Medical research in the country just got a boost in the virtual world. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) and the Directorate General of Health Services on Tuesday launched Electronic Resources in Medicine Consortium (ERMED) that would not only provide easy access to 1,600 medical journals from across the world but also make online journal literature available to medical scholars working in the country through electronic media.

The project developed by National Medical Library will help develop nationwide electronic information resources in the field of medicine for delivering effective health care. Around 39 Centrally-funded government institutions, including 10 DGHS libraries and 28 ICMR libraries, are selected at the initial stage as its core members. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences library in New Delhi is also a member.

The MOHFW will provide the fund required for the purchase of electronic journals under the consortium project for the year 2008. Payment for next year would depend on utilisation of resources by each member, officials said.