(Image source from: Indianexpress.com)
Kerala Govt Explores New Healthcare Model In UK:- In collaboration with a UK university, the Kerala government will revamp its healthcare model. The issues surrounding capacity development for primary care, training and research will be addressed.
The UK’s state-owned National Health Service (NHS), will be taken as an inspiration for the model. The NHS is the largest and the oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It provides healthcare benefits to every citizen. A two-day visit to the University of Warwick in central England was concluded by a delegation led by Kerala’s Health Minister K K Shylaja Kumari on Tuesday. The university said in a statement, the delegation explored how the general practitioner (GP) system has adapted to pressures caused by population changes.
Dean of Warwick Medical School Professor Sudhesh Kumar said to assist the state government to understand how it was tackling issues such as “capacity development for primary care, translating research into practice and evaluating the impact of these interventions”, his team was keen to know. Kumar further said, “We look forward to mutually beneficial collaborations with Kerala”.
Kerala, is experiencing a rapidly aging population and an increase in non-communicable diseases such as diabetes. Moreover, the State has the highest literacy rate and the highest life expectancy in India. The Kerala government, to address these issues, is planning to establish training programmes to teach primary healthcare workers such as GPs and nurses.
State Health Secretary Rajeev Sadanandan, Director of Health Services Dr Sarita RL, Dean of Kerala University of Health Sciences Dr Harikumar Nair and member of the mission monitoring team of the chief minister of Kerala Dr Devkiran were included in the five-member delegation from the state.
Along with local clinicians and members of the academic unit for primary care at Warwick Medical School, the delegation also paid a visit to the University Hospital of Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS and local general practices in Coventry city centre. They now plan to explore opportunities for collaboration with the University of Warwick for training and research.
The talks on areas of training and research being conducted at Warwick Medical School, such as health issues in urban settlements, primary care and mental health resource in India, GP training and post-graduate training, were part of the two-day event. The team was shown the university hospital, including their Surgical Training Centre, by Professor Meghana Pandit, Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of UHCW NHS Trust. The training centre provides training to Warwick Medical students as well as specialized training to experienced surgeons.
“We are proud of our partnership with the University of Warwick, and look forward to building closer links with Kerala as part of their collaborative work with the government,” she said.
SUPRAJA
