AHPI SHiNE Lab Aims to Boost Nursing Competence and Patient Safety
HYDERABAD, Dec 16 (The CONNECT) — In a major boost to India’s healthcare skilling ecosystem, Ebekmed, in partnership with the Association of Healthcare Providers of India (AHPI), on Monday launched the country’s first stand-alone Co-Skills Hub dedicated exclusively to hospital workforce training, marking a new institutional approach to addressing critical skill gaps among nurses and allied health professionals.
The AHPI SHiNE Lab, located at Punjagutta, was formally launched by Dr Girdhar Gyani, Director General, AHPI, through a virtual address, according to a press note issued here.
Highlighting Hyderabad’s growing healthcare footprint, Dr Gyani said the city has around 126 private hospitals with over 100 beds and nearly 12,000 hospital beds across facilities of all sizes. “Nursing is the backbone of healthcare. Nursing care directly impacts patient safety and quality outcomes,” he said.
Skill gap among nursing graduates
G. Sreekanthan, Managing Director, Ebekmed, said the initiative was driven by clear evidence of a widening skill gap among graduating nursing students. “Our research, including a skill hackathon involving 2,400 students, revealed significant gaps in practical knowledge and readiness. Confidence and competence are critical,” he said.
India has nearly 3,000 nursing colleges, producing about two lakh nursing graduates every year, he noted. “Upskilling is the need of the hour if we want a job-ready nursing workforce. Doctors treat diseases, nurses care for people. A hospital without nurses is just a building,” Sreekanthan said.
He added that Hyderabad alone has 297 NABH-accredited hospitals, indicating strong demand for structured skilling support. “We may expand further within the city and are keen to take this model to Tier-II and Tier-III cities,” he said.
Simulation-led, competency-based training
R. Govind Hari said AHPI SHiNE Labs will deliver Certified Clinical Competency Courses, online programmes and structured learning bundles aligned with NABH essential procedures, enabling nurses and allied health professionals to build competencies required in modern hospitals.
Equally significant, he said, are hands-on workshops and simulation-based training through Co-Skills Hubs equipped with modern clinical resources, ensuring learning is grounded in real-world practice under qualified clinical educators.
Conceptualised as a shared professional training ecosystem, AHPI SHiNE Labs aims to support hospitals with standardised learning frameworks, structured hands-on practice and best clinical practices—without disrupting hospital operations.
The Hyderabad hub features state-of-the-art simulation and skills-training infrastructure, including manikins, consumables and clinical equipment. Hospitals will be supported through trained educators, digital pre-learning modules, certification pathways and outcome-based assessments, ensuring measurable improvements in workforce readiness.
Ebekmed plans to replicate the AHPI SHiNE Labs model across major Indian cities, creating a national network of Co-Skills Hubs for healthcare training.
The launch was attended by senior healthcare leaders, including Dr Sunil K. Khetarpal, Deputy Director General, AHPI; Dr Annie Thakore, Group CEO, Pranaam Hospitals; Dr Prashanth, Group Medical Director, Rainbow Children’s Hospital; Biju Nair, Zonal COO, CARE Hospitals; Raghunath Reddy, Managing Director, Continental Hospitals; and R. Govind Hari, Chairman, PVRI Group of Eye Hospitals.
