IISAC AND GLOBAL HEALTH

IISAC and UN’s SDG 3, SDG 4 and SDG 17

UNs SDG 3 states “Ensure healthy lives and promote well being for all at all ages”. The main aim of IISAC is to work with UN to prevent needless sufferings from preventable diseases and premature death by focusing on key targets that boost the health of India’s population. It is the aim of IISAC to give priority to Kerala where the highest burdens of preventable viral and bacterial diseases are common during rainy monsoon season every year. To achieve this lofty goal, IISAC has established partnership with Believer’s Church Medical College Hospital (BCMCH) (www.bcmch.org), Caritas Hospital and Institute of Health Sciences (www.caritashospital.org) and Mount Zion Medical College (www.mountzionmedicalcollege.com). These institutions are all in central Kerala, to deliver UN’s SDG 3, SDG 4 and SDG 17 in India.

a) Main Areas of projects Identified by IISAC

Public Health issues in India/Community Health promotion in India/ Medical practices in India (Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Sidha & Unani), Health Delivery in India/Nutritional Disorders/Vaccination & Preventive Medicine/ Water Quality & Public Health /Pollution & Diseases/Health issues of women and children/Old age & Rehabilitation/ Sex Education / Life Style diseases/Cancer Epidemiology/Genetic disorders/ Tribals and their diseases /Alcoholic & Drug abuse/ Young and old disabilities/ Senior care & Palliative care.

b) IISAC’s short term Public Health Projects in India

IISAC is now serving as consultant and facilitator to implement various public health projects in Kerala for the benefits of visiting medical students and global health students from USA, Canada and UK. Some of the short term public health projects offered for visiting health science students in India by IISAC for transferable credits are;

• Assess the knowledge attitude and practice of immunization compliance among infants & toddlers in rural /urban Kerala
• Changing Dietary habits and Life style diseases
• Health problems related to salt consumption in Kerala
• Assess the prevalence of varieties of Mosquitoes and their breeding sites in Rural Kerala
• Prevalence and pattern of geriatric disabilities / morbidities in rural Kerala
• Explore the pattern of home based care of elderly/palliative care
• Life expectancy and factors affecting the same
• Prevalence and pattern of self /Over the counter medication among rural population in Kerala
• Estimate burden and pattern of alcohol use and related morbidities in rural Kerala
• Knowledge of traffic rules and their compliance among motor bike riders / School students in Kerala
• Assess medication compliance pattern among the diabetic patients
• Pattern of and factors influencing health care seeking among rural Keralites
• Prevalence and pattern of health insurance coverage among Keralites
• Exploration of the Public health system
• Varying patterns of morbidities among rural and urban communities
• Compare and contrast ayurvedic and modern medical management of selected chronic diseases (eg: arthritis)
• Changing patterns of clothing styles and associated morbidities
• Thrust areas for public health Interventions in Kerala
• Knowledge attitude and practice of care of HIV affected
• Knowledge attitude and practice about cancer prevention
• Explore the Kerala model of Home based palliative care
• Explore the knowledge attitude and practice of birth control measures among Kerala men/women
• Explore implementation of family welfare measures and its impact in Kerala
• Psychosocial factors influencing immunization / family planning
• Cultural Practices of Antenatal care and birthing in Kerala
• Knowledge, attitude and practices of Infant feeding among Keralites
• Literacy rate and awareness of current affairs local / national/ international among Keralites
• Changing Health expenditure patterns over years
• Comparing Socio economic scoring of rural and urban communities
• Explore health expenditure pattern of people.
• Environment health issues and possible solutions

c) IISAC and UN’s SDG 4

Providing quality medical education to visiting international students of public health and medicine is another major goal of IISAC in India. Since 1999, IISAC was offering various types of short term study programs for US and Canadian Universities students in the form of semester India programs and faculty led programs. This was offered with the University of Kerala, Pondicherry University and KIIT University Odisha. In Kerala in association with major medical colleges and hospitals we also offer the following global Health courses and clerkship abroad programs to improve the quality of medical education globally by linking students to health problems related to developing tropical country like India.

d) IISAC’s and cutting edge translational Medical Research

IISAC supports UN’s SDG 3 & 4 through cutting edge translational medical research in both USA and India by pooling the best scientists and medical doctors as consultants and principal investigators. Precision medicine is the new trend in both diagnosis and treatment and this type of translational research is happening after the success of the human genome project in 2003. IISAC is extending its help to start genome based clinical research in India in the field of neurodevelopmental disabilities, human cancer and viral diseases where genomic alterations are the cause for most of these disorders. Identifying the pathological genomic changes in affected patients can yield accurate diagnosis and individualized treatment. By winning research grants, IISAC is hoping to initiate a clinical genomic research laboratory in central Kerala where ISAC has direct access to patients through its affiliated medical colleges and specialty hospitals.