CHANDIGARH: There is a shortage of two lakh paramedical staff in the country, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda said here today.
"Skill development training of paramedical staff is the need of the hour as there is a shortage of 2 lakh paramedical staff in the country at present," he said.
A regulatory body in the shape of national paramedical council is being deliberated upon, on the pattern of paramedical council of Himachal Pradesh, he said.
Nadda said that for strengthening, capacity building and skill development of the radiographers and other medical technologists, 32 components for their training have been identified.
He stressed on the need for team-centric holistic approach instead of doctor-centric approach, as radiologists and paramedic staff are not only the back bone of the medical profession but its soul also due to their major role in the field.
Nadda was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the two-day National Conference of Indian Society of Radiographers and Technologists (NCISRT-2015) at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) here.
The theme of conference this year was 'Impact of Trained Radiographers on Imaging and Healthcare'.
Delegates from all over India and abroad are participating in the scientific event having seven sessions.
Speaking on the issue of cancer, he said around 11 lakh new patients are added to the existing number of cancer patients every year.
"Of these some five lakh patients die annually due to cancer," he added.
He said that the government has set up 20 cancer institutes in different states.
Besides, as many as 50 tertiary cancer care units are being set up, he added.
With the invent of technology, the healthcare sector is now not limited to doctors, he said, adding that "para medics and doctors need to work as a team."
Nadda said the government has earmarked Rs 493 crore for allied medical courses in different health institutes run by the government.
This conference will provide a common platform for the Medical Technologists working in the field of Radio-diagnosis, Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine in different parts of India and other parts of the world to exchange their knowledge and challenges involved in different imaging modalities for doing accurate diagnosis, he said.