The Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) will soon collaborate with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to set up a Public Health Institute in the city.
Speaking at the university’s Foundation Day held here on Saturday, Vice-Chancellor K S Sriprakash said RGUHS has also received communication from Dr Rudiger Krech, director of the Department of Ethics and Social Determinants of Health, WHO, saying that they will provide technical assistance in setting up and operating the institute. Krech is likely to visit Karnataka and inaugurate the institute in July.
“As part of this initiative, we will train doctors and health professionals specifically in handling health issues among rural populations and conducting extensive research in public health,” said Sriprakash. He added that Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master of Health Sciences (MHS) courses will also be started.
Dr K S Nagesh, director, Department of Public Health, RGUHS, said healthcare professionals will be trained to intervene and tackle public health issues like malnutrition and infectious diseases. “WHO will send experts to train these professionals. Based on the results at the end of a few years, WHO is likely to consider financial assistance for such programmes,” he said.