Cardiology is an important but underserved field in India. There is a large shortage of cardiologists, with India only having around 4,000 specialists compared to a need for 88,000. Various factors contribute to heart disease, and without sufficient cardiologists, controlling the problem will be difficult. Becoming a cardiologist requires many years of education and training after medical school. Fellowship programs can help doctors further their skills in cardiology and help address the large shortage in India.

1. Career Opportunities in Cardiology

2. Cardiology in India is both historic and intriguing as the heart and circulation has
been known and understood even before the Vedic period. One of the various therapeutic
measures in curing cardiovascular disease has been in practising yoga or transcendental
meditation and Ayurvedic treatment. Though only recently meditation has seen a
resurgence globally in combating the disease, however, since then, there has been little to
fewer innovations in cardiology in India.
The scarcity possibly lies in the limited
resources and research efforts dedicated
towards this niche field. Modern cardiology
saw advanced outlook and progressed by the
initiatives of Bharatratna recipient Dr. Bidhan
Chandra Roy. Under his leadership and
guidance, the Cardiology Society of India (CSI)
was officially formed on April 4, 1948 – this is
much earlier to the formation of the American
College of Cardiology in 1949.

3. Demand and deficit
In India, with its vast and diverse demography, at least 50 million people suffer
from type-2 diabetes, which happens to be a potential fatality for people affected by heart
disease. With over 1.7 million lives lost each year – equating 28 percent of overall deaths in
the country – the need for specialists in heart diseases has never been more pertinent. This
is increasingly a growing concern due to the shortage of cardiologists and cardiovascular
surgeons here. According to a study by The Indian Express, an Indian daily newspaper, that
in 2017- 552 seats out of 1,907 super specialty medical seats, were vacant and only 104
were in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery – with just 55 amounting to cardiology. This
despite government’s efforts to mobilize more students to pursue masters in surgery by
appearing for their NEET examination, across the country. With 14 million urban and 16
million rural heart patients in India, the disparity in lack of cardiologists is appalling.
In the USA there are 31,890 cardiologists by comparison, India requires 88,000 but has only
4,000 specialists in the field. This downward trend might continue, as the specialization
does not seem to attract a number of medical students pursuing a master’s degree. This
could result in further shortages in the future.

4. Importance and responsibilities
Factors that contribute to the exponential rise in the number of people with heart
disease include unhealthy diet, tobacco use and psychosocial stress. Public education and
awareness surrounding the factors could limit the increase in heart diseases. However,
without sufficient numbers of cardiologists, the situation will be increasingly difficult to
control. As such, often patients will be left facing difficulty in availing vital and life-saving
treatment. This shortage is not singular to India; the issue prevails even in nations with
advanced technologies in healthcare developments. The Association of American Medical
Colleges (AAMC) assessed a study on the ratio of physicians available for across the country
and reported that nearly 60 percent of all cardiologists are 55 and above. While the
number of people living who are 80 and above in age has steadily increased, the country
could see a shortage of up to 120,000 physicians by the year 2030, AAMC projects.
Understanding the key features of becoming a cardiologist and skillset one requires would
benefit why this profession is niche and high paying, comparatively with any other major in
the medical field. The increased graduates going on to be a general practitioner has also
led to a substantial number of medical students – in considering cardiovascular and
cardiology as a good investment to their efforts in studying this alluring profession.

5. Inherent skills of a heart doctor
Aspiring medical graduates require
having completed 5 ½ years of MBBS,
followed by an MD for 3 years and
subsequently 3 years for DM (Cardiology) in
order to become a cardiologist. The
cardiologist needs to be a hard-worker, with
dedication and above all else aptitude in
science. With self-discipline, patience and
commitment to excel, a cardiologist can be
self-confident and succeed. The aspiring
medical practitioners if they go by the
present record of future requirements of
cardiology-based professionals, young
cardiologists will find themselves to have
discovered not only a lucrative field to work
but also a sense of fulfillment and
compassion in their work.

6. A few of the steps to become a cardiologist, in India, mandates aspiring candidates
appearing in Science majors in their higher secondary exams, followed by appearing in
Medical Entrance Exams (MEE) conducted by various reputed institutes such as NEET, UG
and AIIMS for MBBS Medical Exam. With the introduction of NEET, candidates across the
country can appear and compete for seats to get admission in any part of the country.
These exams are typically held between the months of May to June.
Admission into MBBS studies ideally takes four and a half years of the degree program and
one year and six months of compulsory training. Subsequently, an MBBS graduate can opt
for further studies in pursuing their Master’s degree in cardiology, if they intend to practice
working as a specialist in Cardiology. Aspiring MBBS graduates are required to appear in
Post Graduate Medical Entrance Test such as BHU M.D, NEET-PG, Jawaharlal Institute of
Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research Entrance Exams and Delhi University Post
Graduate Medical Entrance Test.
There are a few institutes, however, who provide admission to MBBS doctors on the
criteria of their marks obtained in the MBBS program and work experience. Successful
completion of the two to three years of Master degree in cardiology and receiving the
requisite registration at Medical Council of India – sets the paths open for postgraduates in
Cardiology to get jobs in public government hospitals like AIIMS, or private hospital centers
like Apollo, Fortis and other corporate hospitals.

7. Types of cardiology
The study, diagnosis and care in the human cardiovascular system has three major
classifications
Invasive – Using minimal opening or invasive surgery to identify and treat electrical or
structural abnormalities in the heart through angioplasty and stenting.
Non-invasive – identifying heart abnormalities without using needles or other medical
equipment that are inserted into the body. i.e., Nuclear cardiology, Echocardiology, Cardiac
electrophysiology, Stress test, CT scan and Heart monitors.
Interventional cardiology – a non-surgical option where a small flexible tube is used to repair
weakened or damaged vessels, other affected parts or narrowed arteries. i.e., Heart valve
disease, Coronary artery disease, and Peripheral vascular disease.
Asides the aforementioned, some cardiologists specialize in children’s cardiology (pediatric)
and others in adult cardiology. It is important to understand that a cardiologist is not a
surgeon, but a different specialist performing heart surgery, mainly through tests and other
procedures.

8. Salary prospects and career advancement
PYA Healthcare surveyed in various countries in different continents and
aggregated that salaries rose for cardiologists and cardiovascular physicians, as well as non-
physicians, between 2013 – 2017, with a total compensation for invasive/interventional
and non-invasive cardiology professionals at 2 percent and 3 percent annual growth. In
layman terms, median compensation inclusive of salary and bonuses for non-invasive
doctors spiked from US$420,906 (2013) to US$467,941 (in 2017) and interventional
cardiologists earned nearly 30 percent more than non-invasive professionals, with median
compensation ranging from US$546,806 to US$595,157 in the same period. This
aggregates similar to the salaries drawn in India by the specialists, with monthly salary
averaging from anywhere of 1.5 lakh rupees and upwards in the private sector and 80,000
to 1 lakh rupees in government hospitals.
While the career and lucrative remuneration is alluring, aspiring MBBS doctors do not
always find seats available to pursue their dreams and contribute to their society. With
multiple destinations across several continents now offering bespoke courses to lure Indian
students traveling abroad, finding the right course and institute has become pivotal.

9. Texila’s Fellowship in Non-Invasive Cardiology
This 2-year affordable program in
non-invasive cardiology is designed to give a
platform to doctors, who wish to build on
their existing knowledge, skillset and
experience, and to further in mastering the
clinical and service part of Cardiology. The
Fellowship Education Curriculum
encompasses both theoretical and clinical
components with emphasis on practical
knowledge. This includes fellowship
students in observing patients and learning
and applying the aspects of patient care
and their treatment.

10. With an international curriculum that suits students from all over the world, the fellowship
programme provides attractive stipends during the study, exhaustive e-book access, and
offers excellent exposure allowing the students to get hands-on practice in Premium
hospitals specializing in Cardiology.
Dr. Lamidi Rasheed Emmanuel, a recent graduate of the fellowship at Texila, recalled her
experience at Texila American University as, “It [Texila American University] has highly
committed and efficient lecturers and staff in the Faculty. In fact, TAU is the best school to
be.”
Once after the programme is complete, they will begin a long, but steady period in gaining
experience under the guidance of experts in cardiology. Until fellowship, graduates reach a
point where their own expertise becomes of the quality that countless people would
depend on with their lives.

11. To know more click the below link
https://blog.tauedu.org/career-opportunities-in-cardiology
A profession as noble and charitable as the medical field might be, the higher purpose of
serving patients and caring for them adequately is often – a knowledge acquired. At TAU, the
faculty successfully imparts this wisdom to their diverse and thriving international student
community.