Allied health sciences have millions of jobs but ‘go unnoticed’ in craze for MBBS

Got a low score in the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) but still eager to join the medical field? There is a wide range of allied health science courses to turn to – optometry, medical laboratory technology, operation theatre technology, radiology, imaging technology and dozens more.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) considers having 44.5 skilled health professionals per 10,000 population as adequate; India has just 20.6. Considering how far below the WHO standard India falls, these areas would be key for employment generation, says experts.

But the field is beset with hurdles. The delay on the part of the government in implementing the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act 2021, has meant these courses have not been promoted enough. The low popularity among students and migration to other countries have led to shortages in the workforce. The NCAHP released model curricula for 10 allied health courses in late April, updating decade-old syllabi.

The NCAHP Act recognizes 53 job roles for AHPs, under ten categories.

“The formal recognition of allied health professions by the Indian government took significant time. Earlier efforts, like the Paramedical and Physiotherapy Central Councils Bill (2007) and the Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill (2018), failed to materialise. It was

only in March 2021 that the NCAHP Act was enacted. However, implementation has been slow. By mid-2024, only 14 states and union territories had established the necessary state councils, prompting a Supreme Court directive to complete implementation by October 2024,” said Barkha Bhatnagar, dean, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences at Shree Guru Gobind Singh Tricentenary University, (SGT) University, Gurugram.

As per the law, the national and state commissions are mandated to mobilise young students and demystify these jobs roles and conduct career counselling for Classes 11 and 12.

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Further, the covid pandemic also exposed the inadequate health infrastructure of the country. As per a report by Sattava Consulting, India is short of over 64 lakh allied health professionals (AHP).

Allied Healthcare Professionals: 6.5 million gap

Few school students know anything about healthcare professions beyond the standard medical or dental degrees (MBBS, BDS) and nursing .

“During the awareness sessions among children seeking guidance on career options, we observe that less than 10% are aware of these career opportunities. This lack of awareness seems to stem from the glamour and glorification bestowed only on the medical and nursing aspects of healthcare by the media. While there is a large number of aspirants for the limited number of MBBS seats, the allied health sciences courses, despite being equally crucial to the healthcare system, largely go unnoticed,” said Monica Gulati, executive dean, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Lovely Professional University (LPU).

The general lack of attention to these programmes has also led to the neglect of educational and training infrastructure in these fields.

“The current educational infrastructure is insufficient to meet the growing demand. Reports indicate that existing institutions cater to only about 4% of the required workforce, resulting in a nationwide shortfall of approximately 6.5 million professionals. This issue is compounded by a lack of well-structured programmes and modern training facilities,” said Bhatnagar.

There is no centralised database to track the number and distribution of AHPs, affecting workforce planning and policy development.

The courses requiring elaborate infrastructure are largely in the hands of private players.

However, Tanveer Naved, deputy dean, Health and Allied Sciences, Amity University, added, “It is true that courses are mostly available in private universities. However, fees are affordable in most places and demand is good.”

Nalin Saluja, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Virohan, adds, “Importantly, the public sector has long collaborated with the private sector in the education space to drive innovation, impact, and scale — and the same holds true for allied health science education. This partnership ensures wider access, better infrastructure, and training that’s closely aligned with industry needs, making quality education both affordable and relevant.”

Virohan is a healthcare education institute, which runs allied health courses.

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Problem of migration

India not only produces fewer professionals than needed, it routinely loses many of those it does produce to other countries. Migration of trained healthcare workers to other countries for better opportunities is a major factor adding to the gap.

“Many trained professionals migrate for better opportunities, contributing to a brain drain. Additionally, domestic retention is hindered by job dissatisfaction, limited career growth, and inadequate compensation, resulting in high attrition rates,” explained Bhatnagar.

Gulati added, “Along with providing attractive salary structures, it is important to attract talent with various incentives. That is the only approach to retaining the allied health workforce in our own country.”

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Top 10 allied health science courses

The Public Health Foundation of India Occupational Mapping Report from 2012 showed that at the time, the total demand of AHP stood at 65,48,754 as against the supply of 2,83,378, highlighting a gap of almost 95%.

Physiotherapy, pharmacy, occupational therapy are some of the known popular allied health courses. But with the advancement of technology, other roles have emerged. Some which have witnessed phenomenal growth and are set to grow further. These include,

• Medical laboratory technology (MLT)

• Radiology and imaging technology

• Anaesthesia and operation theatre technology (OTT)

• Cardiac care technology

• Nutrition and dietetics

• Optometry

• Medical imaging technology

“MLT and OTT have been the most in-demand programmes so far. That said, interest in radiology and medical imaging technology (RMIT) is steadily rising, and optometry is fast emerging as a high-potential field. MLT and optometry have the highest job creation potential in allied healthcare today. MLT anchors the diagnostics sector, which influences over 70% of medical decisions as per PHFI, and is set to grow at a CAGR of 11.6%, driven by rising demand in tier-2 and 3 cities,” said Saluja.

Amity University and LPU have both seen a surge in admission in the courses post Covid, especially after 2023, in the case of LPU. In some courses, enrollment has increased 200-400%.

“There was a surge in admissions, especially courses like pharmacy, physiotherapy, hospital admissions, neuroscience and public health. The seat occupancy increases from 90% to 100% in the first few years. Students are also showing great interest in physiotherapy and neuroscience courses,” said Naved.

The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) is in the process of revamping the undergraduate pharmacy curriculum. For other programmes, like public health, hospital administration, yoga, neurosciences, the courses are developed at institutional level with the help of industry experts, following University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines.

The ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship (MSDE) has also been pushing for private sector participation through the Healthcare Sector Skill Council (HSSC).

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Apart from these courses which provide hands-on training under the allied health sciences branch from an academic perspective, postgraduate programmes such as MSc Nutrition and Dietetics, Biochemistry , Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, and Microbiology are also known to hold significant job-generation potential.

“These degrees offer opportunities beyond hospitals — in diagnostics, nutrition, pharmaceuticals, clinical research, public health, and regulatory agencies. Dietetics professionals are increasingly needed in hospitals, corporate wellness programmes, sports medicine, and fitness centers. Biochemistry and microbiology support diagnostics, infection control, antimicrobial resistance, and vaccine development sectors seeing increased demand post-COVID. The biotechnology and bioinformatics sectors are expanding rapidly, with rising demand in genomics, drug development, and healthcare data analytics,” added Bhatnagar.

These allied health courses mostly have greater interest among women, with most universities reporting a gender ratio of 60:40 in a batch.

As per the NCAHP website, it recognises 105 colleges and 160 programmes. Updated details on the number of universities is not available.

Allied Health Sciences: Job opportunities

Universities say placements have never been a problem, but most graduates find jobs in the private sector. The Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care shows that around 67% of allied health professionals in India currently work in the private sector.

“The majority of allied health sciences graduates in India are employed in the private sector. Approximately 60% of inpatient and 70% of outpatient services are delivered by private healthcare providers. As a result, private hospitals, diagnostic labs, and research institutions are major recruiters for AHPs. While public sector opportunities do exist, they are relatively limited,” said Bhatnagar.

For public sector jobs, students have to clear other recruitment exams as well.

While major hospitals, diagnostic centres are providing job opportunities, explained Saluja, healthcare brands such as Orange Health, Dr. Lal Pathlabs and Lenskart are leading this growth, creating strong, scalable employment opportunities for certified professionals.

“Given the duration of our programmes and the evolution of our programme mix from diplomas to B.Sc. degrees, our placement data continues to reflect a historical snapshot of student outcomes. That said, we have alumni who started with salaries around Rs.50,000 per month and now earn over Rs.1.25 lakh per month,” added Saluja.

Amity University’s placement data for the course stands at 100%. From 2021-22 to 2024-25, the highest salary package has grown from Rs 7 lakh per annum to Rs 8.5 lakh and the average package, from Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.