Allied Healthcare (GAHC)

28 January 1835, and colonial Calcutta rooftops were veiled in mist. It was the scene of a revolutionary ferment in a humble hall at College Street. For one fleeting moment, an Indian Governor-General, Lord William Bentinck, would have been pleased to see the breaking of a dawn that would change the medical history of the East. The Bengal Medical College, later Calcutta Medical College, was not merely built to cure, but to revolutionize the very act of curing itself in India.

During a time when diagnosis was surrounded by superstition and traditional medicine was the order of the day, this college brought something new into the country: a program of Western medicine in English for Indians. It was the first of its type on the entire Asian continent.

The beginning of scientific medicine in India

This was not a medical college by itself. This was a war zone culturally. Calcutta Medical College educated Indian students to carry out autopsies, learn human anatomy, and combat modern science during its nascent stages. This was unimaginable in most Indian societies during those times.

It was in 1836 that history was made by a first Indian student, Madhusudan Gupta. The first to open a human corpse dissectionally for formal studies in Western medicine, he broke centuries-old orthodoxy.

It was not a question of brain. It was public breaking of centuries-old orthodoxy. The dissecting table now symbolized courage and sensitivity toward science.

A hotbed of healing and dissent

Medicine, however, was not the sole inhabitant of these walls. Revolution also made its home here. During colonial days, Calcutta Medical College was a hotbed of student politics. Its students were predominantly signed up in the freedom movement, sitting classes by day and strolling into protest by night.

In 1947, one university student, Sree Dhiraranjan Sen, was murdered during a Vietnam Day demonstration. His act was cheered all around the world, including a resolution passed by the Vietnam Students' Association, which was based in Hanoi. The incident was the symbol of a generation's refusal to be spectators.

A legacy forged in service

Year after year, the college increased in strength as well as numbers. From tending to refugees during the Partition riots in Bengal to establishing clinics in refugee camps, its students and teachers pushed the boundaries further away from the hospital. In 1952, with some of its alumni like Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy in the lead, the college established the Students' Health Home, a movement which extended medical services to students all over West Bengal.

The college has also gained international recognition for research and innovation. In 2023, Dr. Sudip Das from the ENT department was awarded a patent on low-cost medical devices. In 2024, Indian Council of Medical Research rated CMCH as the top rated medical college in Eastern India with an assessment rate of 70 percent.

Shaping the healers who shaped history

Calcutta Medical College graduates should be included among India's who's who in medical and intellectual history. The college is responsible for giving life to the South Asia's first woman doctor, licensed physician Dr. Kadambini Ganguly. The college nurtured the genius of Dr. Upendranath Brahmachari, who found a cure for kala-azar, which took thousands of lives beforehand.

Boys and girls such as the first President of Nepal, Ram Baran Yadav, and Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, the second Chief Minister of Bengal, also began their life within the walls of this hospital. Even the great yogi and guru Sri Yukteshwar Giri stepped into the gateway of this hospital. From science to politics to spirituality, CMCH has spread its wings way beyond medicine.

Immortal bricks, widening horizons

And Calcutta Medical College & Hospital continues to function from its lavishly decorated colonial buildings. Its battered face continues to provide shelter to the poor mission. It treats thousands of patients daily, trains doctors in decades, and still radiates its influence in terms of practices of altered research and community service.

It has been beset by issues like lack of space and more competition from newer facilities, but CMCH stands on its own. It ranked #44 in India as per NIRF in 2024, but cannot be measured by rank. Its value is that it is where modern medical education soared in India.

A gem of a medical college has been the story of all the leading dailies for centuries.

Calcutta Medical College is more than a college or a monument. It is an icon of India's first attempt at scientific thought in practice, at equal education, and at public health. It has produced, not merely doctors, but doers and dreamers. It has bestowed colonial mission national pride.

In the age of high-tech hospitals and Ivy League aspirations, this 190-year-old institution stands tall the way it started - with passive resistance. It is proof that legacy is forged not in drama, but in footprint.

Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has commenced roll number registration of NEET UG 2025 counselling, an obligatory process for students who wish to get admitted into Karnataka state quota medical, dental, and AYUSH courses. The selected candidates need to execute the registration process on the official site of KEA, cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/KEA, before 11:00 AM on July 8.

All the merit NEET UG 2025 candidates who are applying through the state quota must register their NEET UG roll numbers for verification against the National Testing Agency (NTA) database. They can only print their application forms and download the document verification letter upon successful verification, an essential component in the process of counselling.

Second chance for new registrants from July 7 to 10

KEA has also re-opened the registration of NEET UG 2025 candidates who couldn't apply earlier. From July 7 to July 10, the candidates will be given a chance to register and fill their counselling applications on the KEA portal. The authority has made it clear that the timeline for document verification of new applicants will be announced in due course.

Earlier, the Karnataka Examination Authority  had published a roll number list of 87,909 applicants who have specified Karnataka as their state of eligibility in NEET UG 2025 application forms. Roll number list is available only on the official KEA website and is being used in the roll number matching process that is currently going on.

KEA NEET UG 2025: Procedure to apply

Applicants shall continue as per the following-mentioned steps for KEA NEET UG 2025:

• Log in onto the official website of KEA at cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/KEA.
• Click on the roll number registration link for NEET UG 2025 to continue.
• Enter your NEET UG roll number and submit the same for verification against NTA details.
• Download and take a print of your successfully enrolled application form.
• Fetch the verification letter from the portal upon roll number verification.
• For fresh applicants, new registration on 7 to 10 July.
• Fill personal, educational, and test details in the counselling form.
• Upload scanned documents and submit the form.
• Pay counselling fee, as applicable.
• Go for document verification as per rank schedule, originals and verification slip.
• NRI ward claimants must present personally at KEA office during 8 to 10 July along with original proofs.
• Login and enter your choice of colleges and courses when the portal is opened.

Wait for KEA seat allotment results based on your merit and preference. Or, the candidate may click on the link provided below to submit their application for KEA NEET UG 2025. Candidates are advised to watch new updates of the KEA NEET 2025 recruitment process on the official website.

India's health care education landscape has undergone a seismic change in the last 11 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. From expanding medical colleges to reworking regulatory frameworks, India is set to design a future-proofed health workforce that would be capable of addressing the changing needs of its 1.4 billion citizens.

India now boasts an unthinkable and unthinkable health manpower of about 1 crore human resources employed in all walks of life. India has a combined strength of 13.9 lakh allopathic doctors, 7.5 lakh AYUSH doctors, 3.8 lakh dentists, and unbelievable 39.4 lakh nurses, who hold the lion's share. In addition to these, India has 17.6 lakh pharmacists and nearly 15 lakh Allied and Healthcare Professionals (AHPs) in clinical, diagnostic, and technical fields.

This step, though perceived by many as exceeding the count, is actually a change of redirection of education and capacity building. As it is, the decade has seen deliberate increase in the number of medical and nursing colleges. This has led to a significant increase in the number of postgraduate and undergraduate seats, facilitating widespread employment of youths to get a foothold in the health care industry and closing the gap of demand and supply of professional health care services.

With nearly one allopathic doctor and 2.8 nurses per 1,000 population, India is fast approaching the World Health Organization's goal proportion, a feat to reckon with. AYUSH doctors also increase coverage in rural and interior regions, resulting in an inclusive pluralistic healthcare system.

But the revolution is not yet there. The experts think that the reforms have to accelerate to stay in line with new public health challenges, new medical technology innovation, and growing burdens of non-communicable disease.

India's digitally enabled and community-based health workforce vision is a vision-led policy. While the world's spotlight is on resilient health systems, India's new education model for healthcare is inclusive, scale-enabling, and strategically investing in human capital.

The energy created over the past ten years must now be followed by commitment to innovation, integration, and health education equity—ensuring that the next generation of physicians, nurses, and allied healthcare professionals not only acquire competency but empowerment to meet an evolving nation.

Are you in your 12th and unsure of trying to select a career path? There is always an option of taking an allied healthcare career, especially because the sector is currently experiencing a boom. Although most students tend to imagine doctors and nurses when they hear about the healthcare industry, the true story is that allied healthcare professionals, such as lab technicians, physiotherapists, radiographers, nutritionists, and medical coders are in the backbone of the fast growing medical industry in India. Here are five good reasons that you should take this potential profession into consideration.

1. High Demand and Job Security

The healthcare sector in India is expanding at an unrivaled pace with government incentives such as Ayushman Bharat, emergence of multi-speciality hospitals, and the digital health revolution. Allied healthcare professionals are now regarded as a critical need in the provision of efficient patient care not only in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, but also in new hospitals and diagnostic centres being set up annually. The healthcare sector has seen a shortage of professional allied health workers to the tune of nearly 50 percent in a few states and hence, job security in healthcare is at an all-time high.

2. Wide range of Career choices without NEET

Worried about NEET or MBBS? The good news is that the most allied healthcare careers do not require either of them. Whether it is medical laboratory technology and radiology, clinical research, nutrition, physiotherapy, and healthcare administration, dozens of high-paying positions are available. Medical courses such as B.Sc in Medical Laboratory Technology, BPT (Bachelor of Physiotherapy), B.Sc in Nutrition & Dietetics and medical coders course are available to the science, 12th pass students.

Top Allied Health Careers:

• Medical Laboratory Technologist
• Radiologic Technologist
• Physiotherapist
• Nutritionist/Dietitian
• Clinical Research Associate
• Medical Coding Specialist
• Healthcare Administrator

3. Competitive Pay and Career Advancement

Allied healthcare careers have competitive wages that range between 3-6 lakh annual salary of the new hire and up to 10-30 lakh annual salary of a professional depending on the expertise and the place. For example:

• Medical Laboratory Technologist: 3-12 lakh/ annum
• Radiologic technologist: 4-16 lakh per annum
• Healthcare Data Analyst: 6-30 Lakh/annum

The more experience you get, the more education you receive, or the more certification you get, the more money you can earn and the better your future career can get. Working in the hospitals, diagnostic labs, research centres, and start-ups in the health-technology industry, as well as abroad, are also the possibilities that the sector allows.

4. Meaningful and Fruitful Employment

There is not much of a career that gives one as much satisfaction that comes along with one feeling that their work is worth doing. Allied health professionals are critical in diagnosing diseases, promoting patient outcomes and enhancing the wellness in the community. This is in the sense that wherever you work as a physiotherapist assisting a patient walk back and or as a lab technologist to ensure right diagnosis, you are saving lives. This renders allied healthcare not just a profession, but as a worthwhile calling.

5. Digital Job and Future Proof Skills

Technology is reshaping the healthcare sector in India, and not just telemedicine, digital health records, but also AI-based diagnostics. There is a massive demand for allied health professionals with digital skill sets with particular focus on allied health professions such as health data analyst, telehealth consultant or medical coding specialist. With practical training in the latest technologies in healthcare, courses are becoming ready to face a future where changes will bring more opportunities, and you will be a competitive and globally-ready professional.

How to get started? 

• Eligibility: Most allied health programs have a 12 th pass with science (PCB/PCM) requirement.
• Degrees: B.Sc/M.Sc degree programs in allied health sciences, diplomas and certifications.
• Institutes: Top universities, vocational colleges, and online platforms now offer industry-aligned programs with internships and placement support. 

Is NEET worth taking? 

You may have a dream of pursuing a good career in the healthcare field and have decided to study in one of the government medical and paramedical colleges but are scared of the cut-throat competition in NEET. Global Allied healthcare Entrance Test (GAHET) can become your life-changing alternative in case you are a 12th pass aspiring medical and paramedical professions. GAHET is the first national level online test exclusively in allied healthcare courses- encompassing diploma, undergraduate and post graduate courses in all the top-ranked private colleges in the country. 

In contrast to the scarce supply and hard competition to acquire the government institutes, GAHET provides a chance to receive good education in well-infrastructured institutes with more industry-oriented courses and quicker admission in good private colleges. This means that you can enter your allied healthcare career and not worry about NEET, arriving at good training and high-paying career opportunities such as medical lab technology, physiotherapy, radiology, and medical coding. With a single 60-minute online test, no negative marking, and flexible exam dates, GAHET gives you a powerful and convenient path into the healthcare field. 

The fact is, selecting private colleges under GAHET not only sounds smart but is also the quickest and most viable way to turn yourself into a proficient allied healthcare professional in India where the medical field is on the rise. As per the latest fertility report, it is predicted that the youth workforce will be less than that of older people making the demand for medical care and healthcare industry reach a new level in the coming years. 

Allied healthcare is the future, if you want to work in a profession that is in demand, pays well, has good job security and NEET is not a concern and best of all makes a difference in people's lives. Since the healthcare industry in India is poised to become a $638 billion industry by 2025, it can never be a more perfect time to become a part of this vibrant industry.

In a major effort to provide better care for the chronically ill and bedridden, Kerala on Saturday rolled out the Universal Palliative Care project and the Kerala Palliative Care Grid — a technology-enabled project that will integrate healthcare efforts in the state and address the increasing needs of an ageing population.

Inaugurating the projects, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan described them as a novel model of humane governance in which volunteers, NGOs, healthcare personnel, and hospitals are brought together under one digital and administrative platform. The projects have been launched jointly by the health and local self-government departments.

"Palliative care is not only a healthcare concern, but also a social commitment. With this project, we want to provide dignity and comfort to the chronically ill and immobile patients," said the CM.

The new grid will produce real-time information on both the patients and caregivers, allowing timely intervention and support.

Kerala, aging much more rapidly than the rest of India, is already experiencing an increased need for palliative care. As of 2021, 16.5% of the state was 60 years or older, while the national average was 10.1%, reports show. Based on projections, this may increase to 22.8% by 2036, making Kerala's demand for end-of-life and long-term care even more pressing.

The state already boasts a solid foundation on which to grow. There are presently 1,142 primary palliative care units within local self-government, and more than 500 home-care units maintained by voluntary organisations, with over 1,000 charitable and social-service organisations. These units provide not only medical care, but psychological and financial aid as well, to patients and families.

The government's aim is to bring all these services under a single umbrella through the Palliative Care Grid," Pinarayi explained. The grid is engineered to register patients systematically, arrange home visits, monitor treatments, and assist caregivers. So far, more than 1.58 lakh patients have been registered on the platform.

Local Self-Government Minister M B Rajesh laid stress on the need for giving top priority to palliative care. "With 0.6% of the state's population bedridden and 2% suffering from long-term illnesses, this scheme is vital to our healthcare system," he explained.

Health Minister Veena George, Industries Minister P Rajeeve, and Hibi Eden MP were present on the occasion.

In a world often divided by borders and politics, stories of compassion and medical innovation remind us of the true spirit of healthcare. India made the news last week in Afghanistan not in the big gestures of giving but in the humble act of giving a gift of dignity and mobility.

Delivering Mobility, Reclaiming Lives

Recently, a five days Jaipur Foot camp was organized in Kabul, Afghanistan by the Jaipur-based non-governmental organization (NGO) Shree Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS). Backed by India Ministry of External Affairs, the camp was conducted to give them an artificial limb, calipers and other assistive devices to those who had lost their limbs due to conflict or accidents.

The turnout was overwhelming. According to Hafiz Umari, an Afghan national who shared his gratitude on social media, Indian doctors fitted artificial limbs for 100 disabled Afghan citizens in just five days.  To them it meant they were capable of walking, working, or even moving on their own, and this to most was the first time it was possible in many years. 

Humanitarian Work of Jaipur Foot

Jaipurfoot is not a normal prosthetic device but a harbinger of hope and symbol of happiness. This artificial limb was developed in India, is inexpensive and is long lasting; this one has given the quality of life to millions of people around the world. The BMVSS, being the biggest organization of the disabled in the world, has been on the vanguard of this movement running camps in Malawi, Iraq, Nepal, Egypt, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Syria.

India launched ‘India for Humanity’ initiative in 2018, to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. BMVSS and the Indian government have since joined hands and have already introduced Jaipur Foot camps to dozens of countries spreading the Indian message of compassion and technical prowess.

Role Model to Future Doctors and Medical Practitioners

To any aspiring doctors and allied healthcare professionals, the JaipurFoot provides a great lesson: the science of medicine does not only know how to heal, but also how to serve. Indian doctors and volunteers who came to Kabul were not just fitting prostheses, they were giving people the hope, dignity and independence that so much had lost.

No matter what field you are aspiring to become whether a surgeon or a physiotherapist or a public health worker this should be an inspiration. There is a world in need of healers with the ability to go beyond borders, creativity in addressing the needy and humanity as the center of healthcare.

JaipurFoot camp in Kabul is the perfect example of how Indian medical knowledge and liberalism can make a difference. Be a part of Indian healthcare and contribute for the best. Take NEET or GAHET and start your career in healthcare.