MBBS, AFIH doctors and nurses for your OHC: corporatehealth.in and Plan My Health

MBBS and AFIH: complementary qualifications, different responsibilities

MBBS is a primary medical qualification; AFIH means Associate Fellow of Industrial Health and adds occupational-health training. An AFIH-qualified physician can help connect symptoms and screening findings to workplace exposures. A degree alone does not establish current registration, experience with your process, or authority to issue every statutory certificate.

Check the relevant state rules and the authority's requirements for your site. Requirements vary with the process, workforce and jurisdiction. Do not assume that all OHCs need an identical staffing model, or that every outsourced doctor automatically replaces a statutory certifying surgeon.

• Verify medical registration and supporting AFIH credentials where required.
• Share process hazards, shift hours and total workforce, including contractors.
• Define consultations, exposure surveillance, fitness assessments and referral responsibilities.

What the nurse brings to everyday OHC operations

Registered nurses support assessment, treatment within their authorised scope, wound care, observations, stock checks and escalation to the doctor. They also help maintain continuity when workers return for follow-up. A nurse should have written clinical protocols and a clear route to a medical decision-maker; a roster should never imply independent prescribing authority.

• Confirm nursing registration and emergency-care competency.
• Agree shift handovers, relief cover and an escalation contact.
• Assign daily checks for oxygen, consumables, equipment readiness and medicine expiry.
• Provide private consultation space and secure clinical records.

Design surveillance around the actual job

Start with an exposure map: noise, dust, chemicals, heat, manual handling and safety-critical tasks. The occupational physician should choose assessments and follow-up intervals against applicable rules and clinical need rather than apply a standard package to every worker. An abnormal finding should lead to counselling, appropriate referral and a review of the workplace control.

Managers usually need a job-related fitness outcome, restrictions and a review date—not unrestricted access to diagnoses and entire medical files. Limit access to health records and use aggregated trends for management reporting.

Request a scoped team from corporatehealth.in / Plan My Health

When discussing doctor and nurse supply with corporatehealth.in, ask for a written deployment proposal covering credentials, attendance, clinical supervision, leave replacement, mobilisation and reporting. Confirm local availability and the final service scope directly with the provider before committing.

Send your city, site type, headcount, number of shifts and hazards. Ask who manages the OHC, how referrals reach the nearest capable hospital, and which employer duties remain with your organisation. This turns an enquiry for manpower into an operating plan.

Sources and further reading

• Corporate Health / Plan My Health: published service information
• Plan My Health: public OHC service communication
• Assam Inspectorate of Factories: state-specific OHC provisions

Related reading