Govt mulls IIT-like health schools

The government planned to set up premier public health schools on the lines of IITs and IIMs, said Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss.

These schools are expected to meet the increasing demand for trained public health professionals through a range of academic courses like Bachelors and Masters degree courses in public heath.

The government has been toying with the idea of stepping up investments in public health education in the wake of epidemics in recent times, such as encephalitis in Uttar Pradesh.

Consultancy firm McKinsey & Co is advising the Public Health Foundation entrusted with the task of setting up schools and forging alliances with the private sector.

Sources said the Foundation would also work with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on this project, but neither a confirmation from the Gates Foundation nor further details could be obtained.

However, indications are that public health schools are likely to be modelled on Harvard and John Hopkins Schools of Public Health in the US.

This initiative is expected to enhance the capacity for service, teaching and research in various fields of public health.

The government has proposed a corpus of Rs 100 crore for each school, the minister said, adding that schools will be set up through private-public partnerships.

Each school will occupy an area of 50 acres and will be attached to a hospital. The intent is to make them meet world-class quality.

There will be two schools to start with, one in the north and another in the south.

"We are likely to finalise one in Delhi. The other one will be either in Chennai or Hyderabad," said Ramadoss.