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Puneet_Kumar


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The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill, Twenty-Twenty NCAHP was passed by Parliament in March. It's a historic event for two reasons. First, it is not every day that we see unanimous support for legislation. Second, the impact of this legislation on the health workforce and healthcare denotes a paradigm shift. Initial efforts at regulating allied health professions were participatory, beginning in the early Nineteen Nineties. After numerous consultations with key stakeholders, the first draft Bill was uploaded on the health ministry's website in Twenty-Fifteen, inviting public comments. The overwhelming number of responses triggered another, more intensive process of public consultations, expert meetings, reviews, and discussions with stakeholders, including states. Building consensus on a range of provisions in the Bill was no mean feat. The revised "Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill" was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in December Two Thousand Eighteen. The health department-related parliamentary standing committee made One Hundred Ten recommendations. The government accepted One Hundred Two recommendations unequivocally, and six with slight modifications, resulting in the NCAHP, Twenty-Twenty. This legislation provides for regulation and maintenance of standards of education and services by allied and healthcare professionals and the maintenance of a central register of such professionals. It recognises over Fifty professions such as physiotherapists, optometrists, nutritionists, medical laboratory professionals, radiotherapy technology professionals, which had hitherto lacked a comprehensive regulatory mechanism. An important feature of this Bill is the classification of allied professionals using the International System of Classification of Occupations ISCO code. This facilitates global mobility and enables better opportunities for such professionals, potentially benefiting around Eight Nine lakh existing allied and healthcare-related professionals. The Act aims to establish a central statutory body as a National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions. It will be supported by Ten professional councils to frame policies and standards, regulate professional conduct, prescribe qualifications, create and maintain a central register. The government has taken all possible measures to incorporate the demands and recommendations of states. Thus, the Bill has the provision for state councils to execute major functions through autonomous boards. The state councils are the implementation agencies while the National Commission is the overarching body devising policies. Global evidence demonstrates the vital role of allied professionals in the delivery of healthcare services. The demand for such professionals is high. They are the first to recognise the problems of the patients and serve as safety nets. Their awareness of patient care accountability adds tremendous value to the healthcare team in both the public and private sectors. The passage of this Bill has the potential to overhaul the entire allied health workforce by establishing institutes of excellence and regulating the scope of practice by focusing on task shifting and task-re distribution.
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Text Practice - Time 798 - English

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