Govt should fund institute to save foreign exchange on test kits –Obafunwa
I’ll prioritise staff welfare, expansion of facilities –DG

VISION Despite the funding challenges facing the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), the new Director-General, while unveiling his vision, spoke of plans to turn the institute to centre of excellence in medical research

Efforts and plans contingent in the drive to reposition and transform the National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, Lagos, to a Centre of Excellence in medical research that will impact the nation’s quest for improved medical research for enhanced health sector have unfolded.

Expectedly, the institute, according to the newly appointed Director-General, Prof John Oladapo Obafunwa, apart from massive infrastructural development drive, will witness a wholesome revolution that would deepen and upscale medical research profile in line with its core mandate.

The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), a reputable point of reference in basic, applied and operational research for promoting nation health and development in Nigeria, was established by the Federal Government in 1977 to play a vital role in developing viable structure for the dissemination of research findings towards promoting national health standards and developments.

However, to some stakeholders, the institute, given its core mandate, has been bogged down by lack of adequate funding on the part of the government and riddled Despite these challenges, he noted that a lot could be done in terms of medical research in NIMR, given the current disposition and drive of the Health Minister towards adequate funding of the system.

“What we need to do is to put our money where our mouth is. With the present administration things will definitely change for the better in the sector,” Obafunwa stated. with certain internal infractions, especially the JAPA syndrome, poor staff welfare, lack of space and alleged favouritism on the part of the management, among others. But, the Director-General, who expressed worry over poor attitude to medical health research, noted that the government and Africa, by extension, have not really been funding medical health research appropriately

Vision

But, expressing optimism, Obafunwa, a Professor of Forensic Pathology and former Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University (LASU), while unveiling his administration’s vision, said the policy thrust would basically be anchored on People, Process and Product.

To achieve the policy thrust, his administration would focus mainly on welfarism, transparency, and development of infrastructure that would fast-track quality medical research. Similarly, he stated that part of his administration’s focus is to streamline things administratively in NIMR in order to harmonise our activities where all categories of staff are to be carried along.

“We have a lot of hardworking staff, but how can we harness and leverage the potential of the hardworking, committed and dedicated staff for optimal performance? That will be my administration’s focus,” the DirectorGeneral stated. In view of this, he said his administration would prioritise the welfare of staff by fostering an enabling working environment that would bolster research profile of the institute, and enhance the well-being of workers with a view to reposition the institute for optimal delivery.

In the area of infrastructure, the Director-General, who pointed out that though a lot had been done in that direction, however, added more focus would still be on development of more buildings and expansion of the structures to address the challenges of space constraints confronting the institute.

NIMR is doing a lot in the area of medical research

Obafunwa, who harped on the need for more building structures, spoke of the challenges for the institute to acquire more equipment due to lack of adequate space to house or keep such equipment and reagents for research and production of test kits.

Towards this end, he noted that a lot of the old buildings need to be expanded and renovated, while the available plots of land will be used to build structures that will be built vertically in order to provide more laboratory spaces where such equipment could at least be stored so as to meet the critical needs of the institute in this area.

Besides, the Director-General added that the issue of staff accommodation is germane to his administration, and hence, the management has been thinking of what to do in that direction, even as he saying that a situation in which all the key staff reside in the institute would be joy as this would also serve as an advantage for them to work more.

Consequently, given the acute problem of transportation facing the staff, he therefore, appealed to the government and wellmeaning individuals, to as part of his administration’s drive to enhance staff motivation, provide and donated at least four Coaster buses to the institute to take care the transport needs of members of staff living along Mowe/Berger axis, Mile2/Badagry axis, Iyana-Ipaja/ Sango axis and Lekki/Ajah/VI axis, as well as Ikorodu axis.

“I will be happy if this is done,” he said, even as he lauded the institute researchers and other categories of staff, whom he acknowledged have the potential to leapfrog the institute to a centre of excellence. On his administration’s relationship with the staff union, the Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI), the DirectorGeneral said the management is already looking into ways to address their needs.

“I have a lot of respect for them (union), hence the administration is looking into the welfare package and motivation that will move the institute forward,” he noted. Meanwhile, to bolster the research drive, Obafunwa added: “So, I am appealing to the government, individuals and organisations to come to the assistance of NIMR by funding our research.

I call on our rich people and organisations to donate and provide us with research grants, which they would be remembered for and immortalised.” As part of his administration’s vision, he explained further that his concern now is how to stimulate medical research that would immediately impact the life of an average Nigerian in their day-to-day medical needs, and not on esoteric research that has a long-term impact or that will not have immediate influence on the health of the people.

For instance, he stated that what the institute planned to do presently is to raise the concern on Prostate Cancer, especially in the areas of predictive indices, and tests to carry out so as to be guided against the killer disease in terms of prevention given the spate of its affliction in men, which has readily been put in the front-burner of activities by the institute.

“I believe in research that will impact on average Nigerians now in their day-to-day life. What we want to do now along with my colleagues in the institute, which we have deliberated on, is to research prostate cancer in terms of its predictive indices in order to be guided against its occurrence,” he noted.

Issues

Speaking on some of the contending issues he inherited from the past administration and the need to address them, particularly issue concerning the position of the Deputy Director-General (DDG) created by the immediate past Director-General, Prof Babatunde Salako, which has continued to generate disaffection among some senior staff members, who nsisted the appointment should have been based on seniority, Obafunwa explained that though the position was created outside the civil service rule, it is purely on administrative and structural convenience.

According to him, like in the university system, which the staff are equating their structure, the appointment of Deputy Vice-Chancellors is usually based on election by the university Senate as presented by the Vice-Chancellor, and rather based on who he feels could work effectively with him and not by seniority. Similarly, on research grants, Obafunwa noted that the institute researchers usually seek and write research proposals for grants and awards from various bodies internationally and locally for impact research which is monitored by the donor agencies based on the researchers’ reports.

However, he further explained that the institute also established grants and awards systems to assist researchers, particularly for junior researchers to pursue their Masters or PhD, and other researchers in various categories for research.

These research grants and awards, according to the DirectorGeneral, are allocated or awarded based on recommendations of a Committee of both internal and external assessors raised by NIMR for that purpose as a reward system for those who develop test kits, while the process is devoid of favouritism.

Added to this, is the issue of JAPA syndrome, which NIMR is not immune to, has in recent times impacted the institute negatively, owing to the number of staff that have left for other countries for greener pastures. Based on this, the DirectorGeneral, who expressed anxieties over the negative impact on the institute’s activities, told New Telegraph that no fewer than seven researchers recently left the institute for further studies overseas, who are not likely to return to the institute, given their body language.

But, to address this nagging development that has resulted in the depletion of the institute’s researchers, Obafunwa spoke of the need to bring back those researchers and retain the existing ones by encouraging them through proper motivation and welfare, as well as adequate funding of research, provision of enabling environment such as accommodation facilities.

Research efforts

Basking in the euphoria of the sterling achievements and efforts of NIMR so far, the DirectorGeneral said despite the funding challenges, the institute which has continued to grow in leaps and bounds has the personnel, potential and capacity to develop and produce test kits for analysis of any diseases, if well-funded.

Obafunwa insisted that if the NIMR is funded adequately, the nation would save a lot of foreign exchange because it would no longer have to import test kits, or to send tests outside the country for analysis, which reports usually take a longer period to get back to the institute.

The Director-General, who stated further that NIMR is doing a lot in medical research, and recalled that the institute has developed test kits for Hepatitis B, however, added that NIMR also developed the test kits for Mpox, which could conduct 500 tests at once. “The test kits have been validated by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The test kits developed by NIMR have the capacity to conduct at least 500 tests at a go,” he stressed, saying the institute has also conducted research and developed test kits on a series of diseases, including HIV, Hepatitis B, Malaria, Diarrhea, TB, among others.

Obafunwa, who also spoke of his administration’s concerns to stimulate medical, in an exclusive interview with New Telegraph, stated that the contemporary issues raised on Human Papillomavirus (HPV) would be looked into critically, while Malaria Vaccines and drugs being shipped or brought into Africa will be analysed to determine or prove if such drugs and vaccines are in order since the institute has the equipment to do such analysis.

He said: “NIMR is doing a lot in the area of medical research. The analysis on COVID-19 was done and documented first in NIMR. Also, the test kits for Hepatitis B (HB) were developed in NIMR, and if well-funded the institute has the capacity to produce these kits massively and not to rely on importation of the kits, which is causing the institute and country a lot of foreign exchange. “For Mpox, NIMR has developed the test kits for the disease.

This has been done even before I resumed here as the Director-General. We don’t need to import test kits and anything. The kits only need to be further revealed or exposed.” As part of his vision to transform and reposition the institute, the Director-General said there are ongoing attempts to rationalise the Centre of Excellence in NIMR through the development of Medicolegal Centre of Excellence in the area of Crime Application of medical and sciences to solve crime.

The Professor of Forensic Pathology, who explained ‘Medicolegal’ as the use of science technology in solving crimes, stated that nothing serious is yet going on in Nigeria in the area, as the country still sends analysis abroad with high foreign exchange, and the reports take months to be returned.

“We can do the analysis in NIMR. We have the equipment and personnel who can handle the analysis. We only need reorientation to rethink, retweet, and reset our forensic way of thought as an institute in the areas of Forensic Chemistry, Forensic Pathology, Ballistics, among others, as there yet to be a centre in the country where gunshot could be analysed.

But, at NIMR we have the personnel, and the institute can be used to train more personnel. However, this will be based on availability of funds from the government,” he stated. As an institute, the DirectorGeneral said the NIMR also has the potential to train people/ researchers in the application of scientific technology to solve crime, since the institute has the equipment and personnel to handle such, NIMR can develop a Molecular Laboratory with the necessary funding support from the government.

“The laboratory has the capacity to generate money for the country. And, not for us to go abroad for these things. However, the government must be ready to fund the institute,” he added. He spoke of his administration’s plans to upscale Clinical Trial at NIMR in order to see the manifestation and efficacy of certain drugs, saying: “I want to see the analysis of a particular clinical trial with alleged clinical effect.

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