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AFMC to host one of Defence ministry’s 10 new labs dedicated to virus research
PUNE The Ministry of Defence has begun work on setting up 10 new laboratories across the country, primarily to conduct research on viruses.
PUNE The Ministry of Defence has begun work on setting up 10 new laboratories across the country, primarily to conduct research on viruses.
“The labs, which were already in the pipeline, have recently been sanctioned,” said Lt General Anup Banerji, director-general, Armed Forces Medical Services, during a media interaction on Thursday at the 68th Armed Forces Medical Conference in Pune.
Banerji said, “We are treating Corona virus as a national emergency and as part of the armed forces we are putting in all efforts to control it. We have also set up 60 centres in the Northeast to reach people in far flung areas and provide them medical services if required.”
While the locations of the laboratories are yet to be decided, one of them will be located inside Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) in Pune, said a senior defence official, requesting anonymity, adding that the labs will work on research, diagnosis and treatment of new and existing viruses, accessing medical expertise from within the defence staff.
The official further clarified that these laboratories were already in the pipeline and are not being set up for the Coronavirus, but they will definitely help in tackling this national health issue.
As per information released at the press meet, the 10 laboratories will be set by the Defence ministry in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
The labs will exist in a three tier-structure - national, state and district level - and will work on virus detection and treatment on the lines of the National Institute of Virology (NIV).
Established in Pune in 1952, NIV, under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), is involved in the research of arthropod borne viruses.
In addition to this the ICMR, in collaboration with the Maharashtra government, is also setting up two additional labs at Mumbai’s Kasturba hospital and Nagpur’s Indira Gandhi Medical College, especially to deal with the Coronavirus.
The 68th Annual Armed Forces Medical Conference and the 58th Armed Forces Medical Research committee meeting are being held at the AFMC from February 5-7. The three-day conference will discuss a wide spectrum of professional issues concerning the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS).
The highlight of the conference is the display on chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) warfare and combat medical support in the tri-services, which showcased the defence forces preparedness with respect to equipment and medicines in case of any CBRM incident.
