NIHFW to launch new training programme for effective Doctor-Patient communication

The course is likely to be rolled out in the next four to five months. 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 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, reports PTI.

Speaking about the latest initiative, NIHFW director Dheeraj Shah said that the course has been brought in following a demand by healthcare professionals. “As part of the course, healthcare employees will be taught about the correct way to communicate with those in distress, female patients, etc. The course will also include conflict management. The program is set to roll out in the coming months, following the program advisory committee’s approval,’’ he said. "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 the healthcare sector," Shah explained.

According to the Daily, in a bid to strengthen vaccine storage and cold-chain management, the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW) is gearing up to introduce specialized training programs for handling and maintaining solar-powered cold-chain equipment. These training sessions are aimed at ensuring efficient vaccine storage in regions where electricity supply is available for less than eight hours a day.

Renu Sehrawat, course coordinator at the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW), stated that the National Cold Chain & Vaccine Management Resource Centre (NCCVMRC)—a key technical unit supporting the immunization division of the Health Ministry—is working towards training cold-chain technicians in the repair and maintenance of solar-powered cold storage systems, reports The Hindu.

With India increasingly relying on solar-powered cold-chain solutions to ensure the uninterrupted preservation of vaccines, this initiative is expected to play a crucial role in enhancing the effectiveness of immunization programs in remote and under-electrified areas.“India has its own core team of cold-chain technicians who are deployed at district level. They are the backbone of our immunisation programme and training them in fire-fighting is an important element to ensure that the vaccination process goes on well in the country,’’ she said.