NCAHP: Regulating India’s Allied Healthcare Workforce

It is Act No. 14 of 2021. It created India’s first central regulator for allied and healthcare professions.

What are the key dates?

• Parliament passed the Bill on 24 March 2021.
• The President gave assent on 28 March 2021.
• The Act came into force on 25 May 2021.
• Before this Act, no central body regulated these professions.

What is the memory hook?

Think “24, 28, 25”. Passed, assent, in force.

The Schedule to the Act lists 10 recognised categories.

What are they?

• Medical laboratory and life sciences.
• Trauma, burn care, and surgical and anaesthesia-related technology.
• Physiotherapy.
• Nutrition science.
• Ophthalmic sciences.
• Occupational therapy.
• Community care, behavioural health sciences and other professionals.
• Medical radiology, imaging and therapeutic technology.
• Medical technologists and physician associates.
• Health information management and health informatics.

What is the memory hook?

Think “ten, not a round guess”. Lab science is category one.

The Act sets up a Commission, councils and boards.

What sits at the centre?

• A Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson lead the Commission.
• Ex officio members come from ministries and bodies such as the ICMR.
• A Joint Secretary from the health department is a member.
• One seat rotates among three bodies, including the National Medical Commission.

What sits below it?

• Each recognised category gets a Professional Council.
• A Professional Council has a president and 4 to 24 members.
• States set up State Councils.
• A National Allied and Healthcare Advisory Council advises the Commission.

What is the memory hook?

Think “Commission, then councils”. One council per category.

Its duties are listed in Section 11 of the Act.

What are its main jobs?

• It frames policies and standards for education and services.
• It regulates professional conduct and ethics.
• It keeps an online, live Central Register of professionals.
• It oversees assessment and rating of institutions.
• It holds an annual meeting with the National Medical Commission.

What is the memory hook?

Think “standards, ethics, register”. Three core jobs.

A March 2026 PIB report gives the size of the training base.

What numbers did it give?

• India has over 500 government institutes with about 48,000 seats.
• About 3,800 private institutes offer more than 3.6 lakh seats.
• The Budget plans to add 1,00,000 allied health professionals over five years.
• Standards, labs and faculty vary across institutes.
• The NCAHP is meant to bring uniform standards.

What is the memory hook?

Think “500 and 3,800”. Many more private seats than government ones.

The Commission is rolling out competency-based curricula in phases.

What happened in April 2025?

• On 23 April 2025, the Health Ministry and the NCAHP launched curricula for ten professions.
• The chairperson called it the first phase of the rollout.
• The curricula are to be mandatory from 2026.
• The aim is “One Nation, One Curriculum”.

What came in July 2026?

• A notification of 1 July 2026 introduced a Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology (DMLT) curriculum.
• It is a two-year course for Class XII science students with Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
• Institutions were advised to adopt it from 2026-27.
• It becomes mandatory from 2027-28.

What is the memory hook?

Think “2025 first ten, 2026 DMLT”. Phase one, then more.

Four mix-ups come up often.

What are the traps?

• NCAHP or NMC? The NMC is a separate body. The Act even gives it a rotating seat.
• Passed or in force? Passed 24 March. Assent 28 March. In force 25 May 2021.
• Ten categories, not ten professions. The Act lists many professions inside ten categories.
• Which year mandatory? The DMLT is mandatory from 2027-28. Adoption starts in 2026-27.

What is the memory hook?

Think “dates, ten, 2027-28”.