Short-term courses for Indian healthcare professionals

New Delhi, April 27: Expanding the skills of healthcare professionals in India, the Global Health Alliance (GHA), with support from the University of Leeds launched a new range of short term courses here.

Launching the courses, Director GHA, Rajay Narain said the short accredited courses and programmes are targeted at a wide range of people who work in healthcare, including doctors, paramedics, cardiac physiologists, cardiac care unit nurses and allied health professionals.

"These courses have been designed specifically to up-skill healthcare professionals in India with the techniques that are now being practiced in the UK," he said. Global Health Alliance (GHA) is a team of healthcare professionals from leading universities of UK such as University of Leeds, John Moores University, Liverpool, University of Cambridge (Addenbrooke's Hospital).

"The GHA plans to launch 22 courses, each of two to three days duration. Healthcare professionals will be trained in basic and advance life support, acute medical and cardiological emergencies, advanced nursing skills, trauma management and other day to day care needs," he said.

Member of Parliament from Bihar, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, who was also present at the launch, said: "This is a beginning of a new era in the field of health care and skill development in India.

Such programmes would certainly help the health sector in country." Rhona Riley, Lecturer in the Cardiac Physiology in the School of Healthcare at the University of Leeds, will deliver the courses with other partners.

In her address at the event she said: "International collaboration is an important aspect of higher education, especially so in the field of healthcare and medicine. A skilled, professional healthcare workforce ensures the health of a nation, which is why we are pleased to be working with GHA to provide current educational and clinical based courses for the health workers of India."

"The collaboration with Global Health Alliance and the Healthcare Sector Skill Council for India allows us to disseminate our experience in cardiac education and training to support the Indian Government's aim to up-skill healthcare workers, resulting in an improved healthcare service," Riley said.

IANS