Prescription for success: Edtech’s cure for healthcare skill gaps

When 37-year-old Karan Singh from Hyderabad experienced intense abdominal pain, he was rushed to a local clinic. The doctor there diagnosed it as appendicitis and recommended immediate surgery. Frightened yet hesitant, Karan sought a second opinion from a specialist, only to discover his pain was due to severe acidity—nothing that a change in diet and stress management couldn’t fix. 

Cases like Karan’s are far too common, exposing a worrying gap in diagnostic skills among healthcare professionals. In a field where precision can be lifesaving, equipping doctors with accurate and up-to-date skills is not a choice—it’s a necessity.

In today’s fast-evolving healthcare landscape, specialised upskilling has become indispensable. As medical research, treatments, and technology advance at an unprecedented pace, healthcare professionals must stay ahead to ensure the delivery of safe, effective, and high-quality care.

Unlike other industries, staying on the cutting edge is non-negotiable for healthcare professionals to deliver the best possible care. This urgency has opened up a vital opportunity for organisations offering high-quality upskilling programmes tailored to their needs.

“The need for upskilling and training is intrinsic to this profession, not extrinsic,” says Gerald Jaideep, CEO of Medvarsity, a healthcare-focused edtech startup backed by the Apollo Group. “It is not linked to promotions, increments, or salary but is mandatory for a successful practice.”

Traditionally, doctors have relied on research articles, journals, case studies, conferences, and workshops to stay informed. However, startups like Medvarsity and OC Academy are now offering a diverse array of programmes to bridge the skills gap.

These resources enable doctors to stay current with new treatment protocols, management strategies, disease manifestations, emerging comorbidities, and the latest research. They also help professionals acquire new skills, adopt advanced medical practices and technologies, and enhance their ability to diagnose, manage, and treat a wide range of conditions effectively.

Medical education in India

Dr Melwin Bastin, 26, who has completed MBBS, says the degree in India provides basic knowledge about medical subjects and helps recognise different cases. 

“If you want to specialise in a particular area or are passionate about a specific subject, it’s valuable to gain clinical experience first. This approach allows you to go into postgraduate studies with hands-on understanding,” he says.

Currently, Dr Bastin is pursuing an international postgraduate programme in orthopaedics through OC Academy, a Bengaluru-based healthcare education startup that offers upskilling programmes tailored for doctors and healthcare professionals.

Dr Bastin shares that he has always been drawn to “something surgical.” His current programme allows him to work under experienced surgeons while simultaneously building a strong theoretical foundation.

The only way for doctors to improve is by gaining better skills, remarks Balu Ramachandran, Co-founder and CEO of OC Academy.

“In cricket, you can play more to improve, but in medicine, you can’t perform more surgeries without the necessary skills. That’s why doctors need to go through programmes that provide enhanced skills,” he adds, underlining the critical role of structured upskilling in healthcare.

India has over 700 medical colleges with an annual intake of more than 1,00,000 students. However, there are only around 70,000 postgraduate seats, leaving many doctors without opportunities to specialise. Jaideep observes that this imbalance often leads doctors to forgo specialisation.

“This means that when you and I need quality care, we are often dealing with average doctors… and the only way to address this is by building the culture of upskilling, which needs to be much more widespread than it currently is,” he explains.

Ramachandran points out that the nature of education in India is such that even doctors who graduate often lack the skills to practice high-quality medicine.

“The impact of upskilling, and this is something I truly believe in, is that it enables core skills for doctors. These core skills, in turn, will make doctors better and, ultimately, impact patient outcomes,” he adds.

The need to upskill 

Doctors pursue upskilling for a variety of reasons. For young doctors working in hospitals, it provides a competitive edge and the opportunity to specialise in high-demand fields. For independent general practitioners (GPs), upskilling ensures more accurate diagnoses, builds trust with patients, and offers referral incentives, creating a direct economic benefit.

According to Ramachandran, the primary motivation for doctors to seek upskilling is recognising a gap in their current skill set. When they come across a course that addresses this gap, they choose to take it.

OC Academy’s medical education programmes are designed to meet the needs of doctors at different career stages, offering both short-term certifications and long-term postgraduate qualifications. Similarly, Medvarsity provides a range of learning options, including certificates, advanced certificates, master’s degrees, postgraduate programmes, and fellowships for doctors and nurses.

These platforms also emphasise credibility through partnerships. Medvarsity collaborates with organisations like the British Accreditation Council, American Medical International Quality Training, and Apollo Hospitals Educational and Research Foundation. Meanwhile, OC Academy partners with multiple UK universities and both Indian and European medical bodies, ensuring the courses meet global standards.

Certification programmes offered by many of these startups start at under Rs 10,000. Diploma and degree programmes begin at around Rs 1 lakh, while fellowship programmes usually range between Rs 1–2 lakh and go up to Rs 30 lakh. Upon completion, learners receive a certificate mentioning the respective partner for the programme.

The participants in these programmes are diverse in experience. While there are some outliers with as much as 25 years of experience, Ramachandran notes that the average experience level of enrollees is typically above 8 years.

According to Jaideep, the most in-demand specialisations are diabetes, cardiology, and paediatrics, although interest in other fields is also gaining momentum.

However, Jaideep clarifies that Medvarsity is a non-credentialing organisation. Its programmes do not offer the same recognition as credentialed qualifications like the DNB (Diplomate of National Board) or an MD programme, which allow doctors to practise in specialised areas.

“The scale and depth are very different. Our goal is not to replace credentialing institutions. All doctors should aim for credentialing; unfortunately, the number of available seats is disproportionate to the number of doctors. As a result, most doctors practice with only their MBBS qualification,” he explains.

“Just an MBBS qualification is not enough for them to understand the gamut of diseases that an average person carries or the average population is dealing with, which is why our upskilling courses are relevant,” Jaideep further adds.

In its annual survey conducted in January 2024, 78% of Medvarsity’s students reported an improvement in patient outcomes as a result of its programmes.

Jaideep speaks about the role of GPs in early disease detection, particularly when it comes to conditions like cancer. Patients often visit GPs when they are in discomfort, and the ability of GPs to recognise early signs of serious conditions can make a significant difference for patients. For example, proper testing of a chronic cough could identify lung cancer earlier. However, diagnosing complex diseases such as cancer early can be challenging.

To address this, many upskilling programmes offered by startups focus on training GPs to identify early symptoms and guide patients to the appropriate specialists. This can improve early diagnosis rates, reduce treatment timelines, and, ultimately, save lives.

Enabling quality healthcare

While doctors hold a central role in patient care, allied health professionals also contribute significantly. Roles like physical therapists, occupational therapists, radiologists, and medical laboratory technologists are essential in diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.

Working in diverse settings such as hospitals, clinics, diagnostic labs, and community health centres, these professionals offer critical support outside the direct responsibilities of doctors and nurses.

Recognising the acute shortage of skilled allied healthcare professionals, edtech giant PhysicsWallah (PW) has launched its School of Healthcare.

According to Ashish Sharma, PW’s Chief Business Officer, India’s allied healthcare professional-to-patient ratio stands at about 1:6—far below the ratios in developed countries, which range from 1:1.5 to 1:1.75. “There are many unskilled, untrained professionals, so we wanted to bridge this gap,” Sharma says.

PW has already introduced courses for Medical Lab Technicians (MLT) and Operation Theatre Technicians (OTT). It plans to expand its offerings to include radiology technicians, dialysis care, hospital front office roles, and patient care services over the next 18 months. These vocational courses typically involve two years of classroom learning followed by a one-year internship, while advanced diploma programmes are structured around one year of classroom training and one year of practical experience.

In addition, PW is collaborating with medical schools and institutions to develop management courses tailored for doctors. Sharma explains that the aim is to help doctors manage their workloads more effectively, acquire skills for running small hospitals or nursing homes, and gain practical knowledge in areas such as financial and personnel management.

Rising demand for healthcare professionals

India’s healthcare sector, encompassing hospitals, medical devices, clinical trials, outsourcing, telemedicine, medical tourism, health insurance, and medical equipment, has emerged as one of the nation’s largest industries in terms of revenue and employment, according to the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF).

At the same time, the demand for Indian healthcare professionals continues to rise, with projections indicating it will double both nationally and globally by 2030, according to the report.

However, India has just 1.7 nurses per 1,000 people, and the doctor-to-patient ratio stands at 1:1,500—far below the required levels. According to the National Medical Commission (NMC), there were 13,86,136 allopathic doctors registered with State Medical Councils and the NMC as of July 2024.

Meeting the demand for skilled professionals and expanding infrastructure will be key to sustaining this growth in the coming years.

When it comes to doctors, about 93.6% of those surveyed either approved or strongly agreed on the need for additional upskilling opportunities in India beyond Continuing Medical Education (CME)—the ongoing training that helps healthcare professionals maintain and enhance their knowledge, skills, and competencies throughout their careers.

This creates a significant opportunity for skilling and upskilling service providers to offer accessible, customised programmes that address the growing demand among healthcare professionals.

“Stay hungry and thirsty for knowledge, and continue investing in your own upskilling—because nobody else is interested in your skilling, except you and your patients,” Jaideep advises young doctors.

“The only way to remain relevant to your society and community is by staying updated.”

(Cover image and infographics designed by Nihar Apte.)