervention technology-related health professionals, 1.28 lakh opthalmology-related workers, 61,670 medical laboratory professionals and over 19,217 radiography and imaging experts.
The report prepared after a nation-wide study was presented to Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and adopted by the Union Health Ministry for implementation of its recommendations.
It suggests increasing paramedic workforce by setting up allied health human resource institutes offering post-graduate and other shorter courses, besides seeking stricter regulation of such education through a separate over-arching body and making stricter norms to bring them on a par with world class.
Among states having the widest gaps in health manpower, Maharashtra comes second with 5.65 lakh less paramedics and Bihar third with 5.28 lakh shortfall. While West Bengal has 4.62 lakh less health workforce, there is a shortage of 4.22 lakh health professionals in Andhra Pradesh and 3.68 lakh less allied health professionals in Tamil Nadu.
As per Census of India estimates, there are only 3,587 dieticians, 13,678 optometrists, 16,240 medical equipment operators and 99,010 medical assistants, 2,658 dental assistants, 7,265 physiotherapists, 15,396 modern health associates for every 10,000
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