Ayurpharm Int J Ayur Alli Sci., Vol.2, No.6 (2013) Pages 174 - 180 www.ayurpharm.com ISSN: 2278-4772 Ayurpharm - International Journal of Ayurveda and Allied Sciences 174 Review Article HEALTH INFORMATICS: AN OFFBEAT YET ATTRACTIVE CAREER ALTERNATIVE FOR AYUSH GRADUATES IN INDIA Janmejaya Samal MPH Scholar, Padmashree School of Public Health, Nagarbhavi, Bangalore, India. Received: 18-05-2013; Revised: 24-06-2013; Accepted: 26-06-2013 ………………………………………………………………………….………….……….…………………….. Abstract Health informatics penetration in to health care sector is in a nascent stage in India, so also, the health informatics career alternative. There are some 10 institutes providing formal training in health informatics in India out of which 8 are found to be approved by a statutory body such as AICTE or UGC. Studies reveal that India is going to require a very large number of trained manpower in the field of health informatics. In this context a review was done to find out career opportunities in the field of health informatics and allied areas with a special focus on the suitability of AYUSH graduates. The study was conducted by using internet based search engines and indexing web portals such as Google and Google Scholar. A deliberate effort was made to exclude the institutes which do not have statutory approval for their courses. It also excluded short term programmes of lesser duration such as a week or less. Earlier AYUSH Graduates were confined to their own field but with the growing pace of time these graduates are now exploring other career avenues for better prospective in life. Health informatics is such an offbeat yet attractive career alternative for them. Although health informatics as a career option is open to all relevant graduates but AYUSH graduates can enjoy a special privilege owing to their insight about biomedicine and other allied health issues. The present article tries to analyze the present status and trend of health informatics education, scopes and opportunities in India and will act as a guide for AYUSH graduates in choosing a career option in the field of health informatics. Key words: AYUSH graduate; Career; Health Informatics; India. ………………………………………………………………………………….….……………………………... *Address for correspondence: Dr. Janmejaya Samal, MPH Scholar, Padmashree School of Public Health, Nagarbhavi, Bangalore, India – 560 072. E-mail: janmejaya_samal@yahoo.com Cite This Article Janmejaya Samal. Health informatics: An offbeat yet attractive career alternative for AYUSH graduates in India. Ayurpharm Int J Ayur Alli Sci. 2013;2(6):174-180.