Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Receives World Bank Funding to Strengthen Disease Surveillance Across India

The Department of Public Health, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, has been awarded INR 6.5 million by the World Bank for a pioneering initiative aimed at enhancing disease surveillance and health security across India.

The project focuses on creating innovative public-private partnerships that involve medical colleges and healthcare institutions, enabling timely detection, reporting, and response to infectious diseases. By integrating expertise across national and regional networks, the initiative aims to strengthen India’s capacity to monitor and manage public health threats efficiently.

Key objectives include improving laboratory capacities, data management systems, and rapid response mechanisms, while fostering collaboration between government agencies, academic institutions, and private healthcare providers. This initiative will contribute to both national and regional health security, ensuring better preparedness for current and future public health challenges.

The project is led by Dr. K. R. Thankappan, Professor & Head, Department of Public Health, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi. The multidisciplinary team includes:

• Dr. Salru Phillip, Principal, Government Medical College, Kannur, Kerala
• Dr. Jithesh Veetilakath, Executive Director, State Health System Resource Centre, Kerala
• Dr. P. Sankara Sarma, Professor, Biostatistics, Department of Public Health, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi
• Dr. Aswathy Sreedevi, Professor and Head, Department of Community Medicine, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi
• Dr. Anil Kumar, Professor and Head, Department of Microbiology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi
• Dr. Dipu T.S, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine & Infectious Diseases, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi
• Dr. Rahul Krishnan, Associate Professor & Co-Lead, Wireless Systems & Artificial Intelligence for Health Research Group, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
• Dr. Jeby Jose Olickal, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi
• Dr. Malathi Mini, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi
• Dr. Sunu C. Thomas, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi
• Mr. Renjith S. Bhadran, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi
• Dr. Sachin David, Assistant Professor, Molecular Biology Laboratory, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi

This funding represents a significant step in Amrita’s commitment to public health research, innovation, and collaborative solutions, reinforcing the university’s leadership in improving disease surveillance and health security across India.