New Delhi: The National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW) is planning to launch a new training programme specifically for doctors to help them communicate effectively with patients and their families. The new course comes in the backdrop of the rising cases of conflicts being reported at healthcare facilities.
The NIHFW is the nodal agency under the Union Health Ministry for conducting training, research and capacity-building activities for public health professionals.
The hospital administration courses provided at the organisation also have components related to conflict management and on imparting soft skills to doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and other healthcare providers, Dr Dheeraj Shah, Director of NIHFW said during a media interaction on Wednesday.
“We keep on conducting training programmes for doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and other healthcare providers on various aspects of healthcare delivery,” Shah said.
Besides, healthcare professionals are also given training on time management and other skills throughout the year.
“But we have proposed a special course only for doctors on communication and better patient management so that cases of conflicts in healthcare facilities can be curbed and dealt with effectively. Doctors will also be provided training on dealing with medico-legal issues in healthcare sector,” Shah explained.
The course is likely to be rolled out in the next four to five months.
Talking about NIHFW, Shah said academic programmes and training initiatives equip health professionals, administrators and policymakers with the necessary knowledge and skills to tackle contemporary health challenges.
NIHFW offers educational courses such as MD in Community Health Administration (CHA), Diploma in Health Administration (DHA), Post-Graduate Diploma in Public Health Management (PGDPHM), PhD in Public Health, Master of Public Health (MPH) and distance learning courses across the country.
Alumni of NIHFW are serving in key positions in public health administration of the country and in partner organisations working for public health, Shah said.
Through more than 100 training courses throughout the year, the institution builds the capacity and skills of government and private sector professionals on health and hospital administration, universal healthcare, nursing, leadership, health communication, health system management, digital health, and health policy implementation, he said.
It also plays a pivotal role in supporting the evaluation of flagship government health programmes, providing technical expertise, training and evaluation support, he added.
