Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath bats for research unit like NIV

LUCKNOW: Taking a strong note of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and looking for a long-term policy change in public health, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday batted for developing an advance centre for viral research and therapeutics.
At a meeting with top officials, the CM laid emphasis on the need for having a long-term strategy to counter viral and vector borne diseases. “Viral diseases remain a key health challenge for authorities across the world. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is just an example to prove the extent of the challenge, the CM said.
“Then there are problems like Japanese Encephalitis and dengue which also need to be addressed,” the CM further said adding that high quality research can offer a solution to these problems.
At present, the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune is the only institution in the country capable of providing a well-coordinated medical and public health response to address regional, national and global needs in virology, diagnostic research and therapeutic evaluations.
He directed chief secretary RK Tewari and additional chief secretaries of technical education and finance departments to draw a detailed plan for the same. He also told them to undertake detailed discussions with the best brains from Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University and King George’s Medical University and brainstorm over the issue.
Earlier in April, the Punjab government also proposed to set up a centre for advanced research in viral diseases. He also sent a Rs 550 crore proposal to the Union government and promised to provide a land for the same free of cost.