University of Hyderabad’s students of Public Health have been asked by the Telangana government to carry out epidemiological fieldwork in various districts, as part of its containment strategy against the spread of COVID-19.
About 15 students of the second semester Master of Public Health (MPH) of the university, who have volunteered for the work, have been issued orders by district authorities to participate in active and passive surveillance teams.
In addition, four research scholars and another 30 students, including current MPH seniors and alumni, have submitted their credentials to the government and offered to work for the humanitarian cause.
The Telangana government has appreciated this spirit of volunteerism and promised to consider them for future placements.
Vice-Chancellor of the UoH Appa Rao Podile lauded the students’ motivation to serve voluntarily in this hour of crisis and characterised it as part of the university’s social responsibility mandate. “For students of public health of our university, this is indeed a valuable opportunity for gaining hands-on experience in a field in which they are getting trained,” he said.
The TS government’s Director for Public Health and Family Welfare of the Ministry of Health has undertaken a State-wide surveillance and containment strategy against COVID-19 in line with the recommendation of WHO. It includes monitoring trends of the disease where human-to-human transmission occurs, detecting new cases in countries where the virus is not circulating, and providing epidemiological information to conduct risk assessment.
