Medical researchers and senior professionals have called for organising biomedical research activities and assigning institutions such as the University of Health Sciences (UHS) and Pakistan Medical Research Council (PMRC) more effective role in co-ordinating these activities to focus research activities on the most important health issues.
These recommendations were made at the inaugural session of a 5-day workshop that began here on Monday. The workshop has been organised by the Department of Medical Education with the theme of 'Research Methods in Biomedical Sciences'.
Professor Rachel Jenkins, ex-Director WHO Collaborating Centre, Kings College London, is conducting the workshop, attended by senior faculty members of undergraduate and postgraduate medical institutes.
The workshop started with the presentation of Professor Fareed Aslam Minhas, Head of the Institute of Psychiatry, Rawalpindi General Hospital, on research in developing countries.
He pointed out that major constraints for health research in countries such as Pakistan were shortage of trained manpower, dearth of technical and funding resources, lack of culturally valid measures, and limited avenues of disseminating results. "Health research is not a luxury to be conducted only by countries with resources spare", he remarked.
The participants recommended that all national health policies should be based on valid scientific evidence. They were of the view that a lot of research had been made in the country but it was not properly incorporated in the policies.
They also called for using multiple methods of communication to convey the research results to the policy-makers, including the use of electronic and print media. They also demanded systematic review of all the research literature to assess the needs with inclusion of basic research in the job description of health professionals.
Earlier, UHS vice-chancellor, Professor Malik Hussain Mubbashar delivered the inaugural address. He hoped that UHS would soon become the nucleus of latest medical research in the country and added that UHS would start establishing computer research labs in all of its affiliated medical colleges from next month.
UHS has already announced a Research Award Scheme for undergraduate students of medical and dental colleges.
Professor Jenkins gave presentation on research methods, research process and measurement and its properties.