Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad has asked the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to speedily work out an economic solution for diabetes screening strips so that the goal of screening at least 150 million people under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke can be achieved.

He made this plea while flagging off the centenary celebrations of the ICMR here on Tuesday, in the presence of Union minister for communications and IT Kapil Sibal and ministers of state for health S Gandhiselvan and Sudip Bandyopadhyay.

Speaking on the occasion, Azad recalled that during its 100 years of history, the ICMR has made has made many significant contributions in enhancing our knowledge about various health problems facing the country. He said while in the initial pre-independence years, ICMR had focussed on nutritional deficiencies and selected infectious diseases like plague, kalazaar, malaria and cholera, since independence it has strived to address almost all the health problems confronting the nation.

Mentioning some path breaking initiatives taken by ICMR, he noted contributions in the fields of Goitre Control as well as vitamin A deficiency data generated by ICMR, development of diagnostic re-agents for JE, H1N1, hepatitis viruses, TB, leprosy, dengue, kalazaar, cholera, leprospirosis and lung fluke prevalent in North East India, concept of supervised treatment for tuberculosis patients at their homes which is now known world over as DOTS therapy, utility of oral rehydration solution (ORS) therapy in treating diarrhoea, use of low dose magnesium sulphate in the management of eclampsia which is a serious complication during pregnancy, genetic basis of several blood disorders, etc to name a few.

The Minister said these were “only illustrative of the work done by ICMR and by no means exhaustive since its contributions run into hundreds”. Furthermore, the role played by ICMR in the management of disasters like earth quakes, tsunami and disease outbreaks is well known and appreciated by the medical community and people alike. He added that currently ICMR is engaged in supporting and coordinating a major Government of India initiative to investigate the reasons for Acute Encephalitis Syndrome in Gorakhpur and other parts of the country and manage the same by clinical, environmental and vector management strategies.

Azad noted that over the years ICMR has now become a family of 31 Institutions, the latest two in the ICMR network being the National Institute for Research in Environmental Health (NIREH), Bhopal and National Institute of Disease Informatics, Bangalore.

Releasing a commemorative postage stamp to mark the centenary year of ICMR, Kapil Sibal said medical research, health and the economy are intrinsically linked. “Medical research has contributed to dramatic decreases in mortality rates, increased survival rates, new medications, vaccines to protect against infectious diseases, and many other advances in medicine. This in turn has made a positive impact on the quality and quantity of human capital in promoting economic growth,” he elaborated.

In 1911, the Government of India had set up the Indian Research Fund Association, as the premier national agency for the formulation, promotion and conduct of biomedical research in India. In 1949 it was re-designated as Indian Council of Medical Research. ICMR has since blossomed into a vibrant network of more than 30 permanent institutes/Centres and over 70 field stations, employing over 5000 personnel including 750 scientists. 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.