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Sustainable Nitte

GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

PREAMBLE                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

Sustainable development has been defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs.” The success of implementing SDGs will require a comprehensive, integrated approach with collective action at all levels. Health is centrally positioned within the agenda with one comprehensive goal to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being at all ages. With rising prevalence of Non communicable diseases along with the emerging and re-emerging communicable diseases, there is an increasing need for countering this trend with good health care, quality health education and building a healthy society. In this regard, Universities can play a transformative role and Nitte (Deemed to be) University has been doing it for the past decade and a half. To achieve the goal by 2030, 9 targets were set towards reducing maternal mortality, reducing preventable deaths in newborn and under five year old, ending epidemics of AIDS, TB, Malaria and Neglected tropical diseases, combat Hepatitis, water borne diseases, reducing premature mortality to Non communicable diseases, promote mental health and wellbeing, strengthen prevention and treatment of substance abuse and harmful use of alcohol, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services, achieve universal health care, reduce deaths and illness due to air, water, soil pollution and contamination, support research and development in vaccines and medicines for communicable and non-communicable diseases that affect developing countries, increase health financing and recruitment, increase the capacity of developing countries for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks




PROACTIVE STEPS TAKEN BY NU
Collaboration with health institutions: local, national, or global.:
  • NITTE through its various institutes has collaborations with the following health institutions - Penn State University, USA; Wake Forest University, USA; University of Minnesota, USA; University of Miyazaki, Japan; National University of Singapore; University of Santo Thomas, Philippines; Catholic University, South Korea; Sabaragamuwa University, Sri Lanka; Christ Church University, UK; Plymouth University, UK; Ghent University, Belgium; University Paul Sabatier, France; University of Gothenburg, Sweden; Goethe University, Germany; Cleft Children International, Switzerland; University of Wollongong, Australia.
  • Some of the international collaborations are specifically focused on faculty and student exchange such as University of Minnesota, USA for exchange of students in public health; Universite Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France for exchange of medical and dental students; Wake Forest University, USA for exchange of students in the area of Medical Microbiology; Miyazaki University, Japan for exchange of faculty and students in medical, dental, pharmacy, nursing and biomedical areas through Sakura programme; University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines for exchange of students in Physiotherapy; Ulster University, UK for exchange of nursing students and faculty.
  • A B Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences has student and faculty exchange programs with Radboud University, Netherlands and Universitede Paul Sabatier, France.
  • Nitte Usha Institute of Nursing Sciences has student exchange programs with VIA University College and University College of Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • K S Hegde Medical Academy has research collaborations with Catholic University of Korea, Seoul; Christ Church University, Canterbury, UK; Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Korea; Wake Forest University, USA; University of Wollongong, Australia; National School of Singapore and Miyazaki University, Japan.
  • Nitte University Centre for Science Education and Research has collaborations with University of Gothenburg, Sweden; Universite Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France; Sabaragamuwa University, Sri Lanka; University of Miyazaki, Japan; Ghent University, Belgium; University of Aveiro, Portugal; Plymouth University, U K; Tripura University, India; SRM University, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Infrastructure:
  • Justice KS Hegde Charitable hospital is a 1,000 bedded hospital providing health services at affordable prices since 1999 equipped with 23 speciality and super speciality departments along with allied health departments. It catered to around 3,50,000 out-patients and 33,000 inpatients in 2023. It is a teaching hospital for KS Hegde Medical Academy with an annual intake of 250 for MBBS during 2023.
  • The hospital stands out with its speciality services which include IVF lab, level-1 sleep lab, comprehensive tissue bank, burns care unit and a dedicated children's ICU complex.
  • Nitte Gajria is a secondary level hospital in Udupi district, located close to Karkala town


HEALTH OUTREACH PROGRAMMES, FOCUSING ON HYGIENE, NUTRITION, FAMILY PLANNING, SPORTS, EXERCISE, MENTAL HEALTH AND AGING WELL.
  • University operates 24 rural health centres (RHC) in various locations across three districts, providing medical and dental health services to around 2,25,000 people every year. Objective of RHC's is to provide free medicines to all patients along with health, dental, laboratory services at affordable price.
  • ‘Nerekere Kshema’, which translates to "neighbourhood well-being," is a Nitte program for the overall community development of the villages of Sasihithlu, Mukka, and Nitte villages in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.
  • K S Hegde Medical Academy with its own impetus had started 'Grama Kshema' program, which translates to 'Rural Wellbeing' in Kannada language way back in 2012.
  • The National Medical Commission mandated that all medical colleges in India implement the Family Adoption Program (FAP) for community-based learning. The university has adopted over 1,000 families in nearby villages, providing each with free health insurance coverage of up to 30,000 per year.
  • ABSMIDS has provided free management for cleft and craniofacial deformities for over a decade, funded by Cleft Children International and Smile Train. Weekly camps in rural Karnataka and Kerala identify patients for free surgeries and dental care, supported by a budget of around 2 crores, with outcomes audited for quality.



  • NITTE has adopted villages under Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) is a flagship program of the Ministry for Education, Government of India, which aims to bring about transformational change in rural development processes by leveraging expertise of Knowledge Institutions.
  • Karunya- a helping hand for the disabled: Faculty from Nitte Institute of Physiotherapy have started a voluntary unit named “Karunya” (Helping hand for the disabled) with the objective of bringing considerate approach to poor patients and by giving them reassurance in their extended rehabilitation programmes.
  • KSHEMA conducted Ayushman Mela NCD health camps in CHC Uppinangady in Dakshina Kannada district to detect and treat non- communicable diseases among the general population with collaboration of the health department of Government of Karnataka. Under this program a total of 13 camps were conducted covering 2,763 people.

  • The Department of Public Health Dentistry, ABSMIDS in association with the Department of Tribal Welfare, Dakshina Kannada district, conducted a free dental treatment camp for the inmates of Valmiki Residential School, Madhya, Surathkal on November 23rd, 2023. Oral health awareness was provided. 185 students belonging to the scheduled tribe, one parent and ten staff members were screened and treated during the camp.
  • The Department of Public Health Dentistry, AB Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences in association with the District Health & Family Welfare Department, conducted a free dental treatment camp for the Koraga Tribal community at Koraga Samudaya Bhavana, Darbe, Puttur on 20.11.2023. Oral health awareness was provided. A total of 26 patients, belonging to the Koraga tribe, were screened & treated during the camp.

  • Routine immunisation was conducted on every second and fourth Wednesday of the month at Kadri urban health training centre, vaccination was provided to children against vaccine preventable diseases as per national immunisation schedule of Government of India, free of cost.
  • On 9th August 2023, health education on the importance and benefits of mission Intensified Indradhanush 5.0, which is a flagship program of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under Government of India was given to patients at Kadri urban health training centre.
  • A workshop on ‘Prevention of sexual harassment at workplace’ was conducted on 14th September 2023 at the Avishkar Auditorium by the POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) Cell, ABSMIDS, in association with the Gender Sensitization Cell of NITTE.
  • NUCSER in association with the Nitte Student Wellness Centre organised a training program, ‘Dealing with Emotions: Know thyself and develop your EQ’ on 26th April 2023 to equip students with means to handle their psychological, emotional, interpersonal, and behavioural issues.
  • The Nitte Rural Psychiatric Centre (NRPC) was set up at Nitte, to address the issue of lack of psychiatric services in the rural coastal part of Karnataka. NRPC has psychiatry outpatient services, general medical outpatient services, casualty, minor operation theatre and laboratory. It provides daily OPD services by Specialist Psychiatrist, free treatment, and free medications to more than 3,500 registered beneficiaries, Referral services to teaching hospitals, In-house Psychologist and Counsellors, House visits for ensuring follow-up, Awareness programmes and rehabilitation and day care centre.


REHABILITATION CENTRE
“Tudar” rehabilitation centre is functioning at Nitte Rural Psychiatric Centre situated in Nitte village. Free rehabilitation, day care and transportation facility are provided. Vocational training activities on greeting card preparation, gardening, tailoring, cooking, and jewellery is conducted for beneficiaries. Nitte Special Child Care Centre (NSPECC): Nitte operates a program for the welfare of special abilities children in Dakshina Kannada district. The district has more than 800 special children with special needs and Nitte has taken up the responsibilities of providing free medical and dental care to these children.



SMOKE FREE POLICY IN THE CAMPUS.
University campus have been declared as tobacco free zone. Student wellness centres are set up to create a stress-free campus by promoting a healthy lifestyle and positive mental health among students. It provides mentoring and counselling services for students in a confidential and supportive environment. The trained staff of the centre offer a helpline for students in distress and aid in resolving academic personal and social concerns.

https://nitte.edu.in/naac/2019/policies/NU_SubstanceAbusePreventionPolicy2018_2.pdf

Publications around Good Health and Well-Being:
  • The university provided seed money of INR 93,90,300 towards 198 projects in 2023.
  • 241 research articles related to health have been published in reputed international and national journals in 2023, with a total citation of 428.
  • 43 extramural research projects are ongoing in the university sponsored by Indian Council of Medical research (ICMR), DST-SERB, RSSDI and some foreign research institutes.