Occupational Standard (OS) describes what individuals need to do, know, and understand to carry out a particular job role or function. A set of OS, aligned to a job role, is called Qualification Pack (QP).
Veterinary para-professionals, who assist veterinarians and provide Minor Veterinary Services (MVS) as per the provision of the Indian Veterinary Council Act, are an integral part of the veterinary service delivery system in India. They are indispensable in the absence of a sufficient number of registered veterinarians in interior rural areas. Besides delivery of minor veterinary services, they also play an important role in veterinary extension service. In India, there is a need to streamline para-veterinary services, including services of Community Animal Health Workers ( CAHWs ). They should be defined appropriately as per the assigned job role and supervised by a registered veterinarian as envisioned in the Indian Veterinary Council Act.
With increasing private sector participation in training and recruitment of paraprofessionals, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has suggested governments develop an appropriate regulatory framework for para-veterinary services to ensure the quality of veterinary services.
The development of National Occupational Standard (NOS) and qualification pack (QP) for various categories of paraprofessionals ( with appropriate definitions ) can immensely help in streamlining and regulating the para-veterinary services. It can help in developing a standardized curriculum for the training of paraprofessionals. A suitable monitoring and professional certification system for skilled services of paraprofessionals both in the public and private sectors can be developed based on NOS.
Reference to the National Skill Qualification Framework (See NSQF NOTIFICATION of Government of India ), veterinary paraprofessionals including Community Animal Health Workers (CAHW) trained under appropriate standards can have the much-needed upward career mobility and work opportunities across the country and abroad. The result of all this will be a better employment opportunity for veterinary paraprofessionals and improved quality of veterinary services.
Agriculture Sector Skill Council of India (ASCI) is a non-profit industry-led agency approved by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative of the Government of India. The organization, like other sector skill councils (SSCs), is charged with the responsibility of bringing together all stakeholders to achieve the common goal of creating a skilled workforce in the field of Agriculture.
Agriculture Skill Council of India (ASCI) commissioned Vet Helpline India Pvt. Ltd to develop the National Occupational Standards (NOS) and Qualification Pack (QP) in the context of para-veterinary services in India.
Project output:
With effect from 1st December’2015, NSDC ( National Skill Development Corporation ) has declared National Occupational Standards ( NOS ) for various categories of veterinary para-professionals in India.
The need for occupational standards for various categories of non-state actors active in livestock health products and veterinary service delivery was the highlight of the GALVmed sponsored study conducted during 2014.
The standards are now available for download at http://www.nsdcindia.org/nos ( See under Agriculture Sector ) Click Here
To learn more about the standard-setting process and how the read the standards you can view this presentation: Click Here
Expected Outcome:
With this significant initiative, large numbers of interested NGOs, private vocational training institutes can now seek affiliation from the Agriculture Skill Council of India ( ASCI ) to offer certified courses based on four qualification packs viz. Veterinary Field Assistant, Veterinary Clinical Assistant, Artificial Insemination Technicians, and Animal Health Worker.
The following expected changes may occur with the popularization of the standards:
- There will be national recognition to private veterinary para-professionals who can now get training and certification under a framework that is government-approved and validated by industry.
- Certified para-professionals will get Interstate and inter-country career mobility.
- There will be substantial scale employment of certified para-professionals by the private sector, including input companies interested in promoting products with service.
- There will be a growth of private vocational training institutes offering courses in the field of para-veterinary services. ( Note: in many Indian states as of now, only state government-sponsored institutes are offering the courses based on in-house demand of para-vets in public services).
- Veterinary Council of India ( VCI ) will recognize the standards and declare a monitoring / regulatory framework for para-vets.
Current status:
With effect from February’2016, two job roles viz. Animal Health Worker and Artificial Insemination Technicians received support under the Government of India’s flagship program Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikash Yojana ( PMKVY ).
Sector-wise Job roles identified for PMKVY_2016
Click Here for the suggestive list of job roles for Short term Training (STT ) under the CSCM component of PMKVY 3.0 (2020-21) to be implemented through PMKKs. The document indicates Animal Health Worker and Artificial Insemination Job roles.
Agriculture Skill Council of India regularly organizes Train The Trainer (TTT) program for Animal Health Worker QP/NOSs.
Following is a glimpse of one of the training organized at Tumkur, Karnataka, where altogether 30 would be master trainers nominated and sponsored by affiliated training providers attended the program. The four-day program that included both theory and practical lessons ended with an oath-taking ceremony.
Download: TTT Session Plan_Animal Health Worker_ASCI_India
Dr M Islam Barbaruah, Director, Vet Helpline India Pvt Ltd. is conducting Train the Trainer (TTT ) program for Animal Health Worker Qualification Pack. Tumkur, Karnataka ( 16-19th Feb’2016)
Dr.Barbaruah and Dr.Suresh are administering the oath to participants of the Train the Trainer (TTT) program on Animal Health Worker NOS/QP.
Download: Oath_TrainerofCAHWs_ASCI
We are engaging with various institutions to highlight the need for developing a supervisory and monitoring framework for multiple categories of para-vets ( providers of Minor Veterinary Services ) as envisioned in the Indian Veterinary Council Act. The structure will help in reducing conflicts related to service delivery at the last mile and also take care of public health concerns associated with inadequate, inappropriate veterinary services delivery.
Dr. M Islam Barbaruah of Vet Helpline India Pvt Ltd provided consultancy to Brook Hospitals for Animals- India to help the organization advocate for a national guideline document for VPP regulation in India. A draft document was submitted to the Government of India in September 2019.
On 15th January 2021, Vet Helpline India Pvt Ltd signed a contract with the Centre of Excellence for Dairy Skills in India ( CEDSI) -a sister concern of the Agriculture Skill Council of India, to help in the review of the para vet-related developed standards as per a new format. The new version of the standards is now ready, and the same is going through industry validation. The new version used OIE competency guidelines for VPPs as a reference.
A glimpse of the forthcoming new version of standards
Project publication on ” Defining veterinary service and service providers -with particular reference to para-vets and ILO’s International Standard Classification of Occupation (ISCO )-2008
Defining_VeterinaryProfessionals
Presentation at UGC-SAP National Seminar on “Achieving Sustainable Rural Livelihood through Financial Intervention and Skilling India: 4th and 5th March’2016, Tezpur University.
PPT_ofTalkbyDrBarbaruah_UGCSAPNationalSeminar_SkillingIndia
DetailTalk_UGC-SAPNationalSeminar_SkillingIndia
We are now engaging with various institutions to highlight the need for developing a supervisory and monitoring framework for various categories of para-vets ( providers of Minor Veterinary Services ) as envisioned in the Indian Veterinary Council Act. The framework will help reduce conflicts related to service delivery at the last mile and also take care of public health concerns associated with inadequate, inappropriate veterinary service delivery.
Participation in the National Seminar on Regulation of veterinary paraprofessional education and services in India 16th April 2019, NASC Complex, New Delhi, organized under the aegis of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India.
Dr Miftahul Islam Barbaruah, Director of Vet Helpline India Pvt Ltd, delivering a talk during the seminar on Veterinary Paraprofessionals held on 16th April 2019 at NASC, New Delhi.
Download Dr Barbaruah’s presentation titled ” International Regulation and Initiatives Related to Veterinary Paraprofessionals ( VPPs ) and Recent Developments in India.”
Participation in the international expert group
The project has attracted the attention of OIE ( The World Organization for Animal Health ), and Dr. Miftahul Islam Barbaruah, Director of Vet Helpline India Pvt Ltd, was nominated as a member of the OIE Ad hoc expert group to develop Global Competency guideline and curriculum for Veterinary Paraprofessionals.
Support to National Technical Seminar on re-orienting para-veterinary Services
The project provided knowledge and institutional support to the All Assam Veterinary Field Assistant Association (AAVFAA) to organize a national technical seminar titled “Reorienting para-veterinary services” on 5th January 2019 at Amolapatty Natya Mandir, Nagaon, Assam, India.
Click Here for details.
The global resource for further reference:
Visit the website of WOAH Virtual Regional Awareness Raising Workshop on Veterinary Workforce and VPPs, June -July 2021
Download presentations made during the First African veterinary para-professional conference with a continental focus, held in South Africa from 13 to 15 October 2015.
WOAH page on Veterinary Workforce Development.
WOAH Competency Guidelines for Veterinary Paraprofessionals
WOAH Curricula Guidelines for Veterinary Paraprofessionals
Click Here to learn more about the WOAH initiative to develop guidelines for Community Animal Health Workers.
