Rakhal Gaitonde, Professor of Public Health at the Achutha Menon Centre for Health Science Studies of the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram, has joined as a Commissioner in the Lancet Commission on ‘Reimagining India’s Health-care System’, an ambitious, cross-sectoral endeavour to lay out the roadmap for achieving universal health coverage for the people of India.
The Lancet is a leading international medical journal that has paved the way for medical reforms and global health discussions around the world. The Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System will be the first participatory report of its kind to be published by the journal, and the first Commission devoted to India.
Dr. Rakhal Gaitonde, who trained in Community Medicine at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, and completed his PhD from Umea University in Sweden, teaches Social Determinants of Health, Health Policy and Health Economics. He has more than a decade’s involvement in Environment and Occupational Health, supporting a number of pollution-impacted communities through research and advocacy. He is a member of the Patient Advisory Board and International Editorial Advisory Board of The BMJ. He has recently been involved in formulating health policy documents for both the Kerala and Tamil Nadu State Planning Bodies, a press release issued by the SCTIMST said.
