Science-based leadership and policy needed: Soumya Swaminathan

National leadership and policy, should be science-based, World Health Organisation (WHO) Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan said on Saturday.

In her address at the 37th annual convocation of Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) at Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, Swaminathan said that leadership and policy should follow evidence-based guidelines and be able to review new evidence as it emerges, with adaptability to have a grip on a pandemic as dynamic as COVID 19.

The convocation of SCTIMST, run by the Union Ministry of Science and Technology, was held online. 

It is to be noted that Swaminathan made the comments at a Central Government-run institute, while many members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have been making unscientific statements about COVID 19, its prevention and cure.

The eminent scientist said that the absence of the science-based leadership[ and policies, "despite having so many tools of science and technology, nations were not able to bring the pandemic under control."

Dr Swaminathan said that the pandemic taught the world the importance of compassion and humble approach, while dealing with a contagion that often remained beyond the control and means of nations.

The lessons from the pandemic were several and nations had learnt how important it is to have good communication and community engagements, without which long-term behavioural change, one of the primary tools of battling this pandemic-cannot be brought about in the community, she stated.

According to her, the pandemic brought out the need for a strong regulatory system for research and clinical trials.

She sought a transparent, science-based regulatory system in every country, headed by a scientist, who is independent and without any conflict of interests, as vaccines and drugs should be approved on the basis of highest scrutiny.

She also emphasised that need to have a strong public health institute and a public health cadre linked to National Centre for Disease Control.

"The COVID 19 pandemic has shown how important it is for all nations to strengthen primary healthcare delivery systems," she said.

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