Tech Mahindra Foundation, Wipro GE Healthcare partner to upskill allied healthcare paramedics

Tech Mahindra Foundation and Wipro GE Healthcare on Tuesday announced their partnership to offer skilling and upskilling courses to students and healthcare technicians.

This partnership will upskill existing paramedics and students pursuing radiology technician, operation theatre technician, critical care technician, and emergency care technician courses, a statement said.

The courses designed and developed by Wipro GE Healthcare will be delivered online, followed by interactive sessions with leading practising industry experts, along with exposure to immersive techniques and hands-on training on simulators/equipment, it added.

Tech Mahindra Foundation (TMF) will join hands in offering the training to beginners as well as working technicians. The aim of the partnership is to provide gainful employment opportunities for the unemployed youth as well as career progression for working paramedics, the statement said.

Despite huge demand for their services, the allied healthcare paramedics segment is highly short-staffed as well as inappropriately trained.

"At our Tech Mahindra SMART Academies for Healthcare, we believe in laying emphasis on practical learning during the entire course along with the theoretical concepts. We are glad that this partnership will complement the practical learning of our students, alumni, and also other allied healthcare technicians," Tech Mahindra Foundation Chief Executive Officer Rakesh Soni said.

It will additionally enable them to get exposure to simulator training on surgical equipment, and a high-end immersive experience, he added.

"COVID-19 has highlighted the gap in the availability of Allied Health Professionals who are critical in testing, diagnosis, and timely patient treatment and care. This training will be readying the students for the opportunities that the healthcare sector has for technicians in radiology, operation theatre technology, critical care, and emergency care, Shravan Subramanyam, Managing Director at Wipro GE Healthcare, South Asia, said.

With an aim to improve access to quality healthcare throughout the country by developing skilled healthcare resources, Wipro GE Healthcare in 2015 established the GE Healthcare Education Institute (GEHCI), a training partner listed under the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).

The students will not only learn the theoretical aspects of being a healthcare technician but also learn through immense training at hospitals and practical lessons on surgical equipment, anesthesia, X-Ray, CT and MRI machines, patient preparation, and management among other areas.