NCAHP mandates registration to practise for 57 allied health professions

The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) has officially announced new registration regulations under the Registration of Allied and Healthcare Professionals Regulations, 2026, reports Musab Qazi from Careers360. The provisions say that professionals from 57 allied and healthcare fields should first register with state and central registers to start their practice.

These regulations will include professions such as physiotherapy, dietetics, laboratory technology and psychology. The Registration of Allied and Healthcare Professionals Regulations, 2026 will introduce a common registration system and uniformity in allied healthcare education sectors across India.

The new regulations will also allow temporary registration for graduates who are searching for internships and for foreign nationals travelling to India for higher education or clinical training. A separate provision will allow professionals to get temporary registration who do not meet the new qualification requirements.

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Registration, renewal regulations for AHPs

Under the new provisions, allied and healthcare professionals (AHPs) will have to register with the state council where they currently reside. The state council will then share their details with the NCAHP for adding to the central register. Professionals can register directly with the central register in these states that do not have a functioning council, Musab reported.

The registration will remain valid for five years and professionals will have to renew after the period ends. They must complete at least 15 hours of continuous professional development (CPD) education every year, or 75 hours over those five years if they want to renew their registration. The completed activities can include workshops, seminars, conferences and other training programmes.

Professionals can complete only half of the required CPD hours online. The requirement will help professionals update their skills and knowledge on a regular basis. The regulations also allow AHPs to practise in other states even if they are registered in a different state, as long as they inform their state council about their location.

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New framework

According to Musab, the NCAHP chairperson Yagna Shukla has said that the commission is making separate regulations for professionals who do not want to meet the new qualifications. They can later obtain full registration after completing bridge courses related to their field of study.

The new registration system will not start immediately, since resolutions on the functioning of state councils and their registration and ethics boards are still pending. NCAHP has already created a central registration portal, which will be linked with the various state portals. 

Shukla said the portal is now undergoing a trial run. Clinical psychologists registered with the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) will not be included under the NCAHP registration system.