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Bengaluru|New Delhi: As GLP-1 drugs reshape obesity treatment, India’s pharma and healthcare ecosystem is racing to build specialised teams to support patients beyond the prescription.Demand is rising for clinical dietitians, medical nutrition advisers, patient educators and GLP-1-focused nutrition specialists, according to recruitment experts and healthcare providers.TeamLease data shows that openings for nutrition professionals have risen 25-30% month-on-month since January, while overall hiring in the segment has increased nearly 200% between 2024 and 2026.Read more: Novo Nordisk’s obesity drug Wegovy wins India approval to fight silent fatty liver killer“We are already seeing hospitals expand their clinical nutrition teams, wellness chains build dedicated diet departments and digital health platforms hire nutrition professionals remotely at scale,” said Neeti Sharma, chief executive officer, TeamLease Digital. “With India’s GLP-1 market projected to grow nearly fivefold by 2030, demand for nutrition professionals is likely to remain on a strong upward trajectory for several years.”Healthcare providers are adapting as well. Patient enquiries on specialised nutrition care have increased since GLP-1 drugs went off patent. according to Satish Koul, principal director and unit head–internal medicine at Fortis Hospital, Gurugram.“Our hospital has set up comprehensive obesity clinics, and we are using a multidisciplinary approach in these clinics. Staff hiring also is commensurate with the process. Hiring is happening across the board,” he added.The hospital has expanded obesity clinics across centres and is hiring or redeploying staff to support this multidisciplinary model.Read more: India’s anti-obesity drug market sees slower growth after initial surge in generic semaglutide sales“There is an increasing demand for support, for handholding, for advising about diets, advising about exercise, advising about strength training for these people,” said Ambrish Mithal, group chairman-endocrinology & diabetology at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket. “There is scope for digital health coaches and even health apps and others to enable us to deal with the tsunami that’s sweeping us.”According to Saumitra R Chand, career expert at Indeed India & Singapore, “While it is still early to draw a direct link between the growing popularity of these medications and hiring trends, Indeed’s data suggests that demand for nutrition professionals in India remains on an upward trajectory: job postings for nutritionists were 26% higher in April 2026 from a year ago”.This suggests that as more people focus on sustainable weight management and long-term lifestyle changes, demand will remain strong for professionals who can provide personalised dietary guidance.“Even with the emergence of new medical treatments, drugs, nutritionists are likely to play an important role in helping individuals build healthy habits, manage side effects and maintain outcomes over time,” added Chand.Aditya Phadte, consultant-endocrinology and diabetology at Manipal Hospitals, said increasing adoption of GLP-1 therapies has significantly expanded the need for multidisciplinary obesity-care teams led by endocrinologists and supported by specialised obesity nutritionists. Obesity is increasingly being recognised as a chronic metabolic disease rather than simply a lifestyle issue.“We are seeing more patients actively seeking structured dietary counselling, meal planning, support for sustainable lifestyle modification and long-term follow-up during their weight-loss journey. This has naturally increased the demand for endocrinologists and specialised obesity nutritionists working together as part of comprehensive obesity-care programmes,” said Phadte.
Shree Vidya Venkatraman, medical director-preventive health at Apollo Hospitals, said managing obesity and metabolic disorders now requires a multidisciplinary approach that brings together clinicians, including internal medicine specialists, endocrinologists and diabetologists, psychologists and medical nutritionists to deliver better long-term outcomes.In India, the biggest gap is not access to medication alone but the absence of long-term monitoring and multidisciplinary support systems that help patients sustain healthier lifestyles beyond the treatment phase, she said.Add 
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