Come out of conventional thinking, Minister tells scientists

Bangalore, Apr 13 (UNI) Karnataka Medical Education Minister Dr V S Acharya today called upon scientists to come out of conventional thinking and repetitive research to develop drugs affordable to the common man.

''With the country undergoing transition following globalisation, scientists should find cheap and safety drugs and should give up conventional thinking and repetitive research, he said, inaugurating a three-day 'National Conference on Parasitic Diseases', organised jointly by Janardhana Foundation, an NGO, in association with the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences and Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department here.

Dr Acharya said parasitic diseases posed a grave threat to the development of the country, especially for developing countries which were in transition.

He said systematic, well planned and cost-effective measures were necessary to tackle the situation. ''Creating awareness about parasitic diseases, especially in rural areas, is a big challenge which everybody has to face boldly.'' Over 250 delegates were participating in the Conference, in which about 50 papers were expected to be presented and deliberated upon.

UNI