The Indian Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR), a government of India recognized centre for excellence for the two-year health management and hospital management postgraduate programmes, plans to introduce pharma management and health insurance management in the next academic year. In May this year, it will open its first regional centre in south at Bangalore to impart the short term training sessions to hospital personnel in Karnataka.

IIHMR is in the third round of discussion to announce its second institution in Jeddah in association with a Saudi German Hospital Group at an investment of around $15 million where it is expected to provide only the intellectual input to cater to the needs of health care management in the West Asia region. Besides, it is working towards having an international institute of health management in New Delhi.

The Jaipur-based Institute with a collaborative venture with John Hopkins University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, USA and BITS Pilani also plans to increase its intake of students to 90 from the current 60 candidates after the AICTE (All India Council of Technical Education) gives the consent for its two year post graduate programmes equivalent to MBA in hospital management and health management. It has conducted over 25 courses in the last two years where 150 students have graduated and sought openings in major hospitals in the country, including Bangalore's Narayana Hrudayalaya.

As a World Health Organisation (WHO) Centre for district health systems, IIHMR focuses on five areas - primary healthcare, hospital-health management, population reproductive health, health economics & financials and NGO (non-governmental organization) management & networking, Dr. S D Gupta, director IIHMR said at a press conclave here.

"The representations of WHO in 10 countries approach us for fellowship programmes," Dr. Ram Tarneja, president-management board IIHMR informed.
IIHMR has tied-up state health departments in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. It has helped in formulating a health policy for Jharkhand and provided distance learning courses for government medical staff in Madhya Pradesh. It has been associating itself with the Karnataka Health Systems Development Project to train the medical staff.

For the future we propose to set up a centre for communication with John Hopkins, USA, and an international university for research on tuberculosis and lung diseases, said Dr. Gupta.