• Question: Has the MRC helped to improve medical and health standards in developing countries, and if so, what have they done and how have the standards improved?

    Asked by chaddar to Lilly on 10 Mar 2014.
    • Photo: Lilian Hunt

      Lilian Hunt answered on 10 Mar 2014:

      This is such a good question and basically yes! The medical research council not only funds research that will help medical and health standards in the UK but also worldwide in general. There are MRC units in both Gambia and Uganda that work specifically in researching diseases with major impact in the developing world. I know at the National Institute for Medical Research where I work, the MRC funds a massive amount of research in malaria, a disease that is devastating to many developing countries.

      In addition to the every day research that can help worldwide, the MRC also has a specific Global Health Research objective (http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Ourresearch/Globalhealth/index.htm). It’s really incredible as they spend about £48million per year on work that aims to improve health in low and middle income countries.

      I may be biased when I say the MRC and NIMR are one of the best employers around, but the fact is they do look at their research on having a global impact and benefiting so many people 🙂

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