The Director General of ICMR feels, however, that it is possible to eliminate leprosy in India by 2018
Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Secretary, Directorate of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), and Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), speaks to DNA on ICMR’s ongoing study on cellphone tower radiation, dedication to eliminate leprosy and its future plans.
How has research in the health sector shaped up in India over the years?
The British established the Research Fund of India in the 1900s to study plague, cholera and malaria outbreaks. Haffkine Institute in Mumbai and a lab at Coonoor, which later moved and came to be known as the National Institute of Nutrition in Hyderabad, are the oldest research institutes in the country. ICMR was established post-independence. It largely focused on high infant and maternal mortality rates, nutritional disorders, kala azar, leprosy and tuberculosis.
Is it possible to eliminate leprosy by 2018 and tuberculosis by 2025 as promised by Health Minister JP Nadda in the new National Health Policy?
If concerted action is taken, leprosy can be eliminated. We have introduced preventive medication with the drug Rifampicin, and a potential vaccine for field trials. TB elimination, however, is a more long-term endeavour; 2025 is an unrealistic target.
As per a parliamentary committee, ICMR’s research output was “not up to the mark” with just 1,685 research papers published and only three patents granted as against 45 filed…
Publications are a measure of scientific output. We intend to improve the impact of our published works. We are interested in health outcomes. Patents, however, are not ICMR’s main focus. ICMR works at the community level to use scientific evidence to make public policy.
Campaigns that tout cell phone towers as safe are gaining momentum...
ICMR is conducting a long-term study on the effects of cellphone tower radiation on human health.
What is ICMR’s stand?
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has made guidelines based on available evidence. At ICMR, even if we may have seen some early results, we can’t say much until the final outcomes. Cellphone users have been part of the study for three years now. So far, we haven’t observed any acute effects; the radiation effects may be more long-term. The study is detailed and tedious. Those enrolled have to come back regularly for medical check-ups.
How are we ensuring that cutting-edge health research in these areas occurs in India?
We have the most advanced bio-medical research infrastructure in Asia, a maximum containment complex in Pune, and the only BSL-4 lab in Asia to study emerging pathogens and dangerous viruses. We have very recently tied up with Australian scientists to establish newer methodology for genetically modifying mosquitoes in a bid to control vector-borne diseases.
How is ICMR pushing health innovations in the Indian space?
We want to promote cost-effective health technology. Over 80 entries by young innovators at the recently concluded Festival of Innovations at Rashtrapati Bhavan have caught our attention. We are helping validate their prototypes and aim to establish a market place by connecting them to investors. We are supporting a non-invasive haemoglobinometer, indigenous diabetes testing kits, rapid diagnostic tests for kala azar and kits for infertility.
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