Investing in Education and Research in LMICs Could Boost Global Health, Study Reveals

This review highlights the urgent need for interventions to address them. The study, set to be published in the September 2024 issue of the National Board of Examination - Journal of Medical Sciences, is being shared with our news portal in advance by the author.

“By investing in education, training, and research infrastructure in LMICs, we can enhance their capacity to conduct high-quality research and contribute to global health initiatives,” the lead author Professor Dr. Raju Vaishya, Department of Orthopaedics, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi, told Medical Dialogues.

He suggested that “fostering partnerships between researchers from HICs and LMICs can facilitate knowledge exchange and accelerate progress in addressing global health challenges.”

Mentioning the global implication the lead author said “The disparities in biomedical research output lead to unequal access to healthcare, particularly for diseases that disproportionately affect LMICs. This can exacerbate health inequities and hinder the development of effective interventions for global health challenges. Additionally, the lack of research capacity in LMICs can limit their ability to contribute to the global knowledge base and drive innovation.”

To examine the factors behind the disparities and suggest possible solutions to address this global imbalance, Dr. Raju Vaishya and his team authored a review article.

In the review article, researchers identified these factors contributing to disparities:

• Unequal funding between HICs and LMICs.
• LMICs lack advanced infrastructure and technology, widening the research output gap compared to HICs.
• Developed countries have extensive networks for collaboration, while UMICs and LMICs struggle with forming global partnerships, limiting their access to expertise.
• Developed countries lead in high-impact publications, while researchers from developing nations face challenges in gaining recognition and citations.
• Global health research often focuses on diseases affecting wealthier regions, ignoring those prevalent in resource-limited settings.

To bridge the gap:

• Provide financial support for local research, invest in infrastructure, and offer scholarships for LMIC researchers.
• Focus on technology transfer and knowledge exchange to help LMICs improve their research capabilities.
• Support capacity-building programs and enhance data collection and analysis infrastructure, as seen with the Global Fund's HIV surveillance systems.
• Encourage inclusive collaborations, such as those by the African Center of Excellence, India-US Science and Technology Cooperation, and Brazil's Human Genome Project, which lead to impactful research.
• Developing countries, despite being behind, show potential due to high research output; increased investment could enhance their contributions, with Brazil, India, and South Africa making notable progress.

Dr. Raju Vaishya concluded that “This particular analysis was driven by a desire to provide a comprehensive overview of the factors contributing to this disparity and to identify potential solutions. By understanding the root causes of this inequality, we can develop more targeted interventions to address it and improve global health outcomes." 

Reference: Vaishya, R., Sharma, D., Sibal, A., Puri, B., Muralidharan, M., & Vaish, A. (2024). Enhancing global biomedical research: Educational strategies for bridging the gap between HICs and LMICs.Journal of Medical Sciences, 2(9). https://doi.org/10.61770/NBEJMS.2024.v02.i09.xxx