DRPGMC among top agencies to conduct research on tribal health

Dharamshala: Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (DRPGMC), Kangra at Tanda has been selected among top agencies of the country to conduct research on Improving the Capacity of Health System and Community for Screening and Management of Some Non-Communicable Diseases (hypertension, diabetes and COPD) among Scheduled Tribes.
The medical college will focus this research in Lahaul & Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh. The medical college has been selected as one among 6 such agencies across the country to conduct this research.
Stating Prof. Bhanu Awasthi, Principal Medical College said, “It is only due to the strong commitment and continued encouragement of the Government of Himachal Pradesh that our institution is venturing into wider areas of research and capacity building. The research we conduct is the engine behind the growth of our institution into one of the top medical colleges of the country. Incidentally Tanda medical college was recently ranked at 32nd position among medical colleges in the country.”
Principal further added that the other areas where this research will be conducted include Chamarajanagar in Karnataka, East Khasi Hills in Meghalaya, Kargil in Ladakh, Nilgiri in Tamil Nadu and Sundargarh in Odisha.
The research is expected to help in improving the capacity of health systems in meeting with the challenges posed by non-communicable diseases. Prof Awasthi congratulated the team of investigators from the department of Community Medicine at Dr. RP Govt. Medical College led by its professor and head, Dr. Sunil Raina for taking up the research issues related to tribal health in Himachal Pradesh. He further went on to add that the department is actively working with the Tribal Development department of Himachal Pradesh on various research projects focussing on improving healthcare of hard to reach populations.