Opportunities Galore

The driving factors towards a career in healthcare management

- Dr Rakesh Verma

Advancements in medical science is helping people live longer largely across the world, and the growing population demands the need for more healthcare services because of the added disease burden of non-communicable disease. In many cases, this is further compounded by increased co-morbidities over and above AIDS, Ebola and epidemic break out of SARS, ZIKA virus, cholera, etc.

In the context of the US, another driving factor is the reform for healthcare insurance which mandates that everyone have access to medical care. Therefore, there will be more health services required ultimately driving the need for additional qualified manpower. Even with the slowdown in the economy when many industries have lost ground in capital expenditure and in jobs, the healthcare industry has continued to expand. This expansion translates to abundant employment opportunities for those with the right skills and competencies for this thriving sector.

According to the US News and World Report, seven out of the 10 best jobs of 2015 are in healthcare. The US Bureau of Labour Statistics predicts that 28% of all new jobs created will be in healthcare by 2020. One in three new jobs in 2022 will be in healthcare. Some of the reasons for the predicted rise in healthcare employment in India: 

• Rising demand and associated spending fueled by an aging population. 

• Growing prevalence of chronic diseases and co-morbidities. 

• Development of costly clinical innovations.