Deciphering an epidemic of epic proportion: the role of state and tobacco industry in tobacco control in post-liberalized India (1990-2017)

Deciphering an epidemic of epic proportion: the role of state and tobacco industry in tobacco control in post-liberalized India (1990-2017)

In this seminar, Upendra Bhojani will present an overview of the research he aims to conduct as part of the India Alliance fellowship for the next 5 years. The purpose is to seek comments/suggestions/critique for refining the proposal. About 3500 Indians die every day due to tobacco-attributable illnesses. Despite several regulatory measures, there has been a marginal decline in tobacco use in the last two decades. In fact, since 1990s, tobacco production and sales have increased. Therefore, this research aims to understand the role played by the state policies (related to tobacco) and the tobacco industry actions during 1990-2017. I will conduct the study in three phases. In Phase-1, I will map public policies related to tobacco in this period. In will use quantitative data to explore associations between the tobacco policies and the trends in tobacco production and consumption. In phase-2 I will use qualitative data to understand how the tobacco industry actors influence tobacco policies in India. How do governments in India respond to the industry influence as well as their own varying (often conflicting) interests in tobacco? Based on these insights, in the phase-3, I will select ten Indian states: five positive (significant decline in tobacco prevalence over time) and five negative (status quo or increase in tobacco prevalence) cases. I will use qualitative comparative analysis to understand the combinations of measures (policies, implementation, tobacco industry) that best explain a significant reduction in tobacco use prevalence.

Speaker

Upendra Bhojani

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Affiliation

IPH Staff

Date

09-August-2018

Time

4.00 pm – 5.00 pm

Venue

Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru
#250, 2nd C Main, 2nd C Cross,
Girinagar Ist  Phase,
Bengaluru – 560085

A Comparison of National Guidelines

A Comparison of National Guidelines

Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is an infectious disease predominantly transmitted by the sandfly. 90% of the cases of VL in the world occur in Brazil, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. In 2005, the WHO South East Asia Region, responding to increasing incidences of VL in the Indian subcontinent, initiated a VL elimination program within India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. The aim was to reduce the incidence of VL to <1 case per 10,000 cases in districts/subdistricts within the three countries by 2015. Since then, the goalposts have shifted from 2015 to 2017 and, now, to 2020. Nepal and Bangladesh have traveled much further on the road to elimination than India has, Nepal having sustained the elimination target in the 12 once-endemic districts since 2012. In 2016, Bangladesh reached the elimination target in 99% of its endemic subdistricts (upazilas). Lagging closely behind, India has reached the elimination target in 85% of endemic subdistricts. The aim of this literature review predominantly on the national guidelines of VL elimination/control in the three countries as well as some research articles on the same is to compare the program in India with Bangladesh and Nepal, to identify similarities and differences between the programs, and to extrapolate data to see how India can learn from Bangladesh and Nepal to hasten its pace towards elimination of VL.

Speaker

Sayema

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Affiliation

IPH Intern

Date

03-August-2018

Time

4.00 pm – 5.00 pm

Venue

Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru
#250, 2nd C Main, 2nd C Cross,
Girinagar Ist  Phase,
Bengaluru – 560085

GIS Mapping

GIS Mapping

There is very little information currently available about the private sector in India. This project aimed to develop a profile of all the private sector medical facilities in the state of Karnataka, particularly in the context of the recently announced Aarogya Karnataka scheme by the Government of Karnataka.GIS Mapping of Private Sector Medical Facilities in Karnataka.

Speaker

Eunice Choi

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Affiliation

IPH Intern

Date

03-August-2018

Time

3.00 pm – 4.00 pm

Venue

Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru
#250, 2nd C Main, 2nd C Cross,
Girinagar Ist  Phase,
Bengaluru – 560085

Tobacco Control Project

Tobacco Control Project

Understanding public policy around tobacco use is required to understand the conflicts of interests of state and non-state actors in India. My work revolved around mapping concerns on tobacco expressed as debates by the parliamentary elected representatives by sourcing the official archives of loksabha and rajyasabha.

Speaker

Chaitra

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Affiliation

IPH Intern

Date

01-August-2018

Time

4.00 pm – 5.00 pm

Venue

Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru
#250, 2nd C Main, 2nd C Cross,
Girinagar Ist  Phase,
Bengaluru – 560085

Medicines for Visceral Leishmaniasis

Medicines for Visceral Leishmaniasis

WHO identified Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) as a Category I disease (emerging and uncontrolled) and the support to the Elimination control programs in India, Nepal and Bangladesh were intensified in 2005. One of the key approaches that allows accelerated efforts towards the elimination process is by focusing on availability, affordability and accessibility of medicines used to treat VL. This presentation by Ms. Aishwarya Kulkarni, who has completed her BPharm, focuses on the evolution of the medicines for VL, their prices and some of the current issues in this regard.

Speaker

Aishwarya

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Affiliation

IPH Intern

Date

26-July-2018

Time

3.00 pm – 4.00 pm

Venue

Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru
#250, 2nd C Main, 2nd C Cross,
Girinagar Ist  Phase,
Bengaluru – 560085

Integrating mental health

Integrating mental health

The global burden of disease for mental health problems is substantial, but because of scarce resources that are unequally distributed and inefficiently used, the majority of patients do not receive the care they need, especially in low and middle income countries. A proposed solution for this treatment gap is the integration of mental health into primary health care. Evidence shows that task shifting approaches in which non-specialist health workers are trained to recognize and treat common mental health problems can be effective, but it has not yet been widely adopted in the developing world. Furthermore, little research has been done on the quality of mental health care given in projects where mental health is integrated into primary care institutions and how it can be improved. Ms. Ellis Veen’s research project for her masters degree in Global health from Maastricht University and her internship with IPH is about a case study of quality improvement at the Gumballi primary health care centre in Karnataka, India. The main research question was “What constitutes quality of mental health care at Gumballi PHC, how can it be improved and what lessons can we learn from it for the integration of mental health into primary care in India?”

Speaker

Ellis Veen

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Affiliation

IPH Intern

Date

25-July-2018

Time

11.00 am – 1.00 pm

Venue

Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru
#250, 2nd C Main, 2nd C Cross,
Girinagar Ist  Phase,
Bengaluru – 560085