The Centre on Friday, December 6, said it does not have any data regarding the number of paramedical colleges functioning in the country.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State of Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel, said, "The data regarding the number of paramedical colleges in the country is not maintained by the government centrally."

She, however, said the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions has been constituted vide notification dated March 11 under the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act, 2021 to regulate the education and services of the 57 allied and healthcare professionals; assessment and rating of all allied and healthcare institutions to ensure uniform standards and quality assurance; maintenance of live national and state registers for registration of all allied and healthcare professionals.

The commission has launched a portal on October 29 for enrollment of the existing institutions imparting education related to the 57 professions listed in the Schedule of the Act.

The portals for enrollment of Allied and Healthcare Professionals and Allied and Healthcare Institutes/Colleges covered under the Schedule of the Act will create a centralised database of existing Allied and Healthcare Professionals and Allied and Healthcare Institutes/Colleges.