BY CHIOMA OBINNA & EBELE ONUORAH

A medical expert has asserted that prioritising medical research would improve the country’s poor health indices and drive development in general.

Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Prof. Innocent Ujah who made the assertion in a chat with Good Health Weekly on his first year in office noted that ill health and disease are now recognised as barriers to economic growth in developing countries like Nigeria and planning on estimation may cause more harm than good.Ujah  regretted that one factor responsible for non availability of accurate data in the country was due to lack of interest and funding for research.

He hinted that medical research is one major tool to fighting diseases as well as making better policies for general development of a country. Ujah who noted that in most countries of the world 90 per cent of the resources are channelled to research stating that his one as year as DG of a research institute has shown that Nigeria is yet to appreciate research.

His words, “We have the capacity to conduct research but there is no interest and we lack funding and funding is a major barrier to successful research because it is a very expensive venture.

In developed countries, a huge percent of about 90 percent of their funds go into research because they understand and believe that research drives development”.

He explained that due to lack of accurate data, Nigeria has continued to dwell on estimates which may affect proper planning.

The DG said his first year as DG has been used to create an enabling environment in the institute for health research to respond to national health priorities.

He disclosed that more cases of Multi Drug Resistant (MDR) – Tuberculosis (TB) as they are not responding to the traditional drugs adding that if nothing is done to prevent it the spread would be very deadly. “Poor funding is a big challenge and this is as a result of lack of appreciation of the value of research to national development. The earlier the government and national agencies and stakeholders know that without research the nation would not develop, the better for us.”