ICMR to set up research centre in KEYLONG

ICMR के टेली मेडिसाइन की खबर पहले भी..छप चुकी है।आज फिर ट्रिब्यून में छपा है:- ICMR to set up research centre in KEYLONG Shimla, February 24 The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will set up its Research and Telemedicine Centre at Keylong in Lahaul Spiti. The aim of the centre is to study nature-specific diseases afflicting tribal people who in the absence of doctors and other paramedical staff face great inconvenience in getting treatment at local government health institutions. The research centre would be formally inaugurated by Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda in June. “The ICMR has agreed to set up a research centre and a branch of the National Institute of Malaria Research Field Station, Jabalpur, at Keylong so that a study of nature-specific diseases afflicting local population can be held,” Besides the telemedicine centre, an ISRO satellite station would be set up at Keylong. A meeting would be held with the state government in April to work out the modalities for setting up this centre. Ravi Thakur,local MLS said health problems being faced by people in far-flung areas of Lahaul Spiti were Hepatitis-B, cancer, joint pains and back ache, many of them due to extreme cold conditions. “Despite there being a 50-bed hospital at the district headquarters of Keylong, the absence of specialists makes it difficult for other doctors to diagnose accurately and timely. Now, the research centre will greatly benefit local people,” he said. Ravi had taken up this problem faced by tribal people with Dr VM Katoch, Union Health Secretary, Dr Surinder Kumar Verma, Head of Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and Dr Jai P Narain, former Director of WHO. The research station would prove to be beneficial for paramilitary and military forces deployed in border areas. Almost all tribal and remote areas in Himachal, including Lahaul Spiti, face a shortage of doctors, nurses and other para-medical staff, making timely detection of diseases and their treatment difficult. It would help in detection and treatment which could be availed through the telemedicine project which is being actively pursued by the state Health and Family Welfare Department. Ravi Thakur said he had taken up the issue of declaring tribal areas of Himachal as tax-free zones as was the case in other tribal areas of the North East. “Declaring the tribal areas as tax free could attract doctors towards this place as their salary will be non-taxable and this will serve as an incentive to serve there,” he said