Impactful and meaningful research will solve the problems of Indian citizens in the area of medical field, said Rajiv Bahl, secretary, Department of Health Research (DHR) and director-general of the Indian Council of Medical Research.
At the first Research Day of the Madras Medical College at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Dr. Bahl said Indian researchers needed to compete with institutions worldwide. In his presentation ‘Research in medical institutions in India: vision, strategy and action’ Dr. Behl remarked that just a handful of institutions in the country conducted research and only a few medical institutions, including the Madras Medical College, celebrated a Research Day.
The DHR aimed to bring at least three institutions among the top 100 in global rankings for research. Currently there were just 28 Indian medical scientists featured in the top 2% of researchers in the world. India had set a target of having at least 100 medical scientists in the next three years in the list of top 2% researchers, he said.
To improve research and its quality, the DHR had strategies, including building capacity for medical research through short-term studentships, tripling the number of MD/PhD fellowship grants for faculty, and increasing the research funding for institutions.
“Every single thing we have learned about COVID was through research,” he pointed out, adding that the ICMR and the National Medical Commission had uploaded a list of issues on which MD students could conduct research.
In his interaction with the doctors and students, Dr. Bahl explained that the aim of research should be to find a solution and not rest with only a description of a problem. “It is not enough for researchers to conduct research; they must also collaborate with fellow researchers and engage with people in the community.”
Earlier, MMC signed a memorandum of understanding to conduct research on air pollution and diseases. S.M. Shiv Nagendra, professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT-Madras, who exchanged the MoU with MMC dean E. Theranirajan, said the MoU would explore several avenues as NCDs are significantly influenced by air pollution.
Manoj Murhekar, director, National Institute of Epidemiology, said medical colleges had an important role to play in research apart from training and teaching. Medical colleges can create an environment for research, he said.
Dr. Theranirajan presented a report on the research done in the college and its affiliated institutions. Dr. Bahl later distributed grants, awards and certificates to researchers and released a compendium of research articles published by the institution.
