'Heal by India' programme: Study underway to map requirement of healthcare workers abroad

New Delhi: A study to map the requirement of all categories of healthcare professionals in foreign countries, based on the burden of diseases and shortages, is being conducted by the Union health ministry as part of its “Heal by India” initiative, sources said on Sunday.

Under the “Heal by India” initiative, the government aims to project India, through its trained and competent manpower, as a global source in the health sector.

According to the preliminary findings of the study, there is a need for doctors such as gynecologists and dentists in the United States, while nurse practitioners are required in Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, the US, Singapore, Nepal, Cuba and Israel, a source said.

Also, there is a requirement of physiotherapists in the Netherlands, the US, Singapore, and Cuba, and radiology and imaging technologists in the US and Israel, the source added.

The ministry is developing an online repository of all categories of healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses and pharmacists, that also mentions the names of the countries where they wish to render their services.

The portal, being developed by the National Health Authority (NHA) under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), is likely to be launched on August 15.

The portal will be ready by June 15, after which healthcare professionals will be able to register themselves on it.

They will have the option to mention the countries where they want to work, the languages they know, visa and country-specific qualifying exam details, besides their usual background information, an official said.

“Once the portal goes live, external stakeholders such as patients and recruiters from India or abroad will be able to search for a required professional, based on the speciality or system of medicine, languages known, and the country they prefer to work in,” an official had told PTI earlier.

The healthcare professionals who can register themselves on the portal include practitioners of modern medicine as well as the traditional system of medicine, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, and 56 categories of allied health professionals.

The NHA is collating the data of healthcare professionals, in collaboration with various regulatory bodies such as the National Medical Commission, the Dental Council of India, the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine, the National Commission for Homoeopathy, the Indian Nursing Council, the Pharmacy Council of India and the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions.