Education minister PK Shahi inaugurates the training centre in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

A training academy was opened in the city on Tuesday to train doctors, nurses and paramedics with an aim to upgrade their skills.

Apollo MedSkills Centre, a wing of Apollo Hospitals Group, was inaugurated in association with National Skill Development Corporation. Education minister P.K. Shahi inaugurated the centre.

“In the past seven years, we have achieved a lot in the health sector like immunisation or polio eradication. But still there are many scopes for development. These kinds of training centres can provide trained workers for the healthcare services in the state. We already have a crisis for doctors at the primary health centres, referral hospitals and medical colleges and hospitals,” he said.

The centre would offer 27 courses, which include diploma courses in dialysis, medical lab technology, radiology, operation theatre technology and cardiac non-invasive technology for the paramedics and post-graduate diploma courses in emergency medicine, radiology, medical lab technology and ward administration for science graduates.

Apart from Apollo, Medanta and Max Hospitals have also shown interest in investing in the state’s health sector. However, sources said the entry of the Apollo group in the health sector could have happened two years back after the government provided them the land in Bihta, 40 km southwest of Patna.

But the hospital returned the land citing law and order problem.

“With the group opening its second Apollo MedSkills Centre in Bihar after Chennai, it is quite obvious that they want to extend their operations in the healthcare sector in the state,” sources said.

K. Prabhakar, the chief executive officer of Apollo MedSkills Centre, said Apollo Hospitals Group in association with National Skill Development Corporation has decided to set up 47 such training centres across the country.

“Though the state government has taken a lot of good initiatives in the health sector, which include mobilising the workers and upgrading the facilities, trained manpower is the need of the hour. Therefore, we have decided to open our training centre in the city,” he said.

“By 2020, the country would require14 million medical professionals. Apollo MedSkills Centres would be set up across the country to achieve this goal,” Prabhakar said.

Jaikant Singh, the head of management information system and monitoring, National Skill Development Corporation, was also present at the occasion.