Dr Harsh Vardhan calls for institutionalising combination of medical, scientific and technological community

Launches four projects at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology

Union Minister for Science & Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change and Earth Sciences Dr Harsh Vardhan said that the combination of scientific, medical and technology community trio should be institutionalised all over the country for better results.

Dr Vardhan was talking during his recent visit at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology. Launching the four major projects of Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology in Thiruvananthapuram recently, he said institutions like Sree Chitra working in the healthcare sector should be aligned towards “Make in India for Healthy India”.

He said there has to be a mechanism where an engineer goes to a medical college and a technician goes to a scientific lab and a scientist also goes to a clinician’s clinic. There is a crying need in the country for import substitution, particularly in the healthcare sector. He said some of the technologies that call for immediate attention are low-cost diagnostic machines such as MRI, CT, cardiac catheterisation laboratories and digital subtraction angiography machines. He pointed out that apart from these, research should be undertaken to develop artificial implants, bionic organs and state-of-the art rehabilitation technologies. The minister said there is a great need for research and clinical trials in regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, stem cell engineering and gene therapy. Biochips and biosensors have to be developed for early diagnosis and monitoring of diseases. Indigenous technology for production of low-cost rapid diagnostic kits is a requirement that cannot wait.

Dr Vardhan said, for managing diabetes, indigenous production of low cost, self-monitoring kits and inexpensive newer types of is required. Increased use of technology in healthcare should necessarily be accompanied by increased manpower to operate and manage devices and equipment and to ensure optimal and safe use of technology. The minister called for collaborative teaching programmes with faculty from both medical and engineering institutions for manpower generation and skill development in health care technology.

Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Co-operation, Tourism and Devaswom, who presided over the function pointed out that Sree Chitra Institute can play a vital role in the study of dreaded viruses which are afflicting the people of the state. Members of the Parliament PK Sreemathy Teacher, Joy Abraham, O Rajagopal, MLA, President of the Institute and former Cabinet Secretary Shri. K. M. Chandrasekhar, and SCTIMST Founder Director Prof MS Valiathan spoke on the occasion.

Prof Asha Kishore, Director, SCTIMST welcomed the gathering and Dr PR Harikrishna Varma, Head, Biomedical Technology Wing, proposed the vote of thanks.

Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan later reviewed the activities of Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology at a meeting with Director and faculty members.