India's healthcare sector is increasingly recognising allied and healthcare education as a critical pillar in addressing the country's growing demand for skilled healthcare professionals. With hospitals, diagnostic centres and healthcare providers facing persistent workforce shortages, education leaders and industry stakeholders are calling for greater investment in competency-based learning, curriculum innovation and industry-integrated training to prepare job-ready graduates.

According to Nalin Saluja, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Virohan, the global healthcare sector is confronting an unprecedented workforce crisis. Estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate a shortage of nearly 18 million health workers by 2030, while India alone faces a shortfall of more than 6 million Allied and Healthcare Professionals (AHPs). The country's healthcare workforce density currently stands at around 21 professionals per 10,000 people, significantly below the WHO benchmark of 44.5 per 10,000.

Saluja noted that discussions around healthcare careers often focus primarily on doctors and nurses, even though Allied and Healthcare Professionals account for nearly 60% of the healthcare workforce. These professionals—including laboratory technicians, radiographers, physiotherapists, operation theatre technicians, optometrists and other specialists—play an essential role in diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and patient care across the healthcare system.

He emphasised that the challenge is no longer identifying the shortage but developing a skilled workforce capable of meeting the country's expanding healthcare needs.

A major step towards this objective came with the implementation of the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act, 2021, which introduced standardised curricula, competency-based education and a common regulatory framework for allied healthcare programmes. The Union Budget 2026–27 further reinforced this direction by allocating ₹1,000 crore to strengthen India's healthcare workforce. While policy reforms have created the foundation, Saluja believes successful implementation will depend largely on the quality of education and practical training provided to students.

Although India's Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education continues to improve, employability remains a concern. Citing the India Skills Report 2025, Saluja observed that only about 55% of graduates are considered employable. Healthcare education faces similar challenges despite growing student interest. More than 22 lakh students registered for NEET-UG this year, but only a small proportion will secure MBBS seats, leaving millions of aspiring healthcare professionals searching for alternative career pathways.

He argued that allied healthcare education offers a significant opportunity to address this gap by expanding awareness of diverse healthcare careers beyond medicine and by equipping students with industry-relevant skills from the beginning of their academic journey.

Drawing on Virohan's experience in healthcare vocational education, Saluja said classroom instruction alone is insufficient for preparing future healthcare professionals. Instead, students benefit most from competency-based education, industry-designed curricula, technology-enabled practical training and continuous engagement with hospitals and employers. Training students on the same clinical protocols, workflows and equipment used in healthcare settings helps ensure a smoother transition into the workforce.

He stressed that employability should be embedded into the education process rather than treated as an outcome after graduation.

As India's healthcare infrastructure continues to expand, the focus is shifting from simply increasing the number of healthcare workers to developing professionals who are competent, industry-ready and capable of strengthening patient care from their very first day on the job. Allied healthcare education is increasingly being viewed as a strategic solution to bridge workforce gaps while creating meaningful career opportunities for the country's growing youth population.