bio chat
“Healthcare issues do not find resonance
in Indian public conversation”
The George Institute for Global Health is improving the lives of millions of people
worldwide through innovative health research. Established in Australia and
affiliated with The University of Sydney, the Institute today also has offices in
China, India and the United Kingdom. The Executive Director, George Institute,
Dr Vivekanand Jha during his 'Chat with BioVoice' emphasized on the need for a
health policy think tank that drives the discussion
BY RAHUL KOUL
Which focus areas remain at the top
of its activities by George Institute of
Global Health in Indian context?
Dr Jha: The institute remains committed to
developing the definitive evidence using
high quality research to find solutions to the
major health care challenges that far the
Indian population, in particular those at the
bottom of the pyramid who are effectively
excluded from the current healthcare
system. In terms of systems research, our
focus is to work on developing and testing
innovative models of care that are
affordable scalable, high quality, evidence
and guideline based and acceptable to the
community. Our aim is to do impactful
research, develop a mechanism to convey
the findings to all stakeholders and support
change in healthcare system from a reactive
to a pro-active one. We hope that the
models developed by the work done by the
Institute in India will have lessons for the
rest of the world – especially in the
emerging markets.
What are the topmost healthcare
challenges that India faces today and
in the next decade?
Dr Jha: The challenges faced by the Indian
healthcare system are particularly daunting.
The system needs to consolidate the gains
made in improving the area of reproductive
and child health and infectious diseases,
and at the same time deal with the
onslaught of non-communicable diseases,
08
BioVoiceNews | May 2016