Public health education institutions underutilised, says Harsh Vardhan

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday said that public health education institutions are being underutilised in terms of their potential.

Vardhan was speaking at the 43rd annual celebrations of the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare here on Monday.

"If you add over 500 medical colleges and their social and preventive medicine departments, it is such a huge force of public health professionals and public health institutions, which are only dedicated to giving degrees in public health to a handful of people," he said.

The union minister said that these educational institutes have a huge potential.

"Like the Mumbai institute which is supposed to be very big. I laid the foundation stone for their new building. But it is giving diplomas to some 20-25 people. This institution, which is like 43 years old now, also gives MDs to some 10 and diplomas to some 100 people," Vardhan said.

"I think all these institutions have very huge potential and they are being underutilised," he added.

Vardhan also urged medical professionals to come together to figure out a way to combat health issues.