Pakistan to regulate allied health professionals
Pakistan has announced that all allied health professionals must be formally registered with the Allied Health Professionals Council (AHPC) by June 30, 2026, as part of a nationwide effort to standardise and legally regulate the technical healthcare workforce. Under a government directive issued earlier in January, healthcare facilities—including hospitals, laboratories and educational institutions—are required to ensure that technicians, therapists and other allied health workers complete their AHPC registration by the deadline, and unregistered individuals cannot be employed after that date. The move, grounded in the Allied Health Professionals Council Act, aims to improve consistency of practice, strengthen patient safety and professional accountability across a wide range of allied health disciplines that support doctors and other clinicians throughout Pakistan’s health system. The regulation applies to numerous fields such as laboratory technology, physiotherapy, radiography, dental technology and nutrition, among others.