Bangalore: Open-access peer-reviewed medical journal BMJ, which was originally called the British Medical Journal until the title was officially shortened in 1988, decided to invest in operations in India.

The BMJ Group, which is one of the world's leading healthcare knowledge providers, will recruit a managing director to head up its growing workforce in the country, and will also launch the BMJ Awards India during the first quarter of 2014 to recognize the best individuals and teams practising in Indian healthcare.

BMJ Awards has been long-established in BMJ Group's home market, the UK, and has even attracted winning entries directly from India in recent years. That's why the company believes it's time for India to have its own awards programme to showcase excellence in healthcare. "We hope to make it the ‘Oscars' of Indian medicine", says Mr Tim Brooks, BMJ Group CEO.

He added, ‘We are excited to take our investment in India to the next level BMJ already enjoys high readership and recognition among healthcare professionals in India. Our growing presence in the subcontinent will be strengthened by the appointment of an MD, based at our head office in Delhi."

The BMJ is one of the most respected general medical journals in the world with a weekly print circulation of 122,000 and with 1.2 million monthly visitors to bmj.com.