JOIN USCentre's plan on health research hits roadblock
The government’s plan to bring medical research under the ambit of a bill that seeks setting up of an overarching body for higher education and research has hit a roadblock with a parliamentary standing committee rejecting the proposal of the human resources development ministry.
In its report on the proposed legislation tabled in Parliament, the panel observed that medical education and research were “very specialised fields” and their interests would be better served if they remain together.
It also noted that a parliamentary standing committee on health and family welfare too in its recent report “strongly advocated” bringing medical research under the National Commission for Human Resources for Health Bill (NCHRH).
“It would, therefore, be in the fitness of things if the subject of medical research is allocated its rightful place under the NCHRH Bill, 2012,” the panel on Human Resources Development’s Higher Education and Research Bill, 2011, recommended.
“It would be appropriate if the National Commission for Higher Education and Research is entrusted with academic research only,” it added.
Since its formulation, the HRD Ministry’s bill has been under criticism from various quarters.
Most of the states have been against the proposed legislation as they feel it was against the federal structure.
The bill also initially witnessed a tussle between the health and HRD ministry.
The HRD ministry not only wanted to bring medical research but also medical education under its ambit which was strongly protested by the health ministry. The differences between the two ministries over the issue, however, were resolved later. The health ministry came out with a draft National Commission for Human Resources for Health Bill, 2011, to set up an overarching body to oversee and regulate medical education in the country.
But, medical research remained under the ambit of the HRD Ministry’s bill. The Indian Council for Medical Research and the Department of Health Research drew the attention of the parliamentary panel examining the HRD’s bill on the issue. They consider the move unfair as medical research could not be represented by a person with specialisation in a different field.
“There are several premier institutions involved in medical research in the country and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is the nodal ministry. There is a separate department of health research under the ministry,” the panel noted and recommended bringing medical research under the ambit of NCHRH.