Allied Healthcare (GAHC)

The Government of Sikkim has collaborated with the Indian Council of Medical Research's National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (ICMR, NIRRCH) to conduct a detailed study on the state's decreasing birth rate, as per the officials.

A two day project coordination meeting was convened on January 6 and 7 at ICMR, NIRRCH in Mumbai to review the study's scope and execution. The study is meant to track fertility trends in Sikkim and examine the readiness of the state health system to manage the problems related to a low birth rate.

The study titled "Rapid Assessment of Fertility Trends, Determinants and Preparedness of the State Health System in Sikkim to Address Low Total Fertility Rate (TFR)", is supported by ICMR, NIRRCH and it is being conducted with technical guidance from ICMR, NIRRCH and the International Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR), in association with the Government of Sikkim and other partner institutions.

The study aims to identify the factors responsible for the falling fertility rates and the decision of families to have fewer children in the state, officials said, adding that it would also look at the ability of hospitals and health services to meet the needs of infertile couples as well as reproductive health generally.

At the meeting, which was chaired by Dr. Geetanjali Sachdeva, Director of ICMR, NIRRCH, Dr. Anushree Patil, Scientist, F and Head of the Clinical Research Division at ICMR, NIRRCH and the study's principal investigator, was involved in a very detailed discussion with the teams of ICMR, NIRRCH and IIHMR.

The Sikkim government delegation was led by Rohini Pradhan, Additional Secretary-cum-Programme Director of Sikkim INSPIRES under the Planning and Development Department, who is also the study’s co-principal investigator. Senior doctors, academics and research staff from state hospitals and educational institutions were also present.

During the meeting, participants finalised the project plan, timelines and institutional roles, identified study locations across Sikkim, and approved data collection tools. To formalise the collaboration, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between ICMR-NIRRCH, IIHMR, ICMR-RMRCNE and the Government of Sikkim.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on January 9 announced that his government is planning to establish a dedicated health university to strengthen and streamline medical education in the state.

Addressing the media, Saha said Tripura currently has three medical colleges, one dental science college, three nursing colleges and one para-medical college, all of which are affiliated with Tripura University. He said the proposed health university would oversee and run these medical institutions, marking a significant step in the state’s healthcare and education reforms.

“The three medical colleges together offer 350 MBBS seats. We have already applied to the Centre for permission to increase 100 additional MBBS seats at the Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC), and we are hopeful of a positive response,” the Chief Minister said.

Highlighting Tripura’s broader progress in higher education, Saha noted that several premier national institutions are already functioning in the state, including the National Forensic Science University (NFSU), National Law University (NLU), Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) and the National Institute of Technology (NIT). “The days are not far when Tripura will emerge as an educational hub of the Northeast,” he asserted.

The Chief Minister also spoke about the state’s efforts to attract investment, stating that the second edition of the ‘Prabashi Tripurabashi Summit’ witnessed the participation of around 70 potential investors and entrepreneurs. He said many people originally from Tripura, now well-settled in various professional fields abroad, attended the summit at their own expense.

“The participants were encouraged by the initiatives taken by the state government and expressed keen interest in investing in Tripura,” Saha said, adding that such engagements reflect growing confidence in the state’s development trajectory.

The proposed health university, along with expansion of medical seats and increased investor interest, is being seen as part of the government’s long-term vision to position Tripura as a centre for quality education, healthcare and economic growth in the region.

The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) has officially informed the University Grants Commission (UGC) regarding the fresh set of eligibility criteria for admissions to undergraduate programmes in allied and healthcare fields that will come into effect from the 2026, 27 academic year. This move aims to unify admission standards across India’s allied health science education landscape.

According to the changed rules, NEET UG will be the only method by which one can get admission to the core programmes like Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) and Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (BOT) without any exception. Candidates will have to take the National Eligibility, cum, Entrance Test (UG) as the first condition along with fulfilling the academic requirements of Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry and Biology (PCB) and the minimum aggregate marks.

However, admission to psychology, related programmes, especially Bachelor of Psychology (BPsy) and Bachelor of Medical and Psychiatric Social Work (BMPSW), will be through university or institute, level entrance tests. These tests will give universities an opportunity to select the best students from a variety of educational backgrounds as psychology courses generally get students from science, arts, and commerce streams.

For several other allied healthcare degrees such as optometry, medical radiology and imaging technology, medical laboratory science, nutrition and dietetics, emergency medical technology and more, Class 12 academic performance will continue to determine eligibility. These programmes typically require candidates to have studied PCB (or PCB/Mathematics where applicable), with some courses also mandating English at the higher secondary level.

NCAHP’s proposed framework reflects its broader strategy to standardise allied and healthcare education under a central regulatory framework established to elevate quality and ensure uniformity. However, final implementation depends on state councils and universities adopting these standards.

Students planning admissions for 2026-27 should prepare accordingly, particularly for NEET UG if targeting physiotherapy or occupational therapy, and keep track of university-specific test notifications.

It would have been a new government medical college in the state. However, the state will not be able to apply for any new government medical college this year also. As the apex body for medical education in India, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has called for applications from new medical colleges looking to provide undergraduate (UG) programs in FY2026-27. The deadline to submit applications is January 28, 2023.

The government was thinking of filing the two proposals of the government medical colleges Hoshiarpur and Kapurthla for the creation of a new medical college but, as no upgrade process has been started so far, Punjab will not get any new government medical college before 2027.

On confirming the development, a senior official of the Punjab medical education department, who asked not to be named said, "The department is not applying for any new government medical college this year as we do not have the necessary certificate. It will take eight to ten months to meet the NMC requirements for a new medical college application."

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, in its inaugural budget (2022), had committed to establishing 16 medical colleges over the next five years. With no adequate facilities available locally, a large number of students from Punjab annually go abroad for MBBS. There are currently only four government medical colleges in Punjab compared to seven private ones, which have nearly 60% of the total MBBS seats in the state. 

Dr BR Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences in Mohali is the last government medical college in Punjab which was started in 2021 under the previous Congress government. The government medical college in Mohali had been set up after a gap of 48 years. When asked about the problems faced while applying for new colleges, a senior official said, Awarding of tender for upgradation of district hospitals in Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala was delayed due to some issues. We are considering other possibilities for starting a medical college. It is worth mentioning that the department will have to meet a very long list of NMC conditions before it can apply for a new medical college. For example, it has to hire a minimum of 85 teaching staff for 100 MBBS seats.

Along with that, Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh mentioned that there was a proposal for four to five medical colleges, of which three are government colleges.

Dr Balbir Singh was asked about the proposed government medical colleges in Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur. He replied, The tender for the upgrade of Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur hospitals will be opened by the end of this month. After that, work will commence. Apart from these two colleges, we have got land clearance from Punjab Waqf Board for setting up a college in Malerkotla.

Congress slams AAP

The president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who is also the Ludhiana MP, has stated that to this point, the AAP government has failed to establish even one government medical college. He alleged that the government was only concentrating on advertising.

The state of Chhattisgarh advanced in the two essential aspects of healthcare skill enhancement and job creation by the formalization of a pact between the Chhattisgarh State Skill Development Authority and the Sri Sathya Sai Health and Education Trust. The agreement was made at Mahanadi Bhawan in Nava Raipur in the presence of the Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai.

The partnership is aimed at enhancing skill development in the healthcare sector through well organised vocational training programmes tailored to the medical needs of the future. To implement the project, a network of specialised healthcare training centres will be set up all over the state, thus not only equipping the youth with the latest skills in the industry but also creating a trained manpower pool capable of supporting hospitals, diagnostic centres, and emergency services.

Training is entirely free and will be available for both residential and non residential candidates. These courses will provide the students with the necessary skills for various sectors such as Medical Laboratory Technology, Cardiology Technician, Electrocardiography Technician, Cardiac Care Technician, and Emergency Medical Technician programmes. Officials pointed out that the initiative is designed to create sustainable career paths for young people in a rapidly growing industry.

While interacting with the audience, CM Sai brought out the point that skill development is one of the underlying pillars in the state's development plan. Healthcare specific skills will not only ensure better healthcare service delivery but will also generate decent jobs for the youth. The availability of skilled human resources is the key to healthcare infrastructure getting stronger even in far, flung and underprivileged areas, he stated. The Chief Minister also stated that these graduates are to lead the way in making healthcare accessible to all in Chhattisgarh.

Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, Cabinet Minister Gajendra Yadav, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Subodh Singh and Chairman of Sri Sathya Sai Health and Education Trust C. Srinivas were also there, along with the senior officers of the Skill Development Department. The officials said that such a partnership is a perfect example of the state's efforts to integrate the skill development schemes with the requirements of the health sector. Through the fusion of vocational training and healthcare demands, Chhattisgarh intends to develop a labor force that is not only skilled but also job, ready, thereby making the state capable of handling the healthcare challenges of the future while providing the best medical services to the people.

The new AI course provided by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), which is available to take on-line, will allow doctors to diagnose patients utilizing the latest in artificial intelligence (AI). What you will study in the new course for doctors, which is provided for free, was made known to us in an announcement by NBEMS.

It has been announced that post graduate doctors and their faculty may use AI in the future. No fee will be charged for the course according to the statement made by NBEMS within its notification. Candidates interested in participating in the course may submit applications via the official website natboard.edu.in/Sangam/index.php.

The course will last six months. There are twenty interactive on line modules, which include live on line presentations, and are designed to emphasize the ethical, safety and accountable aspects of using AI as a clinical tool. In addition, prior experience with computers, technology, or programming is not required for participation. A description of the curriculum and the format of the course, along with the individual modules, are outlined in the announcement by NBEMS. The purpose of the course is to enable physicians to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to improve diagnosis and patient care, through the application of AI.

Faculty from the following universities and institutions will provide the AI training:

• Mayo Clinic
• Harvard University
• Oxford University
• Indian Institute of Science-Bangalore
• Indian Institute of Management-Lucknow
• And many other universities around the world

Eligible participants include current NBEMS trainees, all alumni who were trained after the 2020 session, faculty of NBEMS accredited departments, and other professionals. In order to qualify for certification, participants must attend at least seventy-five percent of the live classes. Attendance will be recorded at both the beginning and end of each session. Upon completing the online modules for the assessment, participants will have earned a digital certificate of completion of the course.

How to mark your attendance

The class timetable will be available on the official NBEMS (www.natboard.edu.in) website and in turn will allow participants to access a session by clicking on the Join the Class hyperlink located on the corresponding module. Clicking the hyperlink will direct participants to the virtual classroom where attendance will be automatically logged once the session has begun. The hyperlinks will be active for 30 minutes prior to the session specified on the schedule, and the session will not be available after 30 minutes from the scheduled session time.

What will the course cover?

According to the notification, after attending this program on Artificial Intelligence in Medical Educational Courses, participants should be able to demonstrate basic knowledge of AI concepts as they apply to healthcare; therefore, this program does not require any prior knowledge of AI programming or AI technical skills. Participants will also be able to evaluate critically for Clinical Validity, Clinical Utility, Bias, and Risk to Patient Safety with regard to AI Tools, Models, and Research Literature.

Advantages for doctors:

This course stresses effective clinical decision-making. This course will help physicians evaluate whether or not to use AI as a medical tool and also other related issues such as ethical and legal issues related to Indian healthcare settings.

The participants will be able to integrate AI outputs into clinical practice through patient-centered thinking, function effectively in a multidisciplinary AI team as a domain specialist, and exhibit professionalism, accountability, and ethics in AI-assisted tools in patient care, education, and research.

Applicable to MBBS as well

According to the media report, “The aim, as stated by NBEMS President and Chairperson, Abhijat Sheth, is to enable doctors to understand, appraise, and use Artificial Intelligence safely, without encouraging them to become programmers or change their approach of thinking.” He further stated that the effort of incorporating Artificial Intelligence education in the education system of doctors is being implemented with a clear understanding of a 'phased plan, beginning with the postgraduate faculty members, moving on to the postgraduate students, followed by the undergraduate or MBBS education, and finally culminating in a local education infrastructure of Artificial Intelligence.’