Our
Inspiration
“In the near future two thirds of the patients will be in developing
and under developed countries, but with only 5% of the global resources
for disease management or control”
Dr Jan Stjernsward MD, PhD,
Former Chief, Cancer and palliative care. WHO
Radiotherapy in Cancer Management: A Practical manual-WHO Publication
Publisher: Chapman & Hall, Medical 1997
IRPC-
An Overview
Dr
Costas Giannakenas MD, PhD
Dept of Nuclear Medicine,
Regional University Hospital of Patras,
26500-Patras / Greece
The
roots of IRPC spring from the necessity to counter the problems related
to research in developing and underdeveloped countries. The vast majority
of the population of this planet are living in the erstwhile Third World,
as are the majority of undiagnosed, or at best under diagnosed, cases
of serious diseases.
Yet
only a small part of the global health care resources are channeled towards
meeting these grave and demanding needs for medical and related support.
Morbidity and mortality rates in most of the developing and underdeveloped
countries are unproportionally very high and lives are being lost for
lack of basic healthcare.
The
problem is more evident in the very young and the elderly who often succumb
to the advanced stages of illnesses that are easily preventable or readily
curable in any developed country. These inequalities have obvious economic
foundations.
Most
of the struggling economies are unable to meet the demands for preventive
medical practices and are equally unable to meet the cost of appropriate
health care for the people. In view of all these inadequacies, medical
and scientific research is understandably a matter of low priority.
And although there is an increasing population of qualified scientists,
many of whom are trained abroad there is a lack of such trained professionals
as many follow their quest for knowledge or even their ambitions to developed
countries where greater opportunities are possible.
It is neither acceptably adequate nor satisfactory to be able to simply
provide basic health care to the people of the under developed economies.
Not when the new technologies and recent advances in disease management
are readily accessible to people in developed countries.
People in the developing economies have the same and even greater needs
and there is a discernable urgency for immediate research strategically
aimed at the endemic and demographic incidence of serious diseases characteristic
of each region. But this research has to be in conjunction with the efforts
being made to provide preventive as well as adequate health care for these
populations.
The urgency and the needs are obvious enough but the appropriate means
towards meeting these goals are yet to be secured.
These
circumstances are what make the IRPC such a commendable effort. By striving
to draw global attention to the many unresolved problems facing the majority
of the world’s population, the IRPC is opening new frontiers and
finding new approaches to meeting the challenges presented.
Researches
in developing economies-Why are they behind?
Research
in the developing economies, falls back nearly by ten years in most areas
of science and health when compared to that of developed countries. While
research is the backbone of science, compared to that of developed economies
advancements in areas relevant to a specific country, developing or underdeveloped
countries have provided it a very low priority. In the developing countries,
the major obstacles facing research are:
- Paucity
of funds and faulty channelisation of available funds.
-
Lack of production and availability of research materials such as
quality controlled reagents and chemicals.
- The
delay in getting research materials manufactured in developed countries
through import.
- Difficulties
encountered in accessing required equipments and absence of custom
analysis centers.
- Lack
of encouragement and financial support from the parent institution.
- Non-availability
or networking of up-to-date information.
- Lack
of advanced training to scientists
- Lack
of financial support to attend conferences, seminars, and workshops
and training programs etc.- a very serious handicap of the scientists
from developing countries.
- Lack
of acceptance and recognition.
- Poverty
and illiteracy of the population.
- Lack
of proper transfer of technology by advanced training of scientist
in major institutions, and exchange programs in institutions where
related research activities have been conducted successfully with
more advanced facilities.
- Lack
of job security of the scientists.
- Other
facts such as the unscientific approaches towards research by the
government agencies, untimely release of funds for sanctioned and
ongoing projects, erratic power supply and poor working conditions
etc.
- Lack
of research and development tie-ups and activities with industries.
- Lack
of proper planning
The
Role of IRPC
The
IRPC has taken up the cause of promotion of research activities in the
developed world and stands to play a pivotal role in countering the research
problems in developing world by its active involvement.
The
involvement are in:
(1)
Coordinating research projects on relevant problems in the developing
and under developed countries.
(2) Coordinating the activities of various agencies and the governments
for the production and prompt distribution of research materials.
(3) Coordinating the establishment of specialized instrumentation centers
with financial aid from the developed economies.
(4) A united forum-World Scientists Forum-constituted by scientists
from developed and developing countries will be formed for interaction,
co-operation and mutual assistance in all matters connected with research
in science and medicine, beyond the socio cultural periphery.
Penetrative
Roles of IRPC
a)
All branches of science and medicine.
b) Co-ordinating and Supervising the activities of
"THE WORLD SCIENTISTS
FORUM FOR INTERACTION AND CO-OPERATION IN THE DEVELOPMENTAL ACTIVITIES
OF THIRDWORLD COUNTRIES AND FOR WORLD PEACE".
VISION
How
the council can be of help in supporting the vision.
The
evolvement of our mission statement has a conclusion of several brainstorming
sessions within the research community, internationally.
Our
vision has also been inspired through the factual findings of the
United Nations Organization (UNO)
3
out of 4 people in the least developed countries today are dying before
the age of 50
Health status between the Rich and the Poor becoming wider before half
a century ago
Increased longevity without quality of life.
Political
commitment
Growing
interaction between the countries.
Instant communication
IRPC-Main
Objective
To
fight relentlessly for the social and economic development of the emerging
economies by promoting research and developmental (R&D) programs in
science, medicine and other related areas.
Major
thrust areas
- To
promote research activities in science and medicine
- To
implement R&D projects in the developing and under developed economies.
Our
mission objectives are also supported mainly by the international fraternity
decisions.
- Priority
should be given to promote Research and Developmental activities in
science and healthcare to the problems related to the emerging economies.
- Promote
the fraternity of the emerging economies by supporting research through
infrastructure provisions.
- Rehearsal
motivation to researchers and scientists of developed countries to reach
beyond the.international boundaries in search of genuine problems of
the people of the emerging economies, which constitutes the majority
of world community.
- To
propagate the council’s (IRPC) commitment to promote and encourage
an international brotherhood through developing a sense of belonging,
social responsibility, competitiveness and self motivation among the
leading scientists of all countries to the needs of the emerging economies.
- IRPC
expects the scientists of the world to spend part of their research
activities to manage the unresolved problems of the developing economies.
We
expect the scientists from all around the globe to support the noble objectives
of the council (IRPC) to bring healthcare reachable to international community
of the needy.
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