Centre Plans University for Public Health Amid Mounting Concerns

The Centre is planning to set up the country's first dedicated university for public health amid mounting health concerns in the world's most populous nation, two officials familiar with the matter said.

- Priyanka Sharma

The proposal under consideration by the health ministry follows an expert group meeting held last month on the public health situation in India. Discussions on the topic of 'advancing public health priorities, innovation, and global leadership' focused on the urgent need for an 'Indian public health university'. The meeting was chaired by the minister of state for health, Anu Priya Patel.

Participants included experts from the National Institute of Health Family Welfare, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the health ministry, NITI Aayog, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, the International Institute for Population Sciences, the All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, the Gates Foundation, Johns Hopkins University, and Ashoka University.