New Delhi, Apr 13: India and the United States today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on training and academic cooperation in military medicine that will open up new frontiers in research and education for armed forces of both the countries.
The agreement, signed between Indian Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) and the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences of USA (USUHS) here, will allow both the countries to share military medical experience, professional knowledge and facilities.
The collaboration conceptualises training and research work in areas like "biologicial warfare, management of emerging infectious diseases including aids, using state-of-the-art techniques, wound healing and tissue repair, and clinicial trial setups," Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services Lt Gen. Bhardwaj said.
He said the primary objective was to enhance the preparedness of military personnel, faculty and students of military medical colleges in India and the US and to establish long-term academic and personal relationship between the two countries.
Bolstered by both the countries' shared values and interests, Deputy Chief of US mission in India Robert O Blake said "the US and India are making great progress in transforming our relations into a comprehensive partnership".
"The collaboration between USUHS and AFMC is an important component of our overall collaboration in health. The benefits from our collaboration inevitably flow back to the citizens of both countries and, indeed, to the global community," he said.
"These are exiting times in US-India relations," Blake said adding such partnerships will add momentum to the overall bilateral relationship between the two countries.
He said India and the United States have made substantial progress in the health sector and the American military was also significantly engaged with Indian institutions on issue of health.
The Maryland-based USUHS has been collaborating with the central drug institute and industrial toxicology research centre at Lucknow and Birla Institute of Technology, Pilani for the last over two decades and these efforts have produced more than 50 scientific peer-reviewed papers, he said.
"This is the kind of working level partnership -- between physicians and researchers -- that enhances real opportunities to make significant advances in combating diseases," he added.
The agreement, signed by USUHS associate Dean Emmanuel Cassimatis and Lt Gen Bhardwaj, will be mutually beneficial for both the countries as it will encourage research, including in fields like cancer, malaria and other infectious diseases and training of doctors and specialists.
Bureau report
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