The OP asked if research was necessary for a university program, and asked "do all university programs care about research?" We responded correctly that it is not necessary. Much like a good letter, or an honors in surgery, it is nice to have, but not mandatory. You are now sort of changing the question so your answer is more right.....
I guess a clearer way of saying it is that research is less important than most other aspects of your application. Board scores, grades, LORs, interviewing skills, etc all seem to be more important. Research weighs in there slightly above the color of your tie and how many beers you order at the pre-interview social.
Obviously, I'm exaggerating a little, but I'm really trying to drive this point home. There are other things you can do to "set you apart from the others" that will have more success. That being said, we all play the game and get some crappy research on our residency application, myself included.