Allied Health In India

Health care is a burgeoning sector in India, given the country’s rich tradition of practicing indigenous and modern forms of medicine. Ambulatory health care services remain one of the priorities of this sector and it is imperative that there is a constant supply of highly skilled workers in the many fields associated with the health care industry.

    Allied health workers primarily assist medical personnel and their job profiles include subjects as diverse as radiology, imaging technology, medical laboratory technology, healthcare management and so on. Allied health care workers play a vital role in the day-to-day practice of medicine and therapy.

    Due to the diversity of fields covered by allied health care and the specific skills required to work in each of those fields, there is a growing need for quality allied health education. This comprises both the theoretical and practical (hands on) aspects of the different subjects within this domain. Although the Central Government has introduced and maintained a varity of concessions in the health care sector, there is a distinct lacuna when it comes to allied health education. Several niche courses do exist that address the issue of training in specific allied health fields but there are few comprehensive courses that not only impart the skills required, but do so globally.

    The single best way to fill this lacuna is by imparting allied health education through the distance teaching-learning concept which removes the geographical restrictions brought about by traditional classroom methods and also ensures uniformity in the training provided to workers in the various fields. The different modules within such a program will not only meet the requirements mentioned above but will also cater to both the profession-based and skills-based aspects of allied health care. Finally, the distance learning methodology allows for the simultaneous training of hundreds of allied health care practitioners, which will satisfy the requirements of the health care industry.

The University

    The Sikkim Manipal University of Health, Medical and Technological Sciences (SMU), Gangtok is incorporated under the State Legislative Act (Act IX 1995) of the Government of Sikkim. It is  recognized by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development and by the University Grants Commission. SMU’s Degrees / Diplomas / Certificates are recognized by all members of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and are at par with Degrees / Diplomas / Certificates of all Indian Universities / Deemed Universities / Institutions vide UGC Circular No FI-B/92 (CPP) dated February 1992 & AIU Circular No EV/B(449)/94/176915-177115 dated January, 1994. The Statue of SMU permits the University to offer programs on a distance mode across the country and abroad.

    The University was set up in partnership between the Manipal Education and Medical Group and the Government of Sikkim with the objective of offering quality education to students and working professionals. Apart from regular on-site courses, the University offers many career oriented courses via distance education. These courses are offered as part of its effort to bring education to the masses and fulfill the growing demand for professionals. Manipal Universal Learning, which is the Learning Resource Development Center (LRDC) for SMU, supports the delivery of these programs.

    The courses include Master’s, Bachelor’s, Diploma and Post Graduate Diploma programs. Twinning programs have also been launched in collaboration with IT organizations. The main advantage that distance education offers students is in providing requirement-based and career oriented programs, incorporating flexibility in the choice of courses, delivery systems and processes. The University uses a strong nationwide network of Learning Centers to deliver its programs. This enables a student to choose a Learning Center that is easily accessible to him/her.

    These Learning Centers act as access points for the purpose of advising, counseling or rendering any assistance required by the students in context of the University’s distance education programs. To improve the quality of lectures and faculty presentations, the University recognized Learning Centers have been equipped with an effective interactive distance learning system that makes use of VSAT technology. These presentations, broadcast from studios at Manipal, Bangalore and Mumbai can be seen and heard live by the students in their respective centers.