
NIHFW announces new course to strengthen doctor-patient communication
Mar 26, 2025
New Delhi [India], March 26 : The National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW), which specializes in training, research, and capacity-building in the healthcare sector, is set to roll out a new course aimed at fostering healthy relationships between doctors and patients.
This initiative is designed to address conflicts and improve communication in the healthcare setting.
Speaking to ANI, Director NIHFW Dr Dheeraj Shah said, "The hospital administration courses, which are in NIHFW, they also have the element related to avoidance of conflict, conflict management, as well as communication skills. Apart from that, we carry out the courses specifically designed for health professionals which train them in communication skills and other soft skills like leadership, time management."
He added, "Apart from that, we are also proposing a new course which would be specifically for doctors to deal with all these issues, which will include medical legal issues, and which would also include communication and better patient management and how to communicate with them better, so that there is a healthy doctor patient relationship and there is conflicts are minimized."
On rolling out the course, he said, "Our courses are carried out throughout the year, and this particular course which I am talking about should be rolled out in next three to four months. We have already got the program advisory committee approval for that particular course."
The NIHFW Director also highlighted other courses that NIHFW provides.
"We train people who can administer the health and family welfare programs of the country. So we do it through education, training, capacity building, research and consultancy. We have several educational courses where we create public health professionals. We have a three-year MD course in community health administration, diploma in health administration, then we have Master in Public Health. We have PhD in public health. We have six distance learning courses, one of which is in hospital administration. Apart from that, we carry out about 100 to 150 physical trainings which are related to health administration, hospital administration communication skills, universal health coverage, digital health regulation," explained Dr Shah.