Kerala Govt along with UK University set to revamp healthcare model to address training and research development

London, October 27: Kerala government along with UK University set to revamp its healthcare model to address issues surrounding capacity development for primary care, training and research. The delegation led by Kerala Health Minister K K Shylaja Kumari concluded her two-day visit to the University of Warwick in England to explore how the general practitioner (GP) system has adapted to pressures caused by population changes. 

The model will be inspired by the UK's state-owned National Health Service (NHS), the largest and the oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world that provide healthcare benefits to every citizen. The five-member delegation from the state also included State Health Secretary Rajeev Sadanandan, Director of Health Services Dr Sarita RL, Dean of Kerala University of Health Sciences Dr Harikumar Nair and member of the mission monitoring team of the chief minister of Kerala Dr Devkiran.

Dean of Warwick Medical School Professor Sudhesh Kumar said his team was keen to assist the state government to understand how it was tackling issues such as "capacity development for primary care, translating research into practice and evaluating the impact of these interventions. We look forward to mutually beneficial collaborations with Kerala, Kumar added.

Kerala, which has the highest literacy rate and the highest life expectancy in India, is experiencing a rapidly aging population and an increase in non-communicable diseases such as diabetes. To address these issues, the Kerala government is planning to establish training programmes to teach primary healthcare workers such as GPs and nurses.