India woefully short of paramedics, says Nadda

Stressing on  the need to impart skill development training to paramedical staff, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda on Friday said there is a shortage of two lakh paramedical staff in the country, which can be addressed by skill development training of paramedical staff.

“A regulatory body in the shape of national paramedical council is being deliberated upon,” Nadda said, adding that for strengthening, capacity building and skill development of the radiographers and other medical technologists, 32 components for their training have been identified.

The Union Health Minister stressed on the need for team-centric holistic approach instead of doctor-centric approach, as radiologists and paramedic staff are not only the back bone of the medical profession but its soul also, due to their major role in the field.

Speaking on the issue of cancer, Nadda said, around 11 lakh new patients are added to the existing number of patients every year and of those some five lakh die annually due to the disease.