With the threat of global environmental change in low and middle income countries alongwith the rise in pandemics, epidemics & endemics, The George Institute for Global Health, India, to accost the dual challenge of confronting non-communicable diseases and environmental changes, has announced the establishment of a new research centre, NIHR Global Health Research Centre on Non-Communicable Diseases and Environmental Change, in collaboration with Imperial College London.
The inauguration of the event was held on November 17 ,New Delhi, with presentations by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The event also consisted of several sessions of multisectoral panel discussions and NIHR policy talks by convening policymakers, community representatives, researchers, funders, public health practitioners, and several influencers to set forth the Centre's mission. £10m grant was awarded to the institutes - George Institute for Global Health, India, and Imperial College London – for the establishment of the Centre.
Co-leader of the Centre and Executive Director of The George Institute for Global Health, Professor Vivekanand Jha, spoke about obstacles the LMICs are battling and how the centre will contend to kindle "substantiated proof" for ameliorating the situation.
"LMICs face dual, intertwined challenges of a rapidly growing burden of NCDs and the existential threat of global environmental change. Our Centre will focus on three major challenges at the interface of NCDs and environmental change - air pollution, water salinity and food systems and generate actionable evidence for improving health outcomes and reducing inequities in a cost-effective manner," he said.
Professor Christopher Millett, co-leader of the Centre and Professor of Public Health at Imperial College London stated that the Centre will allow participating institutions to expand their scope for the conveyance of a high calibre, cross-curricular research that policy makers and communities need, to lessen the brunt of climate change on health, in the focal countries and beyond.
Chairman of the NIHR Global Health Research Centres funding committee, Professor Faith Osier, remarked that this expedition is "ground-breaking" as it is the first time this magnitude of investment has been made on NCDs research in LMICs.
LMICs faces distinctive challenges in providing high-quality, equitable primary care services for the prevention and treatment of NCDs such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease and mental health.
In the succeeding five years, the Centre will grapple with the crucial need to build research space to sanction the identification of effective strategies and interventions within local communities. Investigations will be carried out for the researchers, at different stages of their professions, institutions and vast communities.
The interdisciplinary group of academics who will work to address specific health concerns related to environmental change under the NIHR Global Health Research Centre for NCDs and environmental change are University of Brawijaya (Indonesia), The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Research (Bangladesh), Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education & Research (India).
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