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The Australia India Institute, in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne, has launched a landmark report highlighting the depth and impact of Australia-India health partnerships, outlining decades of collaboration in public health, disability inclusion, clinical research, education and healthcare innovation.
Released during the Faculty's 150th Anniversary event at the Melbourne Global Centre in Delhi, the report documents major partnerships between the University of Melbourne and Indian institutions across health policy, healthcare delivery, medical research and inclusive health systems. Australia's High Commissioner to India, Philip Green, welcomed the report, saying it reflected the growing strength of bilateral cooperation in the health sector. "The Australia India Institute & University of Melbourne have launched a landmark report highlighting the impact of Australia-India collaboration in health policy, disability & education. Together, we're advancing research and delivering practical public health solutions," Green said in a post on X. According to the report, the Australia-India health partnership has evolved from longstanding people-to-people ties into a strategic collaboration supported by frameworks such as the 2017 Health and Medicine Memorandum of Understanding, the 2020 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) signed in 2022. The report noted that cooperation expanded significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, with both countries working together on vaccine research, health security, public health preparedness, virtual healthcare and resilient medical supply chains. It also traces the University's historical engagement with India, including the work of Dr Sister Mary Glowrey, who travelled to Guntur in 1920 and later founded the Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI), as well as collaborations with institutions such as Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore, the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), the Emmanuel Hospital Association (EHA), Sankara Nethralaya, Manipal Academy of Higher Education and the Indian Institutes of Technology. The report highlights collaborations in disability inclusion, tobacco control, mental health, digital health, HIV prevention, clinical research and leadership development, alongside student exchanges, jointly supervised doctoral programmes and capacity-building initiatives. According to the report, more than 1,000 candidates are now trained annually through disability inclusion programmes, while leadership scholarships and health training initiatives have helped build the next generation of healthcare professionals across India's public and charitable health sectors. The report also outlines future priorities, including expanding tele-rehabilitation services, strengthening oncology collaboration with CMC Vellore, increasing postgraduate exchanges and deepening research partnerships in medical technology, digital health and global public health. "The Institute has been proud to support the faculty to advance Australia-India health collaboration. Our shared research efforts to improve public health have transcended borders, guided by shared values, mutual respect and a common commitment to the health and wellbeing of our communities," the Australia India Institute said while announcing the report. (ANI)
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