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EDITORIAL
The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2020
and its implication for mental health
Om Prakash Singh1,2
1
Professor of Psychiatry, WBMES, 2Consultant Psychiatrist, AMRI Hospitals, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare
Professions Act, 2020 has been notified on March 28,
2021, by the Gazette of India published by the Ministry of
Law and Justice. This bill aims to “provide for regulation
and maintenance of standards of education and services
by allied and healthcare professionals, assessment of
institutions, maintenance of a Central Register and State
Register and creation of a system to improve access,
research and development and adoption of latest scientific
advancement and for matters connected therewith or
incidental thereto.”[1]
This act has created a category of Health Care Professionals
which is defined as: “healthcare professional” includes
a scientist, therapist, or other professional who studies,
advises, researches, supervises or provides preventive,
curative, rehabilitative, therapeutic or promotional health
services and who has obtained any qualification of degree
under this Act, the duration of which shall not be <3600 h
spread over a period of 3 years to 6 years divided into specific
semesters.[1]
According to the act, “Allied health professional” includes
an associate, technician, or technologist who is trained to
perform any technical and practical task to support diagnosis
and treatment of illness, disease, injury or impairment, and
to support implementation of any healthcare treatment
and referral plan recommended by a medical, nursing, or
any other healthcare professional, and who has obtained
any qualification of diploma or degree under this Act, the
duration of which shall not be less than 2000 h spread
over a period of 2 years to 4 years divided into specific
semesters.”[1]
It is noticeable that while the term “Health Care
Professionals” does not include doctors who are registered
under National Medical Council, Mental Health Care
Act (MHCA), 2017 includes psychiatrists under the ambit of
Mental Health Care Professionals.[2] This discrepancy needs
Address for correspondence: Dr. Om Prakash Singh,
AA 304, Ashabari Apartments, O/31, Baishnabghata, Patuli
Township, Kolkata - 700 094, West Bengal, India.
E‑mail: opsingh.nm@gmail.com
Submitted: 01-Apr-2021, Revised: 02-Apr-2021,
Accepted: 03-Apr-2021, Published: 14-Apr-2021
© 2021 Indian Journal of Psychiatry | Published by Wolters Kluwer ‑ Medknow
to be corrected ‑ psychiasts, being another group of medical
specialists, should be kept out of the broad umbrella of
“Mental Healthcare Professionals.”
The category of Behavioural Health Sciences Professional
has been included and defined as “a person who undertakes
scientific study of the emotions, behaviours and biology
relating to a person’s mental well‑being, their ability
to function in everyday life and their concept of self.
“Behavioural health” is the preferred term to “mental
health” and includes professionals such as counselors,
analysts, psychologists, educators and support workers,
who provide counseling, therapy, and mediation services to
individuals, families, groups, and communities in response
to social and personal difficulties.”[1]
This is a welcome step to the extent that it creates a diverse
category of trained workforce in the field of Mental Health
(Behavioural Health Science Professionals) and tries to
regulate their training although it mainly aims to promote
mental wellbeing. However there is a huge lacuna in
the term of “Mental Illness” as defined by MHCA, 2017.
Only severe disorders are included as per definition and
there is no clarity regarding inclusion of other psychiatric
disorders, namely “common mental disorders” such as
anxiety and depression. This leaves a strong possibility
of concept of “psychiatric illnesses” being limited to only
“severe psychiatric disorders” (major psychoses) thus
perpetuating the stigma and alienation associated with
psychiatric patients for centuries. Psychiatrists being
restricted to treating severe mental disorders as per
MHCA, 2017, there is a strong possibility that the care of
common mental disorders may gradually pass on under
the care of “behavioural health professionals” as per the
new act!
There is need to look into this aspect by the leadership in
psychiatry, both organizational and academic psychiatry,
and reduce the contradictions between the MHCA, 2017
and this nascent act. All disorders classified in ICD 10 and
DSM 5 should be classified as “Psychiatric Disorders” or
“Mental Illness.” This will not only help in fighting the stigma
associated with psychiatric illnesses but also promote the
integration of psychiatry with other specialties.
119
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Singh: NCAHPA, 2020 and its implications

REFERENCES This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of
the Creative Commons Attribution‑NonCommercial‑ShareAlike 4.0 License,
1. The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021. which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non‑commercially,
The Gazette of India. Published by Ministry of Law and Justice; 28 March, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under
2021. the identical terms.
2. The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. The Gazette of India. Published by
Ministry of Law and Justice; April 7, 2017.
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DOI:
10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_268_21

How to cite this article: Singh OP. The National Commission for
Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2020 and its implication
for mental health. Indian J Psychiatry 2021;63:119-20.

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120 Indian Journal of Psychiatry Volume 63, Issue 2, March-April 2021