Team Blitz India
MUMBAI: Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) Nashik has launched the nation’s first stateled network of centres of excellence (COEs) in healthcare. Led by MUHS as the central hub, the initiative was unveiled by Hasan Mushrif, Minister of Medical Education, on February 23.
The network aims to elevate medical research, education, and healthcare quality in the state through a collaborative approach. Operating on a hub-and-spoke model, the newly established Maharashtra State Health Training and Research Institute (MSHTRI) at MUHS will serve as the apex centre.
The state Government had approved the Network of COE Policy last year and joined hands with Asian Development Bank (ADB) for a $500 million loan programme aimed at enhancing healthcare infrastructure, digital medical education, talent management, and procurement in the state.
Among the flagship initiatives of this programme is the establishment of a faculty development academy to train medical professionals in contemporary healthcare techniques, alongside technology and management skills.
Additionally, DISHA, an incubation centre for medical innovation, will support medical professionals and startups from ideation to market launch. A cutting-edge AR / VR-enabled simulation lab will provide faculty and medical students with a realistic environment for learning and experimentation. MSHTRI will also feature a digital learning studio for online education, a state-of-the-art healthcare museum, and a library.
In its inaugural year, MSHTRI will facilitate digital learning for over 10,000 medical students through 20 online modules, incubate more than 20 start-ups, and train over 400 faculty members and 1,000 students at the simulation lab and digital health centre, respectively.
The concept of this network was a joint effort between MUHS and the Boston Consulting Group. At the launch of MSHTRI a new digital health foundation course was also introduced. This course will be integrated in the curriculum of over 450 medical colleges in the state which will benefit more than 40,000 medical students and make Maharashtra the first state to introduce digital health has a formal course for medical students.
