Question : Medical Research

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

(a) whether a few number of medical colleges publish original research documents in the country;

(b) if so, the details of original research documents published during each of the last three years by various medical colleges in the country;

(c) whether the Government has conducted any study to find out the reasons for lack of original research works by medical colleges/institutions;

(d) if so, the details thereof; and

(e) the corrective measures taken by the Government in this regard?

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OFHEALTH AND
FAMILY WELFARE
(SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL)
(a) & (b): As per a recent study entitled, “The research output from Indian medical institutions between 2005 and 2014” published in the journal, Current Medicine Research & Practice in its latest issue of 2016, only 25 (4.3%) of the institutions produced more than 100 papers a year but their contribution was 40.3% of the country''s total research output. 332 medical colleges did not have a single publication during this period. The overall research output from Indian medical institutions is poor.
(Source: Indian Council of Medical Research)
(c) & (d): Indian Council of Medical Research has stated that no such study has been conducted in the recent past.

(e): To promote health research at grass root level and to strengthen health infrastructure in the country. Department of Health Research (DHR) has initiated five schemes to promote research environment in the country.

The schemes are:
i. Establishment of Multidisciplinary Research Units (MRUs) in Govt. Medical Colleges.
ii. Establishment of Model Rural Health Research Units (MRHRUs) in the States.
iii. Establishment of Network of Research Laboratories for Managing Epidemics and Natural Calamities (VRDL).
iv. Human Resource Development for Health Research (HRD).
v. Grants-in-Aid scheme for inter-sectoral convergence & promotion and guidance on health research (GIA).
DHR provides support in the form of grant-in-aid for carrying out research studies to identify existing knowledge gap and to translate existing health leads into deliverable products. The schemes also provide advanced training in India and abroad to medical and health research personnel in cutting edge research areas concerning medicine and health to create trained human resource for carrying out research activities.