MRHRU Kilvani – Research & Capacity Building
- This is the first MRHRU established in the UT of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, and one of the few operating in the tribal regions of western India. The MRHRU is currently functional at RHTC Kilvani, with a dedicated building sanctioned for future construction on adjacent land provided by the UT administration.
- The MRHRU was sanctioned in December 2024, and a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed between ICMR-NIIH (Mentor Institute) and the UT Directorate of Medical & Health Services.
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MRHRU Kilvani operates as a collaborative effort between:
- ICMR–NIIH, Mumbai (Mentor Institute)
- NAMO Medical Education & Research Institute, Silvassa (Linked medical college)
- Directorate of Health & Family Welfare, UT of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (State-level implementation partner)
| Sr. No. | Name | Designation | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr. Naveen Khargekar | Scientist E, Nodal Officer | ICMR–NIIH, Mumbai |
| 2 | Dr. Anindita Banerjee | Scientist E, Co-Nodal Officer | ICMR–NIIH, Mumbai |
| 3 | Dr. Darshan Mahyavanshi | Professor & Head, Community Medicine | NAMO Medical College, Silvassa |
Activities Carried Out:
1. Capacity Building
- Conducted a Basic Workshop on Research Methodology (28–29th May 2025) for 26 postgraduate students, in collaboration with NAMO Medical College.
- Hands-on training included study design, biostatistics, protocol writing, ethics, and sampling methods.
2. Local Research Advisory Committee (LRAC)
- The 1st LRAC meeting was held on 5th February 2025.
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Five research projects were approved:
- Evaluating strategies to optimize the Impact of Anaemia Mukt Bharat in reducing anaemia in school children.
- Study to assess the effectiveness of antiviral treatment in chronic hepatitis B patients with low viremia and evaluate strategies to optimize intervention.
- Effect of intervention of parental nutritional literacy on malnutrition status of children having Severe Acute Malnutrition and on food habits of their family: A Quasi- Experimental study in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, a tribal district in Western India.
- Evaluation of Nutritional Interventions, IT-based Monitoring and Child Adoption Initiatives for Combating Malnutrition among 1–3-year-old Children in Tribal District Dadra & Nagar Haveli of Western India.
- Population-Based Health Survey.
