AIR Spotlight: Health Research and Infrastructure in India - Testbook

The All India Radio Newsonair features a daily insightful program called AIR Spotlight. This program hosts a panel of notable experts discussing significant issues that can be beneficial for IAS exam aspirants in their preparation journey.

Today, we delve into a discussion on the topic of ‘ Health Research and Infrastructure in India’ .

The Panel:

1. Dr Raman R. Gangakeshar, a former member of the Indian Council of Health Research.
2. Ravi Kumar, a correspondent from AIR.

Discussion Highlights:

• The Prime Minister recently laid the foundation stone for the National Institute for One Health and inaugurated the Centre for Research, Management and Control of Haemoglobinopathies, in Nagpur.
• The National Institute for One Health in Nagpur aims to enhance preparedness and laboratory capabilities to identify novel and unknown zoonotic agents.
  • This institute will house a Biosafety Level laboratory, enabling the investigation of emerging zoonotic agents and the development of effective control strategies.
• This institute will facilitate extensive research into unexplored and deadly zoonotic diseases and foster the establishment of cutting-edge technology in the research and development sector.
• The institution's mission includes conducting research, surveillance, and advanced inquiry in the field of medical research, especially zoonotic diseases.
• This multidimensional institute works at various levels to provide health-related studies, thereby contributing to the preventive healthcare system.

The Need for One Health Institute:

• In the modern world, human health cannot be looked at in isolation due to the increased interaction between humans and animals, both domestic and wild, and the impact of climate change.
• Nearly half of all human infections can be traced back to animals.
• The world has recently witnessed a surge in zoonotic diseases, with the COVID-19 pandemic being a prime example, which resulted in the loss of millions of lives.

Understanding the One Health Concept:

• 'One Health' is a unified approach that aims to optimize the health of humans, animals, and the environment.
• This approach is crucial to prevent, predict, detect, and respond to global health threats like the COVID-19 pandemic.
• One Health involves the collaboration of public health, veterinary, and environmental sectors.
• One Health is particularly relevant for food and water safety, nutrition, control of zoonoses, pollution management, and combating antimicrobial resistance.

Source: The Lancet

Significance of the One Health Approach:

• This approach can assist countries in formulating policies that help reduce the impact of zoonotic diseases.
• Implementing the One Health concept can pave the way for the development of a robust preventive healthcare system.
• Understanding this concept can help mitigate the potential adverse effects of climate change.
• This institution can help reduce the impact of zoonotic diseases through a well-designed preventive healthcare system.

For more on previous AIR Spotlight discussions, follow the link.