Kolkata, June 1, 2018: A country's healthcare industry cannot grow without the contribution of doctors and nurses, said Mr Rupak Barua, Group CEO, AMRI Hospitals and Chairman, Health Subcommittee, CII Eastern Region. He said at the second edition of the CII Nursing Conclave in Kolkata on Friday, "Doctors and nurses form the backbone of any hospital."
Mr Barua, while delivering the theme address – Future of Nursing: Leading Changes, Advancing Health for Better Patient Care – pointed out that there was a time when people entered the nursing profession "with the intention of helping the sick and the needy". "Today, nursing is a promising career choice, with the healthcare sector being the largest employer in the world at a $100 billion remittance," he added.
"There is a huge opportunity in healthcare sector as the World Bank predicts a shortage of 80.2 million workers by 2030 globally and India will need 2 million doctors and 6 million nurses by that time. This sector is also by far the largest employer of women workforce in the world," he said. Citing a recent survey by Boston Consulting Group, Mr Barua said that the Indian healthcare sector will generate 40 million new jobs by 2020.
Healthcare can become the largest component for foreign currency for the country and just by training 5 million doctors, nurses and technicians, the sector can earn to the tune of $100 billion annually. Mr Barua pointed out that because of mandatory nursing education for an increasing number of students taking up nursing as a profession, patient caring and monitoring status in the country has improved. "The nursing staff is the lifeline of hospitals and healthcare systems across the world. They work tirelessly and look out for patients even on national holidays or weekends," he said.
Mr Barua pointed out that a lack of career progression in the Indian nursing sector has led to a shortage of nearly 4 million nurses across the country. "In the US almost 67 percent nurses are anesthetists but that is not possible in India because the medical fraternity requires only a doctor for the process. There are several aspects to medical care that do not require a doctor, but simple trained individuals like nurses," he added.
Even though the Indian healthcare industry is to touch US$ 280 Billion by 2020 and "there has been an upsurge in the number of hospitals and clinics", the number of doctors and nurses have not increased in the same ratio. The number of registered nurses and midwives in the country is expected to reach 4.1 Million by 2022, growing at a CAGR of around 6 percent during the forecasted period of 2017-2022. "Healthcare in India is undergoing a massive growth. There is also the need to add quality in nursing education and update its curriculum to match with the best international standards," Mr Barua added.