Health research: Par'l panel calls for mechanism for proper

A parliamentary panel has called for a mechanism to ensure that joint research projects on 10 priority areas in the health sector, including that on impact of air and water pollution and climate change, are executed properly and do not remain "bogged down" under red tape.
The Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, in its recommendations on demands for grants 2015-16 of the Department of Health Research, had earlier observed that important activities under the scheme of inter-sectoral convergence, promotion and guidance on health research needed to be accomplished.
"The committee earnestly hopes that these 10 priority areas see the light of the day at an early date and do not remain bogged down in inter-departmental red tapism.

"The committee recommends that a seamless mechanism may be involved to ensure smooth transformation of these 10 priority areas into actual implementation on the ground and would like to be apprised of the specific steps undertaken in this direction," the panel, chaired by Ram Gopal Yadav, said in its 90th report.
In its action-taken report, the government had said that in pursuance of the meeting of the steering committee of the Group of Secretaries held on January 21, 2014 and the review meeting of the working group held in August, 10 priority areas have been identified for undertaking joint research projects.

The 10 priority areas include zoonotic diseases, use of traditional systems of medicines in maternal and child health care, impact of air, water sound pollution and climate change, tele-epidemiology, CSIR technologies, medical electronics and health informatics technology.

The others include public health in emergencies and disasters, diagnostics and human waste management, human nutrition with a priority on food safety, agricultural instrumentation and pesticide safety, and standardisation of treatment procedures under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna.
The government also said the major departments concerned are required to take further actions for developing the joint projects in consultation with other member departments.
The panel had earlier expressed its happiness to note that after its recommendations for creation of an institutional coordination mechanism for synergising the core competencies for different agencies, a group of secretaries has been constituted comprising secretaries from DBT, DRDO, DARE/ICAR, ISRO, Department of Space and others to coordinate on health research activities.