A UK-based cardiologist with roots in Patna has envisioned a major programme to upgrade skills of healthcare associates in India.

Cardiologist Rajay Narain has built an organisation, Global Health Alliance, which would start training programmes for nurses, paramedics and doctors working in government hospitals in the country.

The aim is to upgrade their skills so that they can provide better services to patients. Narain is getting support from the ministry of skill development, entrepreneurship, youth affairs and sports in the project.

The programme, which would start in March, would be one-of-its-kind in the country because health professionals from top UK universities and hospitals would be engaged in the programme.

'In Global Health Alliance, we have a very strong team comprising health professionals from renowned universities and hospitals from across UK, including John Moores University, Liverpool (department of cardiovascular physiology), University of Leeds (department of health sciences, University of Cambridge (Addenbrooke's Hospital), University of Worcester (allied health sciences),' said Narain, who is a clinical research cardiologist at London-based St George's University Hospital and also the director of Global Health Alliance.

Boasting about his team, he added: 'We have Dr. David Oxborough with us who is a clinical cardiac physiologist with British Society of Echocardiography Accreditation and Rhona Rhiley, UK's first cardiac physiology lecturer among others. I had a fruitful negotiation with the Union minister of skill development (Rajiv Pratap Rudy) and J.P. Rai, the director-general of National Skill Development Agency (an agency which runs under prime minister's cell and looks after skill development programmes of the Union government) on December 31 regarding this matter. Rudy has given nod for the training programme.'

According to the plan, Global Health Alliance would be running the programme in the country with support from health sector skill council that runs under the National Skill Development Agency. The organisation would run 22 certificate courses for nurses, paramedics, doctors which would start from March. Narain added that as he hails from Bihar, starting the training programme in his home state would be his priority.

On what made him come up with such a training programme, Narain said: 'Nurses, paramedics and doctors in the country are not experts in handling emergencies. Especially paramedics engaged in the health-care sector are not well acquainted with their job. For example, ambulance drivers don't even know what to do if a heart attack patient comes to them. Whereas, an ambulance driver working in UK, has expertise to deal with cardiac failure patients. With the training programme, we want to change the scenario of the health sector in the state.'

Narain said the courses, which would be started by Global Health Alliance, would be mostly short-term ones that would be covered in one to three days.

'All the courses are one-to-three-day courses,' he said.

Rhona Rhiley, a cardiac physiology lecturer from UK, said she was happy to be associated with the training programme of Global Health Alliance.

'We would be pleased to provide educational and practical support for the courses in India through Global Health Alliance. This innovative project will enhance the skills of the health professionals in India by providing up-to-date evidence-based techniques, using national and international guidelines, incorporating best practice evidence from the UK and US,' said Rhona.