The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has sanctioned a Model Rural Health Research Unit (MRHRU) and five research rural health research projects in Chhattisgarh.

MRHRU will be set up at Jhinth in Patan block of Durg district, the funds for which will be provided by ICMR.

It is being established in each state for research related to health problems of rural areas.

A MoU was signed to execute the project, Dr Arvind Neral, Chairman of Local Research Advisory Committee, said.

Dr Neral said Prof. L.V.K.S. Bhaskar of Guru Ghasidas University, Bilaspur, will work on the project ‘Molecular Correlation of Malaria and Sickle Cell Anemia in Patan Block’.

Dr. Jayshree R. Ghate, Additional Professor, Department of Physiology, AIIMS, Raipur, will study the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the Scheduled Tribes and Non-Scheduled Tribes population of Chhattisgarh.

Prof Kamlesh Jain, Department of Community Medicine, Pt Jawahar Lal Memorial Medical College, Raipur, and Dr. Vinay Rathod, Nephrologist at AIIMS Raipur, will analyze chronic kidney diseases due to unknown reasons in two blocks of Gariaband district.

Prof Nirmal Verma, Head of the Department of Community Medicine, Pt Jawahar Lal Memorial Medical College, will conduct a scientific analysis of the lifestyle and health related quality of life of people with sickle cell disease in Jheet Community Centre, Patan.

Dr. Dharmendra Gavai of the State Health Services will study the psychological impact of people infected with the Covid-19 in rural areas.