The Challenges for Health Research in India

The challenges for health research in India are multifaceted, complex, and inextricably interlinked. I have tried to list a few of them. The research leadership should work towards tackling them.

1. Limited facilities of research education and training for health professionals

Training and education in research methodology are often deficient in the curricula of both undergraduate and postgraduate education. Another reason for such limitation is a relative shortage of medical workforce trained in research methodology. Attainment and retention of an optimum number of researchers in biomedical research is essential for various reasons: (i) to perform research as per national priorities, (ii) to train healthcare professionals, who can evaluate health research and guide trainees and young researchers, and (iii) in the present era of evidence-based medicine, physicians should have necessary research skills to evaluate medical literature critically.

2. Limited funding and research resources

One of the significant challenges of biomedical research is the shortage of funding and research resources to meet national health priorities. Allocation and monitoring of limited resources is another challenge. Other sources of funding such as the pharmaceutical industry, trusts, foundations, and other donations are either lacking or under-utilized.

3. Low priorities of health research and lack of research culture

Generally, the benefit of research is not sufficiently valued, and hence, research is placed low on the national priority list. There is lack of proper appreciation of health research as an essential tool for development among political leaders, policy makers, healthcare providers, and community groups. Weak scientific leadership, assignment of scientists to other non-scientific works, poor remuneration or compelling the scientists to seek other sources of remuneration, inappropriate service conditions, and strong political influence in running the institutions are some of the difficulties that may result in poor scientific research environment. Sometimes, researchers are seen as a threat to the person in higher positions rather than a matter of pride for an institution; therefore, they are not often supported. Teachers are overwhelmed with clinical work, and even teaching may be given a low priority, not to speak of research activity.

4. Inadequate efforts for prioritization of research problems

There is inadequate effort in prioritization of research problems. Limited information is available on the disease burden and their determinants, the cross-cutting issues like poverty, gender, and health policies that affect the health of the population. Such deficiency creates difficulty in setting priorities.

5. Ethical standards

To create and comply with ethical guidelines for human subjects consistent with the international standard is a challenge in many institutions. Some institutions lack the infrastructure for ethical and administrative regulation of research, reducing efficiency and quality. Mostly, this is the result of decision makers not having any knowledge about research.

6. Limited access to health information

Access to the national and international research publications is severely restricted for research. This difficulty is because of too high pricing of publications by the publishing houses for business purposes. Knowledge about the current status of a research question is central to the development of a good research proposal.

7. Missing linkages

The health research system is linked in many ways at different levels and to different stakeholders. Health research system needs to be integrated into the national health development plans. The national health research system needs to be linked with global and regional research systems. Linkage of academic research like thesis and dissertation with the mainstream national health problems is lacking.