A review of infectious disease training programs for healthcare professionals in India: Identifying gaps and the way forward

Infectious diseases pose a significant public health burden in India, necessitating a well-trained workforce equipped to manage both clinical and community-level challenges. In this study, a review of the existing short-term infectious disease courses in India was done, excluding postgraduate programs. Thirteen courses were identified, with ten exclusively targeting clinicians. Most are delivered online, last between 4 and 52 weeks, and range in cost from INR 12,000 to 1,25,200. None of the programs focused on public health competencies such as disease surveillance or outbreak investigations. The findings highlight a critical gap in skill-based training for public health professionals.