ABSTRACT
Introduction: Traditionally, public health education in India is offered through Departments of Community Medicine in medical colleges open only for medical graduates. Against the background of manpower shortages in public health professions, several programs aimed at increasing numbers in specific areas of public health have been initiated recently for medical and non-medical graduates. MPH programs have been introduced for over two decades in the country, however, to date no systematic effort has been undertaken to synthesize all the information related to these courses. Objective: To critically examine and understand the evolution and current status of MPH programs in India and to undertake a curriculum scan of the existing programs. Methods: Information on Indian institutes offering MPH programs was collected using multiple approaches. The list was prepared by collating information from various sources. The institutes were contacted for procuring information related to MPH programs using a detailed structured questionnaire and the data was assembled in a matrix for further analysis. Results: Twenty three institutes offering two year MPH programs were identified. Most offer a general MPH with a focus on core areas of public health. However, some of the institutions offer MPH with specialization (social epidemiology, health services management, environmental health, field epidemiology etc.) The course curriculum, eligibility criteria, structure of the program and evaluation system varies across the 23 institutes. A total of 16 batches (including 2010) have produced 1544 MPH graduates till 2010. Conclusion: The absence of competency frameworks for the MPH courses in India and absence of a central accrediting body need to be urgently addressed. These will lead towards the gradual establishment of career pathways for these graduates in the public health system. The MPH programs also need to be standardized across the country with a uniform curriculum.
ABSTRACT
Background: Coronary heart disease is multi-factorial in origin and its burden is expected to rise in developing countries, including India. Evidence suggests that the inflammation caused by infection is associated with the development of atherosclerosis and heart disease. An increasing number of clinical and experimental studies point to a contribution of various infectious organisms to the development of atherosclerosis in humans. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is associated with atherosclerosis. Objectives: The objective of the following study is to study the association between Helicobacter pylori, Chlamydia pneumoniae and C-reactive protein (CRP) with AMI. Materials and Methods: This group-matched case-control study was carried out in Government Medical College, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. The study compared the risk of occurrence of AMI (outcome) if subjects were ever-infected with H. pylori or C. pneumoniae; and their CRP positivity (exposure). Incident cases of myocardial infarctions in a tertiary care hospital were included as cases. Results: The study recruited 265 cases and 265 controls and detected an odds ratio (OR) of 2.50 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.69-3.70) and an OR of 2.50 (95% CI: 1.71-3.65) for C. pneumoniae and H. pylori, respectively. Raised CRP levels had an OR of 3.85 (95% CI: 2.54-5.87). Conclusion: Although our study indicates the role of infections in the etiology of AMI in study population, the relative public health impact of these agents in the overall prevalence of AMI needs urgent research attention.
ABSTRACT
In order to respond to the changing paradigm of public health challenges, India needs adequately trained public health professionals. Public health education is a tool to create public health professionals. Public health education in India is at cross-roads on several fronts. Traditionally, public health education in India was offered through medical schools and was open for medical graduates only. However, recently the country has witnessed an emergence of institutions offering public health programs to nonmedical background graduates. An examination of the history and current status of public health education can provide us with an insight into the evolution of the discipline in the country. This is important as in order to respond to the public health education challenges in the present time, we need to understand the historical directions taken by the discipline in the past. This review captures how the public health education efforts in the country have been aided by concerted actions within the discipline and by an enabling environment and a positive intent at the national level, whereby we can better understand the context for the recent developments in Indian public health.
ABSTRACT
In order to effectively respond to a changing public health paradigm, it is imperative that the medical education and overall public health education (PHE) parallel the public health challenges faced by countries. Community medicine departments play a crucial role in PHE. This review analyzes the current situation of community medicine departments in the context of PHE, using a framework that outlines academic activities undertaken by these departments. This framework includes the syllabus of academic programs, internship, and infrastructure and faculty strength in the community medicine departments. The review also discusses how skill building of existing faculty members can help us in addressing emerging public health issues, and the role of partnerships and collaborative activities in advancing the PHE agenda, thereby continuing to shape the role played by these departments toward shaping the future of PHE in India.