RxPG News : India Healthcare

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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

-

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.

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.

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.'

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.

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.

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.

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 -.

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 -.

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.

India's health budget up by nearly Rs.4,000 crore

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:41:36 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 6 - India's health budget has gone up by nearly Rs.4,000 crore to Rs.21,113.33 crore - with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Monday giving special emphasis to the rural healthcare.

The National Rural Health Mission - that aims to provide quality healthcare to villagers Monday saw its budget allocation increase by Rs.2,057 crore.

Describing the NRHM as an 'essential instrument for achieving goal of health for all', Mukherjee in his budget speech proposed 'an increase of Rs.2,057 crore over and above Rs.12,070 crore provided in the interim budget' he had presented before the general elections earlier this year.

The flagship programme of the United Progressive Alliance - government, the NRHM was launched in 2005. The aim was to improve availability and access to quality healthcare for people living in remote areas.

The main focus is on 18 states that have weak public health infrastructure - Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Orissa, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

Hoping to strengthen the tertiary sector, the government is setting up six All India Institute of Medical Sciences --like institutions in the country and upgrading 13 existing medical colleges.

While the upgradation is likely to be completed in the current year, the six institutions are likely to be operationalised by 2010-11, says the plan outlay of the union budget. For this project, Rs.1,447.92 crore has been earmarked.

Aimed at correcting the regional imbalance in the availability of affordable and reliable healthcare services, the project envisages setting up AIIMS prototypes in Patna -, Raipur -, Bhopal -, Bhubaneswar -, Jodhpur - and Rishikesh -.

The union budget has also allocated Rs.10 crore for the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Deafness -. The pilot phase is being launched in 25 districts in the next two years and aims to prevent avoidable hearing loss and ensure early identification, diagnosis and treatment of ear problems responsible for hearing loss and deafness.

The budget also allotted Rs.100 crore for kickstarting medical, non-medical and nursing courses in institutions under the health ministry for accommodating 27 percent reservation for the Other Backward Classes -.

In its bid to develop, promote and make the Indian systems of medicines more scientific, the department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy - under the health ministry was allocated Rs.734 crore.

The finance minister in his 2009-10 budget also increased by 40 percent the allocation for the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana -, the health insurance plan that was launched last year.

'More than 46 lakh BPL - families in 18 states and UTs - have been issued biometric smart cards' for the scheme, the finance minister said in his speech.

He said this scheme 'empowers poor families by giving them freedom of choice for using healthcare services from an extensive list of hospitals including private hospitals'.

'Government proposes to bring all BPL families under this scheme. An amount of Rs.350 crore, marking 40 percent increase over the previous allocation, is being provided in 2009-10 budget estimates,' Mukherjee added.

Young India falling prey to party drugs: UN official

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 11:21:06 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 5 - Youth in India and China face huge risks from party drugs like Ecstasy and Adam because of their large populations and increasing disposable income, a senior UN official has warned.

Besides, these synthetic drugs are easily available as they can be produced in the kitchen unlike heroine or cocaine, says Christina Albertin, who heads the UN Office on Drugs and Crime for South Asia.

'If we look at the ATS - situation, the world drugs report points out that there are fears the ATS has become a bigger problem in the developing world, including India and China,' Albertin told IANS.

Synthetic drugs or ATS like Ephedrine, amphetamines and Methaqualone are known by many names such as Ecstasy, MDMA, Adam, XTC, love drug and hug. They are often abused at parties.

India and China are particularly vulnerable to ATS owing to their large populations and increasing disposable incomes, says the recently released world drugs report.

Albertin says making these drugs is not rocket science, as you can go to internet sites and download recipes on how to produce them.

'If you want to produce heroine or cocaine, you need to have poppy plantations in some parts of the world. You need to have contact with the farmers and need to get the whole production done on the basis of the plants,' says Albertin.

'Then you have the whole chemical process, you need to go near the poppy fields, get all the chemicals there, put up the laboratories there at great risk, making yourself vulnerable to the discovery.

'That does not happen with ATS because synthetic drugs can be produced in the kitchen, they're just chemicals. There are a lot of chemicals that you can buy easily because they may not be under control or they are being deeply neglected,' she says.

According to the world drugs report, there are no prevalent estimates of ATS consumption in India or China. These gaps are major, given the size of the population aged 15-65 years in these countries - 0.73 billion and 0.95 billion respectively in India and China.

'Furthermore, with an increase in both the population and disposable income, their position next to several significant manufacturing countries and expanding domestic manufacture, both countries face substantial risks related to growing ATS use,' says the report.

The last study in India was in 2001 and published in 2004.

'We don't know the actual position and magnitude of the ATS problems in India, which had last performed a household survey in 2001 and it did not include questions specific to various types of ATS consumed,' says Albertin.

According to official sources, the Indian government would be conducting a household survey on the subject next year.

The saddest impact of these drugs is on users who start using them to help cope with life's problems - to do a job better, appear more cheerful, stay awake longer or lose weight quickly - only to find themselves overwhelmed with feelings of anxiety, hyper stimulation and paranoia.

These go-go drugs are now consumed in practically every region of the world, posing a significant problem in North America, Europe and Southeast Asia.

According to experts, India is more vulnerable to the threat posed by the synthetic drugs because key ATS precursors are readily available here and significant manufacturing is also taking place.

'The region is home to a large youth population and potential consumers with increasing disposable income. Plus, prevention and treatment are largely focussed on other drug types,' said a senior law enforcement official.

'The geographic location between the significant ATS markets in Southeast Asia make the country more vulnerable,' the official added.

According to highly placed sources, most ATS flow into India from Myanmar. The Narcotics Control Bureau recently busted several clandestine ATS laboratories in various parts of the country.

-

New swine flu case takes India's tally to 129

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:51:47 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 4 - A Thai national was found suffering from swine flu, taking the total number of influenza A - cases in India to 129, said an official statement Saturday.

'The only new case reported Saturday was of a 23-year-old Thai national who travelled from Bangkok to Mumbai by Thai Airways flight TG 317 that reached Mumbai June 28 and proceeded further to Kandla port - to board a ship on which he is a crew member,' it said.

'He was detected at the screening at Kandla port and isolated at the Kandla Port Trust Hospital July 1. Four other crew members in close contact with this case have also been placed under quarantine. They have been put on chemoprophylaxis.'

The statement said, '871 persons have been tested so far, of which 129 are positive for Influenza A H1N1. Of 129 positive cases, 90 have been discharged.'

According to the World Health Organisation -, about 89,921 confirmed cases of influenza A H1N1 infection have been reported from 125 countries till July 3. There have been 382 deaths worldwide, most of them in Mexico and the US.

Broken spine rejoined in 'miracle' surgery

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:53:42 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 4 - Doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences - here have rejoined a 10-year-old boy's broken spinal cord, hospital authorities said Saturday, terming it as a 'first-of-its-kind case'.

The boy, Premchand from Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh, fell while playing in a field and the moving blades of a tractor's harrow went over his back cutting his vertebral column into two.

He was brought to the AIIMS Trauma Centre Sep 4 and immediately operated upon after five hospitals said they could not treat him. Nine months later, he is back on his feet and walking without help.

At AIIMS a team of doctors performed the rare surgery lasting over eight hours.

D.B. Choudhary, senior consultant orthopaedic surgeon at AIIMS, said: 'The child was in a state of shock due to blood loss and had two deep wounds on the back with active leak of cerebrospinal fluid and rib fracture.

'His entire spine was fragmented in two parts. Initially he was given blood and treated with other medicines to prevent meningitis,' he added.

Claiming it a medical feat, AIIMS Trauma Centre chief M.C. Mishra said: 'I have done extensive research and can conclude that it is a first-of-its-kind case in medical history. Such a case with sharp penetrating injury to the spine in a child causing complete breakage of the lumbar spine in two parts presenting with complete loss of power and sensations is extremely unusual and has not been reported in literature either.'

The child started responding and felt sensations only a month after his surgery and now after nine months he is able to walk with minimal assistance.

He is currently undergoing rehabilitation physiotherapy. 'We are expecting him to recover soon,' Deepak Gupta, one of the doctors who operated upon the boy, told reporters. 'There is no threat of infection.'

Urging small hospitals to refer such critical cases directly to the AIIMS, Choudhary said the Trauma Centre is capable of handling difficult cases. Referring to Premchand's treatment, he said: 'It is another miracle carried out at AIIMS.'

12 new cases of swine flu, total 128 in India

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:38:05 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 3 - Twelve new cases of swine flu were reported in the country Friday, taking the total number of influenza A - cases to 128, health officials said here.

'About 837 persons have been tested so far, of which 128 are positive for Influenza A H1N1. Of the 128 positive cases, 82 have been discharged,' a statement issued here said.

The 12 cases were reported from - Bangalore -, Kozhikode -, Delhi -, Hyderabad - and Amritsar -.

The health ministry also denied reports that a patient from Kerala had died due to the virus. 'This is not correct. His throat and nasal swab have tested negative for influenza A at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Delhi,' it said.

According to the World Health Organization -, about 77,201 confirmed cases of influenza A infection have been reported from 120 countries till July 1. There have been 332 deaths worldwide, most of them in Mexico and the US.

More medical colleges to be opened in India: Azad

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:22:18 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 3 - The central government will set up more medical colleges through public-private participation to meet the shortage of skilled doctors in India, union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said here Friday.

Informing the Rajya Sabha, Azad said corporate sector would also be allowed to establish medical colleges in states.

He added that the regulations of the Medical Council of India - were being amended. The MCI is a statutory body that regulates medical colleges, new colleges and doctors' registrations.

Azad said his ministry was proposing to set up a National Council for Human Resources in Health as a regulatory agency for the health sector to reform the current framework and enhance supply of skilled personnel.

He said a task force has been set up, headed by union Health Secretary Naresh Dayal, to work out the details of the council. 'The task force will submit its report to the ministry by July 31,' Azad said.

On July 1, the minister announced that doctors who are ready to work in remote and inaccessible primary health centres in the country may get double their salary.

He said this was the 'only way' to ensure that doctors and paramedical staff work in these remote and tribal areas.

Construction cost for Udhampur army hospital hiked

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:50:11 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 2 - The cabinet Thursday hiked the estimated construction cost for an ultra-modern 650-bed army hospital at Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir to Rs.2.32 billion from Rs.1.26 billion.

The decision to hike the cost of the new multi-storeyed modern Command Hospital complex and associated accommodation for the Northern Command at Udhampur was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said cabinet spokesperson Ambika Soni.

She said the project was earlier approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security Aug 9, 2005 at an estimated cost of Rs.1.26 billion. The cost has now been revised to Rs.2.32 billion, she said.

It is a 650-bedded tertiary care and referral hospital and will provide specialised medical care to the armed forces personnel of the Northern Command, she said.

The information and broadcasting minister said since the hospital is presently housed mostly in old and dilapidated buildings of 1949 and 1960 vintage, there is an inescapable and urgent requirement for a new building.

Approval of the hospital project will provide comprehensive medical care to troops and families of armed forces, ex-servicemen and their families located in Northern Command and Jammu and Kashmir. It will also impart training to medics and paramedics.

Four new cases of swine flu, total in India 116

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:18:18 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 2 - Four new cases of swine flu were detected Thursday, taking the total number of influenza A- virus to 116, health officials said here.

Among those who tested positive for the flu are two children and a 68-year-old woman.

'The four cases were reported from Gurgaon, Bangalore, Pune and Cochin,' a health ministry statement issued here said.

'In all, 793 people have been tested so far of which 116 are positive for Influenza A H1N1,' the statement said.

'Of the 116 positive cases, 80 have been discharged. Rest of them remain admitted to the identified health facility,' it said.

In Gurgaon, a six-year-old-girl, who travelled from Houston in the US to Delhi via Chicago, reached Delhi June 27. Her family reported to the identified health facility on July 1 with symptoms of fever, running nose and vomiting.

In Bangalore, a four-year-old girl tested positive for the virus Thursday.

The girl reached the metropolis on June 30 from the US via Singapore. 'As she showed symptoms of fever and cough, she was detected at the airport and admitted in the isolation health facility,' the statement said.

Health officials said in Pune a 34-year-old woman was detected with the swine flu. She had came from San Francisco in the US via Hong Kong and had reached Mumbai on June 27. She reported to the identified health facility on June 30.

In Cochin, a 68-year-old woman, who travelled from Toronto to Cochin via Abu Dhabi on June 29, tested positive for the flu. She was detected at the airport and was isolated at the identified health facility.

According to the World Health Organisation - about 77,201 laboratory confirmed cases of swine flu infection were reported from 120 countries July 1. There have been 332 deaths globally mostly from Mexico and the US.

Court ruling on gays will help fight AIDS, say experts

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:28:15 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 2 - Health experts and activists Thursday said the Delhi High Court ruling decriminalising homosexuality will be a new tool in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS as the closeted gay community is a high-risk group.

The National AIDS Control Organisation - Director-General K. Sujatha Rao told IANS: 'It is a positive judgment. Decriminalising this high-risk group has made our job easier as we will be able to reach out to them. This will help the public health system.'

The high court Thursday struck down the Indian Penal Code's - controversial section 377, a relic from the British Raj era, that termed homosexuality as a criminal act.

A bench of Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice S. Muralidhar said if Section 377 is not amended, it would violate Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees equal opportunity of life for every citizen of the country.

Rao said: 'This - will help us access patients and prevent HIV/AIDS. This was hard earlier as the law made it difficult for us to work with sex workers and gays. They were the hidden population, and we could not reach them as the law was not favouring them.'

NACO is the apex government agency to monitor and check HIV/AIDS in India. The 2008-09 budget of NACO was over Rs.1,100 crore.

According to estimates revised in 2007, India has an approximate 2.5 million people living with HIV. According to NACO, there are 2.35 million men having sex with men - in the country.

Gays are considered to be among the high-risk group vulnerable to the spread of HIV/AIDS in India. Apart from them, the other high-risk groups are sex workers, truck drivers and injecting drug users -.

'Our plea has always been for decriminalising this high-risk group. We are happy that our plea was considered by the court. It would make the public health programmes more successful,' Rao told IANS by phone from Hyderabad.

UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe welcomed the decision and said that 'the Delhi High Court has restored the dignity and human rights of millions of men who have sex with men and transgendered people in India.'

He said such oppressive laws drive people underground making it much harder to reach them for HIV prevention, treatment and care services.

'It sends a positive message to countries where such laws still exist,' he said.

According to UNAIDS, currently 80 countries have legislation prohibiting same-sex behaviour.

He said the criminalisation of adult sexual behaviour is hampering HIV responses across the world.

'Such measures have a negative impact on delivery of HIV prevention programmes and access to treatment by people living with HIV. Not only do they violate human rights of individuals, but further stigmatize these populations.'

Speaking on behalf of the United Nations, Charles Gilks, UNAIDS country coordinator in India, said: 'We are excited by the ruling and hope that it will send a positive signal to many other countries, especially in South and West Asia, where sodomy is punishable by death.'

Anjali Shah, a lawyer of the Lawyers Collective, said: 'One of the biggest implications of this verdict is that it will make HIV prevention work much easier and effective.'

HIV activist and physician S. Sunder Raman said the decision is moving toward making sure that the current law does not hold people as criminals for homosexual acts and push them underground.

According to psychiatrist Samir Parikh, the judgment is 'both scientific and humane.'

'The judgment goes with what science says, and this is a positive and progressive step, that needs to be welcomed,' Parikh, head of the Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences in Max Healthcare, told IANS.

'Since early '70s, it has been accepted medically that orientation is not a matter of choice and cannot be corrected, and the fact that same sex orientation is not a disease and this is an innate phenomena that a person has.'

He said the gays faced intense distress and harassment that causes more depressive anxiety symptoms in them.

'... they feel threatened by the stigma and fear of harassment owing to its criminal connotation, as it was considered before today's judgment. This historic judgment indeed pays heed to human rights in the largest democracy of the world,' he said.

India faces shortage of essential vaccines, says report

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:39:48 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 2 - Even though India is the largest supplier of vaccines to the world, its domestic market is completely paralyzed, risking the health of millions of children, especially newborns, says a report.

'India is the largest supplier of vaccines to the world yet its domestic market of vaccines stands completely crippled, endangering the health and future of millions of its children, especially newborns,' according to a report in Down To Earth -, a fortnightly magazine of the Centre for Science and Environment -.

The report says in 2008 the Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss suspended the licenses of three crucial public sector suppliers of vaccines - the Central Research Institute - in Kasauli, BCG Vaccine Laboratory - in Chennai and Pasteur Institute of India - in Coonoor.

These three units together met 80 percent of the country's vaccine requirements under the universal immunization programme.

' Because of this the country is reeling from a debilitating shortage of vaccines, which has severely affected its universal immunization programme,' said the report. It added that on average the availability of vaccines in different states has fallen between 10 and 30 percent.

'What Down To Earth has uncovered is shocking - it shows that the ministry has been particularly and criminally negligent in ensuring an alternative supply of life-saving and vital vaccines in the country,' said Sunita Narain, Director of CSE.

A Right to Information - application filed by Down To Earth has revealed that the closure decision was taken after a World Health Organization - inspection found that the units lacked good manufacturing practices.

'But the ministry refuses to explain why closure was necessary and why steps could not have been taken to improve the functioning of these units. In fact, our investigation finds that the ministry curtailed its programme to build capacity and improve the functioning of these units,' the report added.

The ministry distributed the vaccine orders among three manufacturing units randomly - Serum Institute of India - and Biological Evans - in the private sector, and Indian Immunologicals Limited - in the public sector. But a parliamentary committee found that a chunk of the orders were given to Biological Evans, whose 'good' manufacturing practices remained doubtful.

The DTE report further revealed that the private sector has refused to provide the vaccines at affordable rates and it even quotes a confidential document of the ministry which showed that the government could not procure vaccines because private manufacturers had hiked their prices.

'What is even more ironic is that even as the ministry closed the existing public sector vaccine units, it had no option but to procure vaccines from these same units,' the DTE report said.

While the government has already taken notice of the issue, it must act fast, the report contended.

'We do believe this concerns the future of our country, our infants and the newborn. It cannot and must not be taken lightly,' Narain emphasized.

Verdict decriminalising gay sex welcome: AIDS control body

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:30:08 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 2 - The National AIDS Control Organisation - Thursday hailed the Delhi High Court judgment that decriminalises gay sex, saying it would help reach out to the community and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

'It is a positive judgment. Decriminalising this high-risk group has made our job easier as we will be able to reach them. This will help the public health system,' K. Sujatha Rao, NACO director general and additional secretary in the health ministry, told IANS.

The high court struck down the Indian Penal Code's - controversial section 377, a law from the British Raj era, that says homosexuality and 'unnatural sex' is a criminal act.

Rao said: 'This - will help us access and prevent HIV/AIDS. HIV has no cure and it could be prevented through a condom.'

'Now, we will have more access to them, which was difficult earlier as the law made it difficult for us to work with sex workers and gays. They were the hidden population and we could not reach them as the law was not favouring them.'

NACO is the apex government body to monitor and check HIV/AIDS in India. The 2008-09 budget of NACO is over Rs.1100 crore, of which 67 percent is for prevention and 17 percent for care, support and treatment.

According to estimates revised in 2007, India has an approximate 2.5 million people living with HIV. According to NACO, there are 2.35 million men having sex with men - in the country.

On Thursday, a bench of Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice S. Muralidhar said that if not amended, section 377 of the IPC would violate Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which states that every citizen has equal opportunity of life and is equal before law.

Gays are considered to be among the high-risk group that is considered vulnerable to the spread of HIV/AIDS in India. Apart from them, the other groups are sex workers, truck drivers and injecting drug users -.

'Our plea has always been for decriminalising this high-risk group. We are happy that our plea was considered by the court. It would make the public health programmes more successful,' Rao told IANS over phone from Hyderabad.

She said that India has been committed to universal access for halting and reversing the spread of HIV. 'This would enable us to achieve that goal,' she added.

63 Swine Flu Cases in India

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:13:40 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Four more people in different parts of the country tested positive for the influenza A - Monday, taking the total number of people affected by the flu virus in India to 63.

The condition of a 66-year-old woman, who contracted the flu from her son, deteriorated and she was put on ventilator in a hospital in Delhi.

'The woman tested positive June 17 and was shifted to Deen Dayal Updhayay Hospital. She is said to have a chronic respiratory illness and her condition deteriorated Sunday and she was put on ventilator. She continues to be on ventilator. A group of experts is attending to her,' a health ministry official said.

'Four new cases - two from Delhi and one each from Mumbai and Pune - tested positive for the swine flu in India Monday,' the official said.

In Delhi, a 25-year-old man who came from the US and self reported to an identified health facility with complaints of sore throat June 20 was tested positive for the flu.

The second case was of a 29-year-old woman, who travelled from Canada via Belgium and reached Delhi June 18. She has also tested positive for the flu.

In Pune, a 24-year-old man who came from the US via London and reported to the hospital with flu like symptoms tested positive for the virus.

In Mumbai, a 23-year-old woman who came from Melbourne June 19 has also tested positive for the flu.

'All these people have been isolated and are being treated. We are trying to trace their contacts,' the official said.

With increasing number of cases in Delhi, the government has sought help from the private hospitals in the capital.

'We have written to all private hospitals asking them to join hands with the government in handling swine flu patients. They have to prepare isolation wards and the government will provide them with the Tamiflu drug. But we are yet to hear from them,' said a senior health official in Delhi government.

Meanwhile, of the 63 cases 37 have been discharged after they recovered from the flu. India has reported six indigenous cases where people contracted the flu without going abroad.

World Health Organization - has reported 44,287 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza A- infection from 94 countries. There have been 180 deaths.

Health screening of passengers coming from affected countries is continuing in 22 international airports. 44,691 passengers have been screened on June 21 with 27,345 passengers from affected countries.

A total of 224 doctors and 112 paramedics have been deployed to man 77 counters at these airports. A cumulative total of over 2,200,000 passengers have been screened.

Apollo to get 50 million loan for small-town hospitals

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 18:42:57 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) International Finance Corp, a member of the World Bank group, will provide $50 million as loan to Indian private healthcare major Apollo Hospitals for setting up hospitals in numerous smaller cities across the country.

The company expects to set up 15 new hospitals in the next three years, an initiative that will also create significant employment opportunities for local medical professionals.

'Creating an adequate hospital infrastructure alone will require $34 billion in private investment by 2012 in secondary and tertiary care hospitals, medical colleges, nursing, and hospital management schools,' an IFC statement said.

'Apollo has long been one of IFC's key strategic clients both in the region and globally, given the scope of its operations and its willingness to invest in smaller cities,' said IFC vice-president Rashad Kaldany.

'The project aligns with our strategy to invest in healthcare, one of India's largest service industries where the private sector's involvement is most critical,' IFC said.

Added Apollo Hospitals founder and executive chairman Prathap Reddy: 'This project will help us fulfil Apollo's vision to deliver medical services where they are needed most.'

--Indo-Asian News service

ash/ank/vt

Dr Reddy's ties up with GlaxoSmithKline

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:55:21 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Mumbai, June 15 - Pharmaceutical major major Dr Reddy's Laboratories Monday announced a partnership with Britain's GlaxoSmithKline - to develop and market select products across emerging markets outside India.

'Under the terms of the agreement, GSK will gain access to Dr. Reddy's rich and diverse portfolio and future pipeline of more than 100 branded pharmaceuticals in fast growing therapeutic segments such as cardiovascular, diabetes, oncology, gastroenterology and pain management,' the company said in a regulatory statement.

G.V. Prasad, vice-chairman and chief executive officer of Dr Reddy's, said the tie-up would help the companies provide 'affordable and innovative medicines to a much wider population'.

The products will be manufactured by Dr. Reddy's and be licensed and supplied to GSK to market in emerging markets in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia Pacific, excluding India.

GSK will share revenues with Dr Reddy's as per agreed terms.

Abbas Hussein, president - of GlaxoSmithKline, said: 'Together we will be able to deliver more medicines of value to more patients in these countries.'

Bill Gates' foundation targets Indians for research grants

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:51:22 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 2 - The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation Thursday announced $100,000 grants for researchers to develop innovative ideas to address maternal and child health care issues. The third round of the world-wide initiative is targeted particularly at Indian researchers.

'We hope to hear from researchers of every age and every continent, and from disciplines that don't typical focus on global health or even biomedical research. India has great potential and a pool of engineers, doctors and creative minds. Yet in our previous two rounds we have received little response from Indians,' Andrew C. Serazin, programme officer for the project, told reporters here.

Andrew and his partner Joseph Torres have come specifically to India to promote and advocate the round three of The Grand Challenges Exploration, a five-year $ 100 million initiative to encourage bold and unconventional research on new global health solution.

In the previous two rounds, the project received around 7,000 applications from 118 countries and Indians accounted for just three percent of it.

'The initiative uses a streamline, online grant making process. Applications are only two pages and the preliminary data about the proposed research is not even required,' Torres explained.

The foundation and an independent group of reviewers will select the most innovative proposals and grant will awarded around three months from the May 28 proposal submission deadline.

The topic areas for the proposal are creating low cost antagonistic for priority global health condition, new tools to accelerate eradication of malaria, new vacancies for diarrhoea, HIV, malaria, pneumonia and tuberculosis and new ways to increase mucosal immunity -.

Initial grants will be of $100,000 each. Projects showing promise thereafter could get an additional funding of upto $1 million. About 80-100 applicants are likely to be selected globally.

To promote and advocate the project, the foundation has approached institutes like All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi and other facilitating partners.

The proposals can be sent via www.grandchallenges.org/explorations.

Government to lay stress on mental health services

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:37:29 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) The country faces an acute shortage of psychiatrists and mental health professionals and to tackle this the government is setting up centres of excellence in mental health, parliament was informed Friday.

Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare P. Lakshmi told the Rajya Sabha Friday that according to a recent survey by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences -, the prevalence of mental disorders is about seven percent of the country's population and of this, three percent need treatment.

'Close to three percent of the population need active treatment. There is, however, shortage of psychiatrists and mental health professionals in the country,' she said.

To address the shortage, manpower development schemes are being taken up, and that includes setting up of centres of excellence in mental health.

She said the National Human Rights Commission - has taken a lead in this matter and the Medical Council of India has promised to create more awareness among students in medical colleges to take up postgraduate course in psychiatry.

The Medical Council has granted permission during 2005-2008 to start Doctors of Medicine - in Psychiatry courses at 18 institutes and Diploma in Psychological Medicine - course in seven institutes.

The council also asked four institutes to increase the number of seats in MD - course.

'This has resulted in addition of 25 seats in MD - course and eight seats in DPM course,' Lakshmi said.

She said under the National Mental Health Programme, efforts are also being made to provide mental health services as a part of the general health system.

Under the District Mental Health Programme -, the central government is upgrading the psychiatric wings of medical colleges and hospitals in states and strengthening and modernising the mental hospitals to make them therapeutic units.

Lakshmi said the health ministry has also proposed to re-strategise the National Mental Health Programme - during the 11th Five Year Plan -, which aims to extend the district mental health programmes to more districts in a phased manner.

Go-ahead to Rs.3.87 bn plan for Lady Hardinge Medical College

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:50:59 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Jan 29 - The central government has given the go-ahead to a Rs.3.87 billion redevelopment plan for the prestigious Lady Hardinge Medical College - and associated hospitals.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, which cleared the plan at its meeting Wednesday, also increased the strength for undergraduate seats from 127 to 200 and postgraduate from 70 to 130 students in the college.

According to a statement issued here Thursday, the redevelopment should be completed 'within a period of 32 months so as to comply with the Central Educational Institution - Act, 2006 at the cost of Rs.387.31 crore -'.

The act stipulates reservations for admission for those belonging to the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes in Central Educational Institutions established, maintained or aided by the central government.

'The admission strength for undergraduate and post-graduate courses shall be increased to 200 and 127 seats from the existing 130 and 70, respectively, over a period of three years,' said the statement.

Considered one of the most prestigious colleges of Delhi University in providing medical education, LHMC is only for girls. The college and hospital was formally opened by Lord Hardinge, the then Viceroy of India, on Feb 17, 1916.

Kolkata government medical college doctors performed unique operation

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:45:51 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Kolkata, Jan 15 - A team of doctors at the Kolkata government medical college successfully operated on a youth who had been pierced by a six-foot-long iron shaft in a road accident.

Sheikh Rezzak Ali, 22, survived a head-on clash with a speeding truck Wednesday morning at Arambag in Kolkata's neighbouring Hooghly district. An iron rod had pierced his right lung in the accident.

The seven-member medical specialist team, headed by surgeon Siddhartha Mukherjee, performed the two-hour long critical surgery at the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital Wednesday to remove the shaft.

Mukherjee said Ali showed immense courage and stamina. He was not nervous and did not even faint after suffering the fatal accident.

'It helped us to save him,' the doctor added.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Thursday congratulated the doctors and said he wanted to meet them.

Ali was driving a Tata Sumo to Arambag with his brother Sheikh Rajak and some neighbours when a truck rammed into them at Shirakol. An iron shaft shot out of the truck, smashed through the windscreen and speared Ali.

Rajak managed to pull Ali out of the car and first took him to a nursing home nearby. Later, he was taken to the state-run Kolkata Medical College and Hospital.

A similar accident took place in the national capital in July last year when an engineer, Supratim Dutta, was impaled by an iron beam that perforated seven of his organs. Dutta survived as the beam had narrowly missed his heart, but needed a series of complicated surgeries.

Supreme Court refuses to halt doctor's trial for medical negligence

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:22:10 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) The Supreme Court has refused to halt the trial of a Hyderabad-based doctor who kept treating a seven-year-old leukemia-hit girl for tuberculosis for six months, eventually leading to her death.

The bench of Justice S.B. Sinha and Justice Cyriac Joseph dismissed doctor B. Jagdish's plea to quash a trial court summons to him, seeking his answers to the charge of killing the girl by medical negligence, involving wrong diagnosis of disease followed by fatal treatment.

In a verdict delivered last week but released late Tuesday, the bench turned down the doctor's plea, saying: 'No member of the medical profession could have treated the child for tuberculosis as it was a clear case where the diagnosis at the outset should have been one of leukemia.'

Appalled by the doctor's wrong diagnosis and treatment, the bench said, 'Unless a person has a special skill to treat a child, ordinarily he should not have treated her, not because he was wholly incompetent but because it required a special skill keeping in view the nature of the disease the child was suffering from.'

The main accused in the case is a self-styled child specialist, Jagdish, who runs a private medical centre named Disney's Medi-Kid Children's Hospital in Hyderabad.

The child, a Class 3 student, was first taken to Jagdish's hospital June 22, 2000, following a severe bout of vomiting while she was in her school.

The doctor admitted her to his hospital for three days during which he had her blood tested twice. And despite the test results showing an abnormally low count of white blood corpuscles, the doctor declared the girl to be suffering from tuberculosis and acute anemia.

After prescribing medication for tuberculosis, the doctor discharged the girl from hospital amid recurring vomiting and high fever, prompting her parents to approach the doctor repeatedly within days after the discharge.

Undeterred by the girl's worsening situation, the doctor kept administering her medicines for tuberculosis, assuring her parents all the while of the girl's well being and dissuading them from going for a second opinion despite bouts of vomiting becoming more frequent.

This state of affairs continued for three months when the girl developed high fever, besides rashes all over her body Oct 1, 2000. Her face too was abnormally swollen.

It was eventually at this stage that Jagdish sought help from another doctor, who following a 'biopsy of the girl's bone marrow' found her suffering from an advanced stage of leukemia along with an enlarged liver.

At the advice of the second doctor, the girl was admitted to Apollo Hospital, where she died Nov 10, 2000.

Following the girl's death, her parents initiated civil as well as criminal court proceedings against the doctor. The civil proceedings at the state consumer court were for monetary compensation for deficiency of services by the doctor in treating the child and the criminal proceedings were for his prosecution for causing the child's death due to medical negligence.

Acting on the parents' complaint, the state consumer court ordered the doctor in June 2006 to pay damages worth Rs.400,000 to the victim's parents on account of deficiency of services, while a magisterial court issued summons to the doctor in 2004 to answer charges of medical negligence.

Challenging the magisterial court's summons to him, the doctor first went to the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which dismissed his plea. Against the high court order, he approached the apex court, but it too asked him to face the trial at the magisterial court for criminal negligence.

India, China revive ties in medicine in memory of Kotnis

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:09:13 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) The black-and-white 1946 Bollywood classic 'Dr.Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani' starring V. Shantaram still evokes nostalgic memories.

In a country that does not easily open doors to outsiders, Dwarkanath Santharam Kotnis, a young Indian doctor, was a true Chinese citizen and martyr at heart - who died for the cause of Chinese liberation.

Kotnis arrived in China as part of the Indian Medical Team in 1938 to treat victims of the Chinese War of Liberation. Seven decades down the line, India and China are reviving the mission to open a new chapter in bilateral relationship - shared health.

As part of a memorandum of understanding signed between the Indian Council for Cultural Relations - and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries in January 2008, a delegation of 10 Chinese doctors arrived in India to study the Indian healthcare system and exchange ideas.

The project, titled India-China Joint Medical Mission, will allow the Chinese doctors to tour the Apollo Hospitals, rural medicine centres and the city of Chandigarh.

Launched by Karan Singh, president of the ICCR in the capital Tuesday, the mission, though symbolic, will have a greater outreach than any other bilateral projects between the two Asian giants.

'Historical ties between India and China date back to the early Buddhist period when Buddhist scholars came to India to study at the universities and scholars from India visited China. However, several years of western dominance had weakened the ties which both the countries are now trying to restore,' Karan Singh said.

He said the young Chinese doctors will be able to see the state of Indian healthcare services for themselves - even in the villages where it needs special attention.

'The initiative taken by the Prime Ministers of both the country during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to China in January, will usher in a new era in cooperation,' he said.

A delegation of 10 Indian doctors also visited China in January - and toured all the landmarks associated with Kotnis.

According to S. Anuradha, professor of medicine at the Maulana Azad Medical College in the capital, who visited China in January, Indian and Chinese medical experts could collaborate in education and exchange ideas.

'China has several institutes of higher medicine, but the healthcare is not subsidised by the government. People have to buy their own medicines and pay hospital bills,' she said.

Recounting the popularity of Kotnis in China, Anuradha said the Indian doctor was 'more revered in China than in India with several landmarks like hospitals and parks named after him.'

Kotnis, who became involved in the resistance against Japanese occupation of China and even began strategising with Chairman Mao Zedong on how to take on the occupation forces inside the territories overrun by Japan, died of hardships of army life at the age of 32.

He married a local Chinese woman Gua Qinglan and had a son Yinhua. Both mother and son have travelled to India to meet their relatives after the doctor's death and several Chinese leaders have visited Kotnis' relatives in Mumbai.

Malnutrition downplaying India's economic growth: UN

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:26:12 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Nov 26 - India is progressing well in education and showing consistency in economic growth but its progress is getting downplayed due to poor child health conditions, a new UN report has said.

'In recent years, India has made impressive progress towards enrolment in primary schools. Progress in child health indicators is less impressive. Bangladesh and Nepal with lower levels of income and economic growth, have outperformed India on this indicator,' said the Education for All - Global Monitoring Report of the Unesco.

The report said that while India has 'sustained one of the world's highest economic growths for the last two decades, social indicators for child mortality, nutrition and child health lag far behind'.

'If India had reduced child mortality to Bangladesh levels, it would have had 200,000 fewer deaths in 2006.

'Rising average income has done little to enhance child nutrition,' the report said quoting India's national family health survey which says percentage of underweight children - remained unchanged between 1998 and 2005.

Around 75 percent of pre-school children in India suffer iron deficiency and 60 percent have sub-clinical vitamin A deficiency.

'Health provisions are lacking in many areas. More than one quarter of children with diarrhoea are never treated. Around 45 percent children do not receive the full DPT3 vaccination,

'The marked disconnect between success in the economy and failure in child nutrition is the product of deep inequalities linked to income, caste, gender and state,' the report said.

The global education body has described the flagship Integrated Child Development Service - as a failure. 'The programme fails to preferentially target girls, children from lower castes and the poor, all of whom face higher risk of malnutrition.'

The report said that the Indian government had said that it would create a world-class education system but 'achieving the goal will require stronger political leadership and practical policies that link the education for all agenda with policies to improve public health and enhance equity'.

India building five blood banks of world standard: Ramados

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:56:11 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Nov 24 - India is building five world standard blood banks at a cost of Rs.4.65 billion, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said here Monday.

'There will be four regional blood banks in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata at a cost of Rs.500 million each. These blood banks will be of world standard,' Ramadoss said at an event organised to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Hemophilia Federation of India.

'Along with these four banks, another larger bank will come up in Chennai which will have the capacity to process nearly 300,000 units of blood every year. Most of this purified blood can be used for the benefit of hemophilia patients,' he said.

The cost of this blood bank will be much more than the regional banks but it will have a blood fractionation unit for hemophilia patients. All these banks will be managed by the National Aids Control Society.

The minister said that India needs at least eight million units of blood every year.

'As against such a huge demand, we get nearly 5.5 million units of which little over 60 percent is collected through voluntary donation.'

Hemophilia is a congenital lifelong bleeding disorder. Its patients bleed internally, mostly in joints, muscles and vital organs like brains. In many cases, the disease leads to permanent disability.

India is home to 75,000 such patients, most of them men. Though the disease is incurable, it can be managed through anti-hemophilia factor injections, which are very expensive. The patients often need blood transfusion.

Plan to Start MBBS Courses in IITs not feasible

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:32:45 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Nov 24 - The faculty members and the alumni of the premier Indian Institutes of Technology - have expressed opposition to any plan to start medical courses in the institutions, claiming it is 'neither feasible nor desirable' and any attempt in this regard will prove 'disastrous'.

'We have already biotechnology courses at IITs. I believe churning out doctors from IITs is neither feasible nor desirable,' M. Balakrishnan, dean postgraduate studies at IIT-Delhi, told IANS.

There were reports that the government appointed 11th five-year committee for higher education, headed by eminent scientist Yash Pal, was planning to introduce a varsity structure and possible courses on medicine in IITs.

'This will prove disastrous. Instead of bringing in a varsity culture in IITs, it's better to improve infrastructure, maintain a certain benchmark in students intake and provide world class education in the field of engineering,' said P.V. Indiresan, a renowned educationist and former director of IIT-Chennai.

He said the student-teacher ratio has worsened and this was 'impacting the students-faculties interaction in the classroom.'

Yatinder Pal Suri, an entrepreneur and alumnus of IIT-Kharagpur said: 'It is not desirable to diversify too much. Expansion into too many things with the present infrastructure is not a viable option.'

'Expansion is good but that must happen with a proper planning,' Suri added, a view echoed by Pradeep Gupta, chairman of Cyber Media group and an IIT Delhi graduate.

'IITs in India are much popular. There is no point in diluting the brand. We should focus on becoming a leading global brand like MIT in the US,' said Vijay K. Saluja, a retired chief engineer of New Delhi Municipal Council -, who has also studied at an IIT.

Many believe that the laboratories at IITs need to be upgraded on a priority basis before thinking of anything else.

'Instead of shifting gear towards a varsity pattern, it's better to improve the IIT-industry interface. This will improve employability and confidence of students,' said Pramod Chawla, another alumnus.

In the beginning of the present academic year, the government opened six new IITs under the supervision of the existing seven.