Context: Recently, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) launched the “First in the World Challenge” to encourage Indian scientists to propose innovative solutions to complex health issues.

About scheme

• The scheme seeks bold, novel ideas for global-impact innovations in biomedical fields, including new vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, and other health technologies.

• Criteria: Only proposals for unique, groundbreaking research and technologies will be funded.

• Proposals aimed at incremental improvements or minor process innovations are ineligible.

• High-Risk, High-Reward: The initiative embraces a high-risk, high-reward approach, aiming for pioneering breakthroughs even if some projects may not succeed.

• Eligibility: Proposals can be submitted by individuals or teams from single or multiple institutions.

• Selection Committee: A selection panel comprising renowned experts, innovators, policymakers, and biomedical scientists will review proposals.

National Medical Register (NMR) Issues

• The NMR, maintained by the National Medical Commission (NMC) and set up by the Union Health Ministry, is a centralized, dynamic database of all licensed allopathic doctors in India.

• Current Problem: Doctors face issues registering due to Aadhaar and state medical board detail mismatches, such as name spelling discrepancies.

• Authentication and Delay: The NMR uses Aadhaar for verification, requiring doctors to file affidavits to verify identity, leading to delays.i

Healthcare system in india 

• India’s healthcare industry includes hospitals, medical devices, clinical trials, outsourcing, telemedicine, medical tourism, health insurance, and medical equipment.

• Growth Drivers: The sector is growing rapidly due to expanded coverage, improved services, and increased investment by both public and private entities.

• Rising lifestyle diseases, need for affordable healthcare, technological advances, telemedicine, health insurance penetration, government initiatives, tax benefits, and incentives are boosting the market.

• Immunization Program: The Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) targets 26.7 million newborns and 29 million pregnant women annually, providing vaccines for 12 preventable diseases at no cost.

• Hospital Sector Growth: Expected to reach INR 18,348.78 billion by FY 2027, with a CAGR of 18.24%.

• Telemedicine Market: Expected to grow at a 31% CAGR, reaching $5.4 billion by 2025.

• National Digital Health Blueprint: Could generate over $200 billion in economic value over the next 10 years.

• Ayushman Bharat Scheme: India has the world’s largest government-supported health insurance scheme.

• Medical Education Investment: INR 17,691.08 crore invested in 157 new medical colleges since 2014.

• FDI Policy: 100% FDI allowed under the automatic route for greenfield projects.

• Medical Value Travel (MVT): India is a top destination for MVT, attracting global patients under the “Heal in India” initiative