Shillong, Jun 3: The Principal Secretary Health and Family Welfare department, Sampath Kumar has clarified news reports which stated that Masters of Public Health (MPH) course run by Indian Institute of Public Health is allegedly conferred by Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU) and the latter being a private university cannot have off-campus courses as per UGC norms.
“The MPH degree is not granted by IIPHS but by MLCU, Shillong. The students are admitted and registered with MLCU. The students are taught by faculty from both MLCU and IIPHS. Qualified IIPHS staffs are adjunct faculty of MLCU and are shown as such in the MLCU prospectus. Adjunct faculty are permitted by UGC regulations,†Kumar stated.
According to the Principal Secretary, these academic collaborative arrangements are permitted by UGC, the MLCU Act 2005, as provided under Chapter II clause 7(c) and clause 8(19) and by resolution of the IIPHS Society.
Kumar said that the University status is needed for granting of degrees, hence this interim arrangement of IIPH with MLCU along similar lines of the NEIGRHMS, who tied up with the NEHU for their medical degrees.
“In the meantime the State Government is in the process of upgrading the IIPHS into a university. The proposal for setting up of this public health university on the lines of IIPH Gandhinagar is under active consideration of the state Govt. to be placed before the cabinet for final decision on this,†Kumar said.
Kumar admitted that it was a matter of facts that the state of Meghalaya is having paucity of health professionals and it is in public interest to increase the pool of health professional so as to provide better health administration.Â
