PHFI, VPF join hands to fight infections, potential pandemics

RANGAREDDY: In its resolve to strengthen the country’s preparedness and response capabilities against infectious diseases and potential pandemics, the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and the Villoo Poonawalla Foundation (VPF) joined hands to establish ‘Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla Centre for Infectious Diseases and Pandemic Preparedness.’

It is pertinent to mention here that, the Serum Institute of India (SII) – one of the world’s leading vaccine makers, recently announced that it is to collaborate with the PHFI to form the Centre for Infectious Diseases and Pandemic Preparedness at Indian Institute of Public Health, Hyderabad (IIPH). This initiative is aimed at strengthening India’s preparedness and response capabilities against infectious diseases and potential pandemics.

The idea for the centre was first conceptualised during a meeting between Minister for Industries and Information Technology K T Rama Rao and Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of SII, at the World Economic Forum in Davos in May 2022.

Subsequently, after a productive virtual meeting between KTR and Adar Poonawalla in February 2023, the decision to establish the centre was formally announced. The centre will provide access to world-class infrastructure and research facilities. It will act as a hub for training and capacity building in infectious disease management, disseminating knowledge to healthcare professionals and policymakers across the country.

It is against this background, the VPF acting as an implementing agency of SII, has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the PHFI on Saturday.

The agreement was signed by Saurabh L. Prabhudesai, representing VPF, and Prof. Sanjay Zodpey, the President PHFI, in the presence of dignitaries from VPF, SII and IPHS. They include Jaswinder Narang (CEO, VPF), Sunder Lata Anand Kavitkar, company secretary, SII, Prof. Srinath Reddy, G V Prasad, chairman, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Hari Buggana, MD, Inv Ascent, Prof. GVS Murthy, director IIPH, Deepthi Reddy, COO, IIPH, Rohit Tiwari IPHS, Hyderabad), faculty and staff of IIPH.

This partnership reflects the shared dedication to advancing public health in India and reinforcing the nation’s response to infectious diseases and potential pandemics.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Zodpey expressed gratitude for the collaboration and stated that “we are delighted to partner with Villoo Poonawalla Foundation (Serum Institute of India) in establishing this Centre of excellence.” By combining our expertise, he said, “we aim to strengthen India’s public health infrastructure and bolster our preparedness for any future challenges posed by infectious diseases.”