Allied Health fields do not require NEET and are growing in scope with rising demand: Additional Director of Medical

Allied health fields such as Nursing, Pharmacy, and Physiotherapy and diplomas in paramedical courses were growing in scope with demands for professionals surging across the world, E. Theranirajan, Additional Director of Medical Education, Tamil Nadu, said on Saturday.

Addressing a gathering of students, teachers, and parents at The Hindu EducationPlus Career Counselling Fair 2026, Dr. Theranirajan said these courses did not require students to appear for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). In the backdrop of surging demand for nursing professionals in Europe and other countries, the government of Tamil Nadu was going to start B.Sc Nursing course in 11 government colleges. Similarly, Physiotherapy was growing in scope both within the country and abroad, while Occupational Therapy was an emerging field in India, but already in high demand abroad. Also, certain diploma courses like Cardio Perfusion Technology were on high demand that could be pursued, Dr. Theranirajan said.