“Launch of IPH as TBPPM Learning Network, India Chapter National Secretariat”
Fostering Collaboration for TB Prevention and Care
In a significant stride toward advancing TB prevention and care efforts in India, the Institute of Public Health Bengaluru (IPH Bengaluru) was officially unveiled as the National Secretariat to host the TB Public Private Mix Learning Network (TBPPM-LN), India Chapter. About TBPPM-LN India: The TBPPM-LN, an offshoot of the global initiative launched in 2021, has rapidly grown into a dynamic community of practitioners focusing on private sector engagement in TB care. With India carrying the highest burden of TB and large proportion of initial care seek being the private sector, PPM in TB became imperative. The need for cross learning in TB PPM space by all stakeholders in India led to the establishment of a dedicated chapter within the global network. The formation of an Advisory Board set the roadmap for the TBPPM-LN India chapter. The TBPPM-LN India chapter, a neutral platform is dedicated to documenting PPM action (Launch at Union Conference 2023, Paris was 1. TB PPM Compendium – compilation of TB-PPM initiatives that presents the wealth of PPM lessons from India and 2. Documentary- TBPPM Virtual Field Visits), providing targeted learning opportunities (Profiling of dynamic NGO database for PPSA eligibility), facilitating community interaction, implementing mentor-mentee program, hosting webinars, and digitizing the knowledge platform (repository of TB PPM resources). These activities aim to accelerate TB-related initiatives across India and bring us closer to the common goal of ending TB. IPH Bengaluru’s Role: Selected after a meticulous evaluation of three institutions (IPH, ISB, PSPH), IPH Bengaluru emerged as the ideal choice based on its expertise in public health research, learning management, capacity to host and alignment with organizational priorities. The IPH is a public health research, non-profit organization established with a vision to create an equitable, integrated, decentralized, and participatory health system within a just and empowered society.
The National Secretariat launch event marked a pivotal moment in the TBPPM-LN India journey, aligning with the local context, fostering domestic fundraising for future sustainability and aligning with CTD/NTSU and their ongoing PPM efforts.
Launch Highlights: The official launch event was held virtually on Nov 23rd, witnessed the presence of esteemed members, including the TBPPM Advisory Committee, TB PPM Global team/India team, PPM Implementers (REACH, DFY, WHP), Head of IAPSM, NGOs, a government official from NTSU and IPH staff. Engaging discussions, insightful presentations, and collaborative networking were the hallmarks of the occasion. Key actionable points included were:
Knowledge dissemination through articles, blogs, newsletters, and feature stories.
Nurture a community of practitioners in their TB PPM journey.
Facilitate and coordinate South-South collaboration.
Bringing together various stakeholders to work on a particular research agenda.
Future Prospects:
With the launch of the TBPPM India National Secretariat, the network is poised for significant progress. IPH Bengaluru will play a central role in coordinating TB PPM activities and generating knowledge products that will benefit TB PPM practitioners across the nation.
The objectives of this monitoring study are: – 1) To monitor the quality of implementation of the midwifery training program 2) To identify the facilitators and barriers in the implementation of the training Program 3) To monitor the competence of the trainee Midwives and Educators and identify gaps if any corrective actions
Concurrent monitoring will be carried out throughout the training program, to assess the training processes and identify possible gaps in the program implementation. Both quantitative and qualitative data will be collected for the study purpose.
The ‘Midwifery Services Initiative’ is a landmark policy decision taken by the Government of India in 2020. The initiative aims to train registered nurses in midwifery and certify them as Nurse Practitioners in Midwifery (NPM) across the country including the development of the Midwifery Led Continuum of Care (MLCC) in all states and Union territories. In, order to scale up midwifery training in Odisha, the state of Odisha has planned to train the first cohort of “18-month NPM” training in 2022.
UNICEF has partnered with IPH Bengaluru in conducting close monitoring and evaluation of the training of the first cohort of the 18-month NPM training program in Odisha.
Photo of mother and child health wing in the district of Nalgonda taken during the team visit.
Months
Duration of Project February-July 2022
About the project
The state of Telangana, despite the challenges of a newly formed state, has also achieved the SDG 3 of MMR of less than 70/100000 live births. However, maternal deaths that are preventable are still occurring in India and in Telangana. Studies also indicate that there are inequities in access and quality of maternal and newborn health care that continue to plague our health system. Therefore, there is still much that can be done to further decrease the gaps inequitable care and end preventable maternal mortality. There is a global movement to ending preventable mortality (EPMM) grounded in a human rights approach with a focus on eliminating significant inequities that lead to disparities in access, quality, and outcomes of care within and between countries. The last mile towards ending preventable maternal mortality will require locally relevant and contextual interventions.
In this technical assessment, in collaboration with the Armman, in two districts in Telangana, we seek to identify local evidence-based actions that have the potential to decrease and prevent maternal mortality. We plan to first understand the gaps in maternal and newborn care service delivery that contribute to maternal mortality. This will be achieved through the analysis of secondary data and facility preparedness surveys. Based on the gaps identified, a qualitative inquiry to gain insights about ‘why gaps exist’ and ‘how they can be plugged’ will be conducted. Evidence-based actions that have the potential to reduce the MMR will be recommended.
Dr. Upendra Bhojani, India Alliance Fellow and Director at IPH, was
invited to participate in a Roundtable discussion hosted by Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and World Health Organization, India in Delhi on the 26th July 2019.
The roundtable discussion was attended by subject experts, bureaucrats and
researchers from Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Delhi.
While urbanization offers opportunities for growth and
development, it poses unique challenges for health and health governance. Acknowledging
health as a key component of urban planning and governance by policymakers is
an important step to visualize and translate sustainable urban development into
action. Themes that were broadly discussed over the course of the day include:
The need to strengthen and rationalise existing urban primary health
structures in the context of Ayushman Bharat.
The need for strong financial governance to help minimise
underutilisation of funds.
Lack of effective Monitoring, Surveillance and Accountability systems
among diverse stakeholders.
The MPOWER package
is a package introduced by WHO, comprising of six measures to assist in country-level
implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. One of the
six components of the MPOWER package is “Offer help to quit tobacco use.”
Often, tobacco
users are aware of the risks, but require support to overcome addiction or dependence
on the substance. It is recommended that support for tobacco cessation should
also lie with health-systems, where programs for tobacco cessation should be
incorporated and embedded into primary health care services, with health care
providers acting as advocates for tobacco control.
Dr. Upendra Bhojani serves as a guide for Rachana Shah (Government Dental College and Hospital, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India) on her work on how to integrate tobacco cessation support with the help of health professionals as a part of routine primary care. This project shifts the focus from tobacco cessation centres to healthcare providers as playing an important role in delivering such services.
Rachana Shah’s
doctoral proposal examines the role of oral health professionals (OHP) and the
experiences and expectations of dental patients in the context of tobacco
cessation (TC) services. The protocol of her doctoral study titled “Integrating
tobacco cessation into routine dental practice: protocol for a qualitative
study” was recently published in
BMJ Open, linked here.
While great gains have been made in both understanding and eradicating disease burdens for indigenous populations, health systems studies, and studies assessing service utilization and delivery are limited. Further, Community Health Workers, or ASHAs, have helped in improving maternal and child health outcomes as well as reducing the toll of infectious diseases – the very service areas where tribal populations face great barriers. Given the recent focus on universal health coverage reform, and the recommendations of expert groups, there is a need to more deeply enhance and improve the contribution of CHW programmes in service of tribal health needs. In this study, we draw attention to tribal minority populations in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve region, spanning the southern Indian states of Karnataka and Kerala. Notwithstanding that both states have relatively strong health systems, by virtue of being a small and relatively isolated, tribal populations have limited access to programmes and services– they are being left behind. The methods used in this study include key informant and in depth interviews, focus group discussions in close coordination with local implementer groups and government agencies.
