Bhubaneswar: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, inaugurated the extension building of ICMR-RMRC Bhubaneswar in the presence of Union Minister for Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Minister of State for Health. and Family Welfare, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, here today Sunday.
He also laid the foundation stone for the ICMR School of Public Health and the BSL III laboratory. Smt. Member of Parliament Aparajita Sarangi was also present.
Dr. Speaking on the occasion, Mandaviya said, “India has the potential to become a global leader in research. This was demonstrated during the recent COVID-19 pandemic.” He expressed his appreciation to the ICMR scientists and said that “India has introduced its own original vaccine against COVID-19 within a month of the introduction of the world’s first vaccine against COVID-19”.
The Union Health Minister also emphasized the need for joint collaboration and cooperation between the government and private research facilities to increase the scope and results of medical research.
ICMR-RMRC Bhubaneswar – Medical colleges in Odisha have increased to 10 : Dharmendra Pradhan
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan expressed his gratitude to ICMR for their contribution to the production of a home-grown vaccine and their ongoing efforts to sequence the genome of new variants of the COVID-19 virus. He said that under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi, India has witnessed a paradigm shift in healthcare. He also pointed out that the number of medical colleges in Odisha has now increased to 10 from just 3 before 2014.
Congratulating ICMR on their achievements, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar recalled that ICMR’s mobile BSL laboratories are being used by other countries such as Bhutan in managing the COVID-19 pandemic.
She also expressed her appreciation to the scientists of ICMR-RMRC who wholeheartedly supported the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s clarion call for TB-Mukt Bharat and came forward to become Nikshay Mitras.
The extension was built for high-end laboratory and administrative purposes. The Center initiated next-generation sequencing (NGS) as a tool for conducting genomic epidemiology studies of pathogens. The next-generation sequencing facility is currently contributing SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance data to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) and also providing identification of emerging and re-emerging diseases.
The building will house sophisticated laboratories such as bioinformatics, proteomics study room, e-library and medical museum.
The ICMR School of Public Health at ICMR-RMRC, Bhubaneswar will provide participants with professional, critical, and interdisciplinary education and equip them with the skills to explore and respond to current public health challenges.
An academic program in public health was started at the center from 2018 under the auspices of the School of Public Health, Bhubaneswar. This course is affiliated to Utkal University, Odisha (NAAC A+) and is recognized by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. from Odisha.
This is the second ICMR School of Public Health in the country. Currently, the admission of fifth batch for MPH course (2022-24) is completed.
The Viral Regional Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) at ICMR-Regional Medical Research Center (RMRC), Bhubaneswar is a public health virology laboratory facility funded by the Ministry of Health, MoHFW, Government of India under the scheme “Establishment of a Nation – Wide Network of Laboratories for Epidemic Management and national calamities”.
The BSL3 facility will be a significant addition to building state and regional capacity to combat new and highly infectious pathogens and to respond to the health challenges posed by such pathogens, particularly emerging and re-emerging viruses.
ICMR-RMRC Bhubaneswar is one of the 26 research institutes of the Indian Council of Medical Research based in Odisha.
The apex government body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical and health research, ICMR-RMRC Bhubaneswar, was established in 1981 under the Sixth Five Year Plan period to undertake research activities in both communicable and non-communicable diseases. program to develop resources and establish a strong link with the Ministry of Health in finding a solution to the regional health problem.
The Center has worked effectively to identify regional health problems and has made significant contributions to the evaluation and implementation of government health program and policies over the past three decades. In 2020-22, the center worked closely with the Ministry of Health to effectively manage the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the past 5 years, the center has expanded its horizons to include zoonotic diseases, OneHealth, health system research, non-communicable diseases, geriatric health, and through research collaborations has strengthened its presence in 10 different states of the country.
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