Summit stresses on building future-ready healthcare workforce, skill initiatives
India’s healthcare sector is at a crucial juncture, requiring a strengthened workforce to meet both national and global demands. This was stated by VK Paul, member (Health), NITI Aayog, at a summit, ‘Transforming the Future of the Skilled Workforce in the Care Sector’, organised by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) International in Chandigarh. He emphasised the need to expand skill initiatives beyond the traditional medical education, balancing quality with quantity.
The summit fostered meaningful discussions on policy recommendations and strategic initiatives aimed at building a sustainable and future-ready care-giver workforce. It witnessed participation of Vice-Chancellors from 50 institutions and around 12 AIIMS chiefs working towards a stronger healthcare ecosystem.
Talking about skill initiatives, Paul said that the NSDC International was playing a pivotal role in this effort, ensuring that care professionals trained in India were globally employable. He highlighted the importance of evolving curriculum, strengthening regulatory frameworks and scaling up skill-based training programme to address workforce shortages, including in specialised areas such as geriatric care. “The private sector collaboration is essential to bridge the skill gap. With structured policies and strong industry-academia partnerships, India can enhance its healthcare skilling ecosystem and emerge as a key contributor to the global workforce,” said Paul.
Alok Kumar, CEO, NSDC International said, “With a projected global shortage of 15 million caregivers by 2030, the demand for skilled professionals is at an all-time high. Countries like Germany, Japan, and Canada have increased their intake of international caregivers by over 30% in the last two years alone. India, with its young and skilled workforce, has the potential to bridge this gap. We are committed to developing a globally competent caregiver workforce by aligning skill programmes with international accreditation, streamlining certification processes and integrating cultural adaptability training.”
