IIT-M and AARDO hold online program on innovation in public healthcare

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has partnered African-Asian Rural Development Organisation (AARDO), an inter-governmental autonomous body, to conduct an international online training programme on ‘The Role of Innovative Primary Healthcare (PHC).’

Sponsored by AARDO, the training programme is being organised by the Office of Global Engagement at IIT Madras. Around 150 people from 18 Asian and African member countries are participating in this four-day programme, which will conclude on March 25.

AARDO promotes cooperation among African-Asian countries and works towards objectives such as eradicating hunger, illiteracy, and poverty. The organisation is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2022.

Addressing the Inaugural session virtually on March 22, Manoj Nardeosingh, secretary-general, AARDO, said, “As a result of COVID-19 pandemic, the economies have crippled and the impact is higher in rural areas of Africa and Asia. Science and technology can play a major role in addressing several issues such as poverty, climate change and hunger. It is important to leverage science and technology to establish an equitable healthcare system to provide inclusive healthcare to everyone, especially for those in rural areas.”

The primary objectives of the training programme include the following:

• To discuss primary healthcare situation in AARDO member countries with a focus on India
• To discuss the building of primary health care capacity in diverse settings in India and especially in the context of the COVID-19 situation
• To elucidate the role of the public and private sector in primary healthcare in India
• The role of Artificial Intelligence in primary healthcare in India through Health and Wellness Centres
• To learn how Indian best practices could be replicated in AARDO member countries

J Radhakrishnan, principal secretary, department of health and family welfare, Tamil Nadu, said, “The pandemic taught the Tamil Nadu government to never compromise on public healthcare. One of the key challenges regarding public healthcare that needs to be addressed is that the healthcare programmes need to be flexible. While there is a need for trained manpower to execute the public healthcare programmes, around 35% of the personnel are on contractual basis. This is another challenge that needs to be addressed.”

Raghunathan Rengaswamy, dean (Global Engagement), IIT Madras, said, “COVID has made us realise that the world is highly interconnected. As a result, many of the important societal problems have to be deliberated at a global scale.”

VR Muraleedharan, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras, an eminent health policy expert and health economist, is the coordinator of the programme. Telegraph India