India will use a mixture of private donations and public funds to bolster education, training, and research in public health and stem what some doctors have called a steady deterioration of the national public health system.

The Public Health Foundation of India, launched in New Delhi last week, will build training capacity through five new public health schools, establish standards in public health education, and serve as a think tank for the government and the private sector.

The initiative has been welcomed by experts in public health and by health activists, who have long been concerned that medical care in …