Hyderabad|India|July'2009:Indian Institute of Public Health - Hyderabad (IIPH), the first institute established by the Public Health Foundation of India, organized their Diploma Awards Ceremony for the students of the first batch of Post Graduate Diploma in Biostatistics & Data Management. Mr. L.V Subrahmanyam, IAS, Principal Secretary to Government Health, Medical & Family Welfare Department, and Government of Andhra Pradesh was the Chief Guest for the ceremony. Prof. K Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation of India presented the key note at the occasion. All the 27 students of the batch were honored Diploma awards by Mr. L.V Subrahmanyam.

A year long Post Graduate Diploma in Biostatistics and Data Management was launched in August, 2008 at IIPH - Hyderabad . This course was designed to equip students with modern tools of data management and applied biostatistics, in order to qualitatively enhance the skills of practicing biostatisticians and epidemiologists in the areas of medical research and public health. The target audience for this course includes public and private sector organizations, academicians and researchers in public health, medical colleges, hospitals, contract and clinical research organizations and pharmaceutical agencies, those engaged in national public health programmes initiated by the Government of India and research institutions.

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. L.V Subrahmanyam, “The State government has decided to make master’s degree in public health compulsory for its medical officers aspiring to become Additional District Medical and Health Officers, District Medical and Health Officers and Directors of Health from 2011-12. The government will enable such officers to undergo the master’s course in public health from the Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH) here at its expense and then absorb them in the posts, Principal Secretary, Medical and Health”

K. Srinath Reddy, president, Public Health Foundation of India which had set up IIPH said the foundation was waiting for a master’s programme to take off at its institutes at Hyderabad , New Delhi and Gandhinagar.

The Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) is a public private partnership that has collaboratively evolved through consultations with multiple constituencies including Indian and international academia, state and central governments, multi & bi-lateral agencies and civil society groups. It is a response to redress the limited institutional capacity in India for strengthening training, research and policy development in the area of Public Health.

The Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH) at Hyderabad is established by PHFI under a public-private partnership with Government of Andhra Pradesh. Spread over 45 acres of land, the Institute is a fully residential campus is upcoming for students and faculty. Apart from strengthening the health services of Andhra Pradesh, the IIPH is aimed to build capacity in public health policy development, programme design, delivery and evaluation as well as develop health system management. National programs like National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) as well as state and regional level health initiatives would also be assisted by the IIPH.