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Concern over lack of research work in medical colleges

PUDUCHERRY: Dean of the College Development Council of Pondicherry University, R. Venguattaramane, on Friday expressed concern over the lack of research work in medical colleges and paramedical institutions in Puducherry.

He was addressing the inaugural of a national conference, Texo Pharma Virtus 09, organised by the College of Pharmacy, Mother Teresa Post Graduate and Research Institute of Health Sciences (MTPG and RIHS).

“Not much of research is going on in the institutions. We produce good graduates and postgraduates. But, not many institutes are going beyond and thinking of research-oriented studies.”

Mr. Venguattaramane said the university was willing to help affiliated institutes develop laboratories, libraries and infrastructure. “The Central university has good labs, and affiliated institutes should make use of the facilities available. The labs are open to all and the equipment should be shared with everyone to ultimately benefit society.”

Director of Health and Family Welfare Services Dilip Kumar Baliga implored teachers to take up their responsibility very seriously. “Earlier, education meant storing information. There is a paradigm shift now. Information is available at a click of a button,” he said.

Insisting that there should be change in the way of teaching, he dissuaded teachers to move away from teaching students to remember, memorise and reproduce. “The onus should be on enabling students to know how to utilise the information available.”

Terming pharmacology an “exploding field,” he said: “None of the medicines available are safe and that effective without any deleterious effects. The students should develop new drugs, which are more efficacious. There are the newer generation of molecules.”

Elaborating about patents, S.P. Subramaniyan, Assistant Controller, Patent and Design, Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, said plenty of information was available in the international patent database.

“The Indian pharmaceutical sector has grown from a mere $0.3 billion in 1980 to $19 billion in 2008. Forty per cent of the bulk drug requirement is met by India. There is outsourcing of research and development and clinical trials in India. Even during the slowdown, there was 13.6 per cent development in pharmacy in India.”

Dean of MTPG and RIHS V. Balu and Principal in-charge of College of Pharmacy V. Gopal spoke.

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