NEW DELHI: Aimed at ensuring uniformity in the education and training of allied and healthcare professionals across the country, the Centre on Wednesday launched competency-based curricula for ten allied and healthcare professions.
The curricula covers professions including physiotherapy, applied psychology and behavioural health, optometry, nutrition and dietetics, dialysis therapy technology and dialysis therapy, radiotherapy technology, medical radiology and imaging technology, anaesthesia and operation theatre technology, health information management, and physician associates.
The new curricula will be mandatorily implemented from 2026.
The new curricula has been jointly launched by the Union Health Ministry in collaboration with the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP), a statutory body which regulates and maintains standards of education and services of allied and healthcare professionals.
The idea is to strengthen the healthcare delivery system in accordance with the emerging needs of the nation.
The newly developed curricula also aim to cultivate globally competent allied and healthcare professionals, equipped to meet the rising burden of disease and the increasing demand for allied health services. These programs are structured to align with the evolving needs of the healthcare sector, both nationally and internationally, according to the ministry officials.
Officials said the rest of the curricula for other allied and healthcare professions will be launched soon.
Underlining the importance of the professions for which the new curriculum has been launched, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, said that "these professions play a crucial role in preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative healthcare."
She underscored the government’s steadfast commitment to strengthening capacity building and improving the quality of education and training across all domains of the healthcare sector.
“The comprehensive revision and standardization of the curricula represent a pivotal step toward establishing consistency in educational content and delivery,” she said.
Highlighting the importance of the new curricula she stated that India is skilling its healthcare professionals not just for India, but for the globe.
“The curricula launched today will set a benchmark for the quality of healthcare professionals across various faculties.”
“This initiative is expected to significantly enhance the effectiveness of skill-based training, better align educational outcomes with industry needs, and promote greater career mobility and professional recognition for allied health professionals nationwide.”
She further added that “the success of these curricula depends not only on their design and content but also on the strength of the systems that support their rollout. This includes adequate institutional preparedness, faculty training, infrastructure development, and continuous monitoring to uphold quality standards. Digital modules of the curriculum will be crowd sourced to make them available to all for their capacity building so that the vision of Swastha Bharat can be promoted.”
The health secretary also emphasized the critical importance of establishing robust regulatory mechanisms and investing in capacity building to ensure the effective implementation of the newly developed curricula.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Yagna Unmesh Shukla, chairperson NCAHP, said that “these curricula will ensure uniformity and is an important step in the direction of actualizing the vision of ‘One Nation, One Curriculum.’
“It is important to note that this marks the first phase of the curriculum rollout. The release of curricula for other professional categories, as outlined under the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act, 2021, is currently underway and will be completed at the earliest possible opportunity.”
The newly introduced handbooks represent a significant step toward establishing a unified national standard for allied and healthcare education across the country.
They provide clear and consistent guidelines regarding course content, eligibility criteria, methods of training delivery, and institutional infrastructure requirements, she said.
The curricula establish minimum educational standards to ensure consistent quality of graduating professionals nationwide; emphasise the practical application of knowledge and skills in real-world healthcare settings, moving beyond theoretical knowledge; foster not only clinical expertise but also essential skills such as communication, teamwork, ethical practice, and lifelong learning.
The ministry said this will help prepare a skilled workforce in physiotherapy and renal care to support the government's vision of Universal Health Coverage.
This commission’s objective is to establish and to be equipped with interdependent, independent and inter referral healthcare practitioners.
The new curricula will be available on the NCAHP website.
The development process involved extensive consultation with academic experts, representatives from professional associations, and key stakeholders across the healthcare ecosystem. A thorough review of existing educational modules was conducted, incorporating insights and feedback from senior technical advisors to ensure relevance and rigor.
Furthermore, the curricula have been carefully realigned with the regulatory standards and provisions outlined in the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act, 2021.
“This comprehensive approach ensures that the training of allied and healthcare professionals remains current, responsive, and of the highest quality,” the statement said.