NEW DELHI: Calling for more research and innovation in the healthcare sector, a senior official from World Health Organisation (WHO) stated that investments in research can increase the share of healthcare to India’s GDP from the current one per cent.
Speaking at the 19th Convocation Ceremony of IIHMR University, Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South East Asia Region said, “Research is essential to ensure the right mix of technologies to serve todays health needs. Our country needs to increase investments in reseach and also in the healthcare sector. This means that the total dedicated contribution from the GDP should increase and is currently not more than 1 per cent.”
“The healthcare landscape is changing. There is no one model that suits all. We in India will need to incorporate some more changes and would need to think of new ways in which the healthcare services are rendered,” she said in the convocation adderess on Sunday.
SD Gupta, President, IIHMR University, said, “Today the Gujarat Health Systems is being adopted as a model by many other states for better management of the health systems, monitoring and evaluation and project management. The IIHMR University has worked closely with WHO and has conducted The National Polio Survelliance Audit with the support of WHO.”
A total of 112 students of MBA Hospital and Health Management, 12 students from MBA Pharmaceutical Management and 5 students from the third cohort of Master of Public Health (MPH), were awarded degrees at the Convocation ceremony, which was also attended by J P Gupta, Commissioner (Health) and Principal Secretary (Public Health & Family Welfare), Government of Gujarat.
