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| Professor Simon Taylor-Robinson, a Professor of Translational Medicine, St. Mary’s Hospital Campus, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom, Daniel Duvaill, representative of Dr Mahesh Swaminathan, US- CDC Country Director, Prof. Babatunde Salako, Director-General of Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Prof Oni Idigbe, Former Director General NIMR and Alh. Abdulahi Yunusazzazau Director of Administration of the institute during the fourth International Scientific Conference of NIMR in Lagos, recently. |
By Chioma Umeha
To ensure national development and effective
response to disease outbreaks, Nigerian scientists and their counterparts from
the United States Centre for Disease Control (CDC) have advocated adequate
funding of innovative medical research.
Specifically, the scientists urged the three tiers
of government, international and private organisations to provide adequate fund
for innovative medical research to promote national development.
The scientists, who spoke at the fourth
International Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Institute of Medical
Research (NIMR) in Lagos, maintained that research was the greatest engine for
human development.
In his remarks at the Conference which had the
theme: “Funding Health Research: In A Depressed Economy”, Professor Simon
Taylor-Robinson, a Professor of
Translational Medicine, St. Mary’s Hospital Campus, Imperial College, London,
United Kingdom, said that funding
medical research was very key and crucial in the healthcare system.
Taylor-Robinson further said that proper funding
of health research was a guarantee for effective healthcare delivery in the
country.
“Funding health research in Nigerian health
institutions will give researchers more ideas on how to detect and investigate
surveillance diseases.
“It is time for all levels of government to
improve on their support to the institute,” he said
He therefore encouraged Nigeria and other
countries to at least devote one per cent of its GDP to medical research as it
would improve healthcare delivery, save lives and reduce mortality.
On his part, Prof. Babatunde Salako, Director-
General of NIMR, who noted that research was critical in public health as well
as every other aspect of medicine, said biomedical research alone was capable
of unravelling life mysteries and translating discoveries to sound health and
economic prosperity.
He said medical research in developed countries
like the US had generated effective drugs for lowering cholesterol, controlling
blood pressure, and dissolving artery-clogging blood clots.
Reasoning that research has led to the emergence
of new techniques for heart attack prevention, including, lifestyle changes
that promote cardiovascular health, the NIMR boss stressed that it would
address the challenges facing the country’s health sector.
Salako said: “The global progress of the last few
decades in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has
shown that research and innovation are the only sure pathway to sustainable
development.
“NIMR, as the foremost institute of medical
research in the country, should be well positioned to contribute her quota
toward conducting innovative research that will engender national development.
“The conduct of medical research should not be
viewed as a liability to the nation, but should be seen as a veritable tool
that can be used to attain economic development and self-reliance.
“Many developed nations have demonstrated to the
world that research is the greatest engine for human development and a nation,”
Salako said.
Similarly, Prof. Oladosu Ojengbede, an
Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, called for a national health research policy
that would harmonise all research activities in the country.
The Obstetrician urged corporate bodies,
organisations and international donors to support the funding of health
research to eliminate some diseases affecting the health of Nigerians.
Ojengbede, who works with the College of Medicine,
University of Ibadan, said that availability of funding for research purpose
would promote application of knowledge for massive development of the country’s
health sector.
“Private sector is at a vintage position to drive
research development,’’ he said, noting that research and innovation were
individually driven in any part of the world.
