Experts point to widening scope for allied health sciences in India

Range of services open to trained professionals is growing

As part of the online Career Counselling 2021 series presented by Hindustan Institute of Technology & Science (HITS) along with The Hindu Education Plus, two webinars were hosted on Thursday. The first on “A Career in Allied Health Sciences: Current Trends & Future Prospects”, presented a holistic picture of the sector in India. According to Dr. B. Rajashekhar, Founding/ Former Dean, Advisor for AHS Programmes, Manipal College of Health Professions, India is still 50 years behind the rest of the world in Allied Health Sciences (AHS) education and career. “In India, the absence of a central regulatory council has led to non-uniformity of curriculum, infrastructure, faculty, and clinical exposure,” he said, insisting on the need to review and drive transformation in this sector. Dr. Jeyaprakash Shetty K., Vice-Dean, Professor and HOD, Pathology, K.S. Hegde Medical Academy, NITTE University, Mangalore, and Dr. R.W. Alexander Jesudasan, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science followed up with an overview of the various courses available ranging from Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees to Diploma courses in Medical Laboratory Technology and Respiratory Therapy, Pharmacology, Nutrition and Dietetics and General Duty Assistant among others. The take-aways included notes on the soft skills required, various avenues for work from hospitals to sports clinics. While one is not required to write the NEET to get into AHS programmes, each college has its own admission criteria, the experts said.