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The Public Health Research, Policy and Practice (PHRPP) programme at the Centre for Health Ecologies and Technology was established in response to the evolving needs of rare disease and other patient communities in India. We research and share scientific knowledge about health and a wide range of medical systems, practices and policies with patient communities and other key stakeholders. We undertake research on the public understanding of health policies, interpretation and use by communities. We evaluate existing public health policies and make expert recommendations that help improve health outcomes.

Our approach to research and practice in health and health policy is interdisciplinary, participative and democratic. We favor collaborative research and co-design methods and tools. Our interdisciplinary team of design research, humanities and social science researchers collaborate and apply rich insights gleaned from in-depth research while evaluating and reframing existing health systems, policies and practices and also in co-designing patient-driven policies and practices in the health sector. We use engaging, innovative and culturally appropriate methods and tools to disseminate information on public health policies.

Our goal is to improve the quality of and access to the public health facilities and programmes in India for all. As stakeholder participation is critical in the co-design of patient driven public health policies that foster the right to health for all, we work closely and collaboratively with women, children, people with chronic/rare diseases, caregivers, care providers, insurance and state agencies and other key stakeholders in policy evaluation and formulation.

PHRPP’s key objectives include:

1. Engage with existing public health policies through research and recommendations to policy making bodies
2. Disseminate public knowledge about health issues and policies towards improving health literacy and overall health outcomes of communities
3. Respond to public debates on public health care to make critical knowledge available to professionals and lay public in a timely manner
4. Promote the value of science, technology and medical research and its importance for public health initiatives in the country
5. Engage with latest research and empirical evidence in health research towards informing various public health policies