Chandigarh: Policymakers from 14 nations ideate public health solutions

The participating countries included Argentina, Iraq, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Palestine, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania and Togo

The five-day programme on “Public health policy and management”, which saw participation from 26 senior policymakers from 14 countries, concluded at PGIMER, Chandigarh, on Saturday.

The programme was hosted by department of community medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER, Chandigarh. (HT Photo)

The participating countries included Argentina, Iraq, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Palestine, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania and Togo.

The course comprised lectures, group discussions, critical analysis, problem-solving exercises, case studies and management games for solutions to country-specific public health challenges.

Through ROTTO (Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation), telemedicine and green hospital concept, the delegates were shown PGIMER’s best practices. They also visited municipal corporation’s Integrated Command Control Centre, Capitol Complex and other elements of Chandigarh’s Smart City Mission.

The programme was hosted by PGIMER’s department of community medicine and School of Public Health.

Hospital’s deputy director administration Kumar Gaurav Dhawan said the programme not only provided a range of learning methods to participants from diverse cultures, but also instilled the good public health practices of India.

Programme director and professor in department of community medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER, Dr Sonu Goel said senior policymakers from 14 countries also shared specific public health challenges in their respective countries and discussed on policy solutions.

Sanjiv Kumar, former executive director, National Health System Resource Centre (NHSRC), New Delhi; Dr AK Aggarwal, head, department of community medicine and School of Public Health; Dr Mona Gupta, adviser, health policy, NHSRC; Pankaj Bhardwaj, academic head and vice dean, AIIMS, Jodhpur, and programme director Dr Sonu Goel spoke during the programme.