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Defining the Times
2007 Spring Dialogues
Defining India's Future
The Honorable Anbumani Ramadoss, Union Minister, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India
"India has both substantial achievements as well as a daunting unfinished agenda in the health sector."
Dr. Ramadoss said that in a competitive globalized economy, comparative advantage lies with those who can innovate and deliver cost-effective solutions. Stressing that the future of India lies in the growth of the biomedical industry, Ramadoss spoke about the recent developments in India's health sector and expressed his hope for increased international collaboration. Government spending on health is increasing dramatically in an attempt to promote the "virtuous circle" of health improvement and economic growth, two mutually-reinforcing outcomes.
As the nation's health care system is improving rapidly, many long-standing health problems have been curbed significantly. However, the country continues to have a very high disease burden and a growing incidence of non-communicable disease.
India is opening new frontiers in rural health and biomedical research. India has launched a major health initiative-maybe the largest in its history-in the National Rural Health Mission, which is aimed at building a sustainable health system for the country. In the biomedical field, a number of legal and regulatory changes are helping to spur pharmaceutical research while the low costs of such research in India make it an attractive partner for international investment and contracting. Low costs have also driven a growing industry of health tourism in the country. India must strike a balance as it accommodates a growing number of international patients while providing care for its own population.
New Expectations for India's Research Agenda
Nirmal Kumar Ganguly, MD, Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research
Dr. Ganguly presented the plan for the nation's future as a global player in health research. Ganguly highlighted the links between research and care delivery in India and shared some of the nation's recent successes in eradicating disease and the current research agenda of the country.
Relationship between Health Research and Health Systems
India's health research agenda includes: financing health research; re-orienting health research to strengthen health systems; improving the research base in medical colleges; increasing access to health information; using genomics and structural biology to develop new diagnostic tests, vaccines, and drugs; and improving the infrastructure for containing outbreaks.
"India's goals include establishing translational research, providing innovative financing, and improving health equity."
As it pursues this agenda, India faces an array of challenges. It must determine priorities, ensuring that resources available for research are easily accessed and well-used. India also hopes to use research to diminish health inequities, retain a critical mass of researchers, encourage collaborative work in the national and international arenas, and provide appropriate remunerations and career opportunities.
India's new health research system will provide the country with a robust, effective structure that will be able to generate research funding and enable India to grow into a biotech powerhouse on the international stage, according to Dr. Ganguly.