The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Controlling Diseases: `Scientific organisations must take up joint project'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 20, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Controlling Diseases: `Scientific organisations must take up joint project'

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, SEPT. 19. A drug-based approach alone will not lead to lasting success in managing and controlling important human diseases as inadequate nutrition and poverty level of the patients contributed to the illness, said M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman, National Commission on Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Security. He called for fusion of political action, professional guidance and community participation to look at the problem in a holistic way.

Addressing the decennial celebration and founder's day of Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, a deemed university here today, he said: "It is unfortunate that there is inadequate appreciation of the linkages between nutrition and health in our health education and administration."

Prof. Swaminathan, who is also Chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, pointed out that human and economic costs of malnutrition were huge. Countries in South Asia lose between one and two per cent of their annual economic growth directly because of high levels of anaemia. "When anaemia is compounded by other vitamin and mineral deficiencies, the economic impact often exceeds two per cent of the GDP per year."

Calling for a joint all-India coordinated project between the Indian Council of Agriculture Research and the Indian Council of Medical Research, on disease, nutrition and agriculture, with special reference to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, he said it was time scientific organisations came together.

The SRMC and RI, he said, should join hands with the Avinashilingam Institute for Home Sciences and Higher Education and the Gandhigram Rural University for integrating the food and drug-based approaches to the cure of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Malaria could also be controlled through an integrated approach to education on the breeding grounds for malarial mosquito, social mobilisation and regulation.

Hailing the contribution of the late N.P.V. Ramasamy Udayar, founder of SRMC and RI, Prof. Swaminathan said the institute should launch a `Mission 2007: health for all movement in Tamil Nadu' jointly with like-minded organisations to provide every child, woman and man in the State an opportunity for health and productive life by August 15, 2007 — 60th anniversary of Independence.

Awards to students

Presenting awards and prizes to meritorious students, he urged the professionals to adhere to bio and medical ethics as the responsibility also increases with the power of medical sciences.

T.K. Parthasarathy, Pro-Chancellor, said plans were on to expand the facilities to increase the intake of students to 10,000 and introduction of 60 new courses.

The Dean of Faculties, K.V. Somasundaram, said 3,426 students were now pursuing 72 courses at the institute.

The Chancellor, V.R. Venkataachalam, presented cash awards to meritorious students, while S. Thanikachalam, Vice-Chancellor, traced the growth of SRMC and RI.

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