Hosmac Foundation, part of Hosmac India Pvt Ltd, a hospital planning & management consultancy, has joined hands with People's Education Society Institute of Technology (PESIT), Bangalore to introduce a part time Post Graduation Diploma course in Hospital & Healthcare Management.

According to a recent survey conducted by Hosmac to study the healthcare infrastructure across five zones in India, the Southern region has the highest hospitalization rate when compared to other regions. It is projected that private sector will play a crucial role in the augmentation of healthcare infrastructure in India and large hospitals with 200 beds and above would do well in the South. However the survey revealed that quality was seen as a major concern by practicing doctors in this area.

This PGDHHM course aims to prepare a cadre of competent, skilled & motivated professionals to take on managerial roles in the healthcare sector with special focus on hospital management. They would be trained to carry out high quality social research and need based intervention to contribute to knowledge production and evidence based health policy and programme planning. The students would also be trained for capacity building, documentation & dissemination of knowledge for wider use and also to be in the forefront of health related work in the country and beyond.

According to Dr Vivek Desai, managing director, Hosmac India, India is poised to become a global hub for healthcare services and many hospitals and pharmaceutical firms are looking for managers who have an in-depth understanding of hospital and healthcare management principles and healthcare delivery systems. "Through this course we plan to meet the growing demand of the healthcare industry, thus to meet the requirement by 2012," he said.

To be eligible for the programme, a candidate must have a recognized bachelor's degree in any of the following: MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, BSc Nursing (Basic or Post basic) B Pharm, BSc in Allied Health, Sciences, (Medical and Para medical faculty), or any other graduation and with a minimum of three years of work experience in a Healthcare Institute.

The course would be for one year conducted at PESIT campus, Bangalore with two months of internship placement. The total course fee would be about Rs 85000 and would include tuition, library, examination & internship placement fees.