The Medical Research Council

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The Medical Research Council
Presentation to the Portfolio Committee on
Science and Technology March 16,
2005 http//www.mrc.ac.za
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VISION Building a healthy nation through
research MISSION To improve the nations
health status and quality of life through
relevant and excellent health research aimed at
promoting equity and development
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MRCBUILDING A HEALTHY NATION THROUGH RESEARCH

• A Statutory Council one of 9 Science
• Councils
• Established by Act of Parliament
• 9 of Science Vote
• Turnover R350 million (60 baseline)
• Staff 800
• 48 Intra- and Extra-mural Research Units

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Executive Management Committee
Board
President
Environment and Development Alcohol and Drug
Abuse Research Unit Exercise Science and Sports
Medicine Research Unit Health and Development
Research Group Health Promotion Research and
Development Group
Infection and Immunity HIV and AIDS Research Lead
Programme Clinical and Biomedical Tuberculosis
Research Unit Diarrhoeal Pathogens Research
Unit Genital Ulcer Disease Research Unit HIV
Prevention and Vaccine Research Unit South
African AIDS Vaccine Initiative Immunology of
Infectious Disease Research Unit Inflammation and
Immunity Research Unit Malaria Research Lead
Programme Operational and Policy Tuberculosis
Research Group Pneumococcal and Meningeal
Pathogens Research Unit South African Traditional
Medicines Research Unit Tuberculosis Research
Lead Programme
Non Communicable Disease Anxiety and Stress
Disorders Research Unit Cancer Epidemiology
Research Group Chronic Diseases of Lifestyle
Research Unit Crime, Violence and Injury Lead
Programme Diabetes Research Lead
Programme Interuniversity Cape Heart Research
Group Medical Imaging Research Unit PROMEC Unit
Molecules to Disease Bioinformatics Capacity
Development Research Unit Bone Research
Unit Centre for Molecular and Cellular
Biology Human Genetics Research Unit Human
Genomic Diversity and Disease Research Unit Liver
Research Centre Molecular Hepatology Research
Unit Molecular Mycobacteriology Research
Unit Oesophageal Cancer Research Group SA
MRC/British MRC Receptor Biology Research
Group Indigenous Knowledge Systems Research Lead
Programme
Woman and Child Health Gender and Health Research
Unit Maternal and Infant Health Care Strategies
Research Unit Mineral Metabolism Research
Unit Nutritional Intervention Research Unit
Health Systems and Policy Burden of Disease
Research Unit Biostatistics Unit Cochrane
Centre Health Policy Research Group Health
Systems Research Unit National Telemedicine Lead
Programme
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Variations in household
living conditions by province, 1999
  Source StatsSA
1999 October Household Survey  
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HIV prevalence levels by sex and age group in
2004
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Note RPR trends by age are shown from 1998 when
these became available
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Number of associated deaths for the ten leading
reported natural causes of death in 2001
Cause Deaths Percentage
Tuberculosis Influenza and pneumonia Other forms of heart disease Stroke Hypertensive heart disease Chronic bronchitis General Symptoms and Signs Ischaemic heart disease Resp and cardiac in perinatal period Diabetes mellitus HIV disease TOTAL 56 985 55 115 48 927 31 104 27 622 20 136 19 454 17 380 17 191 16 207 9 479 339 928 16.1 15.5 13.7 8.7 7.8 5.9 5.7 5.1 5.1 4.8 2.8 100
Source Statistics South Africa 2005
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Top 10 causes of death, South Africa 2000
National Burden of Disease Study, Total deaths
556 585
Cause Deaths Percentage
HIV/AIDS Ischaemic heart disease Homicide/violence Stroke Tuberculosis Lower respiratory infections Road traffic accidents Diarrhoeal diseases Hypertensive heart disease Diabetes mellitus 165 859 32 919 32 485 32 114 29 553 22 097 18 446 15 910 14 233 13 157 29.8 5.9 5.8 5.8 5.3 4.0 3.3 2.9 2.6 2.4
Source Bradshaw et al., 2003
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Estimated population pyramid, 2004
MRCBurden of Disease
Research Unit