Page 81 - EW August 2021

SPECIAL ESSAY

Ushering in a New Era of Public

Health Education in India

ike it or not, the pandemic has of awareness among the youth about public
forced us to look at the world health degree programmes and the career
from new prisms as it turns our prospects that they offer. There is also the
Lconventional wisdom of dealing challenge of improving the quality of public
with diseases upside down. At the time the health education in the country to a level that
world came to know of Sars-Cov-2 last year, makes the graduates globally competent.
a large number of people thought that once Careers in Public Health
scientists develop a vaccine to beat the virus, The primary goal of public health education
life would come back to normal in no time. But is to train professionals who can understand
here we are. the conditions that contribute to outbreak
Several months after a number of vaccines and persistence of different diseases, and
have proven to be effective against the novel interpret data related to diseases and health
coronavirus, the pandemic is still raging in outcomes so that they can roll out effective
many parts of the world. Inadequate supply interventions needed to control and prevent
of vaccines is also not the only problem that diseases. Therefore, a public health degree Prof. (Dr.) Upasana Mahanta
many countries are dealing with. There are teaches students how to analyse the patterns
issues ranging from vaccine hesitancy to and distribution of a disease or health event, most of India’s top educational institutes are
logistics, finances and politics, to name a few, its causes and risk factors. yet to start a programme in this important
that have constrained the vaccination drive Specialisations in public health include a field of study. This, however, is set to change
worldwide. Similarly, inventing a pill to cure broad range of areas such as biostatistics as O.P. Jindal Global University, ranked
a disease does not always guarantee that and informatics, community health, India’s No. 1 private university by QS World
people will remain healthy as it will have to epidemiology, environmental health, global University Rankings 2022, recently announced
reach the people who need it and they will also health, health policy and management, the setting up of the Jindal School of Public
have to willingly accept it. health promotion and communication, Health & Human Development (JSPH).
Thus the Covid-19 pandemic has maternal and child health, health disparities, The creation of the JSPH marks the
made the limitations of adopting a strictly and social and behavioural health. beginning of a new era in public health
clinical approach to healthcare clearer As such, a public health degree can open education in India as JGU is known for its
than ever. That is the reason there is now up career opportunities in a wide range of transformative role in providing world-class
widespread recognition of the role public sectors including in government orgnisations education in the country. While historically,
health professionals can play in keeping the dealing with health issues and disaster medical colleges have been at the forefront of
population of a country healthy. As opposed preparedness, pharmaceutical manufacturers, offering public health education in India, JSPH
to the field of medicine which focuses on academia, intergovernmental organisations, will further JGU’s focus on the humanities
treatment of people afflicted with diseases, the non-governmental organisations, healthcare and social sciences, while preparing the next
public health experts work towards preventing facilities, consultancies and think tanks. generation of professionals in the field of
and controlling a disease. Doctors and nurses The roles that public health graduates can public health. Beginning its academic session
focus on treatment of an individual, while take up include that of an epidemiologist, in August 2022, JSPH will combine traditional
public health experts are concerned with the biostatistician, health educator, sanitarian, study areas of public health with relevant
health of the entire population of a particular public health advisor, environmental health research and teaching that address health as
geographical area. scientist, toxicologist, industrial hygienist, a human right.
True to its tradition of hiring internationally
State of Public Health Education in India health administrator, health economist, health experienced erudite scholars as faculty
Despite the role that public health practitioners analyst, demographer, medical administrator members for its schools, JGU has roped in
can play in saving lives by controlling and and health commissioner, among others. Stephen P. Marks, currently Professor of
preventing devastating diseases, public health Because public health graduates learn Health and Human Rights at Harvard T.H.
education has not gained much traction as the different skills such as data analytics, Chan School of Public Health, as the Founding
number of colleges and universities offering a communications, writing and project Dean of JSPH. It is hoped that the leadership
degree in public health are quite few and far management, they can also explore career of Professor Marks, who will take up the
between. For example, in Brazil, which is also opportunities in diverse organisations such as appointment as the Dean of JSPH in the fall of
an emerging economy like India, there was a public relations companies, and advertising 2022, would prove to be vital in JGU’s move to
public health training course per five million and marketing agencies, among others. establish a world-class school of public health
people in 2016–2017, compared to India’s Time for a Fresh Start and human development.
one course per 28.7 million people during the While the positive role that public health
same period, according to an analysis. experts can play in keeping the country’s Prof. (Dr.) Upasana Mahanta
The situation has not improved much in population healthy as well as in sustaining Dean, Admissions and Outreach
the subsequent years as there is severe lack economic growth cannot be overstated now, O.P. Jindal Global University

EDUCATIONWORLD AUGUST 2021