Award for Independent Research - What it means to me

I wish to share some thoughts on how I look at having received an award from the Ministry of AYUSH, from the hands of honorable Vice President of India.
(I don’t look at it as any personal achievement.)

1. This recognized the efforts of an independent researcher not working full time at any institution, university or college, but a clinician conceptualizing and coordinating the research with several institutions. I’m not a scientist but a researcher, a full-time clinician.This appreciation should encourage many more scientific-minded clinicians to explore research in collaboration with other institutions.
2. This award is for New Drug Research in developing Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Nosode. This is a big thing for many reasons. This marks the scientific-revisiting of Nosodes using the modern technology.
3. This is first ever new Nosode ever developed systematically in the world in last 50 years.
4. This is the first major new homeopathic drug ever developed in India.
5. The Indian government and the profession have finally recognized the importance of New Drug Research, that too in the Nosode category.
6. The Nosode was developed at highly reputed Government body, Haffkin Institute, which also makes BCG vaccine. That means the Conventional medical research body has helped to make the Homeopathic Nosode. This is historical.
7. Many more Nosodes can be expected to bring a revolution.
8. This new Nosode is one of the series of several, namely HIV Nosode, Hepatitis C Nosode, Malaria Nosode, Cancer Nosode, and more.
9. The recognition has opened doors to the era of new Nosodes, from India.
10. This research is for revamping the existing Tuberculinum Nosode, also recognizing the need for remaking all other existing Nosodes.
11. This step will also facilitate further setting up the regulation for New Drug Development in India, for which I’m striving for over a decade.
12. This will hopefully encourage more research by researchers, scientists, institutions, pharmaceuticals, and clinicians in many parts of the world.

Honestly, this award is not a sign of any personal achievement to me. More importantly, I’m looking at it as a mark of the beginning of recognizing the need for New Drug Research in Homeopathy. My dream is to have a wide range of new Nosodes scientifically processed, researched, introduced and brought formally to the medical profession benefitting millions of patients now and in future.
(My sincere thanks to various scientists, institutions, coinvestigators, ethical board, technicians, and colleagues who contributed to the work.)

- Dr Rajesh Shah, MD (from his Facebook post)

Related links:

1.  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1475491616000175
2.  https://m.timesofindia.com/city/mumbai/Haffkine-comes-up-with-homeo-drug-for-TB/amp_articleshow/46648115.cms
3.  http://www.ijrh.org/article.asp?issn=0974-7168;year=2017;volume=11;issue=3;spage=203;epage=205;aulast=Shah
4.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23870381/