RGUHS has not lived up to expectations: Governor

Governor H R Bhardwaj said on Tuesday that the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) had not lived up to expectations.

This despite the availability of experts, resources and facilities in the university, Bhardwaj, who is also the chancellor of the university, said.

He was addressing the gathering at the inauguration of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Public Health and Centre for Disease Control of the RGUHS.

Bhardwaj said that the starting of the institute was the fulfilment of a long-cherished dream. However, he was disappointed with the efforts of the university, he said.

“The university should have been one of the most well-known research centres by now. However, there has been no system in place to ensure that,” the governor said.

The governor expressed helplessness in ensuring the progress of universities, despite being the chancellor.

“I am very disappointed with politicians. They stop me from doing good work. I am the chancellor, but nobody listens to me,” he said.

Bhardwaj was of the opinion that Bangalore had changed for the worse, with growing threat of disease and garbage lying everywhere.

“Thirty years ago, Bangalore was a sparkling green city. Now, it is infested with dengue and new viruses are spreading. There is an urgent need for a new prevention system,” said Bhardwaj.

He also cautioned against monopolistic tendencies in the medical field and highlighted the need to make healthcare more accessible to the poor and the needy.

“These days, there is a growing tendency for medical professionals to cater only to the rich. The rural poor miss even the elementary healthcare facilities,” said the governor. 

A game-changer

The Institute of Public Health and Centre for Diseases Control not only aims to prevent diseases, but also provide healthcare and focus on curative and rehabilitative areas. The institute will be a part of the RGUHS, and has been established with ‘technical assistance’ from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Says Dr Sriprakash K S, vice-chancellor of RGUHS, “Communicable diseases stand at 42 per cent in the country and the rate of non-communicable diseases is also on the rise at 48 per cent. However, there are only 25 to 29 public institutions and departments trying to address the challenge. There is a need for 30,000 health professionals. Universities have a greater role to create health professionals.”

Education and training, control and surveillance, detection of and response to new health threats by putting into action science and technology will be some of its main focus areas.

The institute will offer courses like Masters in Public Health, Public Health Research, Genomics, etc. Courses are scheduled to begin in January 2014. There will also be a change in the undergraduate curriculum with greater importance to public health.
 
Dr Rudiger Krech, Director, Department of Ethics and Social Determinants of Health, WHO, said that his department was “cautiously optimistic of developing a dengue vaccination in the not so far future.”

The situation of public health in India, according to Dr Krech, was far challenging, due to its growing population and inequity in access to health. Krech also highlighted the need for exposure in the field of public health with countries like China, Brazil and South Africa, to know what works and what doesn’t.

He highlights the need to take an interdisciplinary approach to public health and the need to involve different sectors.

“Public health requires different skills, in-depth knowledge of institutional arrangements and legislation. There is a need to understand how the health sector contributes to environment and society,” said Dr Krech.

He highlighted the need to involve psychologists, nutritionists, economists and political scientists so that they can bring their own perspective and insight to the subject.