The Government of India has started a new initiative which is the HSSC, the Healthcare Sector Skill Council. This is part of the National skill development council. It is a nonprofit organization that is supported by the government. These courses help to bridge the gap between the demand and supply in the healthcare sector. It is well known that in India, there is always demand for healthcare workers. Also the demand is not met adequately by the educational institutions and this may be due to various reasons.

Even the number of health workers like doctors and nurses are concentrated in the urban population. There is not enough health workers to cater to the health needs of the rural population. This is in spite of the fact that a huge percentage of the Indian population is rural. It is necessary to change this scenario. This is why the HSSC was set up.

The main objectives of the HSSC are to bridge the gap by producing quality healthcare professionals. So, these professionals need to be qualified and will also have to provide adequate healthcare in various areas. To bridge this gap, various healthcare courses have been started partnering other institutions. These courses are likely to provide jobs to thousands of youth in the country. It will also help in skill training to many unemployed youth. If you undergo this course, you will be equipped with basic healthcare skills in the allied health space.

Healthcare courses under the NSDC-HSSC

There are several health care courses that are being started under this programme. A list of these short term job oriented healthcare courses is provided here. We provide you with an overview of each of these courses.

1. General Duty Assistant:

A general duty assistant will be a physician assistant. If you qualify, you will be able to help the physicians in history taking. You will also provide other aspects of medical care to patients. You can assist in treatment of both in patients as well as out patients.

2. Home health Aid:

This course trains professionals who will be able to help those who are sick and bed ridden in their home. You will be trained in dressings, monitoring of temperature, blood pressure and also various other aspects.

3. Emergency Medical Technician:

There are courses at two levels here, a basic EMT course and an advanced EMT course. You, as a trained technician will be able to work in ambulances and emergency rooms. You will also be trained in trauma care and emergency care.

4. Medical Laboratory Technician:

A MLT technician will be provided with skills to collect blood and also process it. If you qualify in this course, you will also be able to test other body fluids to identify the presence of microbes. It is a very useful course. You will even be able to set up your own clinical laboratory with the help of a certified professional.

5. Radiology technician course:

A radiology technician will be able to assist a radiologist in taking various kinds of images. This can include X-rays, CT, MRI or ultrasound. Once you complete this course, Job opportunities are available in hospitals, clinics and other areas. Remember that you need to be AERB certified to work as a technician. So, you can register your name as a radiation professional with the e-lora online system of the AERB. This will help you in avoiding any regulatory problems in the future career.

6. Diabetes educator course:

The diabetes educator will provide health education and counseling to diabetes affected. Also, patients will need advice on diet, exercise and various other aspects. The health education to patients will be provided by the trained diabetes educator. If you undergo this course, you will be able to work in diabetic hospitals and help patients.

7. Dental Assistant:

The dental assistant will be skillful in assisting the dentist or the dental surgeon in various dental procedures. The course teaches the procedures so that the candidate will be able to assist the dentist. Also, the course teaches you aseptic precautions and also other aspects of dental care.

8. Anesthesia Technician:

The anesthesia technician will be able to assist the anesthetist in the operation theater and also outside it. A basic assessment of patients is taught to you as part of this course. These assessments are mandatory pre operative to check how the patient will be able to cope with anesthesia. And even post operatively, to check how the patient is able to recover from the anesthesia administered. Assisting the anesthetist inside the operation theater during surgeries is also part of the job.

9. Operating Theater Technician:

The operation theater technician will assist the surgeon in the operation theater and outside it as well. A surgeon has a huge responsibility during the surgery and after it. This responsibility persists till the patient recovers completely and is discharged. The operation theater technician takes much of this responsibility, mainly in the theater. So, this ensures that the surgeon needs to worry only about the patient and the surgery. He need not worry about the equipment and other related aspects.

There are also other courses like the Dialysis Technician, Dietitian Assistant, Phlebotomy Assistant and Cardiac care technician. If you undergo any of these courses, you will be able to assist the physicians in various health care settings.

Advantages of the short term courses.

1. These courses are job oriented and you will be placed in good jobs when you complete a course.

2. The courses are short term to ultra short term. They range from 4 months to 1 year duration. So, you will be able to earn within a few months.

3. Support from the training institutions are provided for candidates to obtain jobs. Even the government is trying its best to encourage organizations to provide jobs to such qualified professionals.

4. There is a proposal for the government to provide an amount of Rs.10,000 per candidate. This will be provided to you on completion of your course. This can also be helpful to you in setting up a trade.

5. The courses are run by recognized institutions. So the certificate of completion is from these institutions. But, the advantageous fact is that it is a programme recognized by the Indian government. This also makes it much more valuable than many other courses available in the healthcare sector.

6. The courses help you to learn various skills and so is more skill based than just being knowledge based. In the healthcare courses, knowledge is important, but skill is absolutely essential for success.

Please look out in these columns for additional courses being offered by the HSSC. If you have any queries about these courses, please communicate to us. You can send us an email or you can also send queries through the comments.