Five new initiatives under the departmental support of the health ministry, namely, that of Department of Health Research-Indian Council of Medical Research, were unveiled on Friday as part of the 100-day agenda by Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda. The unveiling plans placed India at the frontline in global health innovation, experts said.
Some of the notable ones would include the “First in the World” Challenge. Inspired by the success story of Chandrayaan 3, this is, indeed, a high risk but also a high payback program. It promises to promote unique health technologies never seen before on world platforms. According to him, the government wants this to promote indigenous innovation that can provide self-reliance for the country in healthcare technologies. “These are our initiatives, which we show towards a healthier India. In the research, through investments in high-tech advanced studies, we are always prepared to face critical health problems with better approaches,” he added.
Secretary DHR and Director General ICMR Dr Rajiv Bahl was upbeat that the “First in the World” Challenge will empower the scientists and the innovators to focus attention on more places and communities, not just on one country alone, i.e., India. Projects are going to work at the proof-of-concept level and prototype building to get finally market-ready health solutions.”.
The Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) will make upgrades of existing VRDLs to IRDLs. This will enhance the country’s capacity for comprehensive surveillance and rapid response to infectious diseases through improvement in the diagnostic capabilities in bacteriology, mycology, and parasitology.
The ICMR has also established a central data repository that promises to maintain the quality of datasets, ensuring data integrity and privacy. The organization is also starting the development of drugs for rare diseases by offering affordable treatments for diseases like Gaucher Disease and Sickle Cell Disease. These under-developed projects include clinical trials, animal studies, and the preliminary design phases of the treatment, which decreases dependency on imported treatments while increasing the access of drugs within India.
Its initiatives have led the Indian government to position itself at a higher level in medical research, for high health outcomes of its population.
