Key Note Speech - Padmashri Dr Raman Gangakhedkar at SYMHEALTH2022
Re-imagining the landscape of Allied Healthcare Professions in India and showcasing new career avenues.
Dr. Shubnum Singh, Principal Advisor, Health Policy, CII. Board Member, Healthcare Sector Skills Council (HSSC), expressed the need for the formation of State Allied and Healthcare councils and the necessity of the healthcare industry to recognize Allied Healthcare Professionals (AHPs) for various job roles.
Dr. S. Senthil Kumar, Principal, Allied Health Sciences, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRMC), Chennai, recommended the standardization of the curriculum of Allied Healthcare programs with the incorporation of competency-based skill training currently practiced in the institutions like Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences (SIHS).
Mr. Jithin K Sree, General Secretary, Indian Association of Respiratory Care, outlined the role of professional associations in setting up working standards and addressing the issues of Allied Health Care Professionals. Potential career options available internationally for AHPs were also discussed. He highlighted that the Respiratory Therapists be trained in institutes having high educational standards and recognized globally which will pave the path for students working abroad.
Dr. Niranjan Ambekar, Nephrologist, Kidney & Dialysis Centre, Ambekar Hospital, proposed that various stakeholders of Allied Healthcare should come together for standardizing regulations of AHPs in India, stressing the roles and responsibilities of technologists, particularly dialysis technologists, in the healthcare industry through case studies. He elaborated on the job opportunities such as application specialists in the Medical Equipment and Device industry (E.g. Fresenius Medical Care).