Experts from the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and University of Leicester have been awarded a prestigious grant of nearly £10 million by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, UK to help improve the health outcomes and re-orient health systems to effectively address multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs) or multimorbidity in India and Nepal.

The Public Health Foundation of India and University of Leicester will collaborate with the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Jodhpur, Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth (HRIDAY), Delhi, and Kathmandu Medical College (KMC), Kathmandu, thanks to the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) Global Health Research Centre for grant.

During the first stage of the research implementation, the researchers will review existing evidence, generate new data as required and talk to people living with these conditions to identify the best care approach for people with multimorbidity in both countries.

In addition, using the concepts of ‘co-design and community engagement/involvement’ they will conduct studies to assess what type of integrated, technology-enabled, patient-centred, high impact, equitable health system intervention designs could most benefit individuals with two or more long-term conditions, which are increasingly impacting population health in both countries.

As part of the project, 17 places on master’s degrees, 19 PhDs as well as 14 post-doctoral placements will be available in Leicester, Birmingham or Brunel, covering applied health research, implementation science, medical statistics, quality and safety in healthcare, health data science and diabetes. In addition, Public Health Foundation of India and University of Leicester with other co-applicant institutions will deliver short courses to approximately 400 participants.