Aimed at improving healthcare delivery in the villages, government will set up model rural research units in various states that will help tackle infectious and non-infectious diseases.
To start with, seven such research units will be set up during the current financial year and eight more in 2014-15 at a total cost of Rs 67.66 crore.
Official sources said the units will be set up at the block level in close proximity to community health centres and primary health centres and each of them will be linked to the nearest ICMR institute to mentor and guide the research activities relevant to the local needs.
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"The model rural research units would provide a platform for interface between the new technology developers (researchers from central institutes and medical colleges), state health service personnel and beneficiaries," said a top Health Ministry official.
The initiative is based on the successful experience of the model rural health research unit of ICMR at Ghatampur near Agra in Uttar pradesh, which has shown that modern technology can be used successfully in rural settings.
The research activities in such units would be monitored and guided by the Committee comprising of eminent scientists of national repute with representation from state government medical colleges, state health authorities and other concerned state health officials.
Health Ministry officials said the selection of locations of such research units will be based and prioritised on the basis of disease burden of the area in consultation with the concerned state government to ensure that such units are able to meet their objectives.
"The heavy disease burden would be the target area for the scheme," officials said.
