As part of the National Health Research Policy, the Department of Health Research (DHR) will soon establish an overarching National Health Research Management Forum (NHRMF) for the creation of an appropriate health research system in the country.
The objectives of the NHRMF would inter alia relate to advise on and evolve national health research policies and priorities and to evolve mechanism and action plans for their implementation; develop a five-year projection of the plans for health research and to prepare an annual national health research plan; undertake mid-plan appraisal for course correction, as needed; promote development of health research activities in the country; review biomedical & health research management, and suggest strategies to overcome problems in implementation of policies; suggest mechanisms to nurture a scientific environment to attract talent and development of human resources for biomedical and health research; and facilitate utilization and dissemination of research results and advocacy for health research.
The Department of Health Research has formulated a National Health Research Policy with a view to maximize returns on investments in health research and to prioritize, coordinate and to facilitate conduct, policies and programmes aimed at improving health especially of the vulnerable population.
The policy framework does not envisage setting up of any centralized academic research institute. However, it envisages creation of an appropriate health research system in the country through the creation of an overarching National Health Research Management Forum, having representation of all key stakeholders, stated Union health minister J P Nadda in a written reply in the Lok Sabha recently.
The NHRMF will be chaired by the minister of health & family welfare and co-chaired by minister of science & technology. The ministers of state for health would be the vice-chairpersons. The secretariat shall be in the DHR and its secretary shall be the member secretary. All secretaries of various departments in S&T would be the members, DGHS and 8-10 eminent scientists/public health experts (numbers flexible) as well selected representatives from state governments would be the other members.