Indian Institute Of Public Health Gandhinagar

The Action Against Stunting Hub, funded by UKRI GCRF, aims to enrich global comprehension of the factors that differentiate healthy growth from limited or stagnant growth in children living in LMICs. This multi-country initiative operates in India, Indonesia, and Senegal. IIPHG and the National Institute of Nutrition have entered into an MoU to conduct this research in India. The project's goal is to examine how key caregiving practices, environmental aspects (including WASH practices), and child feeding practices impact stunting in Gujarat.
Primary Objective: To understand and document the influence of caregiving practices and environmental hygiene within the home environment on growth outcomes. Secondary Objectives:
• To assess existing practices related to breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and WASH and their implications on stunting outcomes.
• To analyse the impact of home and dietary environments and the rearing of domestic animals in children's households on stunting outcomes.

The TB cascade of care in India highlights that out of 2,840,000 incident TB patients, 68% underwent TB tests, 57% were successfully diagnosed, 50% commenced TB treatment, 43% completed treatment, and 37% achieved one-year recurrence-free survival. Correspondingly, the MDR-TB cascade indicated 130,000 cases in 2013. However, only 47% accessed TB tests, 19% were diagnosed with MDR-TB, 15% registered for MDR TB treatment, 7% attained treatment success, and 5% achieved recurrence-free survival within a year. Utilizing the care cascade as a monitoring tool, this project aims to introduce quality improvement (QI) strategies to enhance TB patient care, including better case finding, diagnosis, treatment access, medication adherence, and recurrence-free survival rates. The primary focus is on reinforcing district health systems to efficiently monitor and respond to the TB care cascade.

In 2013, the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat State, India, embraced and initiated the first Heat Action Plan (HAP) in South Asia. This plan was formulated after two years of research, community engagement, and collaboration between IIPHG, AMC, and NRDC. The HAP was designed to establish a structured approach for executing, coordinating, and assessing strategies to manage extreme heat events in Ahmedabad. It raises alerts for populations at risk of heat-related ailments, emphasizing necessary precautions, and includes proactive measures like the Ahmedabad Cool Roofs Program. Core elements of the Ahmedabad HAP encompass:
1. Raising Public Awareness and Community Engagement
2. Implementing an Early Warning System and Inter-Agency Collaboration
3. Enhancing the Capacity of Healthcare Professionals
4. Minimizing Heat Exposure and Encouraging Adaptive Measures
A study conducted in 2018 evaluated the Ahmedabad HAP's effectiveness pre and post-implementation. The results indicated that the HAP contributed to reducing heat-associated mortality. Comparing all-cause mortality rates in 2014–2015 against a 2007–2010 baseline, a decline in overall mortality was observed during the initial two years of HAP implementation (2014–2015).

With the goal to strengthen the health system through academic programs, the institute offers both regular courses and programs in distance learning mode.
Full time programmes

• Master in Public Health (MPH) - Course Duration: 2 Years
• Master of Hospital Administration (MHA) - Course Duration: 2 Years
• Post Graduate Diploma in Public Health Management (PGDPHM) - Course Duration: 1 Year
eLearning programmes
• eCourse in Research Methodology (CRM)
• eCourse in Health Safety and Environment Management (HSE)
• ePost Graduate program in Public Health & Hospital Management for Nursing & Allied Health Professionals (PHHM)
• eCourse on Effective Grant Writing in Public Health (EGW)
• eCourse on Effective Grant Writing in Public Health (EGW)

IIPHG, aiming to support the National Nutrition Strategy, introduced the 'Bal Poshan Yojana' to address malnutrition by fostering a unique public-private partnership targeting the treatment of severe acute malnutrition in Devbhumi Dwarka.
The objectives of this Yojana are as follows:
• Engage Private Nursing Homes equipped with at least one Allopathy Doctor.
• Enhance the capabilities of public and private allopathic medical practitioners in managing severe acute malnutrition.
• Identification of willing practitioners based on specific selection criteria and their willingness to actively participate in the program.
• Preparation of a draft MoU involving Terms & Conditions, Undertakings, Three Party Details, and Annexures.
• Conducting interviews with Private Practitioners and extending invitations to those expressing interest in the initiative.

The primary objective of this initiative is to bolster public health and contribute to the development of cleaner, safer, and more sustainable cities in India by addressing air pollution through localized programs. The AIR Plan encompasses an integrated air pollution alert and health communication system utilizing real-time data through an Air Quality Index (AQI) framework.
The project aims to deepen the implementation of the Ahmedabad program while exploring its extension to other significant cities in India. Firstly, the goal is to further institutionalize the Ahmedabad AIR Plan within the city government by emphasizing monitoring, raising public awareness, and implementing control strategies. Secondly, it involves collaborating with the Gujarat Pollution Control Board to amalgamate city and state initiatives focused on monitoring and controlling strategies via targeted workshops. Thirdly, the project seeks to expand knowledge sharing from New Delhi and other leading cities.

"India Health Co-benefit by 2030" is a project sponsored by NRDC, spanning from September 2019 to 2022. Addressing the prevalent air pollution issues in Ahmedabad and simultaneously enhancing climate resilience are key aspects of this initiative. The collaborative venture involves IIPHG, NRDC, and IITM, drawing on the collective expertise, access to essential infrastructure, foundational environmental and health data, and technical proficiency required for executing the proposed research.
This interdisciplinary analysis aims to achieve the following objectives:
• Model the influence of climate change on 2030 energy demand, encompassing cooling requirements (Aim 1).
• Quantify the impact of climate mitigation and adaptation efforts on PM2.5 levels by 2030 (Aim 2).
• Estimate the health implications stemming from various PM2.5 scenarios projected for 2030 in contrast to a baseline set in 2018 (Aim 3).