Allied Healthcare (GAHC)

According to the order passed by NCAHP, the move has been taken in order to bring uniformity in the terminology and align it with the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act.

The Centre has officially instructed that henceforth, all states, union territories and the corresponding educational institutions should not use "Paramedical" and use "Allied and Healthcare" in all official communications, policies, advertisements and academic references, News18 has learnt.

This move comes in line with the provisions of the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021, which was enacted to standardize and regulate this wide-ranging group of health professionals under a unified framework. In fact, the order, dated July 1, has been issued by the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Profession under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

While explaining the renaming, the circular accessed by News18 said, "The term 'Paramedical' has long been used to describe various healthcare-related professions providing support services in healthcare delivery. However, with the enactment of the NCAHP Act, 2021, the term 'Allied and Healthcare' has been formally adopted."

It is further advised to avoid the term 'Paramedical' and use the words 'Allied and Healthcare' instead in all the training programmes, recruitment notifications, advertisements, educational materials, and all forms of communication - verbal and written," the circular said.

The order issued to chief secretaries, principal secretaries and health secretaries of all states and union territories said the move has been taken to ensure uniformity in terminology and alignment with the Act.

It has also recommended that all state governments, UT administrations and institutions must comply with the immediate change in terminology at their training programmes, in recruitment notifications, in educational materials, advertisements and all forms of communications — both in words and in writing. "All state governments/UT administrations and institutions are, therefore, requested to comply with this change in nomenclature and also to circulate the same to all concerned authorities, institutions, and stakeholders under their jurisdiction," the order said. It marks, as the government official quoted above explains, a “significant administrative and educational shift, particularly for thousands of students enrolled in what have traditionally been referred to as paramedical courses, as well as for faculty, health institutions and public communication channels" who will now be known by a better-recognised, standardised nomenclature under the “Allied and Healthcare\" category. "This change aligns them with international terminology and may facilitate career mobility and academic parity."

Patna will be able to see a new era in healthcare, as Khan Sir, popular for his teaching and public service, enters the field of medicine. The new hospital plans to provide basic treatments at affordable prices, with emphasis on accessibility to all sections of society.

Khan Sir, originally known as Faizal Khan, is a renowned teacher from Patna, Bihar. He rose to fame teaching difficult topics very simplistically, particularly his online lectures. He has also assisted numerous disadvantaged students by providing free guidance and counsel. Now, he is utilizing his expertise and clout differently—making healthcare economical and available to all, particularly those who cannot afford it.

Operation theatre and dialysis available for operation

The hospital operation theatre and dialysis have been prepared and fully equipped. The Patna Press reports that Khan Sir himself supervised the facilities, checking surgical machines, patient wards, and the dialysis machines, and also issued instructions to staff members regarding right-now upgrades to the highest standards.

"Each citizen should have access to medical care. Here, it would be less expensive than that in government-run hospitals," Khan Sir went on, visiting, according to Patna Press.

Besides dialysis, the hospital will also have a blood bank and cancer treatment units, suggesting an enhancement of commitment towards complete, affordable care.

Operation theatre revamped for safety

Among the best things the project achieved is the new operation theater. News 18 reported that in the first draft there were glossy tiles, which Khan Sir realized later posed a threat to surgical hygiene. Quoting Patna Press, he stated: "When two tiles meet, their narrow crevice becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, viruses, and fungus. Even a mustard seed can have thousands of them."

Owing to this, the tiles were substituted with medical-grade anti-infection mats. These marble-type mats are better for surgery and easier to clean, providing a sterile setup.

Dialysis centre fully operational

The dialysis unit has been done and operational, equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and stringent infection control measures, says the Patna Press. Khan Sir himself experimented with equipment in the presence of medical professionals to be in patient-care-ready position.

Affordable treatment for all

Khan Sir's new hospital has a definite purpose– to make health affordable to all at an affordable price. He does not want anyone, even the most poor family, to go without proper health care due to expenses. The hospital will offer basic services such as dialysis, surgery, and check-ups at very low prices, so no one will have to miss out on treatment because they cannot afford it.

Affordable compared to government hospitals

Government hospitals are famous for low-cost treatment, but they're congested and patients have to wait for hours to receive assistance. Doctors are sometimes short or equipment is unavailable. Khan Sir wants to transform it. His new hospital will offer the same treatments– but quicker, cleaner, and even more affordable than government hospitals.

News reports that dialysis and minor procedures will be less expensive than what most government hospitals currently charge. Simple and straightforward billing will also be offered by the hospital, such that patients are well aware of what they are paying for. The aspiration is to have low costs and quality care all under one roof.

Reflected from real struggles

Khan Sir has always been a man of the masses– either guiding the students or helping poor families in need during the bad times. He himself witnessed how difficult it is for most people in Patna to receive good medical care. So, he decided to enter the healthcare profession– to provide a platform where the most deserving ones are catered to without hesitation or delay.

In a landmark decision affecting thousands of students, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has instructed all Indian universities and colleges to discontinue healthcare and allied courses through distance learning and online modes from July 2025. The decision, cleared in UGC's 592nd meeting on July 23, 2025, was to preserve the quality and sanctity of medical and allied studies in India.

UGC officials have stated that medical courses require experiential learning, laboratory exposure, and patient exposure, which cannot be done in place of online learning. The controversy was initiated while an earlier April 2025 Distance Education Bureau Working Group meeting had complained about the poor standards of practice in online medical courses.

Based on education figures, more than 1.5 million students take allied health courses every year, embracing such subjects as physiotherapy, dietetics, and medical laboratory science. The experts agree that without exposure to the practical aspects, the graduates will not be best placed for employment in clinics.

All institutes operating these programs on Open and Distance Learning (ODL) or online mode are required to suspend new admissions from the July–August 2025 session. The online courses already in place shall be made invalid, effectively stopping new admissions. 

Enrolled students in intimated online courses could be permitted to finish their courses, although the universities will have to adhere strictly to UGC guidelines. Institutions have been directed by the Commission to intimate directly modifications to students and offer choices for offline or hybrid mode.

Despite the constraint of the ban on flexibility for working professionals and e-learners, officials of UGC suggest that learning on campus facilitates better employability. Industry data reveal that 85% of hospitals seek candidates who have clinical experience and classroom training.

The UGC decision is in tune with its quality-oriented, practical healthcare education. The emphasis now is on developing work-capable, competent professionals with intensive, experiential learning as India sets itself the task of developing 2.4 million more health workers by 2030.

Hello students! Are you keen to join the healthcare profession but holding back from pursuing online courses? Shattering news just arrived with us that will ruin your dreams. India's University Grants Commission (UGC) directed all universities and colleges to refrain from presenting courses in healthcare and allied sciences as online or distance courses from July 2025. This is done to preserve the standard of education.

We will keep it easy here in this blog, give you the key facts, and help you decide what to do next. So let's begin!

Why did UGC make this rule?

UGC wants to provide students with the best possible education for healthcare careers. Such kinds of topics need practice in hands, e.g., in labs or among patients, that cannot be offered by online classes totally. The decision was taken by UGC's 592nd meeting on 23rd July 2025. Officials discussed it in an earlier April 2025 Working Group of Distance Education Bureau meeting. They fear that online modes may lead to a weakening of standards in critical fields like medicine and therapy.

Think about it: Who saves lives every day? Physicians. Over 1.5 million students pursue allied health programs annually in India, according to reports. But if the graduates lack experiential skills, they can fail. The UGC ban protects future physicians, nurses, and therapists by promoting on-campus training. 

What Courses Are Affected?

Not all online courses are out—just the healthcare and allied science ones. UGC has implemented some particular ones to avoid confusion. 

If your university was undertaking these under Open and Distance Learning (ODL) or fully online mode, they will have to close down admission from the July-August 2025 session. Already approved courses become disapproved with immediate effect, so no fresh enrolments. This affects thousands of candidates, and the estimates run up to 200,000 students getting affected in the very first year.

How Does This Affect You as a Student?

If you're thinking online healthcare studies for convenience, this ban is a blow. Most students opt for online modes since they work or reside off-campus.

E-learning grew 30% in India post-COVID outbreak, but health care complained about subpar practical training. UGC's action assures your degree is worth the paper it is printed on. Employers want graduates with real-world experience; for example, 85% of hospitals place maximum emphasis on hands-on trained hires, sector studies say.

For current students: If you are a current student of an approved online course before July 2025, you should be able to complete. But just check with your university—UGC guidelines have to be adhered to, otherwise, there are repercussions.

What's Next?

Plan ahead and pave the way. Here are easy steps to adapt to this change:

Talk to Your College: Find out whether your course is converted from off- or online to off- or online or being chopped. Open communication is expected by UGC.

Look for Alternatives: Look for opportunities on the campus in top institutes like AIIMS or state colleges. They all offer scholarships—over 50,000 seats are offered every year in allied health.

Investigate Hybrid Paths: Some non-health classes like business or IT are still online. Pair them with subsequent electives in health.

Enhance Offline: Take brief certifications or workshops in first aid. Sites like Coursera still provide free health basics but no degrees.

Get Caught Up: Bookmark the UGC site or news apps. They catch up from time to time, so things change

Odisha, an eastern Indian state, has been the nation's most-preferred Allied Health Science education hub in recent years with students from across the nation. With the impetus given by new-generation colleges, health infrastructure development, and government support, Odisha has emerged as a favored hub for learning Physiotherapy, Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology (BASLP), Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT), and similar Allied Health Science courses.

This article discusses why Odisha is becoming the most favored destination for students and why it is well-educated, has opportunities for work, and avails itself of higher-order clinical experience.

Increased Demand for Allied Health Professionals in India

Indian healthcare industry is growing at a historic pace, with an increased demand for qualified allied health professionals. With improved medical technology on the horizon and specialist medical attention in demand increasing, careers like Physiotherapy, Radiology, Optometry, and Audiology are witnessing record-breaking career opportunities.

Why Odisha is a Best Place for Allied Health Science Studies?

1. Top Institutions Availability

Odisha has the finest allied health sciences colleges which offer UG and PG courses in Physiotherapy, BASLP, MLT, Radiology, etc. AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Institute of Health Sciences (IHS), and Siksha 'O' Anusandhan University are some of the colleges offering strong academic input and practical training.

2. Top-Class Clinical Exposure with 120+ Bed Rehabilitation Centres

Institutions in Odisha like IHS Bhubaneswar possess latest rehabilitation infrastructure, which gives students real clinical exposure, internship, and real patient experience.

3. Low Cost Education & Living

Odisha offers quality education at affordable cost in comparison to other metros like Bangalore, Delhi, and Mumbai. Low living cost, low fee, and scholarship facility make it a favorite among the students.

4. Emerging Healthcare Industry in Odisha

With AIIMS Bhubaneswar, SUM Hospital, AMRI Hospitals, etc., quality health facilities, Odisha has emerged as a healthcare hub of Eastern India, offering improved internship and employment opportunities for Allied Health Science graduates.

5. Satisfactory Placement Rate for Graduates

Odisha Physiotherapy, BASLP, and other Allied Health Science graduates have been placed well in premium hospitals, rehabilitation units, research centers, and multinationals in the healthcare sector.

6. Government Support & Policy Initiatives

Odisha state government has endeavored greater in the field of paramedical and medical education. Greater research grants, infrastructural development, and greater career prospects in healthcare are making Odisha an increasingly viable option for medical aspirants.

Allied Health Science students of Odisha receive industry exposure in advanced hospitals, clinics, and rehabilitation facilities. IHS Bhubaneswar and other such colleges provide direct clinical exposure through corporate collaborations, research works, and internship programs to provide enhanced placement.

The basic understanding of each subject depends on the correct familiarity with the subject's key terminologies. Psychology is an enormous sea of mind-boggling data and there exist terms that one is used to overlook as similar or related merely because of habitual practice.

 In psychology, many words are incorrectly interpreted not just by first-year students but also by graduate-degree students, psychology professors, and scientists writers. These misunderstandings can prevent one from comprehending other psychology concepts. The majority of people including on social media do not pay attention to details when writing about psychology. Therefore, we have here the most confused or homonymic words in psychology that we ignore. 

Although both the professions share similar educational needs and practices, however, they are dissimilar from each other. The majority of them use the terms psychiatrist and psychologist as synonyms without becoming engaged with the subject. Psychology is the study of mind, feelings, and human behavior, a philosophical aspect of mental health that developed into a distinct profession in the mid-1800s. Psychologists apply various methods of therapy to recover their patients from mental illnesses and ensure healthy mental lives. Psychiatry, however, is a medical profession that deals solely with the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. Though psychiatrists also work as psychotherapists to help their patients, they are mostly educated to prescribe medications to treat the biological component of one's mental well-being. To become a psychologist, you must get a bachelor's degree, master's degree and if necessary, further studies up to doctorate in the field of psychology. In order to become a psychiatrist, the applicants must undergo medical school and study topics like anatomy, biology, neurology, and disease to equip themselves with the knowledge needed to prescribe medication for mental disorders. In real life, psychiatrists prescribe medicines mostly while psychologists employ talk or behavior therapy. 

The terms guidance and counseling are employed extremely frequently interchangeably in our everyday life. But technically these two psychological terms have wholly different meanings. Guidance is to advice or to supply a relevant piece of information to a person who wants to overcome trouble or problem. Counseling, however, is a little bit of professional guidance given by a counsellor to his client for helping him/her to overcome psychological or personal problems. The mere act of providing guidance is preventive and counseling is corrective with the objective of curative development. One of the fundamental differences is that in counseling the decision-making power rests with the one counseling, while in guidance the client makes decisions so that he will not be dependent on the assistance of anyone else and will have faith in his or her own abilities. In counseling, the client wants to choose the best option but in guidance, the aim is to change the mindset of the person so that he himself can find a solution.

These two words are mostly misused and mixed up most of the time by not only non-professionals but also by most practitioners. In simple terms, both methods are used to treat emotional and psychological problems in a person. Counseling is conducted by a professional therapist who conducts a one-to-one conversation with an individual or a group that allows you to explore deeper into your problems in order to identify unwanted behaviors and resolve mental health concerns such as anxiety depression, etc. That is, counseling is only recommended for specific situations or issues that are troubling and should be resolved. Psychotherapy, however, attempts to determine the underlying reasons for the issues that occurred in the past, which might be causing the current issues. Psychotherapy is more of an art than a simple session of counseling. These sessions are visited by qualified personnel who not only provide counseling but are competent enough to provide psychotherapy as well. Despite when it comes to duration of treatment, psychotherapy is a longer term therapy focused on enhancing insight into long-term physical and emotional problems.

It is a seemingly trivial concept to understand but the significance and power of these terms is in their differentiation. To say it plainly, sympathy is being emotionally invested and empathy is being mentally invested towards someone or a situation. Most authors define empathy as the capacity to share or feel the sentiments of other people. Practically, when you are empathizing you experience the same emotions like sadness, unhappiness, or distress as is the object of empathy. However, sympathy would typically refer to your sympathy or empathy for the other person. It is merely "feeling sorry" for the other person without really knowing his frame of reference. 

However, in speaking of suppression, it is merely a defense mechanism marked by conscious forgetting of unwanted material. The surprise here is that in repression your conscious self never realizes you are employing the defense mechanism but in suppression you purposely try to forget or not think about painful or unwanted thoughts. Subconscious v Unconscious

Most of you are no doubt familiar with consciousness and unconsciousness but few will probably be aware of the actual definition of the subconscious.

Is it similar to the unconscious? Far from it. To use the term subconscious instead of the term unconscious is a common and important mistake. The majority define the unconscious as a more profound mental process that goes on automatically that the human mind is not capable of accessing. Unconscious actions would be referring to a spouse's name out loud as your ex or the use of a wrong word to describe something. Subconscious is part of our mind which isn't in focused awareness at the moment. A kind of barrier our mind puts up can be termed subconscious in the sense that it doesn't stop everything but keeps the information stored within the brain to be retrieved later. The best example of subconscious activity is breathing. While unconscious is an automatic process that happens and is not accessible to introspection, the subconscious is part of our consciousness process but is not currently in focal awareness. Working Memory v Short Term Memory

Memory is again a very significant area of psychology and it is worth acquainting oneself with the difference between working memory and short-term memory.

Though the terms have been interchanged, contemporary cognitive psychologists have separated them with a new perspective. Working memory is an ordinarily linked system of information for temporary storage and administration. Short-term memory is most often regarded as one specific system within the working memory domain that serves as a 'scratchpad' for keeping the memory within the active state for several seconds before transferring to the subsequent level of processing. Want to learn more about psychology? Read all our blog posts here (https://www.counselindia.com/blog) At CounselIndia is India's fastest-growing network of counsellors and psychologists. The vision of CounselIndia is to provide you with practical and simple psychology courses with psychological support platform. Contact us for any question about psychology and we will respond back within < 24 hours>.