Supporting Ayushman Bharat:
ICMR has prepared a national essential diagnostics list to ensure the provision of quality diagnosis at all levels of healthcare facilities.
ICMR has set up Health Technology Assessment in India (HTAIn) to evaluate the appropriateness and cost-effectiveness of the available and new health technologies in India, so that maximum people can have access to quality healthcare at minimum cost.
ICMR released the first volume of Standard Treatment Workflows (STW) on 17th November 2019, to serve as uniform treatment guidelines for doctors in primary and secondary healthcare settings. About 300 experts across India’s government and private hospitals were roped in to prepare STWs for 100 common illnesses, ranging from kidney diseases, and infections in children to cardiac diseases. STWs for 53 disease conditions have already been prepared. Link:Standard Workflow Treatment (icmr.org.in)
Gandhi & Health @ 150:
ICMR initiated Mission SHAKTTI (School-based Health Awareness, Knowledge Test and Training Initiative) in collaboration with the Directorate of Education and National Gandhi Museum in 36 schools, to take forward Gandhiji's message of Health and Hygiene.
The program promotes physical fitness, meditation, balanced diet, and cleanliness for a 'Happy and Healthy India'. This program will be extended to other parts of the country.
Affordable & Made in India Solutions:
ICMR established a Medical Innovation Board to fast-track the lab-to-market process and developed a roadmap for scaling up Med-Tech Innovations.
Various companies received eighteen diagnostic technologies through the execution of license agreements.
ICMR licensed the technology for Shigella vaccine for further scaling up and commercialisation to MSD Wellcome Trust Hilleman Laboratories Pvt Ltd.
ICMR validated the Mycobacterium indicus pranii (MIP) vaccine against leprosy, which is being implemented in the National Leprosy Elimination Programme.
ICMR researchers developed a Point of Care Diagnostic Test for Blood Disorder, enabling the detection of blood disorders such as Haemophilia A and Von Willebrand disease at a cost of INR 50 per test.
National Guidelines Released:
ICMR released National Guidelines for Gene Therapy Product Development & Clinical Trials in collaboration with the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) to cater to the requirements for gene therapy trials.
ICMR released guidelines for evaluation of nano-pharmaceuticals in collaboration with DBT and Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).
ICMR released a Handbook on ICMR National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical and Health.
Other Achievements:
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, set up the National Ethics Committee Registry for Biomedical and Health Research. The New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules - 2019 became effective on 19th March 2019, which include the requirement for Ethics Committees reviewing biomedical and health research to register with the authority designated by the Central Government in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Department of Health Research (DHR).
ICMR’s National Data Quality Forum established protocols and good practices for data collection, storage, use and dissemination.
ICMR NICED established the National Biorepository for Antimicrobial Resistant (AMR) Bacterial Strains and an AMR-Hub.
ICMR funded 10 Centres for Advanced Research (CARE) in the areas of non-communicable diseases like acute myeloid leukemia (AML), young diabetes, intestinal diseases, kidney diseases, heart failure etc.
ICMR awarded 46 scientists for excellence in biomedical research and three lifetime achievement awards for contribution to public healthcare (Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla and Dr. Prakash Amte).
