Tata Trusts, GE Healthcare tie-up to train 10,000 technicians in Healthcare

Mumbai : Tata Trusts and GE Healthcare announced a strategic partnership to train 10,000 youth in various technical areas of healthcare over a three-year period.

"Our partnership with GE Healthcare will focus on bridging the skills gap in healthcare technical and operating staff. Tata Trusts invests USD 125 million on philanthropy, of which 25 per cent is meant for healthcare sector," Tata Trusts Managing Trustee R Venkataramanan told reporters here.

"The two enterprises have many common values and goals. Both have joined hands to save millions of lives at an affordable healthcare," Tata Trusts Chairman Ratan Tata said.

It is estimated that the current requirement for allied healthcare professionals (AHP) in India is nearly 6.5 million as against a supply of less than 300,000. As per National Skill Development Corporation, by 2018 the healthcare technician demand-supply gap in India will be 445,000 (84 per cent shortfall).

Courses to be undertaken in GE Healthcare Education Institute (GE HCI) are equipped with advanced healthcare infrastructure in 25 cities. Over 5,500 people have been trained till date, and the institute will train 10,000 candidates in the next three years.

Tata Trusts aims to drive improvement in healthcare delivery by enabling availability of skilled and motivated healthcare personnel. This partnership with GE Healthcare will allow many bright young minds, especially women, to come forward and bridge this gap, Venkataramanan said.

"Our partnership will leverage on the leadership that Tata Trusts have in the areas of skilling and livelihood and GE Healthcares expertise in designing and running technical courses in Healthcare," GE Healthcare president & CEO, Sustainable Healthcare Solutions, Terri Bresenham said.

What makes this initiative even more special is the opportunity it provides to transform individuals and families by providing livelihood opportunities to the students, particularly women, she added.

In next three years, 10,000 candidates will receive loan scholarships from Tata Trusts on qualifying for the course.

The aim is to enroll 50 per cent female candidates, Tata Trusts and GE Healthcare said in a joint statement.

GE will also fund certain candidates on the basis of their eligibility. GE HCI will design, develop and execute these courses through a mix of both classroom training and interactive training exercises.

The courses will help people graduate as X-ray, radiography, medical equipment, anaesthesia, operation theatre and cardiac care technicians as well as diabetic education counsellors.

Globally, GE Healthcare has committed USD 1 billion in healthcare education over the next four years to train more than 2 million professionals in the healthcare technology space, Bresenham said.