2 hrs ago
BMJ South Asia Forum Urges Health Research With Real-World Impact
The forum was a meeting about making health research useful in everyday life.
People discussed how research should improve patient care, health systems and government decisions.
They said publishing a study is not enough if nobody uses its findings.
Researchers should work with doctors, policymakers and communities from the beginning.
Speakers also said health research must address the needs of poorer and vulnerable communities.
New tools such as artificial intelligence should be used carefully and honestly.
The meeting also highlighted the need to train researchers outside India’s biggest institutions.
Awards recognised projects that had already made a practical difference in healthcare.
The BMJ Research Forum South Asia 2026 was held in New Delhi under the theme “Driving Real-World Impact from Health Research in India.”
Researchers, clinicians, policymakers, funders, editors, healthcare leaders and community representatives discussed how to turn evidence into better care and health policy.
Speakers called for stronger implementation research, wider research capacity, community involvement, research integrity and responsible artificial intelligence use.
Participants highlighted quality, equity, access and out-of-pocket costs affecting vulnerable communities in rural, peri-urban and tribal areas.
The BMJ South Asia Awards 2026 recognised initiatives in sustainability, surgical safety, digital health, primary care, maternal and child health, education and research.
- Who
- Researchers, clinicians, healthcare leaders, policymakers, editors, funders and community representatives, along with BMJ organisers, participated.
- What
- The BMJ Research Forum South Asia 2026 examined how to translate health research into better patient outcomes, health systems and policies.
- Where
- New Delhi, India.
- When
- The forum was held on September 8 in connection with the 2026 programme.
- Why
- Participants sought to close the gap between published evidence and its practical use in healthcare and policy.
Key facts
- Forum
- BMJ Research Forum South Asia 2026
- Theme
- Driving Real-World Impact from Health Research in India
- Location
- New Delhi, India
- Priority areas
- Implementation research, patient outcomes, research capacity, policy engagement, community involvement, research integrity and responsible artificial intelligence
- Communities highlighted
- Vulnerable and marginalised populations in peri-urban, rural and tribal areas
- Related event
- BMJ South Asia Awards 2026
- Recognised research
- The YCMAP intervention among adolescents after self-harm in Pakistan and the Rotavac vaccine’s impact in India’s Universal Immunization Programme during 2016–2020
Quotes
Dr Vikram Datta
Director Professor and Medical Superintendent, Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi
“For a young researcher, it is important to understand national frameworks and guidelines, but equally important to understand what happens at the point of care. The question we should be asking is not only whether we have done good research, but how that research will reach the community and the setting for which it was intended.”
theprint.in
“Health research has to respond to the priorities of the people it is meant to serve. There are significant questions around quality, equity and out-of-pocket expenditure, particularly for vulnerable and marginalised communities in peri-urban, rural and tribal areas.”
theprint.in
Lt Gen Dr Madhuri Kanitkar
Former Vice-Chancellor, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences
“India contributes to nearly a sixth of the world’s population. Strengthening our contribution to health research could have a significant impact, not only in India but on health systems globally. We have seen what India can achieve through vaccines and generic medicines, and are now advancing in areas such as cell and gene therapy.”
theprint.in
Sources
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