RS nod to regulation for dieticians, osteopaths, dental hygienists among other allied health providers

Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 16

The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed a bill to bring allied healthcare professionals under the ambit of regulation and mandate registrations for them for maintenance of standards with a statutory commission the bill proposes to form.

 The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill, 2020, aims at setting minimum standards for the education and practice of allied health, sector which comprises 60 per cent of the healthcare service sector in India.

The legislation will regulate several allied health service providers such as dental hygienists, diagnostic medical radiation practitioners, medical scientists, dietitians, osteopaths, medical technologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, and speech language therapists among others.

The Bill, which says it was considered critical to regulate allied professionals by constituting a regulatory commission, was passed by voice vote.

Allied health sector currently has no regulation nor is any registration mandatory for allied and healthcare professionals. The bill provides for an overarching central commission with state bodies to regulate allied health services.

The commission will maintain a database and register of allied and healthcare professionals who will have to register themselves just like doctors register with the National Medical Commission.

The Central Commission will prescribe minimum standards of education, courses, curricula, physical and infrastructural facilities which an institution (including universities) offering such courses would have to maintain by law.