Media statement

Speech by Dr Ali Dhansay, Action President, MRC launch for the MRC National Collaborative Research Programme on Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, Zevenwacht, 29 January 2010

• Distinguished guests
• International and South African course presenters,
• Workshop delegates,
• Representatives of the media, and
• Ladies and gentlemen

On behalf of the South African Medical Research Council (MRC), the National Department of Health, and the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University, Canada, I would like to welcome you to this launch.

The purpose of the briefing is to announce the launch of the newly established National Collaborative Research Programme (NCRP) in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases of the MRC.  As a precursor to this event, the MRC and the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University, Canada, have joined forces to present an International Course on Health Research Methodology which is being held at this venue over the coming days.

This launch is the culmination of two MRC sponsored workshops of key stakeholders and leading cardiovascular and metabolic researchers in South Africa and abroad.  This process resulted in a business plan for the NCRP which was approved by the MRC Board in 2009.  I wish to express my gratitude to Prof Bongani Mayosi for spearheading this initiative and look forward to his continued role in further developing the NCRP.

Ladies and gentlemen, studies show that cardiovascular and metabolic diseases amongst South Africans are increasing at an alarming rate.  This appears to be a world-wide trend and particularly pronounced in developing world countries.

Heart disease, diabetes, and stroke together constitute the second most important cause of death in adult South Africans. Data released by Statistics South Africa for 1999–2006 indicate by 2003, premature adult deaths—that is, deaths of 15–64 year-olds—from stroke and ischaemic heart disease increased by 28% and 17%, respectively, but decreased in subsequent years. By contrast, sustained increases were seen from 1999-2006 for the following diseases: 38% for diabetes, 20% for hypertensive heart disease, 23% for ill-defined heart diseases, and 67% for kidney disease.

The NCRP is one of several research initiatives that the MRC has identified as a national strategic research objective.  NCRPs are designed to address major national strategic health, disease, or systems priorities and they constitute one of the principal mechanisms for the alignment of the strategic objectives of the MRC with the Departments of Health and Science and Technology, and with the national system of innovation in general. The expected outcomes should normally address the three focal areas of the new strategy of the MRC, which are: Population Health, Disease and Disease Mechanisms, and Health Systems, Settings and Policy. The intersection of these is represented by Research Capacity Development, exemplified by the workshop being held today.

The purpose of the NCRPs is to constitute a national base of leading investigators in the field, comprising intra- and extramural MRC unit directors and other entities and scholars whose objectives are in alignment with those of the MRC. The lifespan of an MRC NCRP will be determined by the objectives of the individual programme and will be subject to review at predetermined intervals by the participating principal investigators and the MRC. The MRC will collaborate with partners such as the National Department of Health, the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Trade and Industry, among others to obtain funding support for such entities.

The mission of the NCRP is ‘to formulate and apply an integrated programme of research and capacity development in order to improve the prevention, understanding, detection and management of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders in South Africa.

The key objectives of the NCRP on Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease are:

• to understand the mechanisms and measure the burden of cardiovascular and metabolic disease;
• to generate knowledge and translate the evidence into policy and practice;
• to develop and evaluate interventions for the prevention, detection, and management of cardiovascular and metabolic disease;
• to utilise conditions and challenges that are unique to the South African environment;
• to develop research capacity and interdisciplinary collaboration and,
• to develop and adopt new health technological approaches to cardiovascular and metabolic disease.

In keeping with these objectives, the overarching priority of the NCRP will be to build a strong cadre of cardiovascular and metabolic researchers and a strong epidemiological base at a national level.  This will be achieved through the four ‘pillars’ of the NCRP, namely,

• Establishing Epidemiological Studies to ‘track and fast-track’ the epidemiological transition at a population, clinical, laboratory, and behavioural levels;
• Providing Research Career Development funding for doctoral, postdoctoral, mid career fellowships, and Research Chairs;
• Creating a Research Support Programme through biostatistical and epidemiological support for ongoing projects to improve the quality and outputs of existing work and,
• Supporting a Research Training Programme through short-courses, workshops like the one being held here, seminars, and conferences.

Going forward, the MRC has interviewed candidates for the post of the Director of the NCRP and has made an offer to the preferred candidate.  In the short term, the MRC is providing seed money of R400 000 per year to fund the operational activities of the NCRP.  One of the key responsibilities of the Director will be to raise substantial funds for research activities.

We are very grateful to AstraZeneca for providing an unrestricted educational grant to fund the workshop and for future funding that has been committed for capacity building in this area of research.  We look forward to their continued support of cardiovascular and metabolic disease research in South Africa.

In closing, I would like to extend my thanks to Professor Bongani Mayosi and the organising committee for their sterling work in arranging the workshop, and to the MRC media team led by Julian Jacobs for arranging this function.

END

For more information contact: Julian Jacobs on 082 454 4902.