Focussed academic research can go a long way in strengthening the health sector, and provide solutions to many challenges facing the country in providing accessible and affordable healthcare to all, particularly the needy and vulnerable. Similarly, IT can play a crucial role as an enabler to address several critical issues in the country’s health sector, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, J P Nadda stated.

Delivering the keynote address at the H3C Health Sciences Innovation Conference, in Mumbai, on the theme 'H3C: Health - Care, Career and Commerce', the Minister commended the collaboration between the Ohio State University and AIIMS, New Delhi in the field of regenerative medicine. He informed that the country’s first Regenerative Medicine Center at AIIMS has been launched in partnership with the Center for Regenerative Medicine and Cell Based Therapies (CRMCBT) at The Ohio State University.

The Minister was hopeful that such ventures will give fillip to health based research in the country. Such research must be people-centric and benefit humanity, the Minister stated. He beckoned students, fellows and faculty from the Ohio State University to collaborate with Indian universities and health institutions to undertake research in varied health issues. India with its huge population, the burden of communicable as well as non-communicable diseases, coupled with shortage of human resources in the health sector including doctors, specialists and para medical staff still faces several challenges, he stated.  He looks forward to partnership with the Ohio State University and other such academic bodies to work together to address these challenges, he stated.

The Health Minister assured political commitment towards all health issues in the country, and towards any collaboration with academic bodies that seek to work in the health sector in the country. Echoing the sentiments of the Prime Minister, he emphasised on need for paying attention to ‘skill, scale and speed’ while developing solutions to health issues. Skill is not a static process; it is continuous and succeeds with constant updation and sharing, he opined, adding that academic exercises such as this conference form a crucial element towards skill development and enhancement. Looking at the population of the country, scale assumes a realistic character too, he said. Nadda said that a balance needs to be struck between quality and quantity when providing health services. Quality cannot be allowed to suffer to take care of the numbers.

The Health Minister stated that the relationship of India with the Ohio State University goes back a long way. He reminisced about the role of the Ohio State University in enabling the Green Revolution in the country. Also present at the Conference were Dr Michael Drake, President of the Ohio State University; Dr M C Misra, Director, AIIMS New Delhi; and Prof. Chandan Sen, Ohio State University. More than 100 delegates from the US will be participating in the three day conference which will have about 60 technical sessions.