Healthcare Upskilling Platforms to Fuel India’s Healthcare Talent Exports
In the evolving landscape of global healthcare, a critical narrative is unfolding — one that positions India as a potential powerhouse in supplying skilled healthcare professionals (HCP) to the world. As healthcare systems worldwide grapple with staffing shortages and rising demand for quality care, India’s vast demographic advantage and growing focus on professional upskilling present a unique opportunity to address this global challenge.
Shortage of Domestic Healthcare Professionals in Foreign Nations
The World Health Organization projects a global shortfall of 15 million healthcare workers by 2030, highlighting the urgency of finding sustainable solutions.
The global healthcare sector is grappling with an unprecedented shortage of medical professionals, particularly in developed nations. This crisis has been brewing for decades but has reached critical levels in recent years. In countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada, the healthcare workforce gap continues to widen, creating significant challenges in delivering quality patient care.
The aging population in these nations has created a double burden on their healthcare systems. Not only is there an increasing demand for medical services from elderly patients, but a significant portion of the existing healthcare workforce is also approaching retirement age.
The American Association of Medical Colleges projects a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2034, spanning both primary care and specialty doctors. In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service (NHS) faces similar challenges, with approximately 110,000 vacancies across its healthcare positions. The situation is particularly acute in nursing, where staff shortages have reached critical levels. The Royal College of Nursing reports that the shortage of nurses is severely impacting patient care and putting excessive pressure on existing staff.
European nations are not immune to this trend. Germany, for instance, is experiencing a significant shortfall in healthcare workers, with estimates suggesting a need for an additional 150,000 nursing professionals by 2025. The situation extends to other healthcare roles, including technicians and specialized medical staff.
…Leading to High Prevalence of Foreign-Trained Healthcare Professionals in Developed Nations
The shortage of domestic healthcare professionals has led to a significant reliance on foreign-trained medical practitioners in many developed countries. This trend has become increasingly pronounced over the past few decades, with international medical graduates (IMGs) playing a crucial role in maintaining healthcare systems worldwide.
This high prevalence of international medical graduates has led to the development of specialized pathways for foreign healthcare professionals to obtain licensing and practice rights in these countries. Many nations have established specific programs and assessment frameworks to evaluate and integrate international medical graduates into their healthcare systems.
India’s Role and Potential in Global Healthcare Talent Supply
India’s healthcare education system is one of the largest in the world, producing approximately 80,000 doctors and 155,000 nurses annually. The country has over 500 medical colleges and more than 2,000 nursing schools, providing a strong foundation for comprehensive healthcare professional development. This extensive education infrastructure positions India as a natural source for addressing global healthcare workforce shortages.
While countries like Romania may have a higher percentage of their doctors working abroad (37.2%), India’s sheer numbers demonstrate its significant impact on the global healthcare workforce. Indian nurses, in particular, are highly sought after in countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Gulf nations, known for their strong clinical skills, English language proficiency, and dedication to patient care.
As evidenced by the fact that India leads globally with 74,500 domestically trained doctors working abroad, representing 7.3% of its domestic medical workforce. The country’s potential to supply healthcare professionals globally is substantial and continues to grow, supported by several key factors. Additionally, the growing number of private medical colleges and nursing schools is expanding the capacity for healthcare professional education.
The combined strength of India’s medical and nursing education systems positions the country uniquely in addressing global healthcare workforce shortages. This dual contribution of both doctors and nurses makes India’s role in global healthcare staffing particularly valuable, as it can help address shortages across multiple healthcare professional categories simultaneously.
Case Study: Parallels Between India’s Tech Talent Success and Healthcare Export Potential
The remarkable success story of India’s technology talent exports offers a compelling blueprint for the healthcare sector. In the 1990s and early 2000s, as global technology demands surged, developed nations faced a critical shortage of skilled IT professionals. India, with its vast pool of engineering talent and English-language proficiency, emerged as the solution to this global challenge. Today, we stand at a similar inflection point in healthcare, where global shortages mirror the tech talent gap of decades past.
A Global Demand Surge in Healthcare
The parallels are striking. Just as the technology revolution created an unprecedented demand for software engineers and IT professionals, the current healthcare crisis in developed nations has generated a massive need for medical professionals. The United States alone projects a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2034, while countries like Germany, Canada, and Australia face similar deficits. This shortage, combined with aging populations in developed nations, creates a sustained demand curve reminiscent of the tech sector’s growth trajectory.
Replicating the IT Playbook for Healthcare
The transformation of the IT sector was driven by specialized training institutes, global certification programs, and partnerships between academia and industry. These same principles can be applied to the healthcare sector, which already benefits from strong medical institutions and a regulated education framework. With proper training and certification systems, Indian healthcare professionals can address global healthcare shortages, just as Indian IT professionals bridged the digital divide.
A New Frontier for Economic Growth
The economic impact of IT services exports from India, which reached approximately $150 billion in 2022, highlights the transformative potential of talent exports. Although healthcare operates differently, the underlying model — providing highly skilled professionals to meet global demand — remains similar. By focusing on structured upskilling, certifications, and strategic partnerships, India has the opportunity to establish itself as a leader in healthcare talent exports.
Strengthening the Foundation: Requirements for Global Healthcare Talent Export
The global healthcare sector stands at a critical juncture, facing unprecedented workforce shortages in developed nations while emerging economies like India possess vast potential to bridge this gap. This transformation, however, requires a carefully orchestrated approach to building robust foundations that can support sustained talent export at scale.
The success of India’s technology sector in meeting global demand offers valuable lessons for healthcare talent export. Just as Indian IT professionals became globally recognized for their technical expertise and adaptability, Indian healthcare professionals can be positioned as the solution to worldwide healthcare staffing challenges. This requires systematic development of both medical educational and professional pathways, ensuring that Indian medical graduates are thoroughly prepared for international practice.
1. Optimization of Medical Education: Quantity and Quality Metrics
To meet global demand while maintaining high standards, India needs to optimize both the quantity and quality of medical graduates. The current annual output of approximately 80,000 MBBS graduates needs to be strategically increased while ensuring quality isn’t compromised.
Quality enhancement requires several key interventions.
- First, standardization of medical education across institutions to ensure consistent quality. This includes implementing uniform assessment methods, updating curricula regularly, and maintaining proper faculty-student ratios.
- Modern infrastructure and technology integration are crucial. Medical colleges need state-of-the-art simulation labs, research facilities, and digital learning platforms. These investments will help bridge the gap between Indian medical education and global standards.
- Clinical training needs to be strengthened through partnerships with leading hospitals and healthcare institutions globally. Exchange programs, visiting faculty arrangements, and international clinical rotations can provide exposure to different healthcare systems and practices.
While traditional medical institutions are making significant strides in healthcare education, there is a growing need for specialized players who can accelerate global healthcare exports through targeted upskilling.
These specialized players can complement existing education by offering focused training in high-demand specialties, advanced medical technologies, and market-specific requirements. By providing specialized courses, clinical attachments, and skill development programs aligned with international standards, these players can help create a more competitive workforce ready for global deployment. Their agility in responding to emerging healthcare needs and ability to offer customized training solutions can significantly enhance India’s position in the global healthcare talent market.
2. Creation of Global Pathways: Essential Examinations and Immigration Requirements
The establishment of clear global pathways for healthcare professionals varies significantly across major destination countries. For doctors, the US pathway requires USMLE Steps 1, 2 CK, and 2 CS, followed by a 3–7 year residency program, with costs ranging from $15,000-$20,000. In contrast, the UK offers a shorter 1–2 year pathway through PLAB tests and Foundation Year training, costing £2,000-£3,000.
For nurses, requirements are generally less time-intensive and more cost-effective. The US requires NCLEX-RN and CGFNS evaluation ($3,000-$5,000), while the UK pathway involves CBT and OSCE examinations (£1,500-£2,000). Australia maintains consistent language requirements across both professions (IELTS 7.0), though nurses face lower barriers with 1–1.5 years timeline versus doctors’ longer clinical assessments.
Language proficiency is universal across destinations, with IELTS or equivalent tests required. Additional requirements typically include visa sponsorship, practice certificates, and professional registration with relevant regulatory bodies. Canada stands out with unique requirements like CaRMS for doctors and provincial assessments for nurses, reflecting its decentralized healthcare system.
Given the complexity of these pathways, there is a pressing need for innovative solutions and service providers who can offer structured guidance.
Organizations that can provide comprehensive support — from exam preparation and documentation assistance to career counseling and placement services — would significantly ease the transition for healthcare professionals. Such innovation in the migration support ecosystem could help streamline the process, reduce costs, and improve success rates for healthcare professionals seeking international opportunities.
Here Comes The Role of Verticalized Upskilling Platforms in Healthcare
While traditional medical institutions are making strides in healthcare education, specialized upskilling platforms have emerged to address the specific demands of global healthcare talent export. These platforms serve as strategic enablers, offering targeted training programs that bridge the gap between basic medical education and international practice requirements.
The programs offered by these platforms are designed to be both accessible and practical, with certification courses starting under Rs 10,000 and more comprehensive diploma and fellowship programs ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 30 lakh. These platforms have established crucial partnerships with recognized institutions like the British Accreditation Council, American Medical International Quality Training, and various European medical bodies, ensuring their programs meet global standards.
Several Specialized Healthcare Upskilling Platforms are Leading This Transformation:
- OC Academy focuses on international postgraduate programs and specialized surgical training, enabling doctors to work under experienced doctors while building theoretical knowledge.
- Emversity provides specialized medical education programs with a focus on skills development for nurses and paramedics.
- Virohan specializes in training Allied Healthcare Professionals (AHPs) with a focus on technical roles like medical lab technicians and operation theatre technicians, achieving impressive placement rates through industry partnerships.
- Medvarsity, backed by the Apollo Group, offers comprehensive medical education programs ranging from certificates to fellowships, with particular strength in specialty areas like diabetes, cardiology, and pediatrics.
- BorderPlus, launched in 2025 by Mayank, ex-Co-Founder of Upgrad, helps healthcare professionals — doctors, nurses, and allied health workers — achieve global career success through immigration and licensing support. While not offering clinical training, it provides structured guidance for international placements.
The healthcare sector’s potential is so significant that it has attracted major edtech players. Physics Wallah, one of India’s largest edtech companies, has launched its School of Healthcare across five cities, offering specialized programs for medical lab technicians and operation theatre technicians, demonstrating the sector’s growing importance in the upskilling landscape.
Investment Trends: Venture Capital Bets Big on Allied Health Professional Space
- Market Opportunity Driving Investment: The critical 6:1 demand-supply gap in Allied Healthcare Professionals (AHPs) has captured investor attention. With only 140 seats per million population and annual supply of 150–200k AHPs against much higher demand, investors see massive scaling potential. Traditional medical education infrastructure’s limitations coupled with healthcare sector growth projections make this segment particularly attractive for venture capital.
- Technology-Enabled Delivery Models: Investors are backing platforms that blend offline delivery with tech enablement for scalability. Successful models show strong unit economics through tech-optimized content delivery, reduced dropout rates (4% vs industry average 35–40%), and efficient operations. This hybrid approach allows deeper penetration into tier 2–3 cities while maintaining quality through standardized content and assessment systems.
- Strong Placement Metrics: The allied healthcare professional segment’s appeal lies in direct correlation to employment outcomes. Companies demonstrating 95%+ placement rates through employer partnerships are attracting significant funding. Investors value platforms that have built robust placement networks with leading healthcare chains, diagnostic centers, and healthcare startups, ensuring strong ROI for students and sustainable business models.
- Focus on Allied Healthcare Services: Investment thesis centers on AHPs comprising 60% of medical workforce versus 15% doctors and 25% nursing staff. Funding gravitates toward platforms targeting specialized training across diagnostic, curative, rehabilitative and administrative roles. This focus allows for standardized training modules, clear career pathways, and measurable outcomes — key metrics for follow-on investment.
The future of India’s role in global healthcare staffing looks promising. With continued focus on quality improvement and professional development, the country is well-positioned to help address the world’s healthcare staffing challenges while creating opportunities for its growing workforce.
As Gerald Jaideep, CEO of Medvarsity, aptly puts it, “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.” This mindset, combined with the right infrastructure and opportunities, could indeed make India the world’s leading supplier of quality healthcare professionals.
LoEstro Advisors is an investment banking firm specializing in sell-side fundraise and M&A advisory, along with a strong consulting arm. Recognized as the #1 financial advisor in education in India, we are the advisor of choice to India’s blue-chip education businesses.
Over the last four years, we have grown to be one of India’s largest (in terms of M&A transactions) homegrown boutique investment banks, with $1.2bn+ worth of combined deals closed across education, healthcare, consumer, and technology sectors.
