Samagra, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is working with the Government of Uttar Pradesh to reform nursing and paramedical training in the state. UP has over 4.4 lakh registered medical professionals. These include 1.1 lakh doctors, 0.25 lakh dentists, 2.29 lakh nurses, 0.80 lakh paramedics. Apart from the professionals currently practicing in the state, there is an annual pipeline of nearly 70,000 medical students, studying in 800+ colleges. There are currently many programs running for the upskilling of in-service medical professionals. However, the objective of this program is to improve the quality medical education with a focus on creating a cadre of better skilled nursing and paramedical graduates.
Samagra’s approach to improving the quality of medical education for nurses and paramedics is to push for five core administrative and technical reforms. These are accreditation of medical training institutions, institution of centralized admissions, introduction of competency-based assessments, verifiable e-credentials and making the allied healthcare profession aspirational. All the reforms shall also drive the adoption of a digital platform compliant with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. This digital-first approach will bring about efficiency in the functioning of training institutes, Human Resources in Health regulator, and greatly benefit the students.