NML-ERMED consortium makes 228 e-journals easily accessible

NEW DELHI: The Union secretary for Family and Health Welfare Rajesh Bhushan has inaugurated the third national conference, “ERMED Consortium: Digital Health Resources: A reality”. For 71 states and centrally funded government institutions, including the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), the National Medical Library’s Electronic Resources in Medicine (NML-ERMED) Consortium will assist in providing access to 228 e-Journals that are available timelessly.
During the inauguration, he congratulated NML for the expansion and transformation of libraries during the pandemic. The shifting of resources from print to electronic form has been quite rapid in the recent scenario. While speaking on adopting the practices of global technologies along with local needs, he said, “We must not lose sight of the bigger picture that India is perhaps one of the few countries in the world that are observing the significant expansion of medical institutions in recent times. Hence, we must be careful in adopting global technological practices and must take into account our local needs.”
During the occasion, he also praised the CoWIN platform which has served India by preserving the digital records of more than 2 billion vaccine doses. He urged the stakeholders to develop similar digital platforms and create Indian-centric approaches that will dominate the digital sphere. He pointed out that the Government of India is expanding Electronic ICUs or tele-ICUs and Teleconsultations to guarantee the easy accessibility of healthcare services.
The main goal of ERMED is to support medical colleges in their efforts to adhere to NMC guidelines, standardise care across all clinicians, reduce variability in care, enable safe patient care, promote appropriate drug use and prescribing behaviour, reduce medical errors, and so on. The government has also provided the necessary funding for access to electronic journals under the NML-ERMED consortium.