Subhash Hira

District Health Facility survey done to identify gaps in NCD services, infrastructure, and need for Technical Assistance from JICA to support ODA loan of INR1400 cr to strengthen urban health systems in TN. Cancer treatment gap was identified as a main focus with the need to strengthen laboratory infrastructure and equipments. Followup project design of TA is planned.

Urban health system in each city has evolved over decades without a well designed governance system. Mosquito-borne diseases emerged as a proxy of effective governance in a city. Some best practices such as the digital grievance redressal system in Ahmedabad and Chennai were noted. A gap in urban health policy research was identified.

There was universal support at the national and State MoHs to integrate several components of vertical disease control programs. This is possible between some programs such as AIDS and TB, but not with blindness control. Functional integration and not structural integration was preferred.

Design, implement, monitor the Blood Safety Program using seed funding from WHO. The full-scale funding of US$70m was obtained from GFATM-Geneva and launched.

Through P-P-P model with Indian generic ART producing Pharma companies, a graduated cost-recovery project was devised .

Stimulate biomedical research in MGM Medical College under twining collaboration with Institute of Infectious Diseases, Osaka. Over 10 years of collaboration, high quality research was published in national and international journals that provided research edge to MGM Medical College.

During this twining collaboration, several hundred biomedical manuscripts were published, including 50 publications from Infectious diseases. This satisfied the UGC eligibility criteria of innovative research for deemed university status. I was appointed the first Pro VC of MGM University of Health Sciences.

The following projects were designed: sexual transmission of HIV, PMTCT, familiarization study of ART, care and support models, and indigenous lab tests for CD4 and viral load, familiarizing study for Ayurvedic preparations, stigma and discrimination, counseling modules, VCTC, Parliamentarians forum against HIV/AIDS.

Epidemiology of sexual transmission of HIV was studies in depth, including “dry sex” practice in Zambia that seemed to increase transmissibility of HIV in Zambia.

the following projects were designed: sexual transmission of HIV, PMTCT, INH prophylaxis against MTB, stigma and discrimination, counseling modules, VCTC, N-9 and female condom trials.

Demonstration project in several districts to demonstrate reduction in foetal wastage attributed to syphilis following treatment.