Khanindra Bhuyan

A philosopher, thinker, learner (life long), public health worker, aspiring to be a thought leader and knowledge authority to guide leaders and policy maker from government and civil society for serving women, children, men and their families, for the realization of their rights for survival, development, participation and protection. Practitioner of Gandhian Principles of peace, non-violence and Antodaya, which refers to empowering the most disadvantaged section of the society. Practitioner of primary health care for universal health coverage.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Mumbai.

Health Specialist : From March 1, 2013 to 31st March 2023

• Led UNICEF Maharashtra’s health sector response for COVID 19 containment, treatment, care and RMNCHA service continuity, pioneered 100% mask campaign in the state, provided technical support for testing, treatment of Covid 19 positive persons and Covid 19 vaccination. Monitored Covid 19 vaccination, promoted using ventilation for preventing air born transmission of SARS-Cov 2, which led to issuing of guideline by GOI for improving ventilation for controlling SARS Cov 2 pandemic in May 2021.
• Led Healthy Parent, Healthy Child Initiative for promoting health of women, mothers, following a primary health care approach, for prevention of maternal and perinatal mortality, birth defects, low birth weight (LBW) and childhood malnutrition, in Peth and Sinnar blocks of Nashik district, Maharashtra. Within two years of implementation, based on the success of the programme, Government of Maharashtra scaled up the innovation to ten districts of the state. India is the capital of LBW babies in the world and national scale up of the programme will go a long way for prevention of maternal and newborn mortality, birth defects, low birth weight and prematurity, cognitive impairment and childhood malnutrition.
• Catalysed the roll out of the home based Kangaroo Mother care in 78 tribal blocks of the state, covering about 10% of the population of Maharashtra, who are most deprived in the state. 
• Supported strengthening of cold chain, communication for routine immunization; catalyzed the roll out of new vaccines like Pentavalent, Rotavirus, Injectable Polio, switch of trivalent OPV to bivalent OPV, Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Covid 19 vaccine in the state.
• All these activities contributed to the reduction of maternal mortality ratio from 68 to 46 per 100000 live births during 2011-13 to 2016-18 and under five mortality from 26 to 22 per 1000 live birth during 2013 to 2018 as shown by the Sample Registration System of Government of India. Further contributed to the increase of full immunization from 56% in 2015-16 to 73.5% in 2019-20 as shown by the National Family Health Surveys of 4 and 5 respectively. 

HIV/AIDS Specialist : From February 18, 2008 to February 28, 2013

• Catalysed scale up of the prevention of parent / mother to child transmission services (PMTCT), Pediatric ART services, primary prevention among young people, especially among most at risk population group leading to scaling up of TIs from 52 to 91, Facilitated prevention-care synergy programme for protection, care and support of children living with HIV/AIDS in covering the entire state of Uttar Pradesh.

2002-2003, MSc. Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 

(LSHTM), London. (Received full scholarship from Govt of UK for doing this course).

2000, Diploma in STDs and AIDS, Consortium of Thai Training Institutes for STDs & AIDS, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand.

1993, MBBS, Gauhati Medical College, Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam, India.