Journal of The West Bengal University of Health Sciences July 2023 Vol 4 Issue 1

Editorial

The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare

Professions Act, 2021: A move toward the quality
and dignity for Allied and Healthcare Professionals.
Subir Kumar Das

ABSTRACT
The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Bill,
2020 that came into force on the May 25, 2021, is seeking to regulate and standardize the
education and practice of allied and healthcare professionals in India, This bill separately
defined an allied health professional and a healthcare professional. The Bill mentioned
certain categories of allied and healthcare professions as recognized categories that are
specified in the Schedule to the Bill. The Bill sets up the National Commission for Allied
and Healthcare Professions that will create and maintain an online Central Register of all
registered professionals and framed the groundwork for regulating professional conduct,
code of ethics and etiquette to be monitored by allied and healthcare professionals. Once the
Bill becomes a law, there will be a Central Council for these professions and corresponding
State Allied and Healthcare Councils. The State Councils should constitute four autonomous
boards - Under-graduate Allied and Healthcare Educational Board, Post-Graduate Allied
and Healthcare Education Board, Allied and Healthcare Profession Assessment and Rating
Board, and Allied and Healthcare Professions Ethics and Registration Board - comprising of
a president and members from each recognised category as specified by the regulation. With
the establishment of the commission, the ways of instructions and assessment in allied health
courses will be standardized, allied health professionals will be registered, institutes will
be recognized and allied health care profession and professionals will be greatly benefitted.
Key words: Allied and Healthcare Professions, Central Register, NCAHP, National
Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act 2021, State Allied and
Healthcare Councils

Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine

& JNM Hospital, WBUHS, Kalyani, Nadia 741235, Citation: Das SK. The National Commission for Allied
West Bengal and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021: A move toward the
quality and dignity for Allied and Healthcare Professionals.
email: drsubirkdas@gmail.com
J West Bengal Univ Health Sci. 2023; 4(1):1-7.

J West Bengal Univ Health Sci | Vol. 4 | Issue 1 | July 2023 1

2
The explosion of scientific knowledge that
followed World War II upgraded sophisticated
and complex medical diagnostic and
treatment procedures. Increasing public
demand for medical services mixed with
higher health care expenses aggravated a
notion toward expansion of service delivery
from treating patients in hospitals to
widespread provision of care in physician’s
private and group practices, ambulatory
medical and emergency clinics, and mobile
clinics and community-based care1. These
transformations in the health industry and
emphasis on cost-efficient solutions to health
care delivery led to numerous initiatives for
reinforcement health workforce capacity1.
In 2012, the International Chief Health
Professions Officers defined the allied health
professions: as a specialized group of health
professionals who apply their expertise
with a range of technical support, deliver
patient care, rehabilitation, treatment,
diagnostics and health improvement
interventions to restore and maintain
optimal physical, sensory, psychological,
cognitive and social functions1. Therefore,
allied health professionals must stick to
national training and education standards
and their professional extent of practice.
Often they also prove their skills through
degrees, diplomas, certified credentials, and
continuing education.
Why is it necessary
There are regulatory organizations in place
for doctors (National Medical Commission),
nurses (Indian Nursing Council),
pharmacists (Pharmacy Council of India)
and dentists (Dental Council of India); and
the healthcare system has diversified in
recent years. But the allied professions have
remained neglected. The Government of
India is trying to regulate this profession.
In 2007, a Paramedical and Physiotherapy
Central Councils Bill was introduced in the
Lok Sabha and underwent some legislative
J West Bengal Univ Health Sci | Vol. 4 | Issue 1 | July 2023
NCAHP Act 2021
scrutiny before it lapsed after the tenure of
the 14th Lok Sabha came to an end in 20093.
In 2011, the United Progressive Alliance
(UPA) government brought the National
Commission for Human Resources for
Health Bill that was rejected by the standing
committee3.
However, the 117th report of the
department-related Parliamentary
Standing Committee of Health and
Family Welfare that examined the Bill
described that with the advancement
in science and technology, the range of
skills possessed by allied and healthcare
workers were the key to health sector
reforms in India, especially considering
the shortage of doctors and nurses in semi-
urban and rural areas of the country3.
Their quality and competency often play a
major determinant in making the system
sensitive and efficient.
NCAHP bill
In this context, the Lok Sabha passed the
National Commission for Allied and
Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Bill,
2020 on the March 24, 2021. The Bill seeking
to regulate and standardize the education
and practice of allied and healthcare
professionals in India, was earlier passed
by the Rajya Sabha on March 16, 20214. The
bill was notified in the official gazette on the
28th March 2021, after it received the assent
of the Hon’ble President of India5. This bill
came into force on May 25, 2021. The key
features of the bill are highlighted in Table
1.
Allied health professional and a
healthcare professional
This bill separately defined an allied
health professional and a healthcare
professional. An allied health professional
has been defined as – “an associate,
technician, or technologist skilled to carry
out the diagnosis and treatment of any
Subir Kumar Das
illness, disease, injury, or impairment. Such
a professional should have trained for a
diploma or degree under this Bill for at least
2,000 hours (over a period of two to four
years) divided into specific semesters”[6]. On
the other hand a healthcare professional is
defined as – “a scientist, therapist, or any other
professional who studies, advises, researches,
supervises, or support preventive, curative,
rehabilitative, therapeutic, or promotional
health services. Such a professional should
have obtained a degree under this Bill, after
trained for at least 3,600 hours (over a period
of three to six years).”6
The Bill mentioned certain categories
of allied and healthcare professions as
recognized categories that are specified in
the Schedule to the Bill and include life
science professionals, trauma and burn care
professionals, surgical and anaesthesia-
related technology professionals,
physiotherapists, and nutrition science
professionals. This bill also includes
psychologists as “Behavioural Health
Sciences Professionals”. Fifty-six types of
professions related to allied and healthcare
professions, under ten categories have been
listed in the bill4 as described in Table 2.
National Commission for Allied and
Healthcare Professions (NCAHP)
The Bill sets up the National Commission
for Allied and Healthcare Professions.
It will consist of a Chairperson, Vice-
Chairperson, five members representing
various Departments/ Ministries of the
central government, one representative
from the Directorate General of Health
Services, three Deputy Directors or Medical
Superintendents appointed on a rotational
basis from amongst medical institutions
and 12- part-time members representing
State Councils, among others.
Functions: The Commission will
perform the following functions with regard
to Allied and Healthcare Professionals:
J West Bengal Univ Health Sci | Vol. 4 | Issue 1 | July 2023
3
• Creating and maintaining an online
Central Register of all registered
professionals, which shall include
information including the name of
persons and qualifications relating
to any of their respective recognized
categories. This central register shall
be deemed to be a public document.1
• The Bill framed the groundwork for
regulating professional conduct, code
of ethics and etiquette to be monitored
by allied and healthcare professionals.
It also offers for a uniform entry
examination with common counselling
for admission into allied and healthcare
institutions at diploma, undergraduate,
postgraduate and doctoral levels and a
uniform exit or licensing examination.
Professional Councils:
• The Commission will set up a
Professional Council for each recognised
category of allied and healthcare
professions.
• The Professional Council will
comprise of a President and four to 24
members, representing every profession
in the recognised category.
• The President or member of a Professional
Council should have a postgraduate
degree in the recognised profession, and
should have an experience of minimum
fifteen years, with at least seven years
as a leader in the allied and healthcare
professions. [Every recognised category
under the NCAHP Act has a Professional
Council to represent the profession in
the Commission.]
• The Commission will continue an
online Central Allied and Healthcare
Professionals Register.
• The Rules advises an application form
for the issuance of the certificate of
registration to recognized professionals.
The registration fee is Rs 2,000/-.
4
Establishment of an allied and
healthcare institution
• The qualifying criteria for permission
to establish an allied and healthcare
institution specify that the institution
should be within the proximity of a
functional medical college or University
and has an attached hospital for the
purposes of practical revelation and
internships to the students. It is yet
to understand how it would affect
the already existing departments of
psychology.
Interim Commission
• Section 20 of the NCAHP Act offers
for the constitution of an Interim
Commission within sixty days from the
date of assent of the Hon’ble President of
India until the Government constitutes
the regular National Commission.
• On August 3, 2021, the Ministry of
Health & Family Welfare published the
National Commission for Allied and
Healthcare Professions 1st (Removal of
Difficulties) Order, 2021 mentioned that
the Interim Commission could not be
constituted within the stipulated period
due to the second wave of the COVID
pandemic in India7. It also mentioned
that the Central Government should
constitute an Interim Commission
within six months from the date on
which the Act receives the assent of the
Hon’ble President of India.
• As stipulated by the Section 20 of the
NCAHP Act, the Interim Commission
was notified by the Government of India
on September 21, 2021 that consisted of
Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare as the Chairperson;
one Joint Secretary each from the
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,
the Ministry of Law and Justice, the
Ministry of Education, the Ministry of
Social Justice and Empowerment, and
J West Bengal Univ Health Sci | Vol. 4 | Issue 1 | July 2023
NCAHP Act 2021
the Ministry of Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship; Deputy Director
General, Directorate General of Health
Services; Member, Ethics and Medical
Registration Board, National Medical
Commission; Member Secretary,
Rehabilitation Council of India; and
Head, Directorate of Regulatory Affairs
and Communication, Atomic Energy
Regulatory Board. The Deputy Secretary
or Director, Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare should be the Secretary
of the Interim Commission7.
• Other than these eleven members, the
positions of two professionals representing
each of the recognised categories are
vacant. These members shall be selected
by the Committee formed under Section
16 of the National Commission for Allied
and Healthcare Professions Rules, 2021.
Effective implementation of the Act will
begin after the appointment of these
members7.
• The Commission may delegate any of
its functions to this Council.
Responsibilities of the Registered
Professionals
Once the Bill becomes a law, there will be
a Central Council for these professions and
corresponding State Allied and Healthcare
Councils. Once this register is in place, no
person, other than a registered allied and
healthcare professional8, shall:
• Hold office as an allied and healthcare
professional in Government or in any
institution supported by a local or other
authority
• Dispense service in any of the recognized
categories in any state
• Eligible to sign or validate any certificate
required by any law for the time being
in force to be signed or authenticated by
a duly qualified allied and healthcare
professional.
Subir Kumar Das
• People who haven’t enrolled themselves
under the national register will not be
permitted to practice and may face a fine
of upto Rs 5,00,000 and imprisonment
upto one year.
• The Bill defines various offences such as
exploitation of title, failure to register
or failure to surrender the certificate of
registration and lays down penalties for
each of them.
• Whoever flouts any of the provisions
of this Act or any rules or regulations
made there under shall be punished
with imprisonment which shall be
minimum one year and may extend
to three years or with fine which shall
be minimum one lakh rupees and may
extend to five lakh rupees or with both.
State Allied and Healthcare Council
formation
Besides central commission, every State
Government shall, by notification, within 6
months from the date of commencement of
the NCAHP Act, constitute a State Council
to be called the ‘State Allied and Healthcare
Council’ for implementing such powers and
discharging such responsibilities as may be
laid down under this Act4.
The Union Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare has further enhanced the
timeline for the State Governments and
Union Territories (UTs) to form the state
level allied healthcare councils, which would
end in the completion of two years of the
initiation of the National Commission for
Allied and Healthcare Profession Act, 20219.
However, due to the Covid pandemic
in the country, the State Councils could
not be formed by the State Governments
within the stipulated period. Therefore, the
stipulated period was relaxed by the Central
Government to one year and six months
from the date of commencement of the Act,
by issuing and order in May, 2022 - National
J West Bengal Univ Health Sci | Vol. 4 | Issue 1 | July 2023
5
Commission for Allied and Healthcare
Professions 3rd (Removal of Difficulties)
Order, 20229.
In a latest order, called the National
Commission for Allied and Healthcare
Professions 4th (Removal of Difficulties)
Order, 2022, the Ministry clarified that all
the State governments/Union Territories
should, as soon as may be but within two
year from the date of commencement of
the NCAHP Act, 2021, constitute State
Allied and Healthcare Councils. The latest
order has come into force on the date of its
announcement in the official Gazette, and
the new deadline for the States and UTs to
constitute the State Councils would be in
May, 20239.
State Allied and Healthcare Council
Members
According to the Act, the State Councils
should have a Chairperson who has
experience in the field of allied and healthcare
science, one member from medical sciences
field, two members each from state medical
colleges, and representing charitable
institutions, two members from each of
the recognised categories of allied and
healthcare professions, among others5.
State Allied and Healthcare Council
and Autonomous Boards
The State Councils should constitute four
autonomous boards - Under-graduate Allied
and Healthcare Educational Board, Post-
Graduate Allied and Healthcare Education
Board, Allied and Healthcare Profession
Assessment and Rating Board, and Allied
and Healthcare Professions Ethics and
Registration Board - comprising of a
president and members from each recognised
category as specified by the regulation5.
• The Under-graduate Board and Post-
Graduate Board shall decide standards
of allied and healthcare education at the
graduate, post graduate level and super-
6
speciality level, develop competency
based on dynamic curriculum content,
reviewing institutional criterions
against norms, faculty development,
endorsement of courses of recognised
qualification and other functions as
entrusted by the State Council.
• The Allied and Healthcare Profession
Assessment and Rating Board
shall decide the system for the
assessment and rating of allied and
healthcare institutions by providing
for assessment of institutions, grant
permission for establishment of new
allied and healthcare institutions and
seat capacity, empanelling assessors,
imposing warnings or fines, proposing
for withdrawal of recognition of
institutions and any other function as
delegated by the State Council to certain
maintenance of minimum essential
standards.
• The Allied and Healthcare Profession
Ethics and Registration Board shall
retain online and live state registers
of all licensed allied and healthcare
practitioners in the State, control the
professional conduct and promotion of
ethics and undertake any other function
as entrusted by the State Council.
The State council may also form as many
professional advisory boards as may be
necessary to inspect the issues relating
to one or more recognised categories and
to suggest the State Council and also to
undertake any other activity as may be
permitted by the State Council, added the
Act.
Functions of State Allied and
Healthcare Council
The state council shall also keep a register of
persons for every recognized categories to be
known as the ‘State Allied and Healthcare
Professionals’ Register’. It has also been
notified that from the date of commencement
J West Bengal Univ Health Sci | Vol. 4 | Issue 1 | July 2023
NCAHP Act 2021
of this Act - no person shall establish an
allied and healthcare institution; or an
already established allied and healthcare
institution shall not open a new or higher
course of study or training (including post-
graduate course of study or training) which
would enable students of each course of
study or training to qualify himself for
the award of any recognized allied and
healthcare qualification; or enhance its
admission capacity in any course of study
or training (including post-graduate course
of study or training); or admit a new batch
of students in any unrecognized course of
study or training (including post-graduate
course of study or training), apart from with
the earlier approval of the State Council
obtained in agreement with the provisions
of this Act. Further provided that the allied
and healthcare qualification awarded to a
person in respect of a new or higher course of
study or new batch without prior permission
of the State Council shall not be a recognized
allied and healthcare qualification for the
purposes of this Act4,5. State council shall
plan for the scrutiny of the institutions and
approving recognition.
With this act and following establishment
of the commission, the ways of instructions
and assessment in allied health courses will
definitely be standardized, allied health
professionals will be registered, institutes
will be recognized and allied health care
profession and professionals will be greatly
benefitted.
References
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_
health_professions Retrieved 22 April
2023
2. World Health Organization (2006), The
World Health Report 2006. Geneva:
World Health Organization.
3. Who are allied healthcare workers and
why Lok Sabha passed a bill to regulate
Subir Kumar Das 7

the sector? The Print 26 March, 2021. bill,%202020.pdf [Last accessed on 22

Retrieved 17 April 2023.
4. PRS Legislative Research. The National
Commission for Allied and Healthcare
Professions Bill. 2020. Available from:
https://www.prsindia.org/billtrack/the-
national-commission-for-allied-and-
healthcare-professions-bill-2020 [Last
accessed on 22 Apr 2023]
5. The National Commission for Allied and
Healthcare Professions Act No. 14. 2021.
Available from: http://www.egazette.
nic.in/writereaddata/2021/226213.
pdf [Last accessed on 22 April 2023]
6. Kaur P. The National Commission
for Allied and Healthcare Professions
Bill. 2020. PRS Legislative Research.
Available from: https://www.prsindia.
org/ files/ bills_acts/ bills_parliament/
bill%20summary%20national%20
commission%20for%20allied%20
and%20healthcare%20professions%20
April 2023]
7. Gulzar A. Implementation of the
National Commission for Allied and
Healthcare Professions Act 2021:
A Brief Note. In: https://www.
psytizenship.com/p/implementation-
of-the-national-commission [Last
accessed on 22 April 2023]
8. Mahajan R. National Commission for
Allied and Healthcare Professions:
A right step to regulate healthcare
education and practice in India. Adesh
University J Med Sc Res. 2021; 3(1);1-3
9. Babu Gireesh. Health ministry
further extends timeline for state
governments to constitute State Allied
and Healthcare Councils. In: http://
pharmabiz.com/ ArticleDetails.aspx?
aid=154541&sid=1[Last accessed on 22
April 2023]

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J West Bengal Univ Health Sci | Vol. 4 | Issue 1 | July 2023