A crucial 4th review meeting of Local Research Advisory Committee (LRAC) of Model Rural Health Research Unit (MRHRU), being operated under mentorship of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Research In Tribal Health (NIRTH), Jabalpur, deliberated upon the five key research projects, which are presently running in Chhattisgarh. Dr Arvind Neral, Chairman, LRAC, who presided the crucial review meeting, “The review meeting held at the Conference Hall of Community Medicine Department of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru Memorial Medical College (Pt JNMMC) here in Raipur, was well attended by Director of mentor ICMR Jabalpur, Dr Aparup Das and Dr. Jayanti R. Ghate, Assiatant Professor, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Raipur and Co-chairperson of LRAC, Dr Illi Mahapatra. Dr Jyoti Jaiswal, Professor Obs./Gynaec, Dr Surbhi Dubey Associate Professor Psychiatry and PG Students were also present. Earlier, Dr Tanu Anand, Scientist of ICMR New-Delhi had joined this meeting virtually and made preliminary welcome remarks.

“The meeting reviewed and analysed all five running research projects. The pace and progress of all the Chhattisgarh-centric research projects is quite satisfactory. All the principal investigators will complete these projects by the end of July 2023,” an elated Dr Arvind Neral, Chairman, LRAC, told The Hitavada, while sharing partial inputs of the ongoing researches reviewed in the meeting. During the meeting, according to Dr Neral, Director of mentor ICMR Jabalpur, Dr Aparup Das informed that establishment of a well-equipped research institute of MRHRU in Chhattisgarh at Jheet, Patan Block of Durg District is almost in its final stage. He also encapsulated how ICMR is initiating, helping and funding the research projects related to tribal and rural health issues.

“Dean Pt JNMMC Dr Tripti Nagaria and Scientist Dr Neha Singh submitted a new research project to study the feto-maternal outcome of pregnant women exposed to nicotine (tobacco in any form). The LRAC has asked the duo to submit this project after incorporating few suggestions,” Dr Neral informed. He further informed that Dr Jayanti R Ghate, Additional Professor AIIMS Raipur is working as Principal Investigator in a research project to compare prevalence of New LifeStyle Medical Problem- Metabolic Syndrome in tribal and non-tribal population of Chhattisgarh. Dr Nirmal Verma, Professor Community Medicine and Dr Shubhra Agrawal Gupta, Associate Professor also presented a progress report of their research focussed on “Assessment of health-related quality of life of individuals with Sickle Cell Disease attending Community Health Centre, Jheet.” Similarly, Dr Kamlesh Jain, Professor Community Medicine gave a presentation on his research project based on Epidemiology and Co-morbidity in Chronic Kidney Disease in Devbhog and Mainpur Blocks of Gariaband District. Dr LVKS Bhaskar, Professor at Guru Ghasidas Unviversity, Bilaspur is working in a research project to find out Molecular Epidemiology and Correlation between Sickle Cell Disease and Malaria in Patan Block, Durg. Deputy Director DHS Dr Dharmendra Gahwai is trying to find ‘Phychological burden of Covid-19 in population of Jheet’ in his research. In his absence, Scientist Dr Ravindra of ICMR informed the progress of this project. “At the end of the meeting, the attendees collectively felt the need of Pre-natal Diagnostic facilities to diagnose hereditary diseases including Sickle Cell Disease during pregnancy for prevention of these diseases in next generations,” Dr Neral added.