Healthcare sector is expected to grow to Rs 9.64 lakh crores by 2017
According to a report by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), incremental human resource requirement in the sector is 74 lakhs by 2022. Workforce requirements for the healthcare sector is expected to grow from 35.9 lakhs in 2013 to 74 lakhs in 2022 which is more than double its existing workforce to meet the market demand.
Healthcare sector is expected to grow to Rs 9.64 lakh crores by 2017. The report states that healthcare spending in India stands at a less than five per cent of GDP, as compared to other developed countries. Out-of-pocket expenditure comprises about 92 per cent of private expenditure ― as compared to the international average of nearly 50 per cent.
With a diverse range of medical services, there are over 11 lakh allied health professionals in the country in the categories of nursing associates, sanitarians, medical assistants, medical equipment operators, optometrists, traditional and faith healers, physiotherapists, dieticians and dental assistants which is still short of the current demand.
The report further states that there is a significant gap in the availability of allopathic doctors (6.21 lakh) and it is a trend that is likely to continue into the next five years. There are over 7, 50,000 registered Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) practitioners in the country. These numbers, when combined with the total number of physicians trained in allopathy, fulfil, to an extent, the total requirement of medical practitioners required in the country.
There are only 356 registered medical education institutions. The total admission capacity is nearly 45,000 students at the undergraduate level and about 24000 students at the post-graduate level in the country. Highly urbanised regions including NCR are heavily concentrated with healthcare facilities while rural regions remain underdeveloped.
Commenting upon the report, Dilip Chenoy, MD & CEO, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) said, “India has become one of the leading affordable destination for people looking for best medical care at cost much lower than that of developed countries. We can further leverage our position as a reasonably priced & quality healthcare solution provider, thus catering to a greater proportion of world population. Hence there is a need for both qualitative & quantitative skill development initiatives in the healthcare sector. We also need to focus heavily on upgrading technical skills of the workforce for advanced healthcare services”.
“There is an urgent need to promote vocational training in the field of healthcare in rural and remote areas as well. We should look at tying up with the industry with additional support from the government in creating awareness around career options in healthcare sector through, career fairs, school education programs etc”, he further added.
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