Under the updated framework, which will come into force from the 2026– 27 academic session, the long-standing provision allowing entry into allied and healthcare diploma courses after Class X will be discontinued. Science at the senior secondary level will now be compulsory for clinical programmes. This change will impact nearly 500 government institutions offering approximately 48,000 seats and around 3,800 private institutes with more than 3.6 lakh seats. According to NCAHP, the reform addresses a long-standing issue of fragmentation and inconsistent quality within the sector.
Dr Yagna Unmesh Shukla, Chairperson of NCAHP, highlighted the core concern of fragmentation. “In a single city, there can be multiple allied programmes offering identical degrees despite varying standards. The primary goal of the NCAHP Act — which governs 57 professions — is to ensure uniformity in education, services, and institutional benchmarks,” she explained. She further clarified that healthcare education differs significantly from polytechnic training. “While polytechnic students primarily work with machines and can manage with a Class X foundation, healthcare professionals deal directly with human lives. Therefore, a science background is essential. Many experts have also observed that students without science struggle to cope with course requirements,” she added.
The Commission had initially considered using NEET as the qualifying examination for allied degree programmes, as the Act предусматривает entry and exit tests. “Using NEET would indirectly fulfil the requirement of an entry-level exam based on Class XII knowledge,” Dr Shukla noted. However, the plan to make NEET-UG compulsory for undergraduate courses such as Physiotherapy (BPT) and Occupational Therapy (BOT) has been postponed to the 2027–28 academic session due to logistical concerns raised by the National Testing Agency (NTA), particularly regarding the anticipated surge in candidates.
The reform has raised concerns in certain states, especially Karnataka, where Medical Education Minister Sharanprakash R Patil cautioned that nearly 500 allied and healthcare colleges might face closure if the Class X entry pathway is removed. In response, Dr Shukla stated that the transition is not sudden and institutions had been given adequate notice. She suggested that shorter, non-clinical or skill-oriented programmes could be shifted under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). “We are not limiting access but ensuring standardisation. Programmes lasting one or two years that do not require a strict academic background need not shut down; instead, they can come under MSDE,” she explained.
The reform is primarily driven by the goals of improving patient safety and enabling global career mobility. Dr Shukla stated, “The curriculum is being redesigned to be competency-based and outcome-oriented, with stricter requirements for training hours and more consistent course structures. This will significantly ease global mobility for students trained under this system.”
Access Debate
For many years, diploma courses in allied and healthcare fields after Class X served as a quick employment pathway, particularly for students from rural and economically weaker backgrounds. Critics argue that the revised eligibility norms may restrict this access and reduce the availability of grassroots healthcare workers.
Dr B Karunakar Reddy, former Vice-Chancellor of Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences, Telangana, pointed out that the Class X diploma system was often influenced more by commercial motives than by quality education. “In several districts, there are numerous paramedical colleges, many operating from a single room and offering multiple courses without proper training facilities or hospital tie-ups. Graduates often hold diplomas but lack practical skills, requiring retraining by private hospitals,” said Dr Reddy, who also served as a member of the National Medical Commission.
He noted that the transition to Class XII-based allied health science degree programmes has already shown positive outcomes in Telangana. “The demand has been very strong, and seats are being fully occupied,” he said, adding that these courses are now closely linked to medical colleges and are comparable to degree programmes such as BPT or BSc in Medical Laboratory Technology. Dr Reddy dismissed concerns about rural exclusion, stating, “Students from rural areas today are highly capable and competitive. It is time we stop underestimating them.”
Some experts support the introduction of merit-based evaluation but caution against overly rigid implementation. Dr Sandeep Dagar, Patron of the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), described the inclusion of NEET as a positive move. “A standardised, merit-based assessment is essential for healthcare education,” he said. However, he also warned that limiting eligibility strictly to Class XII Science students might be an overcorrection. “Patient safety depends more on the quality of training and supervision than on whether a student studied science in Class XII. A well-trained diploma holder can be far more competent than a poorly trained graduate,” Dr Dagar emphasised.