Pakistan was already lagging in medical research, which became further apparent because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The country remained unable to produce a local vaccine and was forced to make purchases from China and fulfil vaccine shortages through aid from other countries.
Pakistan’s medical research department has remained incompetent because the researchers are not equipped with critical and analytical skills. They are not encouraged to innovate and put their ideas into practice. Instead, they are advised to learn from others’ ideas and research and apply it to their studies and practices. This has curbed the imagination of our medical researchers and shrunken the scope of progress in the medical department.
In 2016, global health regulators updated mandatory universal guidelines for health-related research involving humans. The guidelines mandated that the principles of ethical research should be followed in performing research experiments internationally and should be upheld in the ethical review of research protocols. The main purpose was to enhance and maintain a standard of research. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, the guidelines are seldom followed as most institutes have not implemented them. Resultantly, even renowned professors do not produce authentic research. Despite appealing to several authoritative figures about the matter, all my efforts have gone in vain. Nonetheless, the relevant authorities must pay attention to this issue in earnest because medical research is integral for building a strong healthcare department. It will help provide insight into different health problems such as cancer, heart diseases, etc and widen the scope for innovation within the country to address these health problems and reduce their impact.
DR QAISAR RASHID
LAHORE
