Kasauli, 09 May : Central Research Institute Kasauli celebrated its 119th foundation day today. Dr. Bharti Pravin Pawar, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Government of India attended as the chief guest on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr. Bharti Pravin Pawar said that this institute has a long and proud history of contribution in the field of health and education. Dr. Bharti Pravin Pawar expressed his happiness to be a part of this program. She said that Himachal has made a very important contribution in national security and paid her respect to the State. She said that the institute has established several milestones during its journey of more than 118 years and the institute is continuously contributing to the national health programmes. She said that even today this institute of Government of India is sitting as a teaching and training center in the field of vaccine manufacturing for newly emerging diseases.
Speaking on the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dr. Bharti Pravin Pawar said that she has improved the quality of health services with special emphasis on primary health. She informed that with the aim of making full immunization for all children in the country, Mission Indradhanush has been launched which focuses on securing children against seven preventable diseases including TB. The Minister informed that the Ministry of Health launched the Intensified Mission Indradhanush program in 2017, which aims to cover children and pregnant women who were left out of routine immunization programmes. The program also aims to improve vaccination coverage in high-risk areas and districts, he added. The Union Minister said that the use of digital technologies and innovative approaches in our journey to immunize such a large country has also helped in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the vaccination program in the country.
“Today the role of technology in making healthcare accessible and affordable is continuously increasing, so our government is also focusing on maximum use of drone technology in the health sector. We are making serious efforts to provide timely health facilities to the countrymen through Digital Health ID and our State Governments are working shoulder to shoulder to achieve this goal”, the Minister stated.
He informed that more than 10 crore people have availed online consultation with doctors from the comfort of their homes using e-Sanjeevani and drone technology is set to revolutionize the logistics of drug delivery and testing. This will accelerate the efforts of the Government of India for Universal Health Coverage.
Talking about the Ayushman Bharat scheme, she said that due to the efforts of the government, crores of rupees are being saved every year in the treatment of poor and middle class families. She informed that the Government of India is working to establish health and wellness centers in remote areas and now around 1,60,000 Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centers are providing comprehensive primary health care closer to homes.
Dr. Bharti Pravin Pawar said, “With the efforts of the Ministry of Health and the State Governments under the glorious leadership of Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji and under the guidance of respected Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Mansukhbhai Mandaviya ji, the number of medical colleges and MBBS seats in the country today has increased. There has been an unprecedented increase in the number of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly emphasized the importance of innovation and research in India’s development and progress. She said that many initiatives have been started with the aim of promoting research in the country.
The Union Minister released the Souvenir of the Central Research Institute on the occasion and honored people with various achievements. Dr. Bharti Pravin Pawar also inspected various ongoing projects, Drumbar Horse Stables and labs of CRI.
Colonel Dhani Ram Shandilya, Hon’ble Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Himachal Pradesh said that the discovery of vaccines by the Institute is a major achievement. He said, “The institute has done commendable work during COVID and it is known on the world stage in the field of research.” Shri Vikramaditya Singh, Minister for Public Works, Youth Services and Sports said that the work done by CRI in the medical field for the betterment of mankind is praiseworthy. He said that the Central and State Governments should work together in the field of research, which would benefit the people and lead to the development of the country and the State. Dr. Dimple Kasana, Director, Central Research Institute told that along with research, this institute is also providing training to the students. She informed that CRI is also working on several projects in association with the World Health Organisation. She informed that the Institute has become the first Central Government Institute to have a cGMP compliant facility for manufacturing DPT vaccine and has recently obtained a commercial license for production of Td vaccine. The organization is also developing therapeutic antisera for Snakebite, Diphtheria and Rabies.
On this occasion, MP Suresh Kumar Kashyap and Member of Legislative Assembly from Kasauli Vinod Sultanpuri besides Prof. Dr. Atul Goyal, DGHS and Dr. Anil Kumar, Additional DDGA and other dignitaries from Directorate General of Health Services were also present. On this occasion, the artists of State Public Relations Office of Himachal Pradesh enthralled the people by presenting cultural programs along with presentations.
