BACKGROUND:
The public health challenges being faced by the country call for the development of capacity n the health systems of the Central and State Governments by way of positioning qualified professionals who can execute and monitor national health policies and programmes, supervise the public health workforce, fully assess the dimensions of public health issues and devise appropriate strategies to meet emerging challenges. There is a need to devise programmes which will impart the skills required to tackle the existing and emerging public health challenges and enhance the capacity of the public health managerial workforce.
OBJECTIVE:
To enhance the capacity of public health managerial workforce through conducting a specially designed Diploma course.
COURSE DURATION:
The programme is a residential course of one year of which eight months would be classroom teaching followed by two and a half months of project work. The students would then return to the parent Institute for dissertation writing and evaluation for one and a half months.
ELIGIBILITY:
The course is open to:
Preference will be given to medical doctors/ in-service candidates nominated by the government for the program.
Screening of recommended applicants based on candidates work experience, background and likely benefits from this training would also be done by partner institutions.
NUMBER OF SEATS:
NIHFW has 30 seats for candidates from four states namely Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan for the PGDPHM.
COURSE FEES:
A fee amounting to Rs. 2.50 lakh will be charged per participant. This fee will cover institutional costs in the provision of residential facilities, food and course material. It is proposed that the four institutions along with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India should actively promote the program for the first few years as a Public Health Development/ NRHM-linked initiative.
COURSE ADMINISTRATION:
It is proposed that a network of academic institutions* across the country would offer the course as a fully residential programme. Nine Institutions* : All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health (AIIH&PH)- Kolkata; Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences - Wardha (MGIMS); Indian Institute of Public Health - Ahmedabad (IIPH); Indian Institute of Public Health - Delhi (IIPH); PGIMER - Chandigarh; JIPMER - Puducherry; IIPH - Hyderabad; IIPH - Bhubeaneshwar; & National Institute of Health & Family Welfare (NIHFW) - New Delhi would conduct the programme.
COURSE OUTLINE AND ACADEMIC TERMS:
The academic year (August to July) is divided into three terms of four months duration. The first term will commence on August 1st and complete on November 30th. The second term will run from December 1st until 31st March. The third term will be devoted for project work between 1st April and 31st July.
CREDITS AND CONTENTS:
The DPHM is a 45 credit program.33 credits have been distributed over 16 modules and 12 credits have been allotted for the project work. The program is structured on a multi disciplinary curriculum. The disciplines included in this program focus on management of public health, biostatistics, demography, epidemiology, ethics, health promotion and education, health resources & finance management, health legislation, equity, and the social sciences.
TRAINING METHODOLOGY:
This course utilises a variety of teaching/learning techniques, including seminars, journal clubs, collaborative learning, group discussions, case studies, lecture discussions, participant assignments, hands-on training on computers, peripatetic visits to organisations of public health interest, field work, practicum and field projects. Classes are organised in a Case based format with reading assignments, requiring pre-class preparation for case discussion. Class discussion among participants, moderated by the instructors, is encouraged.
