Public health aims to understand and influence the social, cultural and economic determinants of health as well as to study and structure health systems as efficient channels for health services delivery. Public health is a discipline built on the academic tradition of inquiry involving research, teaching and professional practice to prevent disease and promote health in populations.
The Indian Institute of Public Health Shillong (IIPH-S) was established by the PHFI in collaboration with the Government of Meghalaya as a regional public health institute. IIPH-S is intended to redress the limited institutional and systems capacity in public health in the North East Region of India.
The northeast region of India is largely populated by indigenous peoples (scheduled tribes). Many areas in the northeast continue to grapple with poor health indices. The region consists of eight states namely: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. Together the land mass is bordered by Nepal, Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Public health challenges in the northeast region are myriad and often require varied approaches considering differences in ethnicities, culture, food and lifestyle as compared to the other parts of India. The region is largely under-developed with many areas having poor health indices and poses considerable challenges for state health systems. There is a scarcity of public health training facilities in the region. Institutional mechanisms that evaluates programmes and policies to provide an evidence base for appropriate contextualisation is also limited.
In the northeast region there was no other institution dedicated to public health education and candidates had to travel elsewhere to gain degrees in public health. Hence the need for a northeast regional IIPH University continues to remain relevant.
The mandate of IIPH Shillong includes capacity strengthening and improving health outcomes through engagement in research, education, training, policy and advocacy activities that are relevant to the region and the country.
IIPH Shillong responded to the National Health Policy 2017 and started a full-time two-year training programme for Masters in Public Health (MPH) in 2019 in collaboration with Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU) Shillong Meghalaya .The MPH Program was formally launched by the Hon’ Chief Minister and the Hon’ Health Minister in 2019.
The IIPH Shillong is located at Lawmali, Pasture Hill, Shillong in premises provided by the GoM.
Prof. Sandra Albert MBBS, MD, DrPH,
Director, IIPH Shillong