NCAHP Draft Regulations 2026: Provisional Registration, Bridge Courses & Digital System for Allied Healthcare Professionals

The news

The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP), under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has proposed a new regulatory framework for provisional registration of allied and healthcare professionals. The draft regulations, issued on 11 November 2026, provide a structured pathway for eligible practitioners to obtain provisional registration and later transition to regular registration through bridge courses, competency assessments and qualifying examinations. The commission has invited stakeholder comments by 4 December 2026.

The framework, framed under the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021, aims to bring uniformity, transparency and accountability to professional registration across states. A key feature is the integrated online registration system that will issue a Provisional Registration Unique Identification Number (PR UID) to each professional, enabling systematic tracking and regulatory oversight. The draft regulations also prescribe supervised clinical training and institutional requirements for skill development, linking progression to regular registration with prescribed educational and competency standards.

What is the NCAHP Act, 2021?

The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021 established the NCAHP as a statutory body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to regulate and standardise education and practice of allied and healthcare professions in India. These professions include physiotherapists, nutritionists, lab technicians, optometrists and speech therapists, which were previously regulated under varied state-level frameworks. The new draft regulations seek to operationalise the Act's provisions for provisional registration.

How will the new registration system work?

The proposed framework establishes standardised eligibility criteria and procedures for provisional registration. Eligible professionals will apply through an integrated online system that handles credential verification, eligibility assessment and issuance of a Provisional Registration Unique Identification Number (PR UID). To move to regular registration, provisionally registered professionals may need to complete prescribed bridge courses for skill enhancement, undergo supervised clinical training and pass minimum qualifying examinations. This competency-based approach is intended to ensure that practitioners meet national standards before full registration.

What are the next steps after the feedback deadline?

NCAHP will review the comments, suggestions and objections received by 4 December 2026 before finalising the regulations. Once notified, state allied and healthcare councils will need to align their registers with the central framework, and the online registration portal will be operationalised. The reform is expected to improve the credibility and mobility of allied health professionals across India.