Research activity in medical colleges in Andhra Pradesh has received a big boost, with the Executive Council (EC) of NTR University Health Sciences (NTRUHS) recommending a grant of Rs. 2 crore for the purpose. The varsity has received seven proposals for conducting research in addition to six ongoing projects which were sanctioned in 2012. It was in that year the post of Director of Research and Development was created and things started looked up since then.
The NTRUHS was established 28 years ago, but research began getting priority only for the two years ago. NTRUHS managed to release Rs. 24.2 lakh out of Rs. 28.31 lakh sanctioned in the last two years from its funds, and it is better positioned to support more projects, with the EC giving its nod for the Rs. 2-crore grant.
NTRUHS Director (R&D) G. Krishna Murthy told The Hindu that medical colleges were mandated to have full-fledged laboratories for carrying out research but few institutions have the required facilities due to the cost factor. Some colleges would pass off the equipment for doing PCR analysis and photo spectrometers as laboratories because of the fund constraint. Moreover, there is no guarantee that their research work will fetch any returns.
On its part, NTRUHS is doing its best for encouraging research. The Rs 2-crore grant gives a fillip to research as more medical colleges are waiting to utilize the opportunity. Medical colleges can get the results of their projects published in reputed journals thereby earn recognition for their work, which probably opens up avenues for advanced research, Mr. Murthy observed.
The five ongoing research projects belong to Gandhi Medical College, Secunderabad, Kakatiya Medical College, Warangal, Sri Venkateswara Medical College, Tirupati, Mamata Medical College, Khammam and Narayana Medical College, Nellore. In addition to these, NTRUHS is extending non-financial support to a Department of Science & Technology (DST)-sponsored project undertaken by GITAM University earlier this month.
The projects are approved by a screening committee of NTRUHS on the basis of guidelines similar to that of the Indian Council of Medical Research and DST.
Medical colleges are mandated to have full-fledged laboratories but few have the required facilities due to the cost factor
G. Krishna Murthy
NTRUHS Director (R&D)
Varsity receives seven proposals for conducting research
