Andhra Pradesh Reconstitutes Executive Council of Dr NTR University of Health Sciences with Leading Medical Experts

In a key move to improve academic and administrative surveillance in medical education, the government of Andhra Pradesh has reconstituted the Executive Council of Dr NTR University of Health Sciences. The council has eight experienced medical practitioners and academicians now, with the appointments getting formal approval from Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

The new additions are well-known names in the state's medical and educational fraternity. They include Dr G Subba Rao, ex-Principal of GMC Guntur, and Dr M Vishunu Mahesh Babu, erstwhile Professor of Anaesthesia in Rangaraya Medical College, Kakinada. They are joined by Dr K Madhavi, Professor of Gynaecology in SVIMS Tirupati, and Dr Surapaneni Suresh Babu, Professor of Orthopaedics in Siddhartha Medical College, Vijayawada.

Also among the recruits are Dr M Jaichandra Naidu, Professor of Radiology at MIMS Vizianagaram; paediatrician Dr Chapara Sudhakar from Amadalavalasa; General Medicine doctor Dr TD Varun Kumar Reddy from Proddatur; and paediatrician Dr Y Sai Kishore based in Vijayawada.

In order to facilitate smooth policy implementation and coordination between departments, five ex-officio members shall also be included in the council. They are the Special Chief Secretary (Health), the Finance Secretary, the Director of Medical Education, the Commissioner of AYUSH, and the Director of Health.

The officials said that the reconstitution is intended to infuse a more academic bent of mind into the decision-making process of the university and ensure better coordination between health education and public healthcare delivery.

Through this heterogeneous and experienced team, we hope that there will be more convergence between medical academia and healthcare policy in the state," commented a Health Department senior official.

The reorganized council will have a significant role to play in formulating curriculum reforms, enhancing infrastructure, and intensifying research in medical institutions associated with the university — making Andhra Pradesh a progressive center for medical education and public health.