Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has observed that India cannot wait indefinitely for development of new technologies for health that are urgently required for tackling various diseases affecting the people of country. He was addressing a galaxy of top scientists at India Islamic Cultural Centre in New Delhi on the occasion of the inauguration of the Centenary celebrations of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the premier medical research body in the country.
He added that ICMR has not only to put in special efforts on translational programs but also to create in a holistic manner a milieu for innovative research similar to the times in ancient India when Sushruta and Charak, the renowned surgeon and physician could think originally.
S.Gandhiselvan, Minister of State for H&FW recalled the immense contributions of ICMR in generating new knowledge about tuberculosis, leprosy, malaria and filaria by ICMR’s several mission based Institutes dotting the landscape of the country at strategic locations but also urged to intensify efforts to translate the already identified and developed technologies by ICMR and agencies like Defence Research & Developed Organization (DRDO) to early use by our national programmes for control of vector borne diseases.
He specifically observed that ICMR and its nationwide network of Institutes has not only done commendable work on several vector borne diseases, bacterial, parasitic and viral infections, nutrition related aspects, cancer, genetics, blood disorders, human reproduction and occupational health but also maintained respect for traditional medicine and herbal remedies. Both the ministers congratulated the ICMR fraternity for completion of one hundred years of its dedicated service to the nation and assured support that would further energize the health research community.
On the occasion, Azad released three ICMR publications viz. Phytochemical Reference Standards of Selected Indian Medicinal Plants, INSEARCH (Indian Study on epidemiology of Asthma, Respiratory Symptoms and Chronic Bronchitis) and Nutrient Requirements and Recommended Dietary Allowances for Indians-2010 in addition to a set of CDs containing full text in pdf format of Indian Journal of Medical research from 1913 to 2010.
Dr. C.Gopalan, formerly Director General of ICMR and President of the Nutrition Foundation of India, in his keynote address urged not to depend upon synthetic nutrients and recommended judicious use of available food items of the country having regional varieties essential to control malnutrition. As challenges in nutritional security are formidable we should not only re-set our priorities but also involve school children, mothers and other agencies in spreading the message, he said.
In his Foundation Day lecture, Dr M S Swaminathan, father of green revolution in India, said that due to climatic changes when the crop productivity may be seriously challenged, we must develop strategies well in time as ‘anticipatory research’ to combat the same. Horticultural operations to raise nutritionally relevant fruit crops as secure option to bring back the lost enthusiasm among the farmers of the nation and ensure better opportunities as well as commercial propositions to them. He added that if we do not involve farmers neither the objective of food security will be realized nor the problems of malnutrition effectively tackled.
‘Health research for marginalized communities continues to be an area of priority for ICMR’, observed Dr Vishwa Mohan Katoch, secretary in the Health Research Department and Director-General, ICMR who assured that ‘the Council will maintain its focus on marginalized communities and diseases of poverty. Dr Katoch indicated about start of new fellowship programs, strengthen international partnerships in health research and synergize collaborative research with other scientific departments of the government.