NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to examine a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Indian Association of Physiotherapists (IAP) seeking effective implementation of the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021 (NCAHP Act).
A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai and K. Vinod Chandran took note of senior advocate Anindita Pujari’s submission that a regulatory vacuum persists in India’s allied healthcare sector, despite the NCAHP Act having been notified over four years ago.
The CJI Gavai-led Bench issued notices to the Centre, all state governments and union territories, National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions, University Grant Commission (UGC) and All India Council For Technical Education, and tagged the matter with a similar pending petition.
Filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, through advocate Rohit Kumar, the writ petition said that despite the NCAHP Act coming into force on May 25, 2021, several provisions remain unimplemented. In particular, many states have yet to constitute their respective State Allied and Healthcare Councils, leading to inconsistencies in professional standards, qualifications, and licensure processes across the country.