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The Centre is soon to set up a separate authority for disease surveillance under the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD). Announcing this at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) award function here today, the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss said that the Government is currently implementing a Rs.400 crore Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) which will take care of 11 parameters including communicable, non-communicable diseases, road traffic accidents and pollution of air and water. A separate authority for disease surveillance will help in lightening the responsibilities of Indian Council of Medical Research, the premier medical research institute in the country, the Minister said.
Congratulating the award winners, the Minister urged them to take up research on preventive vaccines especially of the three main communicable diseases prevalent in India viz. HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria. He said that while clinical trials for HIV/AIDS vaccines and for Malaria have begun, there is a need for a viable vaccine for TB. There is also a need to shorten the treatment period of TB.
On stem cell research the Minister said that clonings for therapeutic purposes have been permitted. Detailed guidelines for ART and stem cells have been prepared and are under consideration, he said. He urged the eminent doctors and medical researchers present to develop multi-chip diagnostic kits so that cost effective screening of diseases like diabetes can be done.
Speaking on communicable diseases, he said he will be calling a meeting of experts and concerned Ministries later this month so that necessary steps can be taken in the event of it spreading.
The Minister gave away the ICMR awards to eminent medical researchers in various fields. Awards for the years 2002 and 2003 and the Basanti Devi Amir Chand Awards 2003 and 2004 were given away.
Among institutions, ICMR institutes bagged seven awards followed by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi (six awardees) and two from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGI), Chandigarh. City-wise, Delhi topped the tally with 13 awardees including 6 from AllMS.
EK/MK.
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