NCAHP releases curriculum for 17 allied health courses, mandatory from 2026-27

Mangaluru: The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) has released curricula for 17 allied health courses and directed institutions to implement them mandatorily from the 2026-27 academic year.

Sharing the update, NCAHP Chairperson Yagna Unmesh Shukla said the courses include Occupational Therapy, Respiratory Technology, Medical Physics and Nuclear Medicine Technology. She added that the Commission will soon notify minimum standards for institutions offering allied health programmes.

Dr Shukla announced this while speaking at the inauguration of Mangalore Physiocon, an international physiotherapy conference organised by the South Canara Physiotherapy Teachers’ Association in Mangaluru on April 10.

She emphasised that all healthcare institutions must adopt the prescribed curriculum for these 17 courses from the 2026–27 session.

Saying that the registration of allied and healthcare professions will start soon, she said as reported by TOI, "The regulations for institutions and minimum standards for institutions will be notified, and the big reform is going to come, and we all must be ready. It is our duty to ensure its implementation. So it will be the state's responsibility to ensure implementation."

"I am very sure that Karnataka will be the first state to implement the curriculum. So many meetings were held, and I do get updates. I am really happy that the Karnataka State Allied & Healthcare Professions Council is doing wonderful. I must say that NCAHP is working tirelessly on standardisation, research promotion, innovation, adoption and equitable access to rehabilitation services," she said.

"The NCAHP Act, 2021, has brought a big reform. It is a big game changer in healthcare in India. Physiotherapy is one of the scheduled professions of Allied and Healthcare Commission, she said.

She said that "Physiotherapy was in the frontline to reduce hospital stay, preventing complications, and helping patients to reclaim their lives. Future of physiotherapy was being reshaped by ground-breaking innovation. Quality care is now accessible in the remotest areas. New technology is helping physiotherapist deliver evidence-based efficient patient centric care."

"In India, non-communicable diseases, cardiovascular conditions and musculoskeletal disorders are on the rise, and the ageing population demands greater focus on geriatric care. We all know physiotherapy plays a pivotal role. We all know post-Covid-19, the world witnessed how critical and important rehabilitation is. From restoring lung capacity and mobility in acute care to managing long-term post-Covid viral fatigue and neurological complications, physiotherapists were on the front lines, reducing hospital stays, preventing complications and helping patients reclaim their lives," she said, adding that the future of physiotherapy is being reshaped by groundbreaking innovations.

Karnataka’s Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao told The Hindu, "There is great scope for physiotherapy. Those who practice physiotherapy will have a stable career. The government of Karnataka is committed to make the course more effective and useful to everybody."

Growing demand for Allied health fields

With more countries facing a shortage of healthcare workers, allied health courses like nursing, physiotherapy and pharmacy are emerging as strong career options for students, especially those who fail to clear NEET.

Speaking at The Hindu Education Plus Career Counselling Fair 2026, E. Theranirajan, Additional Director of Medical Education, Tamil Nadu, said these courses did not require students to appear for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).

Medical Dialogues had previously reported that the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) has announced that appearing in the National Eligibility-Entrance Test (NEET UG) will not be mandatory for admission to Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) and Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (BOT) undergraduate programmes for the academic year 2026-27. In a letter issued to the University Grants Commission (UGC) on March 2nd, the Commission informed that the earlier decision to conduct admissions to these courses through NEET has been deferred to the next academic year 2027–28.

Advising students on kind of courses they can pursue in furture, Dr Theranirajan said, "In the backdrop of surging demand for nursing professionals in Europe and other countries, the government of Tamil Nadu was going to start the B.Sc Nursing course in 11 government colleges. Similarly, Physiotherapy was growing in scope both within the country and abroad, while Occupational Therapy was an emerging field in India, but already in high demand abroad. Also, certain diploma courses like Cardio Perfusion Technology were in high demand that could be pursued."

"Occupational Therapy is in high demand abroad and has its uses in the care of children with special needs to make them ambulant. Allied sciences like Forensic Science and Embryology were gaining ground as well," he added. 

Speaking about the foreign medical graduates waiting for internship in Tamil Nadu, he said, "Over 600 students have applied for internships in Tamil Nadu and have been on the wait. The portal would be opened up soon for students to be able to choose colleges."

Recalling his time as the Dean of Madras Medical College (MMC) when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Dr. Theranirajan said "Tamil Nadu became a pioneer in managing the spread of the pandemic, banking primarily on its history of research and publication. We searched the literature and finally arrived at protocols on mild, moderate, or severe cases, and how to go about managing severe cases."

The MMC treated 88,000 COVID-19-affected patients and cured 96 per cent of them. MMC, he added, was ranked 10th in NIRF rankings in 2024 due to its excellence in research, publication, patient care, and academics and diversity of students.

Also read- NEET NOT Mandatory for Physiotherapy, occupational therapy admissions this year, requirement deferred to 2027-28