India lags behind developed countries with a solid population database that essentially changes the way some of the world’s most deadly health conditions are identified and treated, says Dr Salim Yusuf, distinguished professor of medicine, cardiologist and epidemiologist, in an exclusive interview to Arathy Kannan in Kochi recently.
“There is a lack of statistical information in the country. Statistics are baseline measures adopted by the western countries that tell them about the health details of the populace. In India the fact has just started to sink in that data building is vital in tackling medical issues,” he says.
Salim Yusuf’s journey from quaint Kottarakkara to Canada was a long one, but the road had significant pitstops that exponentially changed the medical milieu for him. He was the world’s second-most cited researcher in 2011, which brings an important question to the fore: ‘’How important is research in the medical field?’’
“Very important,” says Salim who, along with his team, conducts research in 86 different countries. “India has the bigger problem of heart disease to deal with. Not many people try to understand what to do about it and so, with the help of friends and certain collaboratives, we set up various studies across the country. The WHO and other organisations use our information,” says Salim who started his research works in India in the early 90s.
His research works on heart disease have been going on for over 40 years and have now extended to lung diseases and cancer. “In research we often take a lot of factors into consideration, such as diet, social issues and so on and it often lads to findings pertaining to other epidemics as well,’’ Salim says.
Bringing research to Kerala
Salim Yusuf has also extended a helping hand to the Kerala Government in building an advanced system for high quality data acquisition. “Health is not just a medical issue, it’s a social issue as well,” says Salim.
Working in tandem with the Kerala Government, he feels the administration is considerably far-sighted. “Health Minister K K Shylaja and Health Secretary Rajeev Sadanandan are dynamic people and have commendable plans for the health sector of Kerala. I haven’t yet met the Chief Minister, but I’ve heard he’s a go-getter. So things seem to be taking shape in the state,” says Salim.
“We’re investing in the health of people from Kerala which is very satisfying,” says Salim, adding that his team is providing the service free of cost.
An advocate of medical research
“India has very good doctors, but most of them work with known information instead of generating knowledge,” says Salim. ‘’But, mostly borrowed information could be outdated or even wrong,’’ he says.
‘’In a populous country like India, where research should be an inevitable feature in the medical field, we do less than 2 pc research that a much smaller country like Canada does,” Salim says. He says the level of research is low and not up to international standards. “The funding structure in the country doesn’t support research adequately,’’ he says.