Fund crunch ails medical research in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: With research activities taking a back seat in most medical colleges in the state, there is a growing demand for increasing the funds earmarked for medical research. The maximum funding limit of government medical college principals at the moment is just Rs 1 lakh. “Considering the cost escalation that has taken place over the past decade, the amount should be raised to Rs 5 lakh. The existing funds are inadequate for quality research,” said a doctor.

The doctors also want an increase in the funds allotted by State Board for Medical Research (SBMR). As of now the board grants Rs 2 lakh which again is insufficient for research work. Despite lack of funding, research activities among faculty have improved over the recent years. But that is mainly because publishing research papers has been made mandatory for in service promotions and career advancement.

Trivandrum Medical College’s Institute Research Committee here gets about 8 to 16 research papers for vetting every month. Many believe research had been neglected in most medical colleges because of the over emphasis on academics and clinical analysis. Even the parliamentary standing committee on health in its report submitted earlier this year, had slammed the MCI for inadequate and poor quality of research. The system of having thesis as part of PG programme which is in place for past seven decades, had done nothing to produce nationally relevant data for the management of diseases prevalent in the country or to establish robust research enterprises within the medical colleges, it pointed out.

Experts say in the absence of clinical research on common health problems in the country and dearth of local level information, there is a disconnect between the official statistics and the actual problems on the ground. They emphasise the need for holistic restructuring of research thesis connected with PG progammes to ensure that research activities addressed the priorities of national health programme.