The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2020

The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2020 seeks to regulate and standardise the education and practice of allied and healthcare professionals in India.

• The Act was introduced to provide for regulation and maintenance of standards of education and services by allied and healthcare professionals, and maintain a register of healthcare professions.

Key Features of the Act: It defines healthcare professional and allied health professional with clearly identifiable criteria. It also specifies certain categories of allied and healthcare professions as recognised categories.

These include life science professionals, trauma and burn care professionals, surgical and anaesthesia related technology professionals, physiotherapists, and nutrition science professionals.

• It also mandates maintenance of a State Register or the National Register of healthcare professions.

Advantages of the Act : Allied healthcare professionals play a very important role in the delivery of healthcare services across the globe. They are the first to understand the problems of the patients and serve as safety nets. The Act is a right step in standardizing the conduct and services of allied and healthcare professionals. It will improve opportunities for such professionals and also streamline the healthcare ecosystem.