New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Dr Binod Kumar Patro, a professor of Community Medicine at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar, as the new Director of the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW) in New Delhi.
According to a government notification, Dr Patro will assume the role on a deputation basis for a period of five years from the date he takes charge, or until he attains t
he age of 60 years, or until further orders, whichever occurs earliest.
Dr Patro brings over two decades of experience as a public health physician, academician, and researcher. His expertise spans areas such as primary health care, non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and control, and health systems strengthening.
He holds an MBBS from MKCG Medical College, Berhampur, and an MD in Community Medicine from AIIMS, New Delhi. He has also completed Fellowship in Public Health Leadership & Implementation (PH-LEADER) from Emory University, Atlanta, USA (2016). Dr Patro is a fellow of the Indian Public Health Association and the Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine, and has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Indian Journal of Community and Family Medicine.
The NIHFW is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, dedicated to training, research, and policy support in public health and family welfare. The appointment is expected to further strengthen the institute’s role in advancing national health programmes, capacity building, and evidence-based policymaking.