The Villoo Poonawalla Foundation, as an implementing agency of vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII), and the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) on Saturday signed an MoU for the Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla Center for Infectious Diseases and Pandemic Preparedness that is to be set up at the Indian Institute of Public Health, Hyderabad.
Providing access to world-class infrastructure and research facilities, the proposed facility will serve as a hub for training and capacity building in infectious disease management and disseminating knowledge to healthcare professionals and policymakers across the country.
The MoU is in continuation of an SII announcement that it is collaborating with PHFI to establish the centre at IIPH Hyderabad as a measure to strengthen India’s preparedness and response capabilities against infectious diseases and potential pandemics. The idea for the centre was conceptualised during a meeting between Industries and IT Minister K. T. Rama Rao and SII CEO Adar Poonawalla at the World Economic Forum, Davos, in May 2022. After a virtual meeting they had subsequently, the decision to establish the centre was formally announced, IIPH Hyderabad said in a release on the MoU.
“By combining our expertise, we aim to strengthen India’s public health infrastructure and bolster our preparedness for any future challenges posed by infectious diseases. We envision Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla Centre for Infectious Diseases and Pandemic Preparedness will contribute to the infectious diseases research and capacity building efforts for the South Asian region too,” said PHFI President Sanjay Zodpey, who signed the MoU with VPF’s Saurabh L. Prabhudesai.
