In a significant move to advance India’s health research landscape, Union Health Minister JP Nadda has announced 5 major health research initiatives under the Department of Health Research-Indian Council of Medical Research (DHR-ICMR). These projects, under the government's 100-day agenda, aim to make India a leading global hub for health research and innovation, as envisioned in Viksit Bharat.
1. One of the highlights of these initiatives is the "First in The World Challenge”, a high-risk, high-reward scheme inspired by the success of Chandrayaan-3. The program aims to accelerate the development of health technology projects, guiding them from initial concepts through proof of concept and on to final product, in an ambitious and structured initiative.
Dr Rajiv Bahl, Secretary DHR & DG ICMR said "Initiatives like the ‘First in World Challenge’ can give wings to our scientists and innovators so that they develop high end technology which not only benefits India but ultimately spreads out across the globe. Our research efforts are designed to support the inspiring work aimed at improving health outcomes and enhancing India’s international stand in medical research.
2. In support of infectious disease management, ICMR is also upgrading the present Viral Research & Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDLs) to full-fledged Infectious Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (IRDLs) under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM). These upgraded facilities will expand diagnostic capabilities beyond virology to include bacteriology, mycology and parasitology, enhancing India’s ability to conduct comprehensive surveillance and rapid responses to infectious diseases.
3. ICMR has also launched a secure Data Repository that allows creation of a single access point to high-quality data sets making it easy for researchers and providers to identify relevant information.
4. To address the need of region-specific health benchmarks, UNNATI Initiative (Upgrading Norms for Nutrition, Growth and Development Assessment of Indian Children) will develop standards for growth & development standards tailored to Indian children, addressing limitations of current WHO metrics.
5. The DHR-ICMR is also focusing on drug development for rare diseases like Gaucher Disease and Sickle Cell Disease. By conducting disease targeted studies (in patients and animal models) as well as drug discovery programs, these endeavours would not only translate to "Made in India" medicines but also make it available at a fraction of the cost and hence reduce the dependency on imported treatment.
Launching these, Nadda said: “These initiatives are aligned to our commitment towards encouraging the indigenous innovation and promoting a self-reliant health ecosystem for India.”
