Publics@IIHS | Urban poor and chronic health conditions | Upendra Bhojani

About the talk:
This talk is based on a six-year research and community work in a poor, urban neighbourhood in Bengaluru. The research reveals a high burden of chronic conditions among urban poor where the majority rely on private health facilities for care. There are discreet as well as inter-connected, localised conditions that need to be considered for any sustainable and transformative intervention. Socio-economic conditions play a major role as poverty hinders people from accessing health services, and those who seek care get further impoverished. Further, socially defined roles and positions limit women and the elderly in managing care. In addition, the limited use of medical records and lack of functioning referral systems hinder continuity of care—a key consideration in chronic conditions. These factors are compounded when one considers the complexities of the governance mechanisms and policy structures. This talk highlights these overlapping complexities of the urban local health systems, and suggests that implementing positive change requires careful consideration of local dynamics and opportunities.

About the speaker:
Upendra Bhojani presently serves as the Director of the Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru and is the Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance Fellow. He graduated as a dentist before transitioning to public health. He pursued a Master’s degree in Public Health at Deakin University, Australia, followed by a PhD in Public Health and Health Sciences from Ghent University, Belgium. He joined the Institute of Public Health in 2007 and has since then been associated with the institute in various capacities. Upendra’s research and teaching interests include chronic conditions, tobacco control, health policy and systems, urban health, health ethics, and the political economy of health.

upendra bhojani,urban health,iihs,indian institute for human settlements,bangalore,private,health care,facilities,poverty,medical records,chronic,acute,health system,institute of public health,iph,wellcome trust,deakin university,ghent university,health ethics,