Medical and Health Journals publish articles about research work, rare case reports and other commentaries related to different diseases as well as on general health. They also give information about developments with regard to new treatments and cures for various ailments. Depending on the association that publishes them, journals are available in book form or through the Internet. Some journals provide unrestricted access and are available online for free. This allows people to have up to date knowledge about latest developments in the field of medicine.

Research Studies on health are conducted by research centres and educational institutions as well as by different associations, hospitals and individuals. The findings of these research studies are published and are available at most libraries. Information about path breaking research studies are printed as articles in medical journals for the benefit of the entire medical community.

Those who cannot afford to subscribe to expensive medical journals and other volumes on medicine can access the same at libraries. There are some libraries that are exclusively dedicated to the field of health and medicine. Other libraries have a Health Section, where you will find reading matter on different aspects of health care.   

For a list of major journals, research studies and libraries in India, one may visit the relevant section below.

The government has a website called ‘medIND’ through which certain biomedical journals are available online. This website is meant to be a one point resource of peer reviewed Indian biomedical literature covering full text of IndMED journals. It has been designed to provide quick and easy access through searching or browsing. Here is a list of the journals available on medIND –

In India, the main body that conducts research studies in the field of medicine is the Indian Council of Medical Research. This council consists of around 25 institutes and research centres. These bodies are involved in research activities for specific diseases such as malaria, cholera, leprosy as well as for general health issues like nutrition, genetics and statistics. For more information about the institutes and research centres under the Indian Council of Medical Research, click here.

Other than these centres, research studies are also conducted by government hospitals, private hospitals, international organizations, non governmental organizations and other bodies. Here is a short list of some other organizations that conduct research studies in the field of health and medicine -

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization is responsible for laying down standards, regulatory measures and regulating the market authorization of new drugs. It formulates a list of medicines that have been approved for marketing in India. The organization also has a list of banned drugs that are prohibited from manufacture and sale in the country. Before taking any medicines, it is important to check that the drugs prescribed by your doctor are government approved. This helps to avoid complications and medical emergencies in future.