MUMBAI, Jan 15:
Union Health Minister J P Nadda today stressed upon the need for a focused academic research for strengthening the sector and providing “accessible and affordable” healthcare especially for the needy.
“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 health care to all particularly the needy and vulnerable,” Nadda said.
While speaking during the H3C Health Sciences Innovation Conference with the theme “H3C: Health – Care, Career and Commerce” in Mumbai today, Nadda said that IT can play a crucial role as an enabler to address several critical issues in the country’s health sector.
Echoing the sentiments of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nadda emphasised the 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. Academic exercises such as this conference form a crucial element towards skill development and enhancement,” he said.
Nadda also stressed the need for a balance between quality and quantity when providing health services and said . quality cannot be allowed to suffer to take care of the numbers.
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.
He also commended the collaboration between the Ohio State University and AIIMS in New Delhi in the field of regenerative medicine.
The country’s first Regenerative Medicine Center at AIIMS has been launched recently in partnership with the Center for Regenerative Medicine and Cell Based Therapies (CRMCBT) at The Ohio State University.
Noting that such ventures will give fillip to health based research in the country, Nadda said that such research must be people-centric and benefit humanity and urged students, fellows and faculty from the Ohio State University to collaborate with Indian universities and health institutions to undertake research in varied health issues.
Researchers at AIIMS have collaborated with US-based Ohio University to come up with new avenues and techniques in the field of regenerative medicine and nanotechnology which enables damaged tissues and organs to heal themselves.
The regenerative medicine techniques will have a direct impact on over 90 percent of Indian patients, suffering from health issues like malignant tumours, possible amputations, infected skin tissue.
“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 said.
Nadda also said that India looks forward to partnership with the Ohio State University and other such academic bodies to work together for address these challenges.
Noting that the relationship of India with the Ohio State University goes back a long way, he reminisced about the role played by the latter in enabling the Green Revolution in the country.
President of the Ohio State University, Michael Drake, Director, AIIMS New Delhi, M C Misra and and other senior officials were present on the occasion. More than 100 delegates from the US will be participating in the three day conference which will have about 60 technical sessions. (PTI)
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