RxPG News : Healthcare

Flu pandemic infected one in five

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 13:40:05 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) The 2009 flu pandemic infected one in five people, comprising 20 to 27 percent of the population in Britain, US, India and China and 15 other countries countries, says an international study.

The highest rates of infection were in children, with 47 percent of those aged five to 19 showing signs of having caught the virus.

Older people were affected less, with only 11 percent of people aged 65 or older becoming infected.

The study collated results from more than two dozen research studies involving more than 90,000 blood samples collected before, during and after the pandemic.

The samples were tested for antibodies produced by the body in response to the specific flu strain that caused the pandemic, the journal Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses reports.

The findings come from an international collaboration led by the WHO and Imperial College London, which analysed data from 19 countries, to assess the global impact of the 2009 flu pandemic, according to an Imperial statement.

Multiple exposures to previously circulating influenza viruses may have given older people some protection against the strain that emerged in 2009.

Blood samples from before the pandemic showed that 14 percent of people aged 65 or over already had antibodies that reacted to the 2009 strain.

Maria Van Kerkhove, from the Medical Research Council Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling at Imperial College London, study co-author, said: This study is the result of a combined effort by more than 27 research groups worldwide, who all shared their data and experience with us to help improve our understanding of the impact the pandemic had globally.

Anthony Mounts of the World Health Organization and senior author, said: Knowing the proportion of the population infected in different age groups and the proportion of those infected who died will help public health decision-makers plan for and respond to pandemics.

Stigma preventing leprosy-cured from getting jobs

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 14:10:09 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Jan 27 - India has 13 million people who have been cured of leprosy, but they still find it hard to get a job due to the stigma attached to the disease. This, despite the government making provisions for their employment, health experts and activists say.

According to the experts, people cured of leprosy are covered under the Disability Act and get one percent reservation in government jobs. In spite of this, the majority of those cured are unable to benefit.

Stigma is the major cause for such people not being able to benefit, Rajive Raturi, who heads the Disability Rights Initiative - of Human Rights Law Network, a nationwide collective of lawyers and social workers, told IANS.

He said when a person who has been cured of leprosy applies for a government job, he has to produce the medical certificate. But their candidature gets rejected when it is found that they suffered from leprosy.

They are often rejected due to the fact that as soon as the doctors or any person concerned sees leprosy as the cause of the disability, they ignore the applicants, Raturi said, adding most of the people are thus forced to beg on the streets or at religious places.

Another activist said that such people are already in such a precarious condition that they don't know where to go for redressal.

According to Vinita Shanker, executive director, Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation, there needs to be a special category for former leprosy patients as they have more health-related issues like recurrent joint pains and vision problems after their cure.

In India, under the Disability Act, leprosy-cured persons are categorised as those with loco-motor disability. This is a deterrence as visual disability is a major fallout of the disease, Shanker told IANS. The charitable trust was set up by Yohei Sasakawa, chairman of the Nippon Foundation, in 2006.

According to Shanker, Sasakawa devoted all his professional life fighting leprosy not only in Japan but all over the world.

We have to fight stigma from society and change mindsets. These people are as capable of working as any healthy person, Shanker said.

In order to correct this anomaly, a group of NGOs working in this field had petitioned parliament in 2008 seeking amendment in certain laws, including the Disability Act, which they consider as discriminatory against people cured of leprosy.

According to P.K. Gopal, president of the International Association for Integration, Dignity and Economic Advancement -, India, which is supposed to have eliminated leprosy seven years ago, still records the highest number of fresh cases globally.

Leprosy is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. It is primarily a disease of the skin and nerves. Skin lesions are the primary external sign. Left untreated, leprosy can be progressive, causing permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes.

According to the World Health Organisation, 65 percent of all new cases of leprosy globally are from India.

The union health ministry's latest data shows that between April, 2010, and March, 2011, India recorded 126,800 fresh cases of leprosy of which 12, 463 were children under the age of 15. Around 4,000 of these patients had disabilities due to leprosy.

Last year, 127,000 new cases were detected in India.

India currently has about 54 percent of all the new leprosy cases in the world, followed by Brazil with about 17 percent, then Indonesia with about seven percent.

Despite the fact that 13 million people have been cured so far, people still attach a stigma to it, Gopal, who himself is leprosy-cured, told IANS.

The petition made to parliament included certain other discriminatory laws like the Hindu, Muslim and Christian Marriage Acts which give a right of divorce to a person whose spouse has leprosy.

Among other countries reporting more than 1,000 new cases in 2006 are Angola, Bangladesh, China, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, The Philippines, Sri Lanka and Tanzania.

It is estimated that probably at least three million people are living with some permanent disability due to leprosy, although the exact figure is not available.

Gopal said the government has to do something, like providing them vocational training, to stop these people from returning to begging.

They are needed to be treated equally and should not be subjected to discrimination. Government should come out with some training programmes for them so that they stop begging, Gopal added.

-

Measles, Mumps make a comeback in US

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 14:38:03 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Washington, Jan 26 - Childhood diseases, like measles, that were said to be eliminated in the US a decade ago are slowly making a comeback, in part due to an increasing number of Americans choosing not to get vaccinated, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - told RIA Novosti.

I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that these diseases aren't a problem anymore, said Gregory Wallace, a medical epidemiologist with the CDC.

People have associated vaccines with health risks and studies have not shown that to be the case, Wallace said.

In 2000, the CDC announced measles had been eliminated in the US. But in 2011, 220 Americans contracted the disease, the most cases the government health agency had seen in 15 years, officials said.

It's one of the most contagious vaccine-preventable diseases, Wallace told RIA Novosti.

Approximately two-thirds of the 220 Americans who caught measles in 2011 fell ill because they had not received the measles vaccination and had contracted the disease during international travel or after coming into contact with someone who had been traveling, particularly in Western Europe, Wallace said. The remaining cases of infections were foreigners visiting the US.

In some cases measles can result in a serious lung infection, such as pneumonia. And while severe cases are rare, measles can cause swelling of the brain and even death particularly in infants and in people who have weakened immune systems including the elderly and those with HIV or types of cancer.

Mumps has also seen a resurgence in the US, though the circumstances surrounding the spike differ from measles, CDC officials said.

The vaccine advocacy for mumps isn't quite as good as measles, Wallace said. In certain settings if mumps gets a foothold in a community it can sometimes overwhelm the vaccine.

And because the virus has mutated in recent years, the standard vaccine has become less effective, CDC officials said.

--IANS/RIA Novosti

rd

Melinda Gates calls on Akhilesh Yadav

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 23:12:02 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Lucknow, Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation -, Wednesday called on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and discussed the progress on the recently signed memorandum of cooperation signed between the state government and the foundation.

Under the memorandum, the foundation is to provide support through NGO and other public and private sector partners in the areas of reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health, nutrition and vaccine-preventable and other infectious diseases.

Other areas of support include improving agricultural productivity and expanding financial services for the poor.

Yadav appreciated the support provided by the BMGF.

Under the emergency medical transport service -, which was launched last year, 779 ambulances are functional, he said.

Gates said the foundation was excited to partner with the state government and assured the chief minister that they were committed partners on its journey to sustained development.

'Movies, TV impact tobacco users more than newspapers'

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 12:20:02 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 24 - A nationwide study has revealed that movies and television have a far greater impact on the use of tobacco than newspapers.

The research 'Movies and TV Influence Tobacco Use in India', which was led by K. Viswanath, is claimed to be the first nation-wide study to find a link between media and tobacco use among Indian adults.

The study analysed data from a nationally-representative survey of 123,768 women and 74,068 men from various sections of society.

Newspapers do carry tobacco advertisements but are also likely to carry stories on the harmful effects of smoking. As a result, it is likely that the impact of newspapers on pro-tobacco beliefs and behaviours may be more muted, says the study.

The objective of the study was to test the association of self-reported tobacco smoking and chewing with the frequency of use of four types of mass media -- newspapers, radio, television, and movies.

Exposure to newspaper coverage of tobacco issues has been shown to be related to reduced smoking rates and higher levels of disapproval of smoking behaviours, says the survey results.

The Lancet, a leading medical journal, had recently published that nearly 600,000 Indians die of cancer every year with over seven in 10 deaths - taking place in the 30-69 age group, the most productive period of a person's life.

Rockland to open three new hospitals in NCR

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 13:24:13 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Jan 23 - The Rockland Group plans to open three new hospitals in the National Capital Region -, two of them this year, and create a network of over 4,000 doctors across the country to provide advanced healthcare.

We have developed a multi-speciality hospital in Manesar -. It will be opened Jan 24. It will be the biggest hospital in Manesar with 505 beds, Rockland Group chairman and managing director Rajesh Srivastava told IANS in an interview.

He said the second unit of the Rockland hospital in Qutab Institutional area in the national capital will be operational by the middle of this year.

Our fifth unit will be in Greater Noida -. It will have over 500 beds and will open in 2015, he said.

The Rockland Group, which forayed into the healthcare business in 2004, runs two hospitals - one in the Qutab Institutional Area and another in Dwarka in the national capital.

Srivastava said the promoters of the company would dilute their minority stake to raise Rs.200 crore in 2013-14 to partly fund the expansion programmes.

We will raise the money from private equity funds or venture capitalists who specialise in healthcare, he said.

Asked whether the company has any plan to go public and list on the stock exchange, Srivastava said: There is no such plan at the moment. We will dilute our minority stake and have sufficient money to fund the planned expansion.

And to expand its reach in other parts of the country, Srivastava said, Rockland will tie-up with smaller hospitals and create a network of over 4,000 doctors.

This is an innovative model. We will start with Haryana and Rajasthan and then expand in other parts of the country. Our target is to reach 400 districts by 2020, he said.

The company plans to invest Rs.300 crore in building the network in smaller cities. Under this model the Rockland will tie up with small hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, diagnostic labs, imaging centres and pharmacies and help provide advance medical facilities with the help of technological innovation.

Srivastava said there were huge scope of expansion in India's healthcare industry.

According to the World Health Organisation, the value of India's healthcare industry is estimated at Rs.3.75 lakh crore and is likely to double in the next five years.

A majority of the population in India do not have access to basic healthcare facilities as the country invest just nearly one percent of the gross domestic product - on primary healthcare. There is an average 0.6 doctor per 1,000 people in India against the global average of 1.23.

Srivastava said the government needed to tweak the policy to attract private investments in the sector. Nearly three-fourth of the healthcare investment in India in the recent years have come from private sector.

Srivastava said the development of modern hospitals would boost medical tourism in India. Nearly a quarter of our revenue will come from medical tourism in the coming years, he said.

Over 110,000 foreign patients, mostly from Africa and the Middle East, visited India in 2011. They included 35,200 from Africa, 30,800 from the Middle East and 19,800 from the neighbouring South Asian countries, according to health ministry data.

-

Spice Global enters healthcare business with hospital in Delhi

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 16:42:02 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Jan 22 - Spice Global has forayed into healthcare business by setting up a hospital in the national capital with an initial investment of Rs.400 crore -, B.K. Modi, promoter of the $2 billion diversified firm, said here.

Delhi Lt Governor Tejendra Khanna Tuesday inaugurated the first phase of the hospital, named Saket City Hospital.

Modi said the Singapore-headquartered Spice Global's focus in 2013 will be on healthcare business. The company's major business interests are in telecom, finance and entertainment technology.

We are bringing aboard the best talent backed by state-of-the-art facilities, infrastructure and services. We are confident of redefining the concept of healthcare in India through technological innovation and sensitive patient care, Modi said.

Modi said there was a huge scope for expansion of modern healthcare business in India and the company's foray into the sector was timely.

As India continues to advance and raise its benchmark of development, the need for a modern, fast reacting and sensitive healthcare ecosystem is most immediate, he said.

Modi said Saket City Hospital will be completed by mid-2016. It will have 1000 bed capacity.

The company is developing the hospital in three phases. The first phase is complete. The second phase will be completed by June this year with 230-bed facilities.

The hospital offers super-specialties in cardiac sciences, neurosciences, gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology besides orthopaedics and joint replacement, said Pervez Ahmed, chairman, medical and service committee of Saket City Hospital Board.

As we expand our services in a phased manner, we will continue to raise our benchmark of patient experience, Ahmed said.

Delhi to expedite recruitment of doctors

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 20:54:03 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Jan 10 - The Delhi government Thursday decided to expedite the recruitment of doctors under the Delhi Health Service scheme, an official said.

The hiring of doctors will be done according to the Delhi Health Service - Rules-2009.

The cabinet has given its nod to a proposal to amend certain sections of the rules to facilitate early recruitment of the doctors, the official said.

The matter will now be taken up with the Union Public Service Commission -, the official added.

India adds spice to US life, keeps it healthy

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 11:52:04 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) India is the second largest drug exporter and the seventh largest food exporter to the US with nearly one quarter of the spices, oils and food colourings used in America coming from India.

As such, the Food and Drug Administration - works hard to make sure that these India-produced foods and drugs are safe, effective and of good quality, the US watchdog agency said in a consumer update.

With offices in New Delhi and Mumbai staffed by technical experts and experienced investigators in food and medical products, FDA maintains close contact with the Indian government, industries, trade associations, and scientific and academic communities.

Consequently, Indian officials are better informed about FDA's import requirements and the agency is able to share best practices involving the production of FDA-regulated products, it said.

Such contacts have been especially helpful when unexpected issues arise.

We know who the decision makers are and who to contact to mobilise a response when problems arise that could affect people at home, Bruce Ross, FDA's country director in India based in New Delhi, was quoted as saying.

Ross describes FDA's India office as a portal through which safety information on food and drugs flows back and forth among FDA, the Indian government and industry.

Either we provide answers to their questions or we link them to the right people who can, he said.

FDA's India office also shares information gleaned from facility inspections with Indian officials so they can take action to improve product safety and quality.

FDA responds to requests from the Indian government to train representatives from industry, agriculture and commerce in agricultural and manufacturing standards and practices used in the US.

It's a very pro-active way for us to ensure products imported to the states are safe and meet our standards for quality, Ross explained.

For example, FDA-working with India's drug regulators-engaged in training that focused on good clinical practices.

This training facilitated and supported the development of an Indian-specific programme for the inspection and monitoring of clinical research sites, FDA said.

BRICS to strengthen cooperation in health sector

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:50:04 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Jan 10 - Health officials of the BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - Thursday discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in areas of manufacturing affordable health products and developing advanced health technologies.

The two-day deliberations begin Thursday with meeting of health secretaries and senior advisers, while the health ministers would participate on Friday.

The meeting will result in adoption of a Delhi Communique, which will see concrete plans on issues like integrated management of non-communicable prevention, coordination and financing of research and development for medical products, strengthening health surveillance and drug discovery and development.

Addressing the meeting, India's Health Secretary P.K. Pradhan said BRICS countries represent 43 percent of the world's population and this is both a strength and challenge for them.

Although we have been able to make significant progress in providing better health facilities to our peoples, we must recognize that much more still needs to be done, said Pradhan.

He said that the BRICS countries have several unique strengths such as the capacity for manufacturing affordable health products and research in some cutting edge areas.

At the same time, we know that a large number of health challenges of the BRICS countries are common. We must together rise to the occasion with specific and agreed plans of collaboration to harness our strengths and overcome our weaknesses, he said.

This is the second meeting of BRICS health ministers following the first at Beijing in July 2011.

The Beijing Declaration emphasised the need for technology transfer as a means to empower developing countries, and the importance of generic medicines in realising the right to health.

It also emphasised the fostering of cooperation among BRICS countries to make available and improve medical technology. It was agreed to establish a technical working group to discuss specific proposals.

Sex selective abortion rampant in Delhi, says study

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 20:32:04 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Jan 9 - Sex-selective abortion is rampant in Delhi, particularly in south Delhi, a survey by Centre for Social Research -, an organisation working for women empowerment and welfare, revealed Wednesday.

CSR took this survey in southwest Delhi where the problem is more pronounced. About 900 households were surveyed for over a year from Feb to Dec 2012. We found that most people still prefer sons than daughters, fearing dowry, security of a girl child and sharing of property, Manasi Mishra, a CSR official said.

The event was part of the 'Meri Shakti, Meri Beti' - campaign of CSR in collaboration with the German embassy to protect the girl child in Delhi.

According to CSR, the survey was done in south Delhi, which has one of the most dismal sex ratio figures in the capital. The areas surveyed where Vasant Kunj, R.K. Puram, Dwarka, Chattarpur, Sunder Nagar and Sangam Vihar areas.

The illiterate, semi-literate and even highly educated respondents admitted that a son was preferred over a daughter because sons are the ones who carry the family name and lineage. There is no fear of dowry or share in property. It is becoming difficult to secure or maintain the chastity of a girl child, the findings revealed.

The survey also said that the sex ratio is the worst in Vasant Vihar of south Delhi, where some of the city's most affluent live.

According to the 2001 census report, the child sex ratio Delhi in the age group of 0-6 years was 868 per 1,000 boys. This figure dropped marginally to 866 in 2011.

It is an utter shock. Laws should be made more stringent to check and curb sex-selective abortion. A collective force of medical fraternity, citizen partnership and stringent laws are needed. There has been no change in the mindset of a majority of the city's population. The preference for a boy child will push Delhi on the brink of social and law and order challenges in the near future, said Ranjana Kumari, director, CSR.

According to a UNICEF report, India has lost over one crore girls to abortions and infanticide since 2007 and there is a dramatic decline in the sex ratio.

Leading OCD expert welcomes Charles Walker MP's honesty

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 22:27:26 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) One of the country's leading experts on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and senior consultant psychiatrist at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust (SWLSTG) Dr Lynne Drummond, has praised MP's for holding an historic mental health debate in the House of Commons last week (14 June 2012).

The debate was significant for a number of reasons - not only was it the first ever substantial debate on the topic in the House, but a number of MP's broke down barriers and spoke honestly and openly about their own experiences of living with mental health problems.

Charles Walker was one of those MPs who spoke out about his own struggles. As a sufferer of OCD for the last 30 years, he said:

"On occasions it is manageable and, on occasions, it becomes quite difficult. It takes you to some quite dark places."

Dr Lynne Drummond who is also the Medical Advisor for TOP UK, congratulated Charles Walker for talking about his condition. She said

"OCD can be a very serious and very distressing condition, but it is also eminently treatable. Well done to Charles Walker for speaking out about living with OCD in such a high profile situation, and to all the MP's who shared their own personal stories - it was a brave and admirable thing to do.

The more people can talk about mental health problems the more chance we have of reducing the stigma attached to those conditions. Hopefully what this debate will do is set the tone for more people to feel they can also talk about their mental health problems and feel able to come forward and seek help, advice and support."

British court orders force-feeding for dying anorexic woman

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 20:49:11 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) An anorexic woman, who started controlling her eating habits at 11 and was described as having an obsessive fear of weight gain, should be force-fed, a British court has ordered.

The 32-year-old, a former medical student from Wales, has not eaten for over a year. She is in a community hospital under a palliative care regime whose purpose is to allow her to die in comfort, The Sun reported.

She had a Body Mass Index - - a calculation of a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in metres - of 11.3 when last measured whereas a healthy figure is about 20.

Justice Peter Jackson, at London's Court of Protection, ruled that it was in the extremely severe anorexic's best interests to be fed forcibly if necessary.

Justice Jackson added: Albeit gravely unwell, she is not incurable. She does not seek death, but she does not want to eat or to be fed.

She sees her life as pointless and wants to be allowed to make her own choices, realising that refusal to eat must lead to her death.

AIIMS-II launched in Haryana village

Wed, 30 May 2012 22:25:25 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Gurgaon, May 30 - The construction of the second campus of All India Institute of Medical Sciences -, perhaps bigger than the one in Delhi, began in a village in Haryana's Jhajjar district Wednesday, an official said. It is being built at a cost of Rs.1,000 crore.

The new institute would house many such facilities which could not be created in the Delhi AIIMS due to lack of space.

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad, accompanied by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, laid the foundation stone some 25-km from here in Badhsa village.

We are planning to have some national institutes of excellence here that will contribute to health research as well as framing of national health policies and programmes for implementation, Azad said during the ceremony.

The minister announced that the AIIMS Outreach OPD would be completed in next four months time, a nursing school would be set up through National Rural Health Mission - and 5 to 10 per cent reservation would be given to youths of Badsha village in class-IV and other non technical jobs in the upcoming AIIMS-II.

He described it as the 'Baadshah' - of the health institutes in the country. He said that this AIIMS-II would have a research institute, where the best health policies would be drafted.

The new AIIMS will alos house a National Institute where cancer, heart and infectious diseases would be treated.

He said that new technologies to provide health treatment at reasonable prices would also be researched.

Azad said that AIIMS is a big project and would take five to six years in completion. In the mean time, Outreach OPD would provide health services like general medicine, orthopedics, gynecologists and ENT among others.

He said that the government was looking for the required measurement of land in the neighbouring NCR region to set up a branch of AIIMS-II. This branch or the second campus of AIIMS-II at Badhsa will see modern, state of the art tertiary level health care being offered by several departments of AIIMS.

The member parliament from Rohtak, Dipender Hooda was also present on the occasion.

It's the same Badhsa village where the 20 acres of land provided by the Haryana government to filmmaker Subhash Ghai 's Mukta Arts, an adjacent plot to AIIMS-II Tuesday was banned by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to carry out further activities.

Delhi hospital launches helpline for strokes

Tue, 01 May 2012 19:46:00 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) With the number of strokes on the rise, Delhi's Fortis hospital Tuesday launched a toll-free helpline for victims.

A statement from the hospital chain said its helpline number 1800-200-3060 can be accessed from both mobiles and landlines in Delhi and the NCR.

The goal is to get the stroke victim to a hospital as quickly as possible to confirm the diagnosis because every minute is important. FEHI has a dedicated expert team 24*7 - a neurologist, a neuro-surgeon, emergency room, critical care, a cardiologist and radiologist - to provide comprehensive stroke treatment, a statement from the hospital said.

A stroke is a brain disease caused by either blockage of blood supply or rupture of a blood vessel to a particular part of the brain. This results in reduction of blood and oxygen supply to the affected part of brain resulting in loss of function. After 3-6 hours, the brain cells are irreversibly damaged and any form of treatment cannot completely reverse the damage.

A stroke is a major cause for loss of life, limbs and speech in India, with the Indian Council of Medical Research estimating that in 2004, there were 9.3 lakh cases of stroke and 6.4 lakh deaths due to stroke in India, most of the people being less than 45 years old.

WHO estimates suggest that by 2050, 80 percent of stroke cases in the world would occur in low and middle income countries, mainly India and China.

Fitness club memberships help insurance plans to enrol healthier patients

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:15:42 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Because healthy enrollees cost them less, Medicare Advantage plans would profit from selecting seniors based on their health, but Medicare strictly forbids practices such as denying coverage based on existing conditions. Another way to build a more profitable membership is to design insurance benefits that attract the healthiest patients. In a study published in the Jan. 12, 2012, edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, Brown University researchers report that plans have managed to do just that by offering fitness club memberships as a covered benefit.

"Offering a fitness membership does not mean that you are denying people coverage, but you are changing your benefits to appeal selectively to people who are healthy," said co-author Amal Trivedi, a Brown public health professor and a physician at the Providence VA Medical Center. "Policymakers intended for Medicare Advantage plans to compete on the basis of improving quality and reducing costs, rather than on their ability to attract healthier patients. What we found in the study is that offering coverage for fitness membership is a very effective strategy to attract a much healthier population."

That conclusion comes from Trivedi's and lead author Alicia Cooper's rigorous statistical comparisons among thousands of patients in 22 Medicare Advantage plans — 11 "case" plans that added fitness club memberships in 2004 or 2005 and 11 similar "control" plans that didn't. They looked at when each plan member enrolled, when plans started offering the benefit, and what each plan member said about his or her health in the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey from 2006 to 2008.

One analysis compared the self-reported health of seniors who enrolled in case plans before the fitness club benefit was offered to the health of those who enrolled after the benefit was offered. While 29.1 percent of the seniors who enrolled before the benefit was available described themselves to be in excellent or very good health, 35.1 percent of the seniors who enrolled after it became available reported that level of health. In the before group, 56.1 percent reported some limitation to their physical activity but only 45.7 percent in the after group did. Also, a third of the before group reported difficulty walking compared to just a quarter in the after group.

Once the Medicare Advantage plans started covering health club memberships, they enrolled healthier enrollees with fewer physical limitations. In the control plans, which did not offer the benefit, self-reported health levels over the same timeframe changed only slightly. In comparison to the control plans, eight of the 11 case plans (the ones that added fitness club coverage) enrolled seniors with better overall health, 10 of the 11 case plans enrolled seniors with fewer restrictions in physical activity, and nine of the 11 case plans enrolled seniors that had less difficulty walking.

An increasing practice

Trivedi and Cooper studied the benefit structures of 101 Medicare Advantage health plans between 2002 and 2008 to select plans for comparison. What they found is a rapid growth in the number of plans offering fitness club memberships, from 14 in 2002 to 58 in 2008.

"This trend suggests that offering fitness memberships may be an attractive business strategy for Medicare plans," Trivedi said.

Trivedi acknowledged that if every plan offered the fitness benefits, it would no longer be an effective way of selecting for the healthiest members. However, given the continued incentive to enroll more profitable enrollees, he said, insurers may employ other related tactics to cherry-pick desirable enrollees.

"In general, policymakers have regulated the Medicare Advantage insurance market to prevent the ability of private plans to select the healthiest enrollees," Trivedi said. "If Medicare plans do engage in favorable selection, then unhealthy enrollees can be concentrated in a small number of plans or in the traditional Medicare program, driving up the costs for those enrollees and the tax-payers that fund the Medicare program."

Anxiety disorders mount since credit crunch

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:01:16 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) The number of people with anxiety disorders has more than quadrupled in four years. Some of this could be explained by an expansion in counselling services and increase in mental problems triggered by financial uncertainties.

But some said doctors had become too quick to 'medicalise' feelings of distress - and to label people as suffering from psychiatric disorders when their anxiety was a normal response to pressures they were facing.

Statistics from the NHS Information Centre show that the number of outpatient appointments for patients diagnosed with anxiety disorders and panic attacks rose from 3,754 to 17,470 between 2006-2007 and 2010-11, according to the Telegraph.

Psychiatrists said such cases were 'the tip of the iceberg' as most people who visit family doctors because of signs of anxiety are likely to be given medication, such as Prozac and Valium, rather than a hospital appointment to see a counsellor or get specialist help.

Prescriptions of tranquilliser Valium have risen by 13 percent in the last four years despite widespread medical concerns about the risk of long-term addiction.

Over the same period, prescribing of antidepressants - now commonly used to treat anxiety disorders as well as depression - rose by 38 percent, with almost 43 million prescriptions issued last year.

Said Joanna Moncrieff, senior lecturer in psychiatry at University College London: 'The pharmaceutical industry is always looking for new markets, and anxiety disorder is increasingly the diagnosis given to people who are distressed and upset.'

Moncrieff said people were more likely to suffer from stress and anxiety when they had money or job worries, but that treating such cases as medical disorders did little long-term good.

Doctors diagnose patients within moments of meeting

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 19:39:22 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Doctors can diagnose illness and infections within moments of their meeting with a patient, say researchers in a study that could help improve diagnostic techniques.

The research led by Marcio Melo from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, used functional MRI scanning to assess the cerebral activity in doctors while they diagnosed lesions in chest X-rays.

The doctors were able to verbalise the correct diagnosis in an average of 1.33 seconds indicating that this type of diagnosis was swift, the journal Public Library of Science ONE reported.

This is the first ever investigation of the brain mechanisms directly involved in medical diagnosis, according to a university statement.

The neural - basis of medical diagnosis may contribute to the development of better techniques to improve diagnostic expertise and reduce diagnostic errors.

The results of this study imply that the vast knowledge obtained from cognitive neuroscience studies on the recognition and naming of objects can be brought to bear on the improvement of diagnostic practices.

Physician-defined patient complexity differs from current diagnosis-based measures

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 05:00:00 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) As Americans live longer with multiple medical conditions, managing their care is becoming increasingly challenging. Being able to define and measure patient complexity has important implications for how care is organized, how physicians and health care systems are paid, and how resources are allocated. In an article in the Dec. 20 Annals of Internal Medicine, a team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers report finding that primary care physicians define patient complexity using a broader range of factors – including mental health, social factors and financial issues – than do commonly used approaches based only on diagnoses and prior costs.

"Simply counting the number of co-morbid conditions does not really capture whether a patient is complex," explains Richard W. Grant, MD, MPH, the paper's lead author. "All primary care physicians can point to patients of theirs with very complicated medical histories who are relatively straightforward to manage, whereas other patients can be a real challenge despite relatively few medical diagnoses. Our results emphasize the importance of social and behavioral contexts that can create important barriers to delivering high-quality primary care."

The study enrolled 40 primary care physicians from 12 MGH-affiliated practices and community health centers. Participating physicians used a web-based tool to review a list of 120 of their own patients and indicated those who, in their view, were complex. For those complex patients, they were asked to indicate which of five domains – medical decision-making, coordinating care, mental health or substance abuse problems, health-related behaviors, and social or economic circumstances – were involved in that determination.

The authors found that primary care physicians designated about one-quarter of their patients as complex – with older, more experienced physicians and those working in community health centers reporting higher proportions of complex patients. Compared to non-complex patients, complex patients were older, more often women, and had more clinic visits to many different providers. Complex patients were also prescribed more medicines – including prescriptions for anti-psychotic medicines – were more likely to miss appointments, and were more likely to live in neighborhoods with lower income and educational levels. The authors then found that the results of physician assessment differed substantially from those of other common methods for assessing complexity.

"Managing complex patients requires greater clinician effort, increased health care resources, and substantial family and community support," says Grant, who recently joined the division of Research at Kaiser Permanente Northern California. "In order to redesign our health care systems to more effectively care for complex patients, we need a better handle on exactly who they are. By asking primary care physicians about their experiences with their own patients in a systematic and quantitative way, we were able to bring out the importance of social and behavioral factors, in addition to specific medical problems. This work may help guide efforts to redesign health care systems so that we can deliver high quality, cost-effective care tailored to individual patient needs."

Steven Atlas, MD, MPH, of the MGH Division of General Medicine, senior author of the Annals report, notes, "At MGH, we are using these results to develop new ways to identify complex patients that take into account the perspective of the primary care doctor."

Free health screening for school children Nov 14

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:03:00 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Oct 28 - Free medical treatment and health check-ups will be conducted by the Delhi government for nearly 14 lakh school children under a scheme that is to be rolled out on Children's Day Nov 14.

The 'Chacha Nehru Sehat Yojana' was announced in Delhi government's budget for 2011-12 and a corpus fund of Rs.100 crore was set up for its implementation.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Friday reviewed the preparation for the launch of the scheme which will provide free health care to children up to the age of 14 years.

'About 117 teams, each consisting of a doctor, nurse and computer data entry operator, are being set up for the screening. One team will screen 60 children in a day,' a government official said.

The scheme will be implemented in 100 schools and later it will be extended to the remaining 854 government-run schools in the capital, according to the government.

'The government will prepare a comprehensive health profile of all the school children and will keep them in an electronic format,' the official said.

Dikshit also directed the health department to conduct check-ups which include medical testing of all possible diseases as well as providing immunisation if required.

Apart from free general check-up, the government will also take care of children suffering from various diseases and provide free medicines.

Systematic bias in the assessment of UK doctors

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:00:00 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Official assessments of a doctor's professionalism should be considered carefully before being accepted due to the tendency for some doctors to receive lower scores than others, and the tendency of some groups of patient or colleague assessors to provide lower scores, claims new research published on bmj.com today.

Researchers from the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry in Exeter investigated whether there were any potential patient, colleague and doctor-related sources of bias evident in the assessment of doctors' professionalism.

Doctors' regulator the General Medical Council (GMC) is working on a new system of revalidation for all UK doctors that could be introduced next year as a way of ensuring doctors are fit to continue to practise. This is likely to involve the use of multi-source feedback from patients, peers and supervisors as part of the evidence used to judge a clinician's performance.

The researchers used data from two questionnaires completed by patients and colleagues. A group of 1,065 doctors from 11 different settings, including mostly NHS sites and one independent sector organisation, took part in the study.

They were asked to nominate up to 20 medical and non-medically trained colleagues to take part in an online secure survey about their professionalism, as well as passing on a post-consultation questionnaire to 45 patients each. Collectively, the doctors returned completed questionnaires from 17,031 colleagues and 30,333 patients.

Analysis of the results that allowed for characteristics of the doctor and the patient to be taken into account, showed that doctors were less likely to receive favourable patient feedback if their primary medical degree was from any non-European country.

Several other factors also tended to mean doctors got less positive feedback from patients, such as that they practised as a psychiatrist, the responding patient was not white, and the responding patient reported that they were not seeing their usual doctor.

From colleagues, there was likely to be less positive feedback if the doctor in question had received their degree from any country other than the UK or South Asia. Other factors that predicted a less favourable review from colleagues included that the doctor was working in a locum capacity, the doctor was working as a GP or psychiatrist, or the colleague did not have daily or weekly professional contact with the doctor.

The researchers say they have identified possible systematic bias in the assessment of doctors' professionalism.

They conclude: Systematic bias may exist in the assessment of doctors' professionalism arising from the characteristics of the assessors giving feedback, and from the personal characteristics of the doctor being assessed. In the absence of a standardised measure of professionalism, doctor's assessment scores from multisource feedback should be interpreted carefully, and, at least initially, be used primarily to help inform doctor's professional development.

White children far more likely to receive CT scans than Hispanic, African-American children

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:00:00 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) White children are far more likely to receive cranial computed tomography (CT) scans in an emergency department following minor head trauma than are African-American or Hispanic children, a study by researchers at UC Davis has found.

The study findings do not indicate that CT scans are underused in treating African-American and Hispanic children, the researchers said. Rather, they suggest that white children may receive too many CT scans -- and for that reason may be exposed to unnecessary radiation.

The study results were presented today at the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Scientific Assembly by JoAnne E. Natale, associate professor of pediatric critical care medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine and the study's lead author.

The higher rates of cranial CT scan use in children at low risk for clinically significant brain injury may represent overuse in white children, leading to increased radiation exposure and health-care costs, Natale said.

Cranial computed tomography imaging commonly is used to determine the severity of injury in children and adults in emergency departments. Cranial CT scans use X-rays to image the cranium, brain, eye sockets and sinuses.

However, in children with mild head trauma, earlier studies have found that fewer than 10 percent of CT scans identify a traumatic brain injury. CT scans use a significant amount of radiation and thus increase the risk of potential subsequent malignancies.

For the current study, researchers examined data from children whose race and/or ethnicity was Hispanic, non-Hispanic African American, or non-Hispanic white. Although all of the children had minor head trauma, some could be categorized as being at greater risk of a clinically significant injury in which a CT scan may be indicated.

Natale, who also is the medical director of the UC Davis Children's Hospital Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, said that the study utilized data compiled for a seminal 2009 study by UC Davis authors, which found that CT scans are not necessary for children at very low risk of clinically significant traumatic brain injury.

The 2009 study was lead by Nathan Kuppermann, co-author of the current study and chair of the UC Davis Department of Emergency Medicine. That study enrolled more than 40,000 children nationwide with minor head trauma who presented at 25 U.S. emergency departments, under the auspices of the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) between 2004 and 2006.

The current study found that a child's race and/or ethnicity did not influence the likelihood of receiving a CT scan among children with minor head trauma at the greatest risk of having a clinically important brain injury. However, among lower-risk children, non-Hispanic white children were more likely to receive a CT scan than were non-Hispanic African-American children and children of Hispanic descent.

In addition to the increased risks posed by radiation exposure, overuse of CT scans in non-Hispanic white children also has impacts on overall health-care costs, Natale said. She said that the overuse of CT scans is part of a well-documented pattern of providing more care than is necessary to individuals of certain racial and/or ethnic groups, which in turn places additional burdens on health-care costs.

Clearly, further studies should focus on explaining racial differences in the use of emergent neuroimaging, Natale said. Our study highlights the importance of strong, evidence-based guidelines to ensure equal and optimal care for all children.

Suspected brain disease kills 51 kids in Bihar

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:02:35 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Suspected encephalitis, a brain fever, has killed 51 children in Bihar's Gaya district in the last seven weeks, with three more kids succumbing to the disease Friday, an official said Saturday.

'Three more children died on Friday,' an official said. Most of the children belong to Mahadalit families, among the poorest of the poor.

According to district health officials, all children have died at Anugrah Narain Medical College and Hospital - in Gaya, about 100 km from Patna. The children reported high fever, followed by bouts of unconsciousness and convulsions.

An official of the hospital said that till date, more than 220 children with suspected encephalitis were admitted for treatment. 'Most of the children were from rural areas of Gaya and neighbouring districts,' he said.

'Over two dozen children are still battling for life,' he said.

Bihar Health Minister Ashwani Kumar Choubey told IANS that the government has alerted health officials to provide medical treatment to all the affected.

'After I visited the hospital last month, I had directed the officials to take measures to check the spread of the disease,' Choubey said.

He added that the government had already carried out intensive spraying of insecticide DDT to kill mosquitoes, which are responsible for the suspected disease.

However, an official of the hospital said that lack of doctors and medicines was proving costly.

'Inadequate doctors and non-availability of medicines are the real problems,' he said.

ANMCH superintendent Sitaram Prasad said the government has employed several medical teams to control the disease.

'We are doing our best to treat and save the children,' he said.

A district administration official said that suspected encephalitis hit Gaya in 2009, 2007 and 2005 and killed dozens of children.

Two months ago, 55 children died in Muzaffarpur district but the state government is yet to confirm these as encephalitis deaths.

Last month, union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad informed the Rajya Sabha that data suggested that it was an outbreak of acute encephalitis syndrome, resulting in 150 cases and 55 deaths, mostly among children.

In a written reply, the minister said these cases were reported from early June to mid-July from Muzaffarpur and its bordering areas in Bihar.

New rules for bio-medical waste management in India

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:19:32 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) To ensure safe and proper management of bio-medical waste, the environment ministry has proposed new rules under which all health institutions are required to obtain authorisation of medical waste treatment facility.

The Draft Bio-Medical Waste Management and Handling Rules 2011 put in the public domain by the ministry seeking suggestions will replace the Bio-Medical Waste Rules 1998.

According to ministry, the new rules are comprehensive, strict and several new provisions are added in it.

Under the new rules, it has been stipulated that irrespective of the quantum of bio-medical waste generation, every occupier - hospital, nursing home, clinic, dispensary, veterinary institution, animal house, pathological laboratory and blood banks - shall apply for grant of authorisation.

'Earlier, authorisation of medical waste treatment facility was not required by an institution providing service to less than 1000 patients per month. But now the condition on quantity of patient has been removed,' said a ministry official.

India faces a massive problem of bio-medical waste disposal as several hospitals collect the medical waste and dump them in open grounds rather than treating them.

The draft rules make hospital and owner of medical waste treatment facility liable for all damages caused due to improper handling of waste.

Delhi hospitals lacking in emergency protocols

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:06:39 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Last week's Delhi High Court blast, which left 13 dead and around 90 injured, once again exposed one of the most glaring shortcomings of the capital's hospitals -- lack of a robust emergency response system, medical experts say.

'Emergency protocols are needed to receive mass casualties or victims of disaster in public hospitals. There are no dedicated trauma surgeons and very few designated trauma centres in India. Other than this, speedy redistribution of patients from the accident site to nearest hospitals strategically can save more lives,' Sanjeev Bhoi, head of emergency at the Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre, -, told IANS.

A redistribution system helps give proper medical attention to all the patients without burdening any specific hospital. The lack of a proper redistribution mechanism can seriously hamper response to emergencies.

For example, the Ram Manohar Lohia - Hospital, where most of the Sep 7 Delhi blast victims have been admitted, had to evacuate its surgery wards to accommodate the blast victims. The hospital received around 60 victims in the first hour of the blast after 10.15 a.m. The number swelled later, doctors said.

'Workload is tremendous at government hospitals. We had to discharge some of our routine patients that day to accommodate blast victims,' a senior doctor at the RML Hospital told IANS on condition of anonymity.

'It is important for other hospitals to respond quickly to the crisis. Private hospitals that have had land on concessional rates could also contribute in such situations,' the doctor added.

The JPNATC at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences - is the second exclusive trauma management centre in the capital, after the Sushruta Trauma Centre in north Delhi.

The JPNATC has 30 trollies in the emergency room, apart from a 280-bedded trauma centre, say doctors.

In case of any emergency, a hospital is alerted to press its orthopaedic department, general surgery department, and neurosurgery department into action.

According to a statement on emergency medicine in India co-authored by Bhoi, orthopaedic surgeons lead the trauma response in 50 percent of facilities in the country. In the absence of defined roles amongst specialists at hospitals, multi-system injury patients are at a greatest risk.

Experts say a lot of victims can be saved if a specialist attends to them within the first 20 minutes after the accident.

'It is mostly the casualty doctor who attends patients in cases of mass casualties. These causality/accident room physicians lack any specific training in emergency medicine,' Bhoi said.

The picture presented by a hospital's equipment and facilities may be hunky-dory, but their acid test is how they respond to real-life situations.

'A hospital may boast of equipment and facilities, but where we lack is directional referral process. All ambulances rush to the same hospital from one spot, leading to overburdening. They can be directed to different hospitals to give equal and focussed attention to one patient,' public health expert and physician S. Sunder Raman told IANS.

-

Doctors' strike hits Maharashtra, talks fail

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 21:51:53 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Mumbai, Sep 10 - Medical services in Maharashtra were severely hit Saturday as over 3,000 resident doctors in government hospitals across the state went on an indefinite strike to press for enhanced security at hospitals, even as talks with authorities proved unsuccessful, doctors said.

Patients at various hospitals were hard pressed to find a doctor. Department heads at various hospitals said that more than 50 percent of their scheduled surgeries had to be postponed.

'We had two meetings today - one with the Mumbai's Municipal Commissioner Subodh Kumar and the other with the director of DMER - Dr P.S. Shingare. While the municipal commissioner has agreed to most of our demands, Shingare has asked for some time to look into the matter,' said Pankaj Nalawade of Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors - from KEM Hospital.

Nalawade said three government hospitals in Mumbai that come under the municipal corporation have major security issues. He also identified 11 government hospitals across the state which do not have adequate security for doctors.

'We have scheduled a meeting with Shingare Sunday and are awaiting a positive outcome. Till then, we continue to strike work,' Nalawade said.

The stir was triggered after a physically challenged doctor at the state-run Sion Hospital here was assaulted by a patient's kin.

Angered by the death of a 10-month-old baby girl, relatives assaulted the on-duty resident doctor, Vishnu Dhadwad, at the hospital Wednesday. His colleagues who tried to intervene were also beaten up.

The infant, Sadia Siddique, was brought to Sion Hospital Sep 3 for lower respiratory tract infection. According to the doctors, she was recovering well and was moved to the general ward. However, her condition deteriorated and she was put in the intensive care unit, where she died Wednesday.

'Dr. Vishnu, who is physically challenged, sustained bruises and a fractured right hand,' said Yogesh Pawar of MARD from Sion Hospital. 'Relatives of patients beat up doctors every now and then. There is not enough security. This has to stop.'

Around 400 doctors from Nagpur's government hospitals also joined Saturday's strike. 'Manhandling and assault of doctors should stop. Authorities have to see to it that doctors are provided with proper security,' said Bhausaheb Munde of MARD, Nagpur.

This is the ninth such incident this year, Nalawade said, while reiterating MARD's demand for better CCTV surveillance and security in hospitals. 'We keep voicing our concerns but they fall on deaf ears.'

Doctors' strike hits Maharashtra medical services

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 14:21:38 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Mumbai, Sep 10 - Medical services in Maharashtra were jolted Saturday as resident doctors in all government hospitals went on an indefinite strike to press for enhanced security and sharper surveillence on hospital premises, the doctors said.

'Over 3,000 resident doctors from all government hospitals across the state have joined the stir that began when a physically challenged doctor from Mumbai's Sion Hospital was assaulted by a patient's kin,' said Pankaj Nalawade of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors - from KEM Hospital.

Patients at various hospitals were hard pressed to find a doctor. Department heads at various hospitals said that more than 50 percent of their scheduled surgeries had to be postponed.

'This is the ninth such incident this year,' Nalawade said while reiterating MARD's demand for better CCTV surveillence and security in hospitals. 'We keep voicing our concerns but it falls on deaf ears.'

Angered by the death of a 10-month-old baby girl, relatives assaulted the on-duty resident doctor, Vishnu Dhadwad, at Sion Hospital Wednesday. His colleagues who tried to intervene were also beaten up.

'Dr. Vishnu, who is physically challenged, sustained bruises and a fractured right hand,' said Yogesh Pawar of MARD from Sion Hospital. 'Relatives of patients continue to beat up doctors every now and then. There is not enough security. This has to stop.'

Around 400 doctors in Nagpur's government hospitals also joined the strike Saturday. 'Manhandling and assault of doctors should stop,' said Dr Bhausaheb Munde of MARD. 'The authorities concerned have to see to it that doctors are provided proper security.'

Infant Sadia Siddique was brought to Sion Hospital Sunday for lower respiratory tract infection. According to the doctors, she was recovering well and was moved to the general ward. However, her condition deteriorated and she was put in the intensive care unit, where she died Wednesday.

One mosquito coil equals 100 cigarettes

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 19:01:25 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Smoke emitted from one mosquito repellent coil is equivalent to those of 100 cigarettes, thus causing harm to a large number of people in India, an expert said Wednesday.

'Not many people know about it, but the damage done to your lungs by one mosquito coil is equivalent to the damage done by 100 cigarettes. This was according to a recent study conducted in Malyasia,' said Chest Research Foundation director Sandeep Salvi.

He was speaking at the conference 'Air Pollution and Our Health', organised by the Centre for Science and Environment - along with the Indian Council for Medical Research and the Indian Medical Association.

Salvi said there is a lack of awareness about the impact of air pollution on human health.

Pointing out the 'lack of research culture' among Indian doctors, Salvi said that indoor air pollution too is a health risk factor.

Participants at the event, which included doctors and health researchers, also spoke about vehicular air pollution in the capital.

According to estimates, about 55 percent of Delhi's population lives within 500 metres from main roads - and is, therefore, prone to a variety of physical disorders.

'The vehicular pollution is a major concern for the environment. The rising incidents of genetic disorder has a lot to do with air pollution. India loses one million children under five because of respiratory problems every year,' said Sanjeev Bagai, the chief executive officer of Batra Hospitals.

He said industries also contribute to the air pollution and these need to be shifted out of the capital.

Dengue cases on the decline in Orissa

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:49:48 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Bhubaneswar, Aug 30 - No dengue deaths have been reported in Orissa since past four days, and though fresh cases are surfacing, their number has gone down, an official said Tuesday.

At least 92 samples were tested Tuesday at Sriram Chandra Bhanj Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack and 86 at Veer Surendra Sai Medical College, Burla, in Sambalpur district. Of these, only four and 46 samples respectively were found positive, an official of the state health department told IANS.

'The number of positive cases has witnessed a decline. A few days ago, it was above a hundred daily. Similarly, we were receiving reports of deaths almost every day,' he said.

He attributed the decline to the awareness campaign the government has launched in the affected areas.

The mosquoto-transmitted disease has so far killed 23 people and infected 912 others in the state this month, he said.

A maximum of 400 people have tested positive in Angul district.

200 faculty posts vacant at AIIMS in Delhi

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:56:36 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) As many as 200 faculty posts are lying vacant at the premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences - that serves an estimated 8,000 patients every day, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said Tuesday.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Azad said that of the 200 vacant posts, the institute has already advertised for 115 positions at the level of professors and lecturers in nursing.

He also said that the institute's standing committee on selection held in November and December last year had considered all eligible faculties for promotion.

Asked whether operation theatres at AIIMS are closed down, Azad said these were 'temporarily closed for necessary maintenance and upgradation work'.

'Insofar as neurology is concerned, out of seven operation theatres six are fully operational and one is under renovation,' he added.

The Delhi-based institute is among the top 10 medical colleges in the world, and serves mostly the underprivileged people who come from all over the country. the institute has over 2,200 beds. The Newsweek magazine has described the AIIMS as an 'oasis of the poor'.

Indian doctors among the best in world: Ansari

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 21:13:01 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Aug 19 - Indian doctors, especially those from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, are among the best in the world as far as delivery of health care and research is concerned, Vice President Hamid Ansari said Friday.

Delivering an inaugural address at the 'Conference on Current Concepts in Arthroplasty-2011 & 1st Indo-British Knee Meeting' organised by AIIMS, Ansari said: 'The dedication and selfless devotion of the doctors working at this institute is unparalleled.'

Talking about joint replacement surgeries, Ansari said that 'nearly 45,000 total knee replacements surgeries and an almost equal number of hip replacements surgeries are being performed every year in India'.

Ansari said the importance of such surgeries were rising with 'increasing life expectancy, aspiration for an active and economically productive lifestyle even in advanced age, and rise in lifestyle diseases'.

It is estimated that there are five million people with activity-limiting knee arthritis in India, he said.

Nine more test positive for scrub typhus in Shimla

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:51:27 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Shimla, Aug 18 - Nine patients suffering from scrub typhus, a disease caused by the bite of an infected mite, have been reported here in this Himachal Pradesh capital, an official said here Thursday.

'Nine more patients tested positive for scrub typhus Wednesday,' Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital - medical superintendent K.S. Rana told IANS.

Seventy-three patients suffering from the disease have been reported in the IGMCH this year, he said, and added that the arrival of scrub typhus patients would continue till end of October.

Forty-four deaths were reported in the state in the past two years due to the disease. However, in the IGMCH no death has been reported so far.

'As many as 1,206 scrub typhus cases were reported in the state in the last two years. Of these, 948 cases were reported last year,' Health Minister Rajeev Bindal informed the assembly March 31.

He said 27 patients died in 2010 whereas 17 died in 2009 due to the disease.

The symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, muscle pain, cough and gastroenteritis -.

Relax MBBS eligibility for northeast tribal students

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:25:50 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) The Tripura government and opposition parties have urged the central government and the Medical Council of India - to further relax eligibility criteria for admission to medical colleges for northeast's tribal students.

'Both the centre and the MCI are yet to communicate their decisions on more cut-off marks relaxations for the tribal and the Scheduled Castes - community students seeking admission to MBBS courses,' Tripura's Health and Education Minister Tapan Chakraborty told reporters Sunday.

He said the relaxation will facilitate backward community students to obtain professional education.

Besides Chakraborty, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and opposition Congress leader Ratan Lal Nath have written separate letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and MCI chairman K.K. Talwar on the issue.

According to the MCI guidelines, a general category MBBS aspirant will have to secure at least 50 percent marks in both Class 12 and entrance examinations. The cut-off for students of tribal and SC communities is 40 percent.

Various political parties and tribal organisations have been agitating for the past one month in Tripura on the issue.

Some individuals and organisations have also filed cases in the Gauhati High Court, seeking directives for further relaxation of cut-off marks.

Tribals constitute over 27 percent of the northeast India's total population of 45.58 million -.

Indian enterprise to set up $30 mn cancer centre in Ethiopia

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 13:21:25 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Ethiopia, July 24 - An Indian healthcare enterprise plans to construct a cancer care centre in Ethiopia at a cost of over $30 million.

Dinesh Madhavan, marketing director of HealthCare Global Enterprises -, an Asian cancer care network which is headquartered in India's Bangalore city, said the construction of the centre will help cancer patients in Ethiopia to get better treatment.

Madhavan said the enterprise will train and educate doctors, nurses and paramedical staff in the latest advances in treatment and management of cancer. HCG focuses exclusively on cancer in India.

HCG's vision is to make high quality cancer care accessible by adopting global innovations to all segments of the society, he said.

An agreement was reached between HCG and the African Union to start cancer care treatment through video conferencing in all member states two years ago, said Madhavan who added that the enterprise has started providing cancer care through videoconferencing in the Black Lion Specialized Hospital in Ethiopia.

Not just in healthcare, India is a leading private sector investor in Ethiopia with investments of $4.35 billion. Over 450 Indian companies are currently operating in Ethiopia.

Indian investors are now being engaged in various sectors, from flower market and agriculture sectors they have moved to manufacturing, agro processing, information technology - and other sectors.

Sridhar P.S., an Indian doctor from HCG who is on a mission to help treat cancer patients in the country, said that Ethiopia has a huge number of breast cancer patients.

'We are here to treat cancer patients with new technology that can scan the entire body. We can detect cancer in its early stages which increases the chance for a cure,' Sridhar said.

Sridhar, who is on his second visit to Ethiopia, told IANS: 'The reason we came here is that cancer patients should not go from place to place for treatment unless special medication is required. Cancer is very painful. Traveling abroad for people traumatised by cancer is a double burden. It is good if the specialist comes to them.'

'Brain tumors and prostate cancer in men above the age of 55 and uterus cervical cancers in women are common in Ethiopia. The cure is possible if identified in the early stage. For this we need to educate the people to get checked time and again,' he added.

Cervical cancer ranks as the most common cancer among women in East Africa. It also causes a higher mortality rate in the region.

Explaining how HCG treats people regardless of their ability to pay, Sridhar said: 'In India we don't let people go back untreated if they don't have the money. Primarily all patients are patients regardless of their income. They must get the treatment at any cost. There is the credit system in which people pay in an installment basis. So we have to establish that kind of arrangement for patients.'

HCG's vision here is to provide use of new technologies like installing radiation treatment and establishing Intensity Modulated Radio Therapy -. With targeted treatment, radiation and targeted therapy, it is possible to make cancer a controllable disease.

WHO figures indicates that cancer causes about 12.5 percent of all deaths worldwide, this is more than the productive life lost from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. New cases are expected to double within the next 20 years.

Sridhar says cancer can be tackled in Africa. The establishments of cancer centres provide affordable treatment and follow up will help alleviate the problem.

The doctor's advice: Please get screened for cancer now. If something is detected, it is better to find it in the early age rather than later.

-

Daunting barriers found in accessing psychiatric care

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 04:00:00 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) A new study by Harvard Medical School researchers published today in the Annals of Emergency Medicine finds that access to outpatient psychiatric care in the greater Boston area is severely limited, even for people with reputedly excellent private health insurance. Given that the federal health law is modelled after the Massachusetts health reform, the findings have national implications, the researchers say.

Study personnel posed as patients insured by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts PPO, the largest insurer in Massachusetts. They called every Blue Cross-contracted mental health facility within a 10-mile radius of down town Boston, stating they had been evaluated in an emergency department for depression and discharged with instructions to obtain a psychiatric appointment within two weeks – i.e. they signalled they needed urgent care.

Only 8 of the 64 facilities (12.5 percent) listed by Blue Cross as preferred providers offered appointments; only 4 (6.2 percent) offered an appointment within two weeks. These findings indicate that even patients with top-drawer private insurance face grave difficulties in securing mental health services in the Boston area.

According to the study, 23 percent of phone calls seeking appointments were never returned, even after a second attempt. Another common reason appointments were unavailable was that 23 percent of psychiatric providers required that the patient already be enrolled with a primary care doctor affiliated with their psychiatric facility.

"People with mental health problems often can't advocate for themselves – especially in a crisis," said lead author Dr. J. Wesley Boyd, an attending psychiatrist at the Harvard-affiliated Cambridge Health Alliance. "Health insurers know this and yet, thanks to their restrictive provider networks and their low reimbursement rates for psychiatric services, they've created a situation where a patient with a potentially life-threatening disorder, such as the severe depression portrayed in our callers' scenario, is essentially abandoned at a time of great need."

"Despite having private coverage, our simulated patient faced daunting barriers when trying to access psychiatric care," Boyd continued. "How likely is it that a real patient in the grip of severe depression would persevere through so many unsuccessful attempts?"

Senior author Dr. Rachel Nardin, chief of neurology at Cambridge Health Alliance, said: "The incentives of the current health insurance system are aligned against patients with mental illness. Insurers try to protect their bottom line by reimbursing poorly for psychiatric services and by constraining their in-network provider lists, both of which limit patients' options so severely as to make services essentially unavailable."

"Lack of adequate access to mental health care strains our entire health care system," said Nardin. "Emergency departments are overwhelmed with boarding psychiatric patients for whom no other resources exist."

"A good first step would be for insurance companies to immediately provide improved reimbursements for psychiatric care," Nardin said. "A more fundamental solution, however, would be to remove private insurers from the picture altogether and to establish a single-payer national health insurance program – a program that would cover mental health services as part of its comprehensive benefits package."

Girl battles law to survive

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:50:18 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Thiruvananthapuram, July 20 - Born in an impoverished family, 17-year-old Jayasree had both her kidneys damaged at the age of 11, saw her father lose his mental balance and now, when she finally saw a flicker of hope after a priest came forward to donate his kidney for free -- a law stopped him from doing so.

Speaking to IANS, Father Santhosh George, said it is quite strange that government hospitals allow kidney transplants only when the doner and donee are relatives.

'I saw the news reports of this young girl struggling for life and I came forward to donate one of my kidneys but rules do not allow that and it is quite strange,' said 39-year-old George, who turned a priest just 18 months back.

On Wednesday, George and Jayasree's relatives staged a sit-in in front of the state secretariat.

Former apex court judge V.R. Krishna Iyer, who was also present at the site, said that such needless rules in the state-run medical colleges should go. 'These rules are unethical and have to be re-written,' said Iyer.

However, these rules don't apply in private hospitals and anyone can donate a kidney to anyone.

'We checked up and we are told that it would cost more than five lakh rupees for the surgery in a private hospital. The girl's father is a labourer and has lost his mental balance after treating his daughter for the past six years. We are poor and can't afford these hefty expenses,' said Sreekumar, the girl's uncle.

The Satya Sai Trust has come forward to meet all the expenses if the surgery is done at the state-run medical college.

'We did meet Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and are now hoping that the rule is relaxed in our case. In every case, it's the donor who is the problem and here when I have come forward to do it for free, rules do not permit, it is sad indeed,' said George.

Mayawati orders CBI probe into doctors' killing, medical graft

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 22:21:36 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Lucknow, July 20 - Prompted by the remarks of the Allahabad High Court, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Wednesday ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation - probe into the murder of two chief medical officers - of Lucknow.

She also referred to the CBI the entire case of alleged bungling in the Rs.3,000 crore National Rural Health Mission -, that was seen at the root of the series of murders of government doctors.

Two chief medical officers of the state capital - B.P.Singh and Vinod Arya - were murdered and deputy chief medical officer Y.S. Sachan was found dead in a jail here between October 2010 and June 2011.

Barely six hours after the Lucknow bench of the high court comprising Justice Pradeep Kant and Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi asked the state government 'why not a CBI probe into the murder of two other CMOs', Mayawati was propelled to take a quick decision to do so herself.

The chief minister's decision came in exactly the same manner as it did in the case of the death Sachan, who was found dead in mysterious circumstances inside the Lucknow district prison June 22.

It was about 15 hours after the court reserved its judgment on a public interest litigation -, seeking a CBI probe into Sachan's murder, that the chief minister July 14 announced her decision to refer the case to the federal probe agency.

The court's observation Wednesday came on a petition filed by lawyer Prince Lenin, who sought a CBI inquiry into the murders of the two CMOs.

Even as both murders were committed over a span of six months, both Singh and Arya were gunned down in almost similar circumstances - during their morning walk very close to their respective homes in Lucknow.

The court also ordered a CBI probe into the alleged bungling in the centrally-funded Rs. 3,000-crore NRHM on a separate public interest litigation - moved by local journalist Sachchidanand Gupta.

The government decision comes in sharp contrast to its earlier stand of opposing any CBI intervention in all these cases. The U-turn followed after the court expressed its displeasure over the shoddy investigations carried out by police.

Elderly show way to recovery after surgeries

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 18:47:48 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Retired professor J.R. Verma, 91, underwent a second knee replacement surgery four months ago. But the only signs of old age this Delhiite carries are a walking stick and a deeply wrinkled skin. He is active and on his way to recovery.

'I still tell my children that I am not old. I can walk on my own, and a surgery or medical facility should only make me feel better,' Verma said as he was joined by many senior citizens of south Delhi's Defence Colony to celebrate 'Grandparents Day' Sunday.

Verma is keen to take his passion for photography and writing going ahead -- undeterred by his physical condition.

'I suffer from arthritis. I had a surgery at the age of 79, and have been leading an active life as a writer and amateur photographer since then,' he added.

Joining Verma was 78-year-old N.N. Mehra, who received a liver transplant in 2010. 'Life only gets better if you embrace what comes with age,' he quipped.

Medanta Mediclinic in the locality came out with their 'winning stories' on how the old recovered well from surgical operations that come with age.

'There are certain diseases that people are more prone to after the age of 50. A timely health check up can help in diagnosing the disease early and make them lead an active life later,' said Medanta Hospital's institute of cardiac sciences chairman Naresh Trehan.

Diseases such as cancer and arthritis can be treated in a much better way if diagnosed early, experts said.

'Prostate cancer screening should begin by the age of 50. In fact people who have a family history of the disease should go for screening early,' Trehan said, adding that 'preventive care among senior citizens is all about caution and awareness'.

Diabetics, after entering the age of 40, also need regular screening for eyes and arthritis.

'Screening centres and comprehensive health check ups should become a part of the health policy for senior citizens. More importantly, youngsters should bring awareness measures to their notice,' said Medanta's institute of bone and joint replacement chairman Ashok Rajgopal.

Bengal to focus on ayurveda

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 20:41:31 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Kolkata, July 12 - The West Bengal government is planning to revive ayurveda both for medical treatment and development of rural areas of the state, lawmakers said Tuesday.

'- Mamata Banerjee has asked us to chalk out plans for the revival of ayurveda. She has asked us to explore ayurveda for its education, treatment, uses and economic purpose,' Shashi Panja, member of the state assembly's standing committee on health, told IANS.

Legislator Nirmal Majhi, another member of the committee, said: 'The chief minister has asked us to look into different aspects of ayurveda. She has asked us to look into the prospects of constructing an ayurvedic medical college and hospital in Howrah district.'

'We will start work very soon. She has plans of developing the socio-economic conditions of rural Bengal by the cultivation of herbal plants and manufacture of medicines,' he said.

Majhi, also the chairman of West Bengal Medicinal Plants Board, said that the state government plans to set up factories, ayurvedic colleges and hospitals using herbal plants in next five years.

Campaign launched for shy condom buyers

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 20:19:59 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Thiruvananthapuram, July 11 - 'I am not Shy' campaign to overcome shyness in buying a pack of condoms from an outlet was launched here Monday by state-run Hindustan Latex Limited - on the occasion of World Population Day.

According to a recent survey, modern contraceptives still remain out of reach for millions in India which is all set to overtake China as the world's most populous nation by 2025.

In the survey conducted it was found that one out of three Indians is still shy to buy condoms from pharmacies and other shops, thus affecting the progress of family planning and leading to unprotected sex. The initiative by HLL is to address this 'shy' factor directly.

The nationwide campaign was flagged off by Kerala Health Minister Adoor Prakash at a medical store in the heart of the city.

HLL also launched this campaign through social networking websites and also opened a new website www.imnotshy.com.

As part of the campaign, HLL volunteers will go to public places like railway stations and bus stands, and will distribute condoms and other contraceptives free of cost along with brochures to raise awareness levels.

Besides, the company, which has been in the forefront of population stabilising efforts along the union health ministry, will also set up more vending machines across the country and conduct awareness campaigns in remote tribal areas.

'World Population Day reaffirms the right of people to plan their families and future. It is an occasion to further scale up the activities aimed at helping the people to enjoy this right. We are launching the campaign, mainly targeting the marginalised and the young,' said HLL CMD M. Ayyappan.

HLL produces over 1.316 billion condoms annually - accounting for 10 percent of the total global production. 'Moods' brand of condom from the HLL portfolio is available in 19 variants and was selected as a 'super brand' and 'power brand' in India.

New tool can detect deadly anthrax attack in 15 minutes

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:01:04 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Washington, July 7 - A nano detector that takes just 15 minutes to analyze a sample suspected of anthrax contamination, is being developed by researchers.

Bacillus anthracis, commonly known as anthrax, is a potentially lethal microbe that can be used by terrorists to infect victims through contamination of food and water supplies, aerosolized particles, or even dried powders.

Nathaniel Cady of the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering -, University at Albany, and colleagues at Cornell University, New York, have constructed nanofabricated fluidic cartridges that can be used to carry out detection of anthrax.

The technology amplifies any anthrax DNA present in the sample and can reveal the presence of 40 microscopic cells of the deadly bacteria.

Detection is crucial to preventing widespread fatalities in the event of an anthrax attack, according to a CNSE statement.

However, the complexity of the microbe's biology has so far made it difficult to build a portable system that can be employed quickly, reports the International Journal of Biomedical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.

-Indo-Asian News service

st/sak/vt

Two held for hiring women for clinical drug trials

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:20:53 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Two people working as brokers for a Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company were Friday arrested in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district for engaging poor women for unauthorised drug trials, police said.

Kommu Karunamma and Shaikh Jameela were arrested from Piduguralla town, about 300 km from here, after 20 women took ill following clinical trials.

There are allegations that the company used poor and illiterate women as guinea pigs to test a drug to treat breast cancer.

The brokers were hiring gullible women and taking them to Hyderabad where their blood samples were taken and they were given injections and tablets. They were being paid around Rs.3,000 to Rs.10,000 for the trials conducted during last three months.

The issue came to light Thursday after some women, who had no idea what the company was testing on them, complained of severe body pain, joint pain and extreme weakness. A few of them had even difficulty walking. A local doctor told them they could have been tested for breast cancer drugs.

Six of the affected women were admitted to a government hospital in Guntur. District Medical and Health Officer M. Gopi Naik, who rushed to Piduguralla, said action would be taken against the company if it was found flouting the rules.

Secrets behind successful patient safety programs revealed

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 04:00:00 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) A team of social scientists and medical and nursing researchers in the United States and the United Kingdom has pinpointed how a programme, which ran in more than 100 hospital intensive care units in Michigan, dramatically reduced the rates of potentially deadly central line bloodstream infections to become one of the world's most successful patient safety programmes.

Funded in part by the Health Foundation in the UK, the collaboration between researchers at the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Leicester and the University of Pennsylvania, has led to a deeper understanding of how patient safety initiatives like the Michigan programme can succeed.

"Explaining Michigan: developing an ex post theory of a quality improvement programme" by Mary Dixon-Woods and Emma-Louise Aveling of the University of Leicester; Charles Bosk of the University of Pennsylvania and Christine Goeschel and Peter Pronovost of Johns Hopkins University, is published in the June 2011 edition of Milbank Quarterly.

"We knew this programme worked. It not only helped to eliminate infections, it also reduced patient deaths," said programme leader Peter Pronovost of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who was named as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in 2008 and was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, or 'genius grant,' from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. "The challenge was to figure out how it worked".

The researchers found that one of the Michigan programme's most important features is that it explicitly outlined what hospitals had to do to improve patient safety, while leaving specific requirements up to the hospital personnel. A critical aspect of the programme was convincing participants that there was a problem capable of being solved together.

"It was achieved by a combination of story-telling about real-life tragedies of patients who came to unnecessary harm in hospital, and using hard data about infection rates," said co-author Charles Bosk, a professor of sociology in Penn's School of Arts and Sciences and a senior fellow in the Center for Bioethics at Penn.

Infection rates were continuously monitored at hospitals participating in the programme, making it easier for hospital workers to track how well they were doing and where they needed to improve.

The authors conclude that that there are important lessons for others attempting patient safety improvements. Checklists were an essential component, but not necessarily the most important element of the Michigan programme.

"The programme was much more than a checklist," said lead author Mary Dixon-Woods, professor of medical sociology at the University of Leicester, "It involved a community of people who over time created supportive relationships that enabled doctors and nurses in many hospitals to learn together, share good practice, and exert positive pressure on each other to achieve the best outcomes for patients."

"What we have learned is that it is the local teams that deliver the results", said Dr Bosk. "But they need to be well supported by a core project team, who have to focus on enabling hospital workers to get things right. That means providing them with scientific expertise to justify the changes they are being asked to make, and standardising measures so they are all collecting the same data. It also means trying to figure out why simple changes that make life better are so difficult for health care delivery systems to do. Getting the whole programme to work, rather than compliance with a single one component, is the key to making health care safer for patients."

"No one discipline has the answer to patient safety problems. We have to bring together contributions from clinical medicine and the social sciences to make real progress in this area" added Dr Provonost. This month, Dr. Pronovost was named director of Johns Hopkins' newly formed Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality and senior vice president for patient safety and quality.

Mental health check-up not to be compulsory in China

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:51:45 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Beijing, June 14 - Mental health examination of Chinese people would not be compulsory and could be done at the discretion of the patient's guardians, says a new draft mental health law.

The legislative affairs office of the government has published the full text of the draft law on its official website to seek public feedback, the People's Daily reported.

According to the draft law, mental disease diagnosis should be conducted on a voluntary basis.

It also states that it was the responsibility of authorities to send homeless people suspected of suffering from mental disorders to mental health institutions.

They can be discharged from hospitals at any time at the discretion of their guardians.

The draft law also provides rights of mental health patients, including the right to education, work, medical insurance, privacy and social assistance.

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has said there were over 100 million people affected by mental illness in China, with 16 million listed as severely ill.

West Bengal to increase seats in medical colleges by 700

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:03:03 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday said a three-phase developmental system will be taken up to improve the state's ailing health services sector.

'We have to go through three systems for health service development. A three-phase developmental system will be taken up to improve the heath infrastructure and service.

'First, how to develop within this infrastructure. Second phase will be short-term planning, what we can do in one year to three-four years, and another is long-term vision plan what we can do in 10 years,' Banerjee said while addressing an event of state health officials and doctors.

'While selecting doctors and nurses for the hospitals, the local boys and girls... should be given preference so that he or she can concentrate fully in his work,' she added.

Banerjee said the senior health officials should spend time in field work rather than just sitting in their offices.

'The senior health officials should not work by sitting in cabins. The state-level health officials should go to the district-level, the district-level health officials should go to the block-level and sub-divisional levels and take report of everything,' said Banerjee.

The chief minister asserted that coordination between health officials and the government was necessary for the implementation of the government policies.

Banerjee also announced that 3,000 hospital beds will be added in the state.

'We will increase 3,000 beds across various hospitals in the state within this infrastructure through various programmes. We have decided that seven hospitals situated in various districts of West Bengal will be turned into district hospitals and this process will increase 700 beds.

'We are also conducting a inspection and after this inspection is over, we are hopeful of increasing 700 seats in medical colleges,' she said.

India urges international community to promote generic drugs

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 15:12:10 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, June 9 - India has called upon the international community to promote generic medicine, specially for diseases like HIV and AIDS, to make treatment affordable.

Speaking at the high level meeting of the General Assembly on HIV and AIDS in New York Wednesday, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad urged the international community for lifting the 'barriers' of Intellectual Property Rights and patents from medicines.

Generic drugs are medicines which are sold without brand name, making them cheaper.

'The international community has to dismantle barriers that obstruct universal access to treatment. A key barrier in universal access to treatment is the high cost of Anti Retro Viral medicines,' Azad said.

'Pharmaceutical companies in my country have been providing high quality and affordable drugs for use not only in India but also supplying to around 200 countries. I would also like to take this opportunity to make it abundantly clear that these generic drugs are not cheap in terms of quality,' he added.

India's Bharat Biotech to sell $1 diarrhoea vaccine

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 11:35:28 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Hyderabad, June 6 - Leading bio-pharma company Bharat Biotech Monday announced that ROTAVAC , India's first indigenously developed rotavirus diarrohea vaccine, will be sold to global public markets, UN procurement agencies and governments the world over at a price of $1.

The Hyderabad-based firm hopes its new vaccine will help prevent part of the 500,000 child deaths each year caused due to rotavirus diarrhoea and improve access to better, affordable vaccines.

The company expects an India license for its vaccine in 2014 and World Health Organisation - prequalification in 2015 for supply to United Nations agencies.

The vaccine is currently undergoing Phase III clinical development for safety and efficacy in 8,000 subjects -- one of the largest such clinical trials ever conducted in India, said a statement by the company.

'The key to our success of bringing down the cost of vaccine is our novel concept in vaccine development and innovative manufacturing processes with public health in mind,' said Bharat Biotech chairman and managing director Krishna Ella.

Ella recalled that in 2001 he had made a commitment to the Gates Foundation to develop and supply a novel rotavirus vaccine at $1 a dose. 'We are extremely happy to honour that commitment,' he said.

Bharat Biotech's rotavirus vaccine development project is a public-private partnership project.

It is between the company and the biotechnology department of the Indian government; Gates Foundation; Program for Appropriate Technologies in Health; Centers for Disease Control, US; National Institutes of Health -, USA; Society for Applied Studies, Translational Health Sciences Technology Institute, Indian Institute of Science, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and Stanford University.

Bharat Biotech has an installed capacity of 300 million doses.

Stricter radiation norms soon for mobile handsets

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 20:05:44 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, June 5 - Concerned by the latest World Health Organisations - study linking mobile phone usage with brain tumours, Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology Sachin Pilot has said that the government will come out with stricter norms for mobile handsets and towers.

'While telecom is a huge success story in India, any possible health related effects of radiation emitted by mobile phones and towers are to be reflected and ensured in the guidelines. The final guidelines would take into account the best global benchmarks and scientific evidence on the subject,' Pilot said in a statement.

The department of telecom - had set up an inter ministerial group in August 2010 to evaluate the evidence, revisit radiation guidelines for mobile towers and adopt guidelines for radiation by cell phones.

The group, which consists of experts from DoT, ministry of health, department of biotechnology, ministry of environment and forests and Indian Council of Medical Research -, has proposed stricter norms for both mobile handsets and towers.

Mamata announces plan to revamp Bengal's medical infrastructure

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 22:28:24 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday said existing hospitals and health centres across the state will be upgraded while four super-speciality hospitals will come up in Purulia, Bankura, West Midnapore and Birbhum to revamp the medical infrastructure.

'In districts like Purulia, Bankura, West Midnapore and Birbhum, the health infrastructure is poor and I have plans to set up ultra modern hospitals in the districts. I have talked with the people concerned but I cannot reveal now with whom I have talked. I also cannot say about the policies of the hospitals until they are finalised,' Banerjee told media persons at the state secretariat - Writers' Buildings.

She also said the government would provide land for these hospitals.

Blaming the former Left Front government for neglecting the health sector, she said her government has come up with short, medium and long-term measures to shore up the sector.

'What could not be done in 34 years cannot be done in a year. We need time. We have chalked up short, medium and long-term measures to revive the health sector. We need at least five years' time.'

Banerjee also said that the existing hospitals and health centers down to the block level would be modernised. Most of them are under-staffed so the government will recruit technicians, doctors and other medical staff to provide health facilities properly, she said, adding that all this will be done within a year.

'We would also be setting up special orthopaedic and neurology hospitals along with special care centres for women. We are in the process of identifying the areas which need emphasis. The people of Bengal who have to go to Vellore and other cities for treatment won't have to go once our projects come up,' said Banerjee.

She also said they have plans for beautification of the city.

An inter-ministry meeting was held at Writers' Buildings for initiating projects for beautification of the city. The meeting was attended by senior railway officials, Kolkata Port Trust Chairman and also by senior officials of Kolkata Municipal Corporation along with senior state government officials.

Banerjee said: 'RITES, a government enterprise, has been entrusted to prepare a master plan for beautification of the city with in a month. After having the detailed plan, we will hold our next meeting June 30 to chalk out the future course of action.'

Tourist dies of mosquito-borne virus in Australia

Thu, 26 May 2011 10:59:11 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Sydney, May 26 - A 19-year-old Canadian woman has died after contracting a rare and incurable mosquito-borne virus while on holiday in Australia's northern region, officials said.

The department of health in the Northern Territory has issued a warning advising people to avoid being bitten, after the woman became the third person to contract the Murray Valley encephalitis - virus this year, the Australian Associated Press - reported Thursday.

The woman became unwell when she arrived in Canada from a holiday in the Northern Territory this month and was admitted to hospital in Calgary, where she died Wednesday.

Peter Markey, acting director of the Centre for Disease Control, said amongst the three confirmed cases of MVE is a two-year-old child.

Earlier this month, a 27-year-old man died from the disease in South Australia.

Markey said there was no specific medical treatment for MVE.

Unlike other mosquito-borne illnesses, which are not typically fatal, about 25 percent of people who contract MVE die.

Many MVE patients suffer from delirium and coma, leading to paralysis or brain damage.

BD nano pen needle - World's smallest insulin injection needle launched

Wed, 25 May 2011 16:47:19 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) The world's smallest pen needle insulin injection for diabetics promising relief from pain was launched here Wednesday, said a statement from its manufacturer Becton, Dickinson and Company -.

'The BD nano pen needle is proven to be as effective as the longer needles in patients of all body types and proven to offer a less painful injection experience for people with diabetes who inject insulin. This is the world's first four mm long pen needle,' said Diwakar Mittal, business manager, BD Medical-Diabetes Care, India.

The needle is four mm in length and of 32 gauge thickness making it the shortest and the thinnest in the market.

Currently, insulin injection needles are available in variable sizes of which the five mm long needles are the most common among diabetics.

'We are confident that this tiny needle can have a big impact by easing diabetes patients' transition and ongoing adherence to injectable drug therapy regimens,' Mittal added.

'The pen needle provides equivalent glucose control as compared to longer insulin pen needles. It effectively delivers an insulin dose to the layer of fat below the skin which is the recommended site for insulin injections,' the statement said.

Chinese woman cuts open her belly to save surgery cost

Wed, 25 May 2011 16:14:25 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) A Chinese woman cut open her stomach with a kitchen knife to relieve fluid accumulation so that she didn't have to pay the surgery cost, a media report said.

China Daily reported that 53-year-old Wu Yuanbi, a migrant worker living in Chongqing municipal area, had not bought medical insurance as she wanted to save money.

After her plight came to light, she was taken to a hospital and is now being given treatment free of cost.

Wu is suffering for the past 13 years from Budd-Chiari syndrome, which is a condition in which her stomach fills with fluid.

In 2002, her family pooled its savings to pay for a surgery that led to a large amount of fluid being taken out.

When she suffered a relapse, her family was too poor to pick the 50,000 yuan - tab for the second operation, the media report said.

As Wu was desperate to relieve the pressure in her stomach, she cut herself open with a kitchen knife May 8.

Her husband, Cao Yunhui, had left for work when she slit open her stomach and she had to endure intense pain for hours.

When Cao returned later in the day, he found Wu with a 10 cm-long wound in her stomach. She was lying in a fluid pool.

Wu was immediately taken to hospital.

'If I had passed away, I would have at least spared my family the trouble of looking after me,' Wu was quoted as saying.

China to penalise people found spreading STDs

Sat, 21 May 2011 16:45:27 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Beijing, May 21 - Authorities in China may soon be able to penalise anyone found intentionally spreading sexually transmitted diseases -, according to the latest draft amendment by the health ministry to the regulation on STD prevention and treatment.

Those found intentionally spreading STDs will be held liable as per the damage they caused, according to the new amendments, China Daily quoted the Ministry of Health as saying in a statement.

The amended law requires STD sufferers to take precautions to prevent transmitting a disease to others, while the current regulation, which has been in force since 1991, only required them to seek timely treatment.

The draft appeared Tuesday on the website of the State Council's Legislative Affairs Office, which is soliciting public opinions until June 5.

The draft also demands non-discrimination and proper services from healthcare providers for STD patients and requires them to keep a record of STD occurrences.

Statistics from the Ministry of Health showed that in April, 932 people in China died of AIDS, and that there were 7,806 cases of gonorrhea reported and 35,153 of syphilis, a slight decline for each disease on the March figures.

Wang Ning, deputy director of the National Centre for AIDS and STD Control and Prevention, said the purpose of the penalties is to guarantee victims rights to sue malicious STD transmitters.

However, the draft amendment has also led to skepticism among people.

According to Qiu Renzong, a bio-ethics researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, it was unnecessary to single out intentional STD transmission, because many other infectious diseases can also be maliciously spread.

'Such cases happen rather rarely. The charge of intentional injury under the current criminal law is enough to handle them,' he said.

Qiu said he believes that instead of penalties it would be better to educate STD sufferers and offer more effective treatment.

A volunteer at the Beijing home of Red Ribbon that provides medical advice and help for people living with HIV/AIDS, said it is very difficult to collect evidence to prove intentional transmission.

High-risk groups such as sex workers are more likely to be intentional transmitters, because they may lose business if they disclose that they are STD carriers, he added.

Government hospitals vie for better hygiene practices

Wed, 11 May 2011 23:32:09 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 11 - Stressing on the need to standardise hygiene practices in government hospitals, the ministry of health and family welfare has roped in three central government hospitals under a private hospital's housekeeping guidelines to improve cleanliness standards, officials said Wednesday.

'We are aiming for cleanliness and hygiene in government hospitals in the country. All is not well in the government hospitals as facilities are limited and footfall is humungous. We hope the standardisation of practices will lead to more patient safety,' Keshav Desiraju, additional secretary in the ministry of health, said at the launch of the book 'Hospital Housekeeping Guidelines' by Max Healthcare.

'The book not only lays guidelines, but sensitizes other hospitals also. It takes a broad view of quality control, hospital etiquette, modern housekeeping practices, waste management, cleaning system, pest control, and various other points,' chairman of Max India group Analjit Singh said.

The three central government hospitals roped in for the initiative are Safdarjung Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College in the capital.

Uttar Pradesh admits National Rural Health Mission Problems

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:41:07 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Admitting large-scale financial irregularities in the execution of National Rural Health Mission - schemes in Uttar Pradesh, the state government on Tuesday announced a system of multiple checks and balances to curb pilferage.

'We have decided to bring the entire NRHM operation under the scanner whereby every rupee spent is accounted for through a system of multiple checks and balances,' state Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh told a press conference here.

He conceded that it was the rampant corruption at various levels in the execution of the Rs.3,000 crore NRHM schemes that led to the murder of two successive chief medical officers for family welfare in Lucknow.

Vinod Kumar Arya was hot dead Oct 27, 2010, while B.P. Singh was killed April 2.

The government was determined not only to bring all malpractices to an end but also to bring to book those who were guilty in the murder of B.P. Singh, the official said.

He said: 'Under the new arrangement, we will have both internal and external audit of all expenses related to the NRHM funds across the state.'

'Just as Dr. Arya was killed shortly after he began to undertake inspections of community health centres and primary health centres in the rural areas, Dr. Singh too became the target when he started following the same course,' the cabinet secretary added.

'Significantly, both had detected large-scale financial irregularities, which included fake payments in the name of hiring of manpower and vehicles, supply of medicines and equipment,' the official said.

Disclosing that the NRHM programme would henceforth be supervised by the chief secretary, he said the new checks and balances would ensure cleaner functioning and curb malpractices.

Two men were arrested over the killing of Vinod Arya.

The investigations into B.P. singh's murder had led to the arrest of two doctors and two junior officials of the CMO's office. However, the killers were still at large.

PGIMER performs its first liver transplant surgery

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 21:20:34 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Chandigarh, April 20 - The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research - here, one of the leading medical institutes of northern India, successfully performed its first liver transplant surgery, officials said here Wednesday.

'The first liver transplant was done April 15 and the patient has been kept under close observation. He is fine and the surgery was successful,' the official spokesperson of PGIMER said.

The PGIMER was granted conduct of liver transplant surgeries in December 2009.

'The plan was to start with a cadaveric programme, which will be followed by all other liver transplant programmes in a structured manner,' the spokesperson added.

According to him, the highly technical surgery went on for nearly eight-and-a-half hours.

The initial two-week period is always critical for patients,' he added.

The recipient of the liver was a 44-year-old patient from Uttar Pradesh, who had been suffering from last-stage liver failure.

The donor, a 17-year-old girl, was the victim of a road accident and was declared brain dead by the doctors.

She has given a new lease of life to five people through her liver, both the kidneys and the two corneas.

Thousands of patients from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir visit the PGIMR every day.

Condoms urged for Tunisian migrants on Italian island

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 20:54:09 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) To prevent unwanted pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, condoms should be given to the thousands of Tunisian migrants who have set up camp on Italy's southern island of Lampedusa, a top medical officer said Wednesday.

'Just as cigarettes can be distributed, we can hand out condoms and other forms of contraception,' said Nicola Surico, the head of Italy's association of gynaecologists and obstetricians.

'This would cut the risk of STDs such as syphillis and the - papillomavirus, as well as unwanted pregnancies,' she said.

There are, at present, more than 6,000 Tunisian immigrants on Lampedusa, who had fled the country when anti-government protests erupted earlier this year.

There could could be dozens of unwanted pregnancies among female migrants. 'Unfortunately, in many cases, these women are likely to seek abortions,' another official said.

The influx has caused severe overcrowding and has angered residents on the tiny fishing island whose population is around 5,300.

Six navy and passenger ships were expected to transfer many of the migrants to other centres elsewhere in Italy as food was running out and sanitary conditions described by officials as 'desperate'.

Lampedusa lies around 113 km from Tunisia and 205 km south of Sicily.

--IANS/AKI

pm/vm

British infertility clinic opens centre in Kerala

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:54:27 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Britain-based Bourn Hall, the world's first in vitro fertilization - clinic established by pioneers Professor Robert Edwards and Doctor Patrick Steptoe in 1980, Thursday launched its first Indian centre in Kochi.

The new assisted conception clinic here will provide a range of fertility treatment services to the same high ethical and quality standards set by Bourn Hall Clinic in Britain, said Mike Macnamee, chief executive, Bourn Hall Clinic.

He said bringing the Bourn Hall treatment services here, is a step forward towards the dream of our founders, of making fertility treatment widely available to all who need it.

'Infertility is a universal problem. We will open more clinics in India in the next few years. Our second clinic will be in Delhi,' said Macnamee.

Also present at the launch of the Kochi clinic was Peter Brinsden, group medical director, Bourn Hall International and president of the British Fertility Society.

It was Edwards' pioneering work with Steptoe that led to the birth of the world's first 'test-tube' baby Louise Brown July 25, 1978.

In 2010, Edwards was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for the development of the IVF technique.

No superbug hazard - Health ministry of India

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:14:11 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) There is no major health threat by the presence of a multi-drug resistant bacteria in Delhi's environment, the union health ministry said Monday, even as a prestigious medical journal accused the Indian government of 'suppressing the truth' about the presence of the superbug.

'We have rejected it and we still reject it,' Director General Health Service R. K. Srivastava told IANS.

However, he said that a final statement can be made only after the research wing of the health ministry - completes its study.

'The research wing will examine every thing, the protocol and the method of research, all will be examined and only after that, a final statement can be given by the concerned authorities,' he said.

Days after health ministry rejected the study on the presence of the superbug in Delhi's environment, published in British journal The Lancet, study co-author Mark Toleman accused the government of India of 'suppressing the truth'.

The study, published last week, said the New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase - gene, which makes bacteria resistant to an array of antibiotics, including the most powerful ones, has been found in open water pools, water from overflowing sewage and even a couple of drinking water samples in the Indian capital.

The health ministry, however, said such bacteria existed all over the world and the study was targeting India.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit also reiterated Monday that water in the city was safe for drinking and there was nothing to panic about.

'Please don't spread panic when there is no panic. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi - has been saying and I think Delhi Jal Board - has said that this is not so and water is safe for drinking,' Dikshit told reporters here.

DJB CEO Ramesh Negi said the water quality in the city meets the official standards.

'We are testing the water as per the Bureau of India Standard - standard and we are following it. Delhi's water is safe for drinking and quoting the same - study, it says chances of this bacteria growing in this water is very less,' he said.

Microsoft offers health products for Dubai hospitals

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 21:39:31 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Dubai, Oct 24 - Microsoft Health Solutions Group has showcased a range of its equipment to explore prospects of collaboration with the Dubai Healthcare City -.

DHCC, a member of Tecom Investments, Sunday announced that an 'open-day' for Microsoft group held Oct 17 gave Microsoft a platform to explore collaboration opportunities.

Ayesha Abdullah, managing director of Tecom Investments' Sciences Cluster and Executive Director of DHCC, said: 'As the first integrated healthcare free zone, DHCC remains committed to sustaining and improving healthcare excellence.'

'We welcome opportunities for partnerships with key players in the industry such as Microsoft Healthcare Solutions that serve to enhance the status of the healthcare sector in the region.'

Sam Amory, business development executive, Microsoft Healthcare Solutions, said, 'We are privileged to interact with DHCC officials and present our product offerings. The open-day served as an ideal platform to understand and match DHCC's requirements with our wide range of programmes that are customised according to client needs.'

'We are optimistic our partnership will grow from strength to strength as we look forward to adding useful components to the existing state-of-the-art infrastructure.'

DHCC, which has formed a cluster of over 90 outpatient medical centres, laboratories, more than 100 commercial healthcare and retail services, is regulated by the Center for Healthcare Planning and Quality -.

--IANS/WAM

hv/vt

Four more encephalitis deaths in Uttar Pradesh

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 21:56:43 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Four more deaths due to encephalitis were reported in this Uttar Pradesh town Saturday, taking this year's toll in its epicenter, Gorakhpur, to 215.

Three of the four victims were boys in the age group of 5-12 years, while one was a 3-year-old girl.

According to an official of the BRD Medical College here, which runs a well- established nodal centre to deal with the rampant menace of encephalitis in large parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, two of these children were from Gorakhpur itself, while one was brought here from the neighbouring Maharajganj and another from Bihar.

The bulk of this year's deaths have taken place since the onset of monsoon, in which the effect of deadly virus increases.

According to the spokesman, as many as 134 of this year's 215 deaths were recorded between July 10 and Aug 28.

The BRD Medical College, which caters to a large population spread across more than half a dozen encephalitis prone districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh and a few districts of Bihar, had received 865 encephalitis patients since July 10.

Medical college in Kalpana Chawla's name coming up in Karnal

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:13:50 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Karnal town in Haryana, from where Indian-origin astronaut Kalpana Chawla hailed, will soon have a medical college in her memory.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Tuesday announced that the Kalpana Chawla Medical College would be set up in the existing complex of the civil hospital in Karnal.

He made the announcement after a meeting of the medical college project here Tuesday. He asked officials of the concerned departments to expedite the project.

Kalpana Chawla, who was born and had studied at the Tagore Public School in Karnal town, 120 km from here, became the first woman of Indian origin to go into space on NASA's re-useable spacecraft Columbia in 1997.

The space scientist, who did her engineering degree in aeronautical engineering from Chandigarh's Punjab Engineering College -, was chosen by NASA for her second space mission in January 2003.

It was during the return journey, once again in spacecraft Columbia, that the shuttle disintegrated while re-entering the Earth's atmosphere Feb 1, 2003. All seven astronauts on the flight perished in the disaster.

Vitamin A Supplementation Programme to Stay

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:06:11 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) A programme to administer Vitamin A to Indian children is unlikely to be scrapped despite new research advising against it. The health ministry and several doctors say it is needed to combat malnutrition, which affects over 20 percent of the country's population.

'A blanket scrapping of the Vitamin A administration cannot be suggested as a majority of Indian children are still malnutritioned,' Arvind Sindwani, consultant paediatrician in Faridabad's Metro Hospital, told IANS.

The health ministry said there are no plans for scrapping the programme as of now. 'Nutrition is a problem, specially for the economically weaker sections. There are no plans to scrap Vitamin A administration,' a ministry official said.

The Vitamin A supplementation programme has been in operation in India since 1970. Under the government sponsored programme, children between nine months and three years are given six-monthly doses of Vitamin A.

The administration of the first two doses is linked with routine immunisation.

An article published in the international journal World Nutrition has suggested scrapping the Vitamin A programme, stating it has gained ground due to 'powerful commercial interests'.

The article has C. Gopalan, a leading nutritionist and former chief of the Indian Council of Medical Research, Umesh Kapil of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and H.P.S. Sachdev of the Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research advising against it.

The Vitamin A programme was launched to combat keratomalacia, an eye disorder, often referred to as night blindness that was prevalent in the 1950s and 1960s. Gopalan says keratomalacia is no more a massive health problem in the country.

Other doctors, however, say the programme is important due to the prevalence of malnutrition.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation states that 22 percent of India's population is undernourished. The deficiency of Vitamin A, which is critical for the eyes and teeth, may lead to acute problems leading to blindness. According to a Unicef report, only 53 percent of Indian children were covered under the Vitamin A programme in 2006.

'The problem is specially severe for the rural population. The nutritional needs of women are not met during pregnancy, which may lead to several deficiency diseases in children. Vitamin A administration is, therefore, important,' said Punit Kumar Pruthi, a consultant physician at the Asian Institute of Medical Science.

'The shortage of Vitamin A leads to blindness. And seeing the versatile demography of the country, continuing the programme is important,' he said.

The World Nutrition article also mentioned major side effects in children due to overdosing of Vitamin A.

But experts at the health ministry said the oral doses administered at the time of vaccination are water soluble and, hence, have minimal side effects.

'The Vitamin A which is administered in syrup form, along with other vaccines, is water soluble and has very low risks. The major side effect is rashes,' the official said.

The oil soluble variety of the vitamin, which was for long the only one available, posed a threat of accumulating in the liver, causing health problems.

'More than 50 percent children still have Vitamin A deficiency. Most deficiencies are sub-clinical which do not cause any major disease,' Sindwani said.

'Since the beginning of the project, the cases of clinical deficiency - which causes severe diseases - have reduced but they still persist, specially among the poorer sections,' he added.

Stating that the variation occurs across classes as well as regions, Sindwani suggested screening before the administration of the dose.

'A region-wise approach can be taken in states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, the northeastern states and some other backward states. Deficiency is high and common,' he said.

'Therefore, complete scrapping of the project cannot be done. However, a region-based approach is suggested,' he added.

Speaking on the same lines, Pruthi said: 'It should be properly implemented in the areas where people do not have proper information about nutrition.'

He added that for sub-clinical deficiencies, a proper diet is enough.

-

Frame policy for kidney transplants, court asks government

Sat, 01 May 2010 19:08:05 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) The Delhi High Court Friday asked the government to frame a policy for kidney transplants so that proper treatment can be given to those waiting for it.

The court's order came after a patient, Dinesh Gupta, alleged that the All India Institute of Medical Sciences - denied him maintenance haemodialysis as part of his ongoing treatment. He could not afford the same in a private hospital.

Justice S. Muralidhar then directed Gupta, 37, to report to the medical superintendent of the Safdarjung Hospital for the dialysis treatment.

The court asked the central government and the health ministry to put in place certain guidelines for those who urgently need kidney transplant and file an affidavit by May 11.

Gupta contended that his kidney problem began in June 2008 and the problem worsened due to wrong diagnosis by a local doctor. He has been undergoing treatment at the AIIMS since December 2008.

NRHM completes five years, rural health still in disarray

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 21:34:59 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 11 - The flagship National Rural Health Mission - has completed five years of operation and has achieved several targets but its main objective to put the rural health system in place needs a lot more attention, according to health ministry data.

The NRHM was launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in April 2005.

While both maternal and infant mortality rates have come down to an extent - the former from 304 to 254 per a lakh live births and the latter from 66 to 53 per a lakh live births - the undernourishment in the country has remained almost unchanged. In India, about 46 percent of kids are stunted.

One of the key achievement of the NRHM is a visible growth in the field of institutional delivery, which means now more and more women are going to hospital for giving birth to babies and availing expert guidance, data indicates.

However, the situation in primary health care centres remains grim with nearly 150,000 of them not having a single doctor, according to the data. The shortage of doctors in rural areas has pushed poor people to avail private medical services.

Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has already admitted that in India, rural health needs a lot more attention and the government spending of just one percent of the GDP on health is too less.

'We need to increase public spending,' Azad said at a recent function. He also said that 80 percent of the medical human resource is serving just 20 percent of the people, mainly those who are living in cities and towns.

The health ministry is holding a conference Monday to commemorate five years of the NRHM and Vice President Hamid Ansari will be the guest of honour.

Azad overrules IMA's objections to rural MBBS course

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:11:31 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, March 18 - The Indian Medical Association - has three problems with the government's plan to create a special cadre of rural doctors through a truncated MBBS course, but the health ministry has refused to yield to its pressure and will push ahead on the subject as planned.

According to a top health ministry official, a seven-member delegation of the IMA met Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and apprised him of their reservations over plans for the rural doctors' course. The IMA is the top doctors' association in the country.

'The IMA has three problems with the plan,' a senior health ministry official told IANS.

'They want to call the new medical institutions for rural doctors as 'schools' and not colleges, as planned by the ministry. They are also opposed to naming these four-year courses as degrees. The IMA wants these to be called diplomas and not degrees, as a normal MBBS course is of five-year duration,' the official said.

'The doctors' association also wants a separate registration for these rural doctors,' the official added.

However, the health minister has rejected their demands.

'The minister listened to their problems patiently but told them that there is no conflict of interest with the regular doctors. The changes as demanded by the IMA will not be incorporated,' the official added.

Bachelor of Rural Health Care -, popularly called Rural MBBS, is a four-year course for rural students who will work in health sub-centres and primary health care centres.

Azad has often raised the issue of shortage of doctors in India. 'A whopping 80 percent of the doctors are serving just 20 percent of the population. The doctor-patient ratio is not encouraging,' Azad said in a function Wednesday and reiterated that there is a need for more doctors in villages.

According to the medical education regulator, the Medical Council of India, rural doctors are the need of the hour. 'They cannot do surgeries but can treat 300 different types of ailments that rural Indians face regularly,' MCI president Ketan Desai told IANS.

'I am in favour of rural doctors. Those sitting in cities like Delhi and Mumbai cannot understand the trauma of villagers and how they suffer without any medical attention,' Desai added.

Biotech industry hails tax sops in Indian budget

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:56:10 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Bangalore, Feb 26 - The biotechnology industry Friday welcomed the slew of incentives and tax reliefs proposed in the union Budget for the ensuing fiscal 2010-11.

'Though we need to read the fine-print for details, we thank the finance minister for responding to some of our concerns, especially for raising the weighted deduction on all in-house R&D - to 200 percent from 150 percent,' Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar told IANS here.

As significant part of the R&D budget is not in-house, the industry hopes the benefit would apply to costs incurred on filing international patents for protecting the IP - and conducting clinical trials outside the country.

'The increased deduction should allow us to claim international patenting cost and in licensing technology. Otherwise, it will not be helpful. The government needs to be little more insightful than making cosmetic changes,' Mazumdar said.

The Association of Biotechnology led Enterprises - also said legitimate R&D expenses need to be covered under the weighted deduction scheme.

Lauding the service tax exemption on testing and certification of seeds, the association said the concessions extended to medical devices and equipment industry would benefit the healthcare sector in reducing the end-costs.

The budget has proposed concessional basic duty of five percent, CVD - of four percent and zero special additional duty on medical equipment. Specified inputs for manufacturing orthopedic implants are also exempted from import duty.

'The complete liberalisation of pricing and payment of technology transfer fee, trademark, and brand name and royalty payments will augur well to attract fresh investments in the sunrise industry,' the association said in a statement.

The association, however, termed the three percent increase in minimum alternative tax - rate to 18 percent as a negative signal when all other taxes were being reduced.

In a related development, Fortis Hospitals chief executive Vishal Bali regretted that the budget had ignored the call for reforming the Indian healthcare.

'Though the budget has a whopping 46 percent of plan allocation for infrastructure development, not finding healthcare on the finance minister's agenda takes another year away in bridging the affordability and accessibility gap in the sector,' Bali said in a statement here.

'The only positive step to help indigenous manufacture of consumables and implants is the import duty waiver for manufacture of orthopedic implants,' Bali noted.

According to Manipal Health Systems chief executive Rajen Padukone, relaxation of FDI - norms will result in more international players entering the healthcare sector.

'Extension of tax benefits on contribution to central government health scheme - will attract more funds to the scheme and improve its operations substantially,' Padukone said in a statement.

Junior doctors in Madhya Pradesh call off strike

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:52:09 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Junior doctors, who struck work Friday demanding reduction in the mandatory rural service period and a hike in emoluments, called off their protest after the government agreed to consider their demands.

'We have returned to work after talks with the state Principal Secretary - S.R. Mohanty who assured us that our demands would be considered sympathetically. Some of our demands have already been met,' Madhya Pradesh Junior Doctors Association - president K.K. Prajapati told IANS.

Prajapati, however, refused to elaborate on the demands agreed by the government.

The junior doctors of Bhopal, Gwalior and Rewa Medical colleges went on an indefinite strike Friday morning.

They were demanding an increase in emoluments to Rs.35,000 along with other allowances during the rural service phase. Also, the doctors want to be posted in those hospitals where their special skills can be used properly.

The doctors were asking the government to reduce the mandatory rural service period to one year from three years.

The junior doctors of the remaining two medical colleges - Indore and Jabalpur - did not join the agitation as they are bound by the court orders not to strike work.

25000 NRI Doctors Could Return to India from UK

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:15:32 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Nearly 25,000 British doctors of Indian origin are set to return to India within two to four years and some of them are 'most likely to join the seven AIIMS-like institutions' proposed to be set up by the central government.

'There are around 15,000 young Indian-origin doctors undergoing training in different parts of Britain who will return to India,' Ramesh Mehta, president of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, told IANS.

'Also, at least 10,000 senior doctors of Indian origin who are retiring from their jobs in the UK, are set to return to India,' said the doctor, currently on an Indian tour.

He said they have already talked to the Indian health ministry and have got a favourable response. 'The government has allowed us to come back and practise.'

He said the ministry told the association that there will be a problem in finding quality doctors to man the seven new medical colleges modelled after the All India Institute of Medical Sciences -.

'We believe that these young doctors who are undergoing training in the UK currently, can be of great help in the new AIIMS-like institutes,' he said.

The central government has given a go ahead to seven AIIMS-type medical institutions in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Each of these institutes will come up with a cost of Rs.300 crore.

Each new institution would have an 850-bed hospital, including superspecialty facilities and 39 departments covering all major disciplines of medicine. The medical colleges will also have the provision to take in 100 undergraduate students each per year as well as facilities for imparting Post Graduate and doctoral courses in various disciplines.

Mehta also said the Indian government's plan to start a three-and-a-half-year rural medical course can benefit from these British doctors. 'We are ready to play a part in training doctors whom government will post in rural areas.'

The health ministry and the Medical Council of India have proposed to start a rural medical course called Bachelor of Rural Medicine and Surgery - in district hospitals. This will help doctors to get posted in rural areas and improve the healthcare delivery system at village level.

AIIMS to guide 40 medical colleges on drug reaction

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:06:19 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Dec 29 - The All India Institute of Medical Sciences - will help at least 40 medical colleges in the country in understanding the adverse reactions from commonly used drugs.

'It is envisaged that the programme will initially start with 40 medical colleges in 2010 and will involve all the medical colleges in India by 2012,' an AIIMS official said.

This initiative is part of the health ministry plan to 'enhance patient safety by highlighting the adverse drug reactions which can be encountered by commonly used drugs across the country and attempt to minimise them'.

The corporate hospitals and pharmaceutical industry having a pharmaco-vigilance system will also be invited to join the programme. It is also proposed to link the programme to National Rural Health Mission so that adverse drug reaction data from the primary and secondary health care centres can be included for monitoring, safeguarding and assuring public health.

15 percent of Indian women below 50 are obese: Azad

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:31:11 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) At least 15 percent of women under the age of 50 are obese in India, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad informed parliament Monday.

A Indian Council of Medical Research - survey, carried out at six centres, shows that 12.3 percent urban women and 2.9 percent rural women are obese in India.

'The 2005-06 National Family Health Survey - has shown that the obesity levels in women aged 15-49 years has gone up from 11 percent in 1998-99 to 15 percent in 2005-06,' said Azad.

Azad said the government has earmarked a sum of Rs.16.6 billion under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke -.

Mexico expects swine flu infections to peak at New Year

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 05:45:23 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Mexico City, Nov 27 - Mexico expects a peak in influenza A - infections in late December and early January, Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos said Thursday.

Cordova Villalobos said that those are teh dryest and coldest weeks of the year in Mexico, and 'the virus spreads faster' in dry conditions.

'There will be more cases and more deaths, but the important thing will be to contain them,' he said during a meeting with federal and state health officials.

The H1N1 flu virus, which was first detected in April in Mexico and has since become a global pandemic, has claimed 610 lives and infected a total of more than 65,000 people in the country, according to the Health Ministry.

Mexico has already received 865,000 vaccine doses. Vaccinations started Wednesday in the central state of Guanajuato, initially limited to medical personnel and pregnant women.

A second batch of 650,000 doses is expected Dec 7, with the bulk of the 30 million doses that Mexico bought from European laboratories to arrive in starting in January.

Wipro unveils new application for remote healthcare

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:14:05 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Bangalore, Nov 21 - Wipro Technologies has developed a medical gateway solution for remote healthcare management on real-time basis through mobile, broadband and dial-up networks, the IT bellwether said Saturday.

Powered by Intel's Atom processor, the solution will enable improved care coordination between patients and their healthcare providers.

'The application also helps doctors to overcome challenges faced in traditional care delivery processes, as the intelligent embedded platform will monitor, track and manage healthcare information from a remote location,' the global software major said in a statement here.

Using convergence technologies, doctors can do real-time clinical review of patients by capturing vital data from medical devices such as blood pressure monitors, glucose metres, pedometers and weighing scales.

'Health-conscious ageing population in developed markets takes care of their own health. This has spurred advances in remote patient monitoring technologies, which are beyond the reach of the majority in the emerging economies,' Wipro general manager - Manimaran said in the statement.

Wipro's strategy is aimed at bridging the gap by providing manufacturers a time-to-market solution to launch customised medical devices.

'The devices can be connected through wired and wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, Serial and USB to provide real-time medial data, video and image transfer from a patient to doctors,' Manimaran pointed out.

The gateway solution transmits real-time medical data to application servers, physician handhelds and hospital systems through GSM - broadband and dial-up.

Wipro engineers did the end-to-end design and developed the high performance, low-cost solution to lower the cost of ownership.

'Intel architecture has led to ground-breaking applications at our India design house, which provides hardware and software support to get products to market faster,' Intel South Asia marketing director Sanat Rao noted.

Azad hikes funds for cancer control, treatment of poor

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:55:03 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Mumbai, Nov 1 - Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad Sunday announced enhanced funding for the cancer control programme, a fund for treatment of poor cancer patients and more emphasis on study of the disease.

Addressing the Annual Breast and Gynaecological Cancer Conference at Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital - here, the minister said the allocation for the National Cancer Control Programme in the 11th Five Year Plan will be increased ten times - to Rs.2,400 crore.

The centre is also setting up OncoNET India, a network of 27 regional cancer centres and 100 peripheral centres to provide telemedicine services and medical education, he added.

Admitting that cancer has emerged as one of the major diseases in view of increasing life expectancy and changing lifestyle patterns, Azad said that the government has established a Health Minister's Cancer Patient Fund with a seed money of Rs.100 crore for the benefit of people in the below poverty line - category.

Through the fund, a BPL cancer patient can get up to Rs.100,000 assistance at any government facility on the recommendation of the hospital, besides similar assistance made available under Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi for cancer treatment.

Azad urged doctors of TMCH to avail this facility for the treatment of BPL cancer patients.

He assured the doctors that he would take up the issue of increasing cancer-related content at the MBBS course level. He also said that the government would take the initiative in equipping various hospitals at the state and district level with the low cost Bhabhtron machine developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre -.

Expressing concern at the delay in diagnosing cancer, which results in high costs and low utilisation of curative services, Azad said nearly two-thirds of the cancers were being diagnosed at the advanced level.

'At least one-third of all cancers can be prevented, another one-third can be detected in time and treated. Of the remaining one-third cases, palliative and supportive care is the only option. Of all the cancers, around 30-40 percent are related to tobacco consumption which can be prevented,' he said.

Stressing the importance of awareness in fighting cancer in women, the minister chided the medical fraternity for lacking in efforts to promote cancer awareness among women and to advise timely screening.

On the occasion, Azad launched a cancer Mobile Screening Van by the Women Cancer Initiative and TMCH which would provide health education, screening and prevention of cancer to nearly 500,000 slum dwellers in north-east suburbs of Mumbai.

Kerala medical colleges doctors suspend agitation

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:44:27 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Kochi -, Oct 29 - The striking doctors of Kerala medical colleges, faced with divisions within their organisation, Thursday decided to suspend their ongoing strike.

The Kerala Government Medical College Teachers Association - doctors in the state have been on a work-to-rule agitation to protest the government decision to ban the doctors from conducting private practice.

During their agitation for the past nearly three months, except for a small break in between, they were not allowing paid ward admissions, not attending medical boards and or attending to VIP duties.

Addressing reporters here after a meeting, KGMCTA president Varghese Thomas said though they were suspending the strike, they discontinued to disagree with the government on disallowing the private practice of doctors.

'It has been decided to suspend our strike, taking into consideration the general opinion that the strike should end. We have also requested that private practice be made optional by not giving the non-practicing allowance,' said Thomas.

Trouble erupted within the KGMCTA with the non-clinical section taking a positive stand towards the government's decision on revision of pay, and the clinical section upset at the government decision to ban private practice.

With a section of the powerful lobby of the clinical section adamant that the strike should not be withdrawn unless the decision on private practice ban is revoked, the normal functioning of the state-run medical colleges came to a standstill since Oct 22, causing hardship to the common people.

Health Minister P.K. Sreemathi welcomed the suspension of strike by the KGMCTA.

The KGMCTA has around 1,900 members, of whom around 600 are non-clinical doctors and of the remaining around 200 doctors have a roaring private practice at their residence.

Divisions surfaced within the five units of the KGMCTA when a majority of the members said they would be forced to withdraw from the agitation if association meeting Thursday did not suspend the stir.

Delhi records 280 cases of dengue

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:43:07 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Oct 27 - Two people have lost their lives to dengue in the capital and as many as 280 have been been confirmed positive with the vector borne disease so far, health department officials said Tuesday.

The first death - that of a 15-year-old boy - was reported Oct 23 and the death of a nine-year-old boy was reported Monday.

'Until now the total number of confirmed cases of dengue in Delhi is 280. The numbers are less than last year, nevertheless we are taking no chances and taking all precautionary measures to stop the spread of the disease,' N.K. Yadav, chief medical officer of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi -, told IANS.

Until late Monday, Delhi had recorded 255 positive cases. In 2008, Delhi recorded 1,321 cases of dengue.

'October is the ideal time - temperature wise - for mosquitoes to breed and dengue to spread. We have our teams going from door-to-door and checking that there is no water accumulation in flower pots, coolers and elsewhere, and if there is, spraying medicines, so as to check the disease,' Yadav said.

Delhi Health Secretary J.P. Singh said the health department has started a drive to make people aware about the do's and don'ts of dengue through the media.

Chandigarh doctor tests positive for swine flu

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:18:03 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Chandigarh, Oct 17 - A senior doctor at a leading hospital here has tested positive for the influenza A - virus, a health official said Saturday.

He is among the dozens of doctors and other medical staff here who have contracted swine flu.

'The patient is a resident doctor of Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research -. He was exhibiting symptoms of swine flu like running nose, high fever and bad throat. We had collected his throat and nasal swab samples Thursday and his report has come positive,' a health official said.

'His condition is stable and he is responding well to treatment. Due to the nature of work, doctors and other hospital staff have become more prone to infection. We instructed them to follow all the precautionary measures and to remain extra cautious,' he said.

Till now, nearly 250 suspected cases of swine flu have been reported in Chandigarh hospitals, of which over 40 have proved positive. One casualty has been reported till now.

In Chandigarh, testing facility of this virus is available at the virology department of PGIMER, which is catering to Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Quarantined wards for the treatment of swine flu have been established at PGIMER, Government Medical College and Hospital and Government Hospital.

Madhya Pradesh forms team to tackle dengue spread

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:30:33 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Bhopal, Oct 9 - Alarmed at the spread of mosquito-borne dengue fever, Madhya Pradesh has constituted a committee to tour affected districts and give recommendations to control the dreaded disease which has claimed nine lives in the state so far.

An investigating committee has been constituted which will work under the supervision of Sharad Tiwari, Dean, Sagar Medical College, and will after investigations give the recommendations to control the dreaded disease, said Health Minister Anoop Mishra.

At least 192 cases of dengue have been confirmed by the Bhopal-based Gandhi Medical College.

Director - Ashok Sharma said: 'Nine people have died from dengue in Madhya Pradesh in the past three months, while 129 others - of whom 57 are in the state capital - are affected by the disease'.

'As many as 57 Dengue patients have been identified in the state capital, followed by 33 in Indore, 17 in Balaghat and 12 in other districts. Three people died of dengue in Bhopal and Indore each. One each succumbed in Ashoknagar, Satna and Balaghat,' Sharma told IANS.

Sharma claimed that necessary steps had been taken to control dengue and the district medical officers had been directed to remain in contact with private hospitals and send information about those affected.

Private practitioners say the actual number of dengue affected people will be much higher if the patients in private hospitals and rural areas are taken into account.

The minister has instructed the committee to present weekly report by touring the concerned districts within a week.

Orissa launches health programme for students

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:00:39 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Bhubaneswar, Oct 1 - The Orissa government Thursday launched a school health programme which is expected to benefit more than 580,000 students in the state.

The scheme, launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Kandhamal, aims to provide health cards to more than 580,000 students in the 60,000 schools of the state. Each student would be given free medicines and a minimum of two medical check ups by specialist doctors, under the scheme.

The programme would go a long way in improving the health of school children, the chief minister said.

'If students become aware of their health, it would have a positive impact on their families and society. It would help in improving the health condition of the state and ultimately building a better future for the coming generation,' Patnaik said.

Under the scheme, the state government would also give Rs.100 to a student as transportation expense to take a sick student to hospital. A sick student would also be given Rs.50 for each day's stay at hospital.

Apart from that, each of the schools would be provided an annual aid of Rs.10,000 to meet emergency medical expenses, while the plan also includes setting up health awareness centres in schools.

The programme would cost the state exchequer Rs.301.3 million a year, and would be jointly managed by the state health and family welfare and education departments and the National Rural Health Mission -.

Obesity spurs a tide of cancer in Europe

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 12:43:58 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) London, Sep 26 - Obesity caused at least 124,000 new cancers last year in Europe, according to a new study.

The proportion of cases of new cancers were highest among women and in central European countries such as the Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovenia and Bulgaria.

'As more people stop smoking and fewer women take hormone replacement therapy, it is possible that obesity may become the biggest attributable cause of cancer in women within the next decade,' said Andrew Renehan, who led the study.

Renehan, senior lecturer in cancer studies and surgery, University of Manchester, and colleagues in Britain, The Netherlands and Switzerland, created a model to estimate the proportion of cancers that could be attributed to excess body weight in 30 European countries.

Using data from the WHO and International Agency for Research on Cancer, they estimated that in 2002 there had been over 70,000 new cases of cancer attributable to excess body mass index -, out of a total of nearly 2.2 million new diagnoses across the 30 European countries.

Researchers found these numbers increased to 124,050 in 2008. 'These are very conservative estimates, and it's quite likely that the numbers are, in fact, higher,' said Renehan.

The number of new cases of obesity-related oesophageal cancer was particularly high in Britain relative to the rest of Europe. 'This country accounts for 54 percent of new cases across all 30 countries,' said Renehan.

'This may be due to synergistic interactions between smoking, alcohol, excess body weight and acid reflux - and is currently an area where research is required,' Renehen said, according to a Manchester university release.

Renehen presented these findings at the 15th congress of the European Cancer Organisation and the 34th congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology.

These findings are slated for publication in the International Journal of Cancer.

Court directs Apollo to give free treatment to poor

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:20:37 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Sep 22 - Delhi High Court Tuesday directed Apollo Hospital to provide free treatment to poor patients and imposed a fine of Rs.200,000 on it and the Delhi government for not abiding by an earlier court order.

Giving directions to the hospital, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice Manmohan asked the hospital to reserve 33 percent in-house beds and 40 percent of the OPD for poor patients.

'Health right is a fundamental right and no one should be devoid of this,' the court said while hearing the 12-year-old legal battle.

The court also directed the hospital not to charge a single penny from poor patients for medicine and other tests.

The court was hearing a petition filed by an NGO seeking action against the hospital for taking money from poor patients, in contravention of the lease agreement for land allotted to it by the government at concessional rates.

The court also directed the government to start a special referral centre in every government hospital to send poor patients to private hospitals for treatment.

Besides, the government has been asked to appoint a nodal officer of the rank of medical superintendent to monitor the treatment given to poor patients.

Government under-funding has made healthcare expensive: Azad

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:20:26 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Sep 14 - Admitting that the government expenditure on healthcare has been less than desired, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad Monday said underfunding by the public sector over the years has made it expensive and less accessible.

'Years of prolonged underfunding of the public health system and dependence on the private sector has pushed the cost of healthcare and also affected access,' Azad said while addressing a conference organised by the industry lobby Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry - here.

'The issues of inaccessibility, inadequate infrastructure and need for far more human resource for health in the rural areas, however, remain huge challenges. It is this area that the private sector can play a crucial role in augmenting and supplementing the efforts of the government,' he added.

To buttress his argument, the minister said the National Sample Survey data has revealed that the annual hospitalisation cost by a person is much more in private hospitals than in government hospitals.

'In rural areas the - hospitalisation cost is Rs.7,408, which is higher than the hospitalisation cost in government hospitals -. In urban areas it is Rs.11,553 in private hospital and Rs.3,877 in government hospitals as hospitalisation cost,' the minister said.

Azad said that between 1986 and 1996, the number of people who did not seek health care due to poverty increased from 15 to 24 percent in rural areas and from 10 to 21 percent in the urban areas.

The minister said his government was trying to increase the health care expenditure.

'We have increased the health care expenditure to 1.4 percent of GDP in 2008-09 as against a dismal 0.97 percent in 1999-2000.'

The minister said the central government supports the states in reforming the state supported public health delivery system in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals - and combat communicable as well as non-communicable diseases effectively.

'However still, expenditure in health must go up considerably. The UPA government has tried to do so over the last five years, though much more remains to be done. Health is a state subject and state governments also need to raise public expenditure on health. It is only through a partnership of the central and the state governments that the objective of 2-3 percent GDP public expenditure can be achieved,' he said.

He said the reduction in maternal mortality ratio from 301 to 254, in infant mortality rate from 58 to 55 and reduction in TB and malaria cases in recent years are 'all indicators that we are on the right track of achieving better health outcome through strengthened primary care'.

'Institutional deliveries have increased from 40.9 percent - to 47 percent - and full immunization coverage of children up to 2 years has gone up from 45.9 percent - to 54.1 percent -,' he revealed.

While urging the private sector to play a more constructive role, Azad said: 'Potential areas where private players can play a crucial role are provision of health services, disease control and surveillance, diagnostics and medicines, health manpower, capacity building including training and systems development, managerial service and auxiliary activities of the health sector.'

Stockholm Water Prize for Bindeshwar Pathak

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:39:39 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) India's Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of the Sulabh sanitation movement, was Thursday awarded the Stockholm Water Prize, the most prestigious environmental recognition that has become akin to a Nobel Prize for environmental issues.

'Sanitation is humanity's and the world's most urgent and critical crisis of our times,' Bindeshwar Pathak told IANS here Thursday, and on a more optimistic note said, 'However, it is not yet an unsolvable crisis but a huge challenge. It will require massive, dedicated and selfless labour to achieve the goal.'

Pathak received the award from Prince Carl Philip of Sweden.

Government to identify poor patients at Apollo Hospital

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:41:41 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Aug 18 - The city government Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that it would appoint two officers to identify poor patients approaching the privately-run Apollo Hospital for treatment.

The counsel for the Delhi government informed the court when asked how the government would decide if a patient is poor.

The court was hearing a petition filed by a non-governmental organisation - seeking action against Apollo Hospital for charging poor patients for treatment, in contravention of the lease agreement for land allotted to it by the government at concessional rates.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice Manmohan asked Apollo Hospital to explain the criteria under which it identifies poor patients and how much they were charging them for treatment.

In reply, Apollo Hospital said it is a profit-oriented venture and that poor patients have to bear the cost of medicines.

The court asked the government and Apollo Hospital to prepare a detailed report on the amount it charges from poor patients and regular patients.

Three test swine flu positive in Chhattisgarh

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:38:35 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Raipur, Aug 17 - Three men, who returned from Maharashtra, have been home quarantined after they tested positive for swine flu Monday with the Chhattisgarh government stepping up measures to tackle any possible outbreak of the virus.

'Three samples were found positive for swine flu out of the total 36 samples' results received Monday,' T.K. Agrawal, the state's deputy director - and swine flu nodal officer, told IANS.

Over 90 samples of patients with common-flu like symptoms have been sent to Delhi from Chhattisgarh for testing, he said.

Agrawal said the three who tested positive are in their early 20s.

They have been asked to take rest in isolation at their homes and follow specific medical advice.

'These three men are not serious and have minor flu problem. We are taking care of them, have given them medicines and told their families not to worry,' the official added.

The state government stepped up measures to deal with the HIN1 virus and constituted rapid response teams of doctors in all the 18 districts.

The rapid response team comprises of three doctors - an expert, a pathologist and a child specialist - in each district with a purpose to detect suspected swine flu patients.

Meanwhile, the test results of 18-year-old Sitaram Verma, who died Aug 12 following flu symptoms at Raipur's Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Hospital, were found to be negative for swine flu.

But health officials are still awaiting the test results of Y.S. Rao, a 40-year-old constable with the Central Reserve Police Force - who succumbed to high fever, cough and cold at Bilaspur-based Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Science - Aug 14.

The state government has deployed doctors at the Raipur airport and railway stations across the state to screen passengers from other states, particularly from Maharashtra and Delhi, to check the spread of the H1N1 virus.

Three in Chhattisgarh test positive for swine flu

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:18:45 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Raipur, Aug 17 - Three men in Chhattisgarh, who had recently returned from Maharashtra, have tested positive for swine flu, a health official said Monday.

'Over 90 samples of patients with common-flu like symptoms have been sent to Delhi from Chhattisgarh for testing. Three samples were found positive for swine flu out of the total 36 samples results received Monday,' T.K. Agrawal, the state's deputy director - and swine flu nodal officer, told IANS.

All three are in their early twenties, he said.

Agrawal said the identity of the three men has not been disclosed to avoid creating panic in the neighbourhoods where they stay. Doctors have asked these three men to take rest in isolation at their homes and follow specific medical advice.

'These three men are not serious and have minor flu problem. We are taking care of them, have given them medicines and told their families not to worry,' the official added.

Meanwhile, the test results of 18-year-old Sitaram Verma, who died Aug 12 following flu symptoms at Raipur's Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Hospital, were found to be negative for swine flu.

But health officials are still awaiting the test results of Y.S. Rao, a 40-year-old constable with the Central Reserve Police Force - who succumbed to high fever, cough and cold at Bilaspur-based Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Science - Aug 14.

The state government has deployed doctors at Raipur airport and railway stations across the state to screen passengers from other states, particularly from Maharashtra and Delhi, to check the spread of the H1N1 virus.

Swine flu treatment more important than testing: Government

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:42:44 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Treating flu-like symptoms is more essential than testing for the influenza A - virus, a health ministry official said here Friday as the death toll from swine flu rose to 22. While appreciating Maharashtra's efforts to contain swine flu, he said more screening centres would be set up in Pune.

'Now we have seen that testing is not essential before administering treatment. People should get treatment and recover first...that is our aim. Currently 34 people in Pune are undergoing treatment for the flu,' said Vineet Chawdhry, joint secretary, health.

'The way the public health administration is working here is extremely good,' said Chawdhry, who is on a visit to this city that has reported 14 swine flu deaths so far.

'I must clarify there is a lot of hype about the N95 masks. Even Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad clarified on Thursday evening that the masks are not for the general public. Yes, people who are on treatment may need the masks.'

He stressed that the artificial demand for masks should come down. Talking about the screening facilities at Pune, the joint secretary said: 'There will be many more screening centres set up in Pune soon.'

Asked if clusters were developing in the city, he replied in the negative. 'We feel the stage when cluster screening is required is over?The entire city needs to be covered.'

'We have to look at two things - the geographical spread and the severity. While the geographic spread is a global phenomenon and India is no exception, the severity here is not much yet,' he said.

He pointed out that even the World Health Organisation and the Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta have said that the virus is still in the moderate stage and has not mutated.

'We advise people to stay at home and that is the only way to ensure the spread is controlled. In cases of co-morbid complications like heart or respiratory distress - that is when treatment and hospitalisation is needed.

'Casualties are increasing...but I won't say that the killing by virus is on a large scale.'

He also advised against taking Tamiflu without medical supervision. 'Only people with symptoms should take the medicine for two days and once they feel better stop the intake. But the medicine needs to be given over a fixed course and if not the body develops resistance, that is why we prefer that the medicine is not given without medical supervision.'

On Friday, 44-year-old Prabhakar Beragar died of swine flu in a Pune hospital. With this the total swine flu death toll rose to 18 in Maharastra. Over 600 people have been infected by the virus, but most of them have recovered.

Chawdhry said: 'The number of indigenous cases are still high here. The infection has spread and that is not unusual. One can't restrict the flow of air. But the administration has done a very good job.'

'It is easy to blame the administration. The screening at airports is not foolproof. In many cases, the person may have the virus but won't show symptoms. They are given handouts and told to call on helplines if they notice symptoms. Here, only 20-25 percent people phoned back and there were some who didn't and so spread it to the community. To control the situation soon is crucial. Data that I saw this morning has shown a downward trend in cases,' he said.

Asked if the army should be called to the city, Chawdhry said: 'This is not a biological warfare. We don't need any intervention from the armed forces now. We are discussing and if there is a need the armed forces medical services may be called on.'

The official was not in favour of replicating the Mexican model of dealing with swine flu. 'What you heard was that everything was shut down - public transport, offices, banks were closed. But what you did not hear is that there people came out onto streets to protest and there was a greater risk.'

He advised suspected swine flu patients to stay at home and not allow friends to come home to enquire about their health.

Don't shut schools after swine flu scare, advises government

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:42:05 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 29 - The Indian health ministry Wednesday asked educational institutes not to shut but take preventive measures to control the swine flu spread as 23 new cases of the influenza A- were reported, taking the tally of the infected people in the country to nearly 500.

The government reiterated its advisory against visiting the flu-affected countries.

The total influenza A- virus cases have reached 498 in India, a statement said.

'About 2,252 persons have been tested so far, out of whom 498 are positive for the virus. Of the 498, 273 have been discharged,' the statement said.

Twelve children were among 23 new positive cases reported Wednesday , with Pune for the third consecutive day registering the maximum cases. Eleven people, including nine children, tested positive in the Maharashtra city, already declared a hit by the pandemic.

Seeing a surge in the number of cases among students, the health ministry asked educational institutes not to shut but take preventive measures to control the swine flu spread. It advised students to avoid study tours to the infected countries.

An official circular said: 'Given the current magnitude of the spread of A- infection and the fact that the virus is fairly mild, closure of educational institutions on account of any student/staff member falling ill with flu like symptoms is not recommended.'

The guideline, however, said educational institutes are encouraged to report the flu cases to local health officers for further monitoring.

'In the first place, the schools should discourage the excursions of the students to the affected countries,' the ministry said.

'In case, students have already proceeded to affected countries on unavoidable tours, then on their return, if some students show flu like symptoms of fever, sore-throat, cough, bodyache, running nose, difficulty in breathing, they should be advised to abstain from attending school and be allowed to stay at home for a period of 7 to 10 days,' the ministry said.

While allowing students to stay home, authorities must not insist on production of medical certificates by the student or staff.

'In case of students staying in hostels, the educational institutions would not only monitor the health status of the students, but also that of care providers.'

Several school across the country mainly in Delhi and Pune were closed entirely or partially after some of their students tested positive for the flu.

More than 50 children have been detected with the swine flu in Pune so far.

On Wednesday, Delhi reported five new cases followed by Kochi - and one each in Kozhikode, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Roorkee and Gurgaon.

India's swine flu tally up to 285

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:26:35 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 18 - Seventeen people, including 14 children, were detected with the swine flu Saturday, taking the total influenza A - virus cases in India to 285, health officials said.

The youngest to test positive for the virus is an 11-month-old boy.

'So far 1,506 people have been tested out of which 285 are positive for influenza A -. Of the 285 positive cases, 178 have been discharged,' a statement said here.

The 17 new confirmed cases were reported from Delhi -, Pune -, Cochin -, Thiruvananthapuram -, Kozhikode - and Goa -.

The 11-month-old boy with swine flu is from Delhi. The child had travelled from New York to Delhi July 14. Two days later, he developed flu-like symptoms.

Two brothers, 14 and 10 years old, and two sisters, aged nine and two-and-a-half-years, also tested positive Saturday.

According to Anjana Prakash, additional nodal officer for swine flu with the Delhi government, 10 students were admitted at various identified health facilities with flu like symptoms. Of the total, four tested positive. The reports of six are awaited.

All these students are from four prestigious public schools in the national capital.

'We have reiterated to the school authorities to ensure that if any student shows flu-like symptoms the child should be immediately sent home,' she said.

'There is nothing to panic. But people need to be cautious,' Prakash told IANS.

In Pune, all five cases, four girls and a boy all in their early teens, got the virus from infected persons.

In Kochi, one of the two cases is of a nine-year old boy. He had come from London July 17. And as he was suffering from fever and cough, he was taken to the identified facility. His test was positive for swine flu.

In Thiruvananthapuram, a 10-year-old girl, who travelled from Britain via Dubai, was found to be suffering from flu-like symptoms.

In Kozhikode, a 15-year-old girl was detected with swine flu, while in Goa, a 20-year-old man tested positive.

Teach For India a catalyst to bridge educational gap: Clinton

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 18:53:36 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 18 - The Teach For India initiative is the catalyst for a new movement to bridge the education gap in India, with its volunteers serving as the spark to inspire children to become successful, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared here Saturday.

She was participating in an interactive session at the 140-year-old St. Xavier's College here, with actor Aamir Khan and TV anchor Arnab Goswami sharing the dais with her.

Clinton also utilised the opportunity to raise the profile of Teach For India, an initiative that enables professionals and graduates across the country to associate themselves with government-run schools in their area. Teach For India is modelled on the Teach For America non-profit organisation that aims at building a movement to eliminate educational inequality.

Teach For India was conceived in 2006 when a group of enthusiastic youngsters met Wendy Copp, founder and CEO of Teach For America, to discuss the feasibility of such a programme in India. Following a study launched by global accounting firm McKinsey to determine its feasibility, Teach For India was formally established in 2008.

Under the programme, graduate applicants are chosen to be linked to a low income private or government-run English-medium school for two years. During this time, the programme's volunteers have to undertake projects that help in transforming the school in consultation with the school authorities, parents and the community.

In June 2009, Teach For India placed its first group of fellows in low-income municipal and private schools in Pune and Mumbai.

NGO launches 'Love Condom' campaign to stop HIV infection

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 18:04:51 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 18 - With 2.5 million people living with HIV infection in India, a non-governmental organisation - Saturday launched a 'Love Condom and Stay Negative' campaign to make people aware about measures to prevent and control AIDS.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation - under the campaign has decided to distribute one million free condoms to people besides motivating them to come voluntarily for HIV infection tests.

The campaign was launched by the AHF-India brand ambassador and actor Ronit Roy here.

'Condoms are the only affordable and preventable tools to prevent HIV infection. Efforts are being made to encourage the widespread use of condoms, community testing and universal access to antiretroviral treatment that can help in bringing down new infection drastically,' said Teri Ford, senior global policy director, AHF.

The campaign aims to foster a public-private partnership for a vaster reach.

M. Ayyappan, chairman and managing director Hindustan Latex Ltd -, the largest condom producer in the country said that only 5.3 percent people use condoms in India despite HIV infection spreading at am alarming rate in the country.

'Buying condoms continues to be a stigma in our country. The launch of the free condom campaign will enable millions in the country to stay protected from HIV infection,' said Ayyappan.

Emphasising on the need to bring behavioural change in society, Padmavati, who runs an NGO for people living with HIV, said: 'A major goal of the campaign is to help guide a shift in thinking around HIV testing. With the straightforward message, our hope is that the initiative will lead people to see HIV testing as a necessary and routine part of their health care.'

Six new swine flu cases surface, total 164 in India

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:14:00 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 9 - Six new cases of swine flu were reported Thursday in the country, including three in the national capital, taking the total number of people infected with the influenza A- virus to 164 so far, health officials said here.

According to the union health ministry, of the six new cases three are from Delhi and one each from Goa, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

Those detected for the flu Thursday include a four-and-a-half year old girl and a 78-year-old woman.

'About 1,040 people have been tested so far, of whom 164 have tested positive for influenza A -,' a statement issued here said.

'Of the 164 positive cases, 114 have been discharged,' it said.

Of the 1,040 people tested, about 320 were identified during the airport entry screening.

About 3.07 million have been screened at the 22 international airports in the country so far, the officials said.

According to the World Health Organisation -, about 94,512 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza A - infection cases have been reported from 135 countries till July 6. As many as 429 deaths have been reported worldwide, mostly from Mexico and the US.

When HIV-affected kids had parliamentarians emotional

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:17:12 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 9 - It was an event that deeply moved some Indian parliamentarians, including Minister of State for Rural Development Agatha Sangma, when nearly 50 HIV positive children Thursday urged them to put an end to the stigma they face by passing the AIDS bill.

'How long can we live with stigma and discrimination,' asked a 14-year-old boy, who contracted the disease from his parents, leaving Sangma emotional.

Sangma, the youngest union minister, was candid as well as realistic in her response. 'I am new to the field and have never interacted with people affected by the disease. It's a kind of awareness for me, but I assure you that I am trying to convince my colleagues to table the bill as soon as possible,' she said.

She and a few other parliamentarians were interacting here with HIV positive kids at an event organised by a voluntary organisation, called Plan India.

'I am a little overwhelmed. I will go back and do my best to push forward the bill,' Sangma said, after listening attentively to the children and their demands.

Expressing the same opinion, another parliamentarian and former labour minister Oscar Fernandes said: 'The stigma against HIV positive people is like modern day untouchability.' He said he is in favour of the well being of HIV-afflicted people.

The children were referring to a bill that is waiting to be tabled in the parliament for over three years. The bill was framed by the National AIDS Control Organization - in collaboration with several expert groups in the country.

Among other things, the bill underlines provisions to do away with the stigma attached to HIV-affected children and provide them education. It also protects the property rights of HIV-affected people. It has the provision for legal recognition of children below 18 years of age as guardians if they are looking after their HIV positive parents.

To a question from a girl whose parents are infected with the AIDS virus, A. Sampath, a parliamentarian from Kerala, said: 'I am in favour of the bill. We will try to push this bill as it will have a great impact on the lives of thousands of people.'

Sampath said he was in favour of more such interactions across the country to create awareness and invited the organizers to hold such a programme in Kerala.

India is home to 2.5 million HIV positive people, of whom over 70,000 are children below the age of 15.

Alka Lamba, a young Congress leader, said that she would try to arrange meetings of HIV positive kids with President Pratibha Patil and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Film director Nagesh Kukunoor and cricketer Virendra Sehwag too interacted with the children and pledged their support to their cause.

Swine flu case reported in Goa

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:12:22 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Panaji, July 9 - A swine flu case was reported in Goa Thursday after a man who landed here from Seattle via Mumbai tested positive for the influenza A -, health authorities said.

Speaking to reporters Thursday afternoon, state epidemiologist and nodal officer for swine flu Rajendra Tamba said that medical reports of the patient's throat swab received from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases -, New Delhi had tested positive.

'The reports have tested positive and the patient has been admitted to the isolation ward at the Chicalim Cottage Hospital for medication,' Tamba said.

'The patient, who is a Goan and a sailor by profession, was in the US for the last few months. He left Seattle July 3 and landed in Goa via Mumbai July 5,' Tamba said, adding that the sailor had contacted health authorities after he developed swine flu like symptoms.

'He was immediately taken to the Goa Medical College for examination and his throat swab samples were dispatched for tests,' the official said.

Swine flu screening of India-bound passengers a non-starter

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:17:09 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 8 - India has asked all countries affected by swine flu to undertake screening of passengers travelling to this country but no nation has acted on this yet, parliament was informed Wednesday.

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor said his ministry had sent instructions to Indian missions, as requested by the health ministry, to take up the issue of exit screening for passengers traveling to India.

'So far, no country has commenced such exit screening,' he said.

The reluctance to implement the request was due to the fact that the World Health Organisation - has not recommended such exit screening or travel restrictions in the aftermath of the swine flu outbreak, said Tharoor.

As on July 7, WHO has reported over 90,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of swine flu infection and over 440 deaths from 137 countries. India has so far reported 129 cases.

Gujarat to set up probe panel as illicit liquor toll rises to 27

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:32:40 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Gandhinagar, July 8 - The Gujarat government has decided to set up a commission to probe the illicit liquor tragedy in Ahmedabad which has left 27 dead so far, State Home Minister Amit Shah told the Gujarat legislative assembly Wednesday.

The minister during his reply to the opposition members, however, did not immediately provide any time line by which the commission would start probing the tragedy.

'The government has ordered suspension of a deputy superintendent of police in-charge of the areas where the tragedy took place and all necessary action is being taken against the responsible officials,' Shah said.

He added that the deaths from the hooch so far number 27 and that the government is monitoring the situation closely. The opposition members later protested what they termed 'insufficient action' taken by the state government in the illicit liquor episode, and staged an angry walkout from the assembly.

Meanwhile, unofficial figures put at 16 the number of those still under critical care in four major hospitals of Ahmedabad.

The initial toll on Tuesday from the Sagarpitha area where the first deaths were reported was seven. The figure jumped to 16 by midnight when many people were also brought from the labour cluster of Behrampur in critical condition.

At 1.30 pm Wednesday, the toll stood at 27, but is feared to rise further as more critically ill people are being brought to hospitals from Odhav locality, said a senior resident of a government hospital in Ahmedabad.

He said a high percentage of ethyl alcohol in the brew seems to have caused so many casualties.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat police have started raiding liquor dens across Gujarat to nab the bootleggers.

Eight new swine flu cases, total in India 153

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:43:59 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 7 - Eight new swine flu cases were reported Tuesday in India taking the total number of people infected with the influenza A- virus to 153 in the country, the health ministry said.

'So far, 970 people have been tested, of which 153 are positive for Influenza A-,' a statement issued here said.

An official said of the 970 people tested for swine flu, 290 were identified through entry screening at the 22 international airports.

'Of the 153 positive cases, 106 have been discharged,' the official added.

The eight new cases were reported from Mumbai -, Delhi -, Hyderabad -, and Bangalore -.

A 66-year-old woman, who had tested positive for the virus last month in Delhi and had developed complications because she had respiratory problems, was discharged Tuesday after she recovered.

The World Health Organization - Monday said there were 94,512 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza A - infection in 135 countries since the outbreak of the virus.

There have been 429 deaths globally, majority from Mexico and the US.

Liquor tragedy kills seven in Ahmedabad

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:23:59 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Ahmedabad, July 7 - Police fired tear gas to disperse rampaging mobs as seven people died and 18 were taken seriously ill after drinking suspected illicit liquor here Tuesday, authorities said.

The deaths in Sagrapitha locality sparked mob protests and crowds pelted stones and damaged vehicles demanding the arrest of those running a den producing moonshine in the area. The police were called to control the situation.

Police officials denied there were any bootleggers in the colony. They said only an investigation would ascertain where the illicit liquor was sold.

Sale and consumption of liquor is illegal in Gujarat.

The opposition Congress raised the issue in the assembly and said the law and order situation had weakened.

Replying to state Congress president Siddharth Patel, Minister of State for Home Amit Shah said in the house that he will make a statement on the issue Wednesday.

Leader of Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil visited the homes of the victims and spoke to the grieving families.

The Bharatiya Janata Party - government had not been able to check rising cases of bootlegging and criminal activities in Ahmedabad, Gohil told reporters later.

Seven dead after drinking illicit liquor in Ahmedabad

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:06:10 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Ahmedabad, July 7 - Seven people died and 18 others were taken seriously ill after they were said to have drunk suspected illicitly brewd liquor at Sagrapitha locality in Ahmedabad Tuesday afternoon, police said.

Consuming liquor is a cognizable offence in dry Gujarat.

The critically ill have been admitted to various private and municipal hospitals in the city while the bodies of those killed have been sent for post-mortem examination to the government civil hospital.

The news of people dying in Sagrapitha caused a mob frenzy here as the gathered crowds started pelting stones and damaging vehicles. The police had to lob tear gas shells to disperse the mob which demanded the arrest of the culprits who, they said, have been running a country liquor den in the locality for months. No arrests were immediately made, however.

Senior police officials denied that there were any bootleggers inside the colony. They said only investigations would ascertain any place from where the illicit liquor was being sold.

The post-mortem report, which is still not ready, will determine the exact cause of the death. The critically ill are being treated at various hospitals of the city, police said.

Couple in Punjab tests positive for swine flu

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:21:04 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Chandigarh, July 7 - A couple in Jalandhar town of Punjab has tested positive for influenza A - infection after a trip to Thailand, health officials said Tuesday.

Kulwant Singh, 44, and his wife Anita, 38, returned from Thailand to Jalandhar, about 150 km from here, July 3. They were admitted in the civil hospital with the symptoms of running nose, high fever and sore throat.

'We had sent their samples to NICD - and got the reports yesterday -. They have tested positive. Their condition is stable and they are recovering,' Roop Lal, district health officer of Jalandhar, told IANS.

Last month, 14 students of a private school in Jalandhar were quarantined in the civil hospital after they exhibited swine flu symptoms. Seven of them tested positive for the infection.

The students were part of a group of 31 students and three teachers of the Guru Amar Das Public School that went on an educational trip to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration - in the US.

The union territory of Chandigarh also has two suspected cases of swine flu.

A 22-year-old software engineer and a three-year-old girl were admitted to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research - and in the government hospital in Sector 32 respectively with symptoms of influenza A - infection.

'The boy had gone to California last month whereas the girl had returned from the US June 30. Seeing their travel history, we have admitted them in isolation wards and sent their samples to NICD for tests,' said H.C. Gera, Chandigarh nodal officer for swine flu.

Last month, the first positive case of swine flu in Punjab was reported from Gurdaspur town, some 250 km from here. The infected boy, who was studying in California and had come home on vacation, was admitted to a government hospital in Chandigarh. He was discharged after treatment.