Chennai: Research institutions in India are facing the problems of thinning workforce, especially young brains who seek greener pastures, and are finding it arduous to take up research owing to lack of patronage and infrastructure.
Stringent regulations and delays in approving trials are the other impediments to research in India, says Dr K.M. Cherian, leading cardiac surgeon.
For instance, a research laboratory which had over 200 researchers now has fewer numbers.
“The Centre's efforts to convert Indian into a world class bio manufacturing hub is likely to see a long gestation because original research in healthcare
in India in abysmally low.
Stringent regulatory controls and inordinate delay in granting permission for research in life sciences is bogging down the research activities and discourages innovation,” Dr Cherian claims.
Many research projects are being lapped up by countries like China, Singapore and Japan where the turnaround time for regulatory approvals ranges from one week, 12 days and two weeks, respectively.
“This scenario is detrimental to the research and development in India. “In India there is no risk taking initiatives. Many want quick money. It is not that we are not intelligent, but no one wants to take up research as it raises the question of funding to several thousands of crores of rupees,” he said.
The bane of the healthcare sector in the country is that the few research institutes have to source their own funding pattern apart from paying power bills at ‘industry rate.’
Alarmingly, given the young and innovative workforce population in the country, the number of persons taking up research activities in India is a mere 4 per 10,000 population. In the US, the number of researchers is 70 per 10,000 population, while it is 59 in UK, 30 in Brazil and Japan; and 6 in Chile and Kenya.
