Liver Foundation West Bengal
The Liver Foundation will establish a Center of Excellence in India that will build the capacity of rural health practitioners in providing primary and preventive care for liver and metabolic diseases.
Need
In India, diabetes and liver disease are emerging as public health priorities and the two diseases often coexist. The country’s large rural population is treated by rural health providers who have limited knowledge and nearly no medical training in common ailments, nor in metabolic and liver disease. Previously funded Delivering Hope projects have started to change that, but the unmet need remains substantial.
Project
The Liver Foundation will receive $647,520 over three years to establish The Center of Excellence at Liver Foundation, West Bengal in India. The center, a legacy project for Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation’s Delivering Hope initiative in India, will leverage lessons learned from prior projects. It will also help create a comprehensive healthcare agenda for India’s rural population
The center will build on the numerous high-impact projects undertaken by the organization since 2007, including:
- The first-ever national hepatitis C virus and liver disease burden database
- The establishment of a hepatitis patient advocacy and support group
- Integration of trained rural health providers in a broader hepatitis advocacy role
In addition, the center will continue to evaluate rural health practitioners’ knowledge and develop a primary care hepatology curriculum for all levels of practice. It will also:
- Conduct cutting-edge research, action and advocacy involving rural healthcare
- Develop a framework for networking and dialogue among researchers, policy makers and agencies
- Work with the government to improve healthcare delivery in hepatology