UK based Cranfield University offering MSc in healthcare through ICRI

Cranfield University which has a leading research and management division is of the view that Indian healthcare sector needs to work efficiently and more effectively. The sector needs to reduce costs and wastage. According to the UK-based University, the only way to move forward is to make medical practitioners ready for strategic management of hospitals covering exit points in management consultancy, operations management, business management. Peter Lee, course director, Cranfield UK who was in here recently told Pharmabiz that if India wants to grow as an economic superpower it needs to find ways to improve healthcare services. The need of the hour is to facilitate trained professionals to meet the demand in the healthcare segment and match up to the global standards. Together with patient care in hospitals, there is also a huge business from clinical trials coming into India. Global majors are targeting healthcare providers from large, medium to small sector to conduct human studies. The expertise require massive coordination. Indian medical practitioners need to armed with healthcare know how, he added. Cranfield is now offering M.Sc in healthcare through Institute of Clinical Research of India (ICRI) offer this course in India. The course which is a two year post graduate programme offers innovative teaching methods. It will help prepare clinicians, hospital managers, among others who want to make a career change and enter the healthcare system. Candidates qualifying from the course will be able to be suitably employed with no requirement of a separate industry training, stated Lee. Indian healthcare has been offering lucrative salaries which has touched a whopping 19 per cent average rate of growth across profiles and cities. Interestingly, attrition hit a three-year low in 2011. “As this segment is creating huge opportunities for student and trained professionals in India we have taken on the onus to be in India to offer the course,” he said. With the sector being recession resistant, there is huge scope for growth. India has also been recognized for its medical tourism driven by the positive factors of specialist pool. The share of average household spend on Healthcare in India is expected to increase from 7 per cent to 10 per cent by 2020. The healthcare sector is currently estimated US$ 60 billion and growing at 15 per cent per annum. Market is primarily dominated by private service providers with only 10 per cent of the delivery happens through large hospitals. The post graduate course in health operations management was born out of a need to transform the way healthcare is viewed itself. Now with increasing population in India and the lack of appropriate healthcare facilities more quality healthcare facilities accessible by all income groups are required, stated Lee. Source:Pharmabiz