RxPG News : Medical News

NHRC issues notice to Kerala over infant deaths

Tue, 28 May 2013 20:19:29 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 28 - The National Human Rights Commission - Tuesday sought a report over the malnutrition deaths of several infants at Attappadi in Kerala.

Citing an editorial in a newspaper, the commission said: The contents of the editorial, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights of tribal children and mothers in the Attappadi region. Accordingly, a notice has been issued to the chief secretary, Kerala, calling for a report within six weeks.

NHRC has taken suo motu cognizance of an editorial alleging that several infants died due to malnutrition in Attappadi region of Kerala, particularly in Kadambara South, Vellakulam colony and Nellippathy colony, since January, 2012, the commission said.

Quoting Kerala's health department's statistics, the editorial said that recently 23,597 people were screened in 7,565 houses in the three panchayats of Attappadi. Of them, 496 adults, 70 pregnant women and 283 children below the age of 12 were found to be anaemic.

Advanced breast cancer detecting machine comes to India

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:45:40 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 19 - An advanced digital breast cancer detecting machine with the capability to see the lesions in breasts with much more clarity than ever before was unveiled in the national capital Sunday.

The mammography machine 'Amulet' by Fuji films is claimed to be India's first low dose resolution system.

Speaking at the launch, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj said: Every woman should be aware about ever growing breast cancer and need to get done mammography to detect the cancer and fight against it.

This machine would prove to be helpful in the fight against the disease as it uses artificial intelligence algorithms to assist the radiologist in detecting abnormalities that would not normally be seen by the naked eyes.

With the help of 50 micron resolution system, we have the capability to see the lesions in breasts with much more clarity than ever before, said Harsh Mahajan of Mahajan Imaging.

The Computer Aided Diagnostics - system installed with the machine helps the radiologist in detecting abnormalities that would not normally be seen by the naked eyes, he said.

There is not much difference in the cost of mammography using Amulet and it will continue to cost around Rs.3,000 per person.

In India, around 20-30 women per 100,000 population develop breast cancer at some point in their lives.

'Dispel myths about vitiligo'

Sat, 18 May 2013 14:07:59 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 18 - Eighteen-year-old Priyanka Sharma says she feels like an outcast when fellow commuters get up as she sits beside them or her friends call her a cow. The reason: A white patch on her forehand five years ago that soon spread to other parts of her body.

Vitiligo is a non-contagious condition in which the skin becomes depigmented, or loses its pigment. It most often affects the face, elbows, knees, hands and feet and the condition is more noticeable in people with darker skin tones.

People look at me differently. I feel like an outcast when my college mates bully me saying I look like a cow. The most disdainful thing is when people avoid sitting beside me. I feel like shouting that vitiligo is just a skin disorder and does not spread through contact, Sharma told IANS.

According to doctors, a lot of social stigma is attached to vitiligo and adolescents so afflicted often slip into depression. The social stigma is largely due to the white patches prominently standing out on dark complexion. The condition is not present at birth and mostly shows up between the ages of 10 and 30.

A lot of misconceptions prevail about vitiligo, such as it being contagious and painful, but this is not true. A lot of awareness is needed about vitiligo - that it can be treated, and does not spread through contact. I have seen cases in which marriage becomes difficult for such patients, Niti Khunger, a dermatalogist at Safdarjung Hospital, told IANS.

According to doctors, vitiligo can be hereditary in some cases, but a major cause for it is autoimmunity or the malfunctioning of the white blood cells.

Surgical treatment of vitiligo has advanced in the last few years.

The results are encouraging and patients must not lose hope, said Rohit Batra, dermatologist and vitiligo expert at Sir Ganga Ram Hosptial.

Implanting melanocyte - melanin producing cells - is a new treatment in which a patient's pigmented cells are taken from the normal portion of skin and implanted in the vitiligo-affected skin.

A very thin skin sample from the normal pigmented area is removed and spread on the scraped white spots. The dressing is removed after a week and natural pigmentation starts. The entire white area becomes normal within two-four months. The procedure is absolutely pain-free and there is no blood loss. Many opt for it, Batra said.

The surgery is performed only on patients whose white patches don't spread for at least a year.

Cosmetic surgeons say the treatment of a white patch of about 100 sq cm on a patient's hand would cost between Rs.20,000 and Rs.40,000 in India.

For non-spreading vitiligo, medical treatment produces good results.

Besides, melanocyte phototherapy with narrow band ultra-violet B light and laser therapy also produces good results in widespread and localised vitiligo, said Sudhir Aggarwal, a vitiligo expert.

Doctors said that a diet rich in antioxidents - fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables - and a good stress-free lifestyle can control the condition, which afflicts about two percent of the Indian population.

-

NHRC summons Odisha chief secretary

Sat, 18 May 2013 14:07:57 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Bhubaneswar, May 18 - The National Human Rights Commission - has summoned the Odisha chief secretary for failing to submit a report on the problems faced by patients and Ayush doctors in the state, a petitioner said Saturday.

Such doctors are being forced to prescribe allopathic medicines although they are not trained for that, India Media Centre managing trustee and human rights activist Akhanda, who filed the complaint, told IANS.

Ayurvedic and Unani medical practitioners are called Ayush doctors.

The NHRC asked Chief Secretary B.K. Patnaik to appear before it personally at its office in New Delhi June 16 along with the requisite report.

The human rights organisation acted on a complaint lodged by the IMC Jan 19. The government has engaged Ayush doctors in over 1,300 state-run primary health centres.

More than 300 health centres do not have any allopathic doctors and in their absence the Ayush doctors have been providing such treatments putting the lives of the patients in danger, Akhanda alleged.

Despite sufficient time and opportunity having been given, the requisite report has not been received. In these circumstances, let summons be issued for the personal appearance of the chief secretary... before the commission, the panel said in its order.

Woman dies of swine flu in UP

Sat, 18 May 2013 09:23:59 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Lucknow, May 18 - A woman died here of swine flu late Friday, health officials said Saturday.

Neelam Singh had recently returned from Delhi and had complained of breathlessness and other complications. Her husband, a doctor at the King George's Medical University - here, got her admitted to a medical facility in the city.

Tests conducted on her confirmed that she was infected with H1N1 swine flu virus and was shifted to an isolation ward at the city's Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences -.

Her condition deteriorated Friday night and she died, a family member told IANS, adding that she was administered Tamiflu and other medicines but could not be saved. Her husband, Rakesh Deewan, is an assistant professor at the anatomy department of KGMU.

Soon after the death of the patient due to swine flu was determined, health officials ordered a thorough screening of people who had been in touch with her during treatment, and Tamiflu was administered to them as well.

'We are taking due precautions now that we know that the patient died of swine flu,' a doctor said. He added that certain areas in the SGPGIMS premises and the trauma centre had been sanitized.

Areas around the residence of the family have also been 'taken care of', an official said. This is the first death of a swine flu patient in summers here as the virus is said to be lethal only during the winter season.

Maharashtra, GE to modernise rural health care

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:22:55 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Mumbai, May 17 - Maharashtra has initiated steps to modernise its rural healthcare network with a tie-up with an international consortium, an official said here Friday.

The state health department has joined hands with a Wipro GE Healthcare-led consortium which will invest in advanced diagnostic imaging facilities worth Rs.1.50 billion over the next 10 years.

To be made available within a year, these facilities -- including X-ray machines, CT and MRI scanners -- shall be available to patients round-the-clock at affordable rates fixed by the government.

Those from the below poverty line and other economically backward categories shall receive free diagnostic services under the Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayee Arogya Yojana - scheme.

The facilities will be available at 35 hospitals, including district hospitals, women's hospitals and general hospitals around the state.

We are on a first of its kind, large-scale modernisation of district hospitals with latest diagnostic technologies as the state government is committed to providing better and affordable healthcare to its people, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said, launching the public-private partnership - Friday afternoon.

As per the PPP, the private partner will install four 64 slice CT scanners, 13 advanced 16-slice scanners, eight cutting edge 1.5T MRI systems, 22 high-end digital radiography systems, 39 colour Doppler systems and 39 analog X-ray units, on infrastructure provided by the government.

These advanced, world-class imaging systems shall allow far-flung district hospitals to provide timely and accurate diagnosis in major clinical specialty areas of neurology, cardiology, vascular imaging, emergency/trauma, oncology, obstetrics and gynaecology, orthopaedics, gastroenterology.

Women's health will get a special boost with installation of 20 screening mammography units for early detection of breast cancers by GE.

Providing high quality, accessible and affordable healthcare is one of the biggest challenges faced all over the world. Through progressive PPPs, like the one with the Maharashtra government, patients are the biggest winners as they will have access to advanced and affordable healthcare that previously was not available to them, said GE vice chairman John Rice.

GE South Asia president and CEO Banmali Agrawala said that this was the second PPP with the state government, the first being GE's setting up its advanced multi-modal manufacturing plant near Pune, signed in June 2012.

Presently, 38 district and other big hospitals cater to around 100 million patients each year in the state.

According to estimates, these hospitals carry out 100,000 CT Scans, 50,000 MRIs, 300,000 colour Dopplers, 900,000 X-rays and 40,000 mammography examinations.

However, in the absence of quality diagnostic imaging equipment, patients are compelled to approach private services which charge exorbitant and uneven rates from them.

Hypertension: India's silent killer

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:12:49 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 17 - Fast-moving lifestyles, unearthly hours at work, stress, addiction to alcohol and unhealthy meals are making more and more Indians fall prey to high blood pressure at a very young age.

The biggest problem with hypertension is that there are no symptoms. Thus people tend to be unaware that they have hypertension, Ravi Kasliwal, senior cardiac consultant at Medanta-the Medicity, told IANS.

High blood pressure - is a major public health problem in India and its prevalence is rapidly increasing among both urban and rural populations. In fact, hypertension is the most prevalent chronic disease in India, he said.

A classic case is of Samir Soni, who like any other 23-year-old, was coping with work at a call centre and the demands of a fast moving city till one day he suffered a stroke at work.

Doctors say the Soni case is typical of urban Indian youth who silently suffer from high blood pressure without realising it and which ultimately leads to such major health problems like strokes.

Blaming Indian food habits and a sedentary lifestyle, Kasliwal said: Most of us grab snacks like namkeens and samosas when hungry between meals. Not only do these have a high salt content but they are also sources of trans-fats.

Vipul Roy, senior consultant at the Indraprastha Apollo hospital told IANS: Youths are very casual about their health. Most of the time they are glued to TV sets or computers and have very little time for exercise.

Roy advocated an awareness regimen among the young about the perils of hypertension, including special health classes at the school level.

In India, experts say a large number of people are in the pre-hypertension category - BP of 130/90 against the normal range of 120/90. People with BP of above 140/90 are considered to be in the hypertension category.

The prevalence of hypertension ranges from 20-40 percent in urban adults and 12-17 percent among rural adults.

Experts estimate that the number of patients in India with high BP is likely to rise from about 140 million in 2008 to nearly 215 million by 2030 along with an increase in the risk of complications such as heart attacks, strokes, kidney problems and other serious illnesses.

Given the seriousness of the problem, WHO has selected hypertension as its theme for 2013.

High BP is, however, both preventable and treatable.

For many people, lifestyle changes such as cutting down on salt, eating a balanced diet, avoiding harmful use of alcohol, getting regular exercise and avoiding tobacco use are sufficient to control blood pressure.

For others, medication is required, which is effective when taken as prescribed.

Kasliwal said a simple measure like restricting the salt intake per person to less than five grams per day and half an hour of exercise can help control hypertension that is assuming epic proportions in the country.

-

Need cautious effort to eradicate polio: Experts

Thu, 16 May 2013 22:10:17 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 16 - Even as India is less than a year away from being declared polio free, experts Thursday asked for cautious administration of vaccine to keep the virus in check.

India reported the last wild polio virus type 1 case in Howrah, West Bengal, on Jan 13, 2011. If the eradication effort is complacent now, polio could rebound quickly, potentially paralysing thousands of children a year, Deepak Kapur, chairman India National Polio Plus Committee said in a meeting here.

The committee is a volunteer body that is entrusted with spearheading the campaign for Rotary International in India.

Sunil Bahl, deputy project manager, National Polio Surveillance Programme, said the end strategies needed to be worked out.

We have to work out the end strategies. The vaccinations have to be stopped ultimately to ensure there are no cases of vaccine related infections, she said.

Observing India's role in guising other endemic nations in the fight against Polio, Robert Scott, chairman-International Polio Plus Committee said India has set an example for other nations.

Considering the demographics and sheer size of India, the programme implementation and dedication from all and the achievement is commendable. If India can do it for Polio, so can the others. India is a shining example and the endemic nations are looking up to it for lessons and best practices, Scott said.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative -, a public-private partnership led by national governments and spearheaded by the World Health Organisation -, Rotary International, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention -, and the United Nations Children's Fund - has recently presented a six-year plan, '2013-2018 Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan'.

Public health experts have said: If the polio eradication campaign succeeds, the world would not only declare it the second disease to be eradicated after smallpox but it would also save billions of dollars, not to mention saving millions of children from a crippling future.

A 2010 analysis found that if polio transmission was to be stopped by 2015, the net benefit from reduced treatment costs and productivity gains would be about $40 billion to $50 billion by 2035.

Speaking at the meeting, Additional Secretary and Mission Director - Anuradha Gupta stressed upon the importance of routine immunisation in preventing Polio and other childhood diseases.

Ayurveda experts develop online personalised health regimen

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:48:27 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Kochi, May 16 - A group of ayurveda experts have launched a medical treatment package in cyberspace.

'NaturWell', which guarantees overall wellness to subscribers of the year-long programme being rolled out through homilies over the internet and medicines at doorstep, is essentially founded on the tenets mentioned in ancient texts of ayurveda, according to the conceivers, Cybele Herbal Laboratories.

Cybele, founded in 1997, has fashioned the pioneering action plan considering that a holistic ayurveda cure to mental and physical ailments requires a physician-patient interaction spanning no less than six hours.

The recently-devised regimen guarantees wellness over a year's time, based on a string of treatment given to a patient based on his or her email responses to a comprehensive list of 20 questions on the portal -.

Today's world doesn't give people sufficient time to consult with the ayurveda doctor. Nonetheless, it requires sufficient knowledge about the patient's parameters, lifestyle, environment, heredity and social relations among others. Our questionnaire aims to know the relevant history and present of the patient, said P.N. Balaram, chief executive officer of the company based here.

It took 14 years for a group of experts with Cybele to pore over 1,18,000 codified pages of ayurveda manuals to arrive at 'NaturWell', which also takes yoga into account. The mission started in 1999 under an endocrinologist along with a team of doctors.

The documentation work was completed in 2010 and the software was developed by an American group Natural Solution Foundation -, which incorporated all the compiled ayurvedic knowledge.

The 365-day personalised health regimen is divided on the principles of 'Rasayana' -, and features four stages lasting three months each.

Soon a detailed study on 'diabesity': Doctors

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:26:33 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 16 - A study will be conducted across India to explore better therapy to control the double-barrel menace of diabetes coupled with obesity, doctors said Thursday.

We have found that Indian population is predisposed to obesity at a younger age and diabetes is a growing menace. The study will be ethnic-specific. We will conduct the study in south, central and north India, said Deep Goel, director, bariatric surgery, BLK Super Speciality Hospital.

With the help of various institutions, we will start the study in a couple of months, Goel said.

The detailed study across the country on diabesity - will be supported by University of Dresden, Germany and Beijing Genomics Institute of China. BLK Super Speciality Hospital in the national capital is the nodal centre in India for the study.

According to the doctors, mostly affluent urban Indians are now obese and obesity is increasing rapidly among urban school children.

The populations which was under-nourished for a long time are now exposed to the overnourishment of the modern world through globalisation and westernisation, which has led to increased consumption of junk food, said Praneet Kaur, CEO, BLK Super Speciality Hospital.

With the bad fat nutritional history of the developing world, the epidemic is exploding in developing countries. In order to address this, the study will help to explore various modalities and therapeutic interventions, Kaur said.

Indians are more vulnerable to diabetes because genetically they have a higher percentage of body fat to muscle compared to Europeans.

As per the doctors, the fat is usually deposited around the abdomen, where it interferes with insulin and increases sugar levels in the blood, causing diabetes in people with a low body mass index.

The study will also discuss about safety, durability of diabetes recovery and long- term outcome of surgical diabetes therapy.

Safdarjung doctors call off strike

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:16:40 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 15 - Resident doctors at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital called off their indefinite strike Wednesday after a health ministry official agreed to look into their demands, including better amenities and salaries.

A health ministry official said that they have released the pending four months' salary. The other demands including availability of potable water in wards, upgradation of the canteen and security in the premises will be looked into. So we called off the strike, Samir Prabhakar, spokesperson of the Resident Doctors' Association -, told IANS.

Doctors also complained of lack of accommodation for them in the hostel.

As of now, a temporary arrangement has been made for 150 women resident doctors in DDA - flats, Prabhakar added.

Since Tuesday evening, around 800 resident doctors at the central government-run hospital went on strike putting patients to inconvenience.

We went on a strike since yesterday - as the hospital administration took only token measures last week to pacify us, but nothing was done constructively. Now since the health ministry official has assured us, we hope our demands will be met, Prabhakar said.

The strike hit the out patient department but the emergency and the intensive care unit services were running smoothly at the hospital, officials said.

Unlike Jolie, Indian women wary of mastectomy, say doctors

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:12:38 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 15 - Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie's decision to go public about her double mastectomy to reduce the risk of breast cancer has been hailed as a brave move, but in India, doctors say there is very little awareness about it and many women are wary of taking the step due to societal pressure and apprehensions.

Many doctors said they have rarely seen a case in India.

Ami Bhargava, a senior cancer specialist with Max Hospital, said in his 17-year-long career, he has seen only two women undergo voluntary mastectomy.

Jolie on Tuesday came out in public in a bid to encourage other women to to in for a mastectomy as a preventive measure. She underwent the procedure as her mother died of breast cancer aged 56.

Jolie carried a faulty gene, BRCA1, which sharply increased her risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

Bhargava said Jolie's public statement will encourage other women to come forward.

Jolie is an international celebrity and that makes a difference. She was bold enough to talk about it. Women in India feel scared even taking the test, forget about undergoing the procedure, Bhargava told IANS.

Shyam Agrawal, chairperson oncology department of Sir Ganga Ram hospital, said many women are deterred by the cost of the test.

The test for detecting the gene in women with a family history of breast cancer is pretty costly at Rs.40,000 per test. This prevents most women from undergoing it, he said.

Agrawal said another major problem is the attitude of people.

Most women feel they do not need to know their status for if they test positive, they would always be under stress that they might develop cancer at a later stage. People want to live in ignorance, he said.

Also unlike the US, where brest removal is not an issue due to advanced cosmetic surgery available, in India, women are unwilling to undergo it thinking they may encounter social and marital problems.

They need to be counselled about inheriting the faulty gene, Agarwal said.

Doctors said many women fear that if they go for breast removal surgery their husbands might leave them or they would be less of a woman.

But, as Jolie said Tuesday: ..I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.

In India, around 20-30 women per 100,000 population develop breast cancer at some point in their lives. Of them, 5-10 percent contract it due to a defective gene. Breast cancer is the most prevalent in India, followed by cervical cancer among women in India. However, it is not necessarily fatal if detected in the first or second stage. Fatalities occur if it goes into the third stage as the cancer then spreads of other parts of the body.

If a woman is a carrier of a faulty gene then she has 60 percent chance of developing breast cancer in her lifetime, P.K. Julka, head of the oncology department at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, told IANS.

Doctors said that besides mastectomy, there are other options available to prevent breast cancer.

One of the most effective methods is removal of ovaries in women who have completed their families, Julka said.

Ovaries produce the female reproductive hormone estrogen which helps trigger this cancer. If the ovaries are removed then the secretion stops, Agrawal said.

Another option, according to him, is taking Tamoxifin tablets which prevent occurrence of breast cancer in women who are at high risk.

US accolade for developing diarrhoea vaccine

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:17:05 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 15 - The US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Wednesday congratulated India for developing an indigenous rotavirus vaccine for prevention of diarrhoea.

We congratulate the programme for appropriate technology in health -, Bharat Biotech International and the scientists, government and people of India on the important results from the ROTAVAC rotavirus vaccine study, Anthony S. Fauci of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said in a statement.

Indian scientists have developed an affordable vaccine that has shown strong efficacy in preventing rotavirus diarrhoea, the most severe and lethal cause of childhood diarrhoea that kills over 100,000 children annually.

The vaccine 'Rotovac' is the outcome of public-private partnership between the Indian government's Department of Biotechnology - and pharma company Bharat Biotech.

Once licensed by the Drugs Controller General of India -, the vaccine will cost around Rs.54 per dose compared to the currently available vaccine which costs Rs.2,250 per dose. Each child needs to take three doses as part of vaccination.

Highly contagious rotavirus is the leading cause of severe diarrheal illnesses among infants and young children in both developed and resource-limited countries.

Each year, rotavirus-induced diarrheal disease kills roughly 435,000 children younger than five-years-old and hospitalises an estimated two million children worldwide, largely in developing countries.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases -, part of the US National Institutes of Health, was a partner in the public-private collaboration to develop and test this important vaccine.

In the early 1990s, NIAID established an inter-agency agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and made several grant awards through the NIAID Indo-US Vaccine Action Programme.

We are deeply gratified to have played a role in establishing the safety and efficacy of the ROTAVAC vaccine. No infant or child should die as the result of rota virus-induced severe diarrhea.

The NIAID is proud to be among the scientific partners who have worked over the past decades to potentially make that affliction a thing of the past for the children of India, the statement said.

India develops affordable vaccine for rotavirus diarrhoea

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:29:38 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 14 - Indian scientists have developed an affordable vaccine that has shown strong efficacy in preventing rotavirus diarrhoea, the most severe and lethal cause of childhood diarrhoea that kills over 100,000 children annually.

The vaccine 'Rotovac' is the outcome of public-private partnership between the Indian government's Department of Biotechnology - and pharma company Bharat Biotech.

Once licensed by the Drugs Controller General of India -, the vaccine will cost around Rs.54 per dose compared to the currently available vaccine which costs Rs.2,250 per dose. Each child needs to take three doses as part of vaccination.

This is an important scientific breakthrough against rotavirus infections, the most severe and lethal cause of childhood diarrhoea, responsible for approximately 100,000 deaths of small children in India each year and rotavirus vaccine can save 60,000 deaths, said DBT Secretary K. Vijay Raghavan.

The clinical results indicate that the vaccine, if licensed, could save the lives of thousands of Indian children who get rotavirus diarrhoea every year, he said.

As part of clinical trials, 7,000 infants from low income families in Delhi, Pune and Vellore were administered the vaccine.

The clinical trials show that the vaccine is efficacious in reducing severe rotavirus diarrhoea by 56 percent during the first year of life, with protection continuing into the second year of life while it reduces the deaths by over 75 percent, said M.K. Bhan, former DBT secretary and currently advisor to the Indian Academy of Paediatrics.

The vaccine originated from an attenuated - strain of rotavirus that was isolated from an Indian child at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi in 1985-86.

This is the first time that India has developed a vaccine and it is totally indigenous as strain was taken from an Indian infant, the vaccine was manufactures in India and clinical trials were also done in India, said Bhan.

With its low price and strong efficacy, the vaccine has the potential to significantly reduce the incidence of severe diarrhoea due to rotavirus among children in India. It can also help in reducing infant deaths in other developing countries, he added.

The oral vaccine can be given alongside routine immunization vaccines like polio vaccine and others.

It represents the successful research and development of a novel vaccine from the developing world with global standards, said Krishna M. Ella, chairman and managing director of Bharat Biotech.

NCW chief calls for efforts to reduce maternal mortality

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:03:35 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 14 - Coordinated efforts by NGOs and the private sector are necessary to take various government schemes to grass roots level and to reduce the maternal mortality rate -, National Commission for Women - chairperson Mamta Sharma said Tuesday.

Inaugurating a programme MSD for Mothers in India, aimed to help improve the quality of health care of pregnant women in India, Sharma said: The government offers various well-thought schemes for the expecting mothers like Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana - and the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana -.

Though there are good schemes, many times it doesn't reach the grass roots like panchayat and block level, and coordination between government and private sector and NGOs will help reducing MMR.

Drug firm Merck, Sharp and Dohme - India will invest $10 million over next three years in the country as part of its global initiative to help reduce maternal mortality.

We are launching the programme MSD for mothers in India as part of our global initiative. We would be investing $10 million over the next three years in this initiative, MSD India managing director K.G Ananthakrishnan told reporters here.

Initially the programme will be launched in three states - Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh - to reduce incidents of deaths during child birth.

Three NGOs - Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust, Pathfinder International with World Health Partners, and the White Ribbon Alliance - for Safe Motherhood - will be associated with the programme.

India ranks 142 among 176 countries in MMR, where the first place goes to Finland and the last to the Democratic Republic of Congo. India's commitment to maternal health and programmes like the National Rural Health Mission and Jan Suraksha Yojana has also contributed in reducing MMR, but if we improve our rural sectors, we can achieve a lot, Sharma added.

The programme will try to reach nearly five lakh pregnant women in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jharkhand, the states which see the highest rates of maternal mortality in the country.

The partnership will connect women in remote areas to doctors and nurses in cities through telecommunication and internet. The partnership will compliment the government initiative to reduce maternal mortality, said WRA national coordinator Aparajita Gogoi.

Rotavirus vaccines can save millions of lives: Study

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:20:57 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 14 - A study has confirmed that rotavirus is the most common cause of diarrhoea, the second largest killer of children across the world, and vaccines to contain the virus can change the situation dramatically.

Expanding access to vaccines for rotavirus could save tens of thousands of lives and help avoid hundreds of thousands of hospitalisations, thereby improving the lives of children and families while at the same time reducing significant burden on the health care costs, says the study published in medical journal The Lancet.

The Global Enteric Multicentre Study -, involving 20,000 children from across Asia and Africa, is the largest study ever conducted on diarrhoeal diseases in developing countries.

Analysing data from the study, researchers found that approximately one in five children under the age of two suffer from moderate-to-severe diarrhoea - each year, which increased children's risk of death 8.5-fold and lead to stunted growth over a two-month follow-up period.

Without a full picture of which pathogen causes the most harm, it had been difficult to make evidence-based decisions around diarrhoeal disease control, said Dipika Sur, principal investigator, National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata.

GEMS will fill in the critical gaps in knowledge about the disease and help governments to prioritise resources for research and action to reduce the burden of the disease, Sur added.

More than 100,000 children die from diarrhoea in India every year, and approximately 4,57,000- 8,84,000 are hospitalised with the disease.

Nearly 800,000 deaths are caused by diarrhoea across the world.

The findings of the study also suggest that longer-term monitoring and care of children with diarrhoea could reduce mortality and developmental delays.

Across most study sites, children with moderate-to-severe diarrhoea grew significantly less in height in the two months following the diarrhoeal episode.

Notably, 61 percent of deaths occurred more than one week after children were diagnosed with diarrhoea when children may no longer be receiving care.

The disease caused 56 percent of deaths at home, suggesting that a focus only on deaths occurring at health centres may underestimate the total burden of diarrhoea.

Jharkhand approves act to protect doctors, hospitals

Tue, 14 May 2013 13:38:49 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Ranchi, May 14 - The Jharkhand government has approved the Medical Protection Act 2013 to protect doctors, nursing homes and hospitals in the state from violent attacks, an official said Tuesday.

The Jharkhand government has approved the Medical Protection Act 2013, Cabinet Secretary J.B. Tubid told reporters here.

Under the act, there is provision of three years of jail and fine up to Rs.50,000 if anyone damages properties of nursing homes, hospitals or attack doctors, he added.

Doctors involved in private practice, private hospitals, nursing homes will now have to get themselves registered with the state government. Only registered doctors, hospitals and nursing homes will be covered under the act, Tubid said.

Doctors in the state had been demanding implementation of the medical protection act for quite some time.

A team of doctors under the banner of Activities for Implementation of Medical Protection Act, led by its coordinator Bharti Kashyap, had met Governor Syed Ahmed in March this year and demanded implementation of the act.

We welcome the government's decision. Such acts are already in place in other states. How can a doctor work under threat? No doctor deliberately ill-treats his patient. We do our job with honesty and sincerity. The act will create a favourable environment for doctors, Kashyap said.

Nurses pivotal to health care system: President

Sun, 12 May 2013 15:37:19 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 12 - President Pranab Mukherjee Sunday said nursing has evolved into a modern medical profession and nurses have become an indispensable part of the country's health care system.

Nurses form a large part of the health workforce and are the backbone of the health care system. They are pivotal in the hospital-doctor-patient paradigm, the president said while presenting the National Florence Nightingale awards to nursing personnel here on the occasion of International Nurses Day.

The president said nursing has developed into a noble specialisation and nurses have themselves become synonymous with competence and unparalleled commitment.

He thanked the entire nursing fraternity for their dedication and services to the nation.

Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, speaking on the occasion, said in the last seven years there has been a four-time increase in the number of nursing colleges in India.

Thirty-five nurses were presented with National Florence Nightingale awards for their dedicated services in the health care sector.

PMK leader Ramadoss well in hospital

Sun, 12 May 2013 14:59:43 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Chennai, May 12 - PMK leader S. Ramadoss who was admitted to a hospital here after complaining of breathing difficulty is doing fine, a party official said Sunday.

Ramadoss was admitted to a private hospital Saturday night for breathing problem and the doctors are attending to him, and there is nothing to worry about his condition, the party member said.

The PMK also said in a statement issued Sunday that Ramadoss is fine and party men need not worry.

Ramadoss was released Saturday on bail after spending 12 days in the central jail in Tiruchirapalli, around 350 km from here.

Speaking to reporters after his release, Ramadoss said there was no basic amenity in the prison and he and his party cadres suffered.

Ramadoss was arrested for defying police orders April 30, and was sent to 15 days in judicial custody.

He was arrested while trying to hold a demonstration at Vilupuram, around 170 km from here, demanding an inquiry into the April 25 violence at Marakkanam near here.

'Indian comprehensive healthcare not ready yet'

Sun, 12 May 2013 14:13:22 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Kolkata, May 12 - There are miles to go before comprehensive healthcare becomes a reality for the people of India, agreed people's representatives, bureaucrats and economists at a panel discussion here.

A country which has not been able to provide safe drinking to its population cannot be ready for a system of comprehensive healthcare, Lok Sabha member Sougata Roy said at an event Saturday.

He added, however, that the achievements that have already been made in the field of healthcare should not be ignored.

We cannot say no progress has been made. We pride ourselves that small pox has been eradicated in this country... we pride ourselves in the fact that polio immunisation has been 100 percent... these are known achievements, Roy said.

The panel discussion at which Roy was speaking was held under the theme Comprehensive Healthcare for All - Is India Ready For It?

Roy said that though states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh have achieved the same standards as the Chinese, there remained a wide gap between achievement and aspiration.

In the primary healthcare sector, there are less than 50 percent qualified doctors in West Bengal. Even today, in most places, 70 percent of the villages are served by quacks... because the nearest healthcare centre is maybe five km away, on a 'kachcha' road, and it is not accessible. So India is not ready, said Roy.

He felt that renowned cardiac surgeon Devi Shetty's approach of providing affordable healthcare in Karnataka could be followed elsewhere.

Roy also pointed out the inadequacy of the private sector in linking rural areas.

The private sector has not ventured beyond large towns. Is the private sector only for setting up large hospitals in big cities on land given by government at a cheap rate or do they have any further responsibility in providing some service to the greatly impoverished masses? he questioned.

West Bengal's principal secretary, health and family welfare, Satish Tewary reiterated that India is not fully ready for comprehensive healthcare, given its limited budget.

Everything has a cost. If somebody else pays for it, I am ready. The issue is who pays for what. Our government needs to improve holistically - we need arsenic-free water... food security, we have not achieved, elaborated Tewary, highlighting matters that need to handled urgently.

Dame Ruth Carnall, CEO of National Health Service, London, stressed that there should not be an excessive reliance on hospitals, and that for her country, doing nothing is not an option for politicians. Else, it would suffer financial and health disasters.

On the other hand, economist Bibek Debroy of the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, veered to the issue of appropriate policies in mitigating healthcare matters like the dearth of public toilets in urban India.

Whether it is private toilets or whether it is public toilets, the lack of those in urban India is because of inefficient land usage policies, said Debroy.

The economist also emphasised the need for health insurance that straddles expenditure on drugs, tests and doctors.

Ayurveda becoming popular for eye diseases too

Sun, 12 May 2013 12:19:23 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Koothattukulam -, May 12 - The world's first ayurvedic ophthalmic hospital here says that more and more people are turning to the ancient Indian system of medicine to resolve eye problems.

Doctors at the Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre near Kochi assert that ayurveda can easily cure many eye diseases without surgery.

Before we came in, there was no ayurvedic medicine in this field, says N.P.P. Namboothiri, the hospital's managing director and chief physician. We have become the pioneers.

Kerala draws every year tens of thousands of Indians and foreigners in search of ayurvedic treatment. But few beyond Kerala appear to know what ayurveda can do in the field of ophthalmology.

Eye diseases are rampant today, caused in part by long hours of work on computers, poor eating habits, long and frequent journeys, inadequate hours of sleep and so on.

Eye disorders can also result from watching TV for long hours, reading small print continuously, inappropriate head position while lying on the bed, heavy sneezing and even overindulgence in sex.

Television is to blame for most myopic disorders in children.

Many of these diseases can be completely cured through simple treatments we offer, Namboothiri told IANS at his office, which is part of the family's ancestral home.

Hailing from a family of ayurvedic practitioners, Namboothiri set up Sreedhareeyam with five beds in 1999. It has expanded to 350 beds and also gets around 200 daily patients.

The hospital is located at a site where the Namboothiri family ran an informal clinic for a very long time.

Sreedhareeyam has 16 centres in Kerala and elsewhere in India, including major cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore, New Delhi and Chennai.

In Kerala, it also has a presence in Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Thodupuzha and Thiruvananthapuram.

Unlike earlier times when many turned to ayurveda only as the last resort, today many prefer ayurvedic ophthalmic treatment right away, doctors with Sreedhareeyam say.

Early detection of eye ailments helps in faster and better recovery, Namboothiri said. If treated early, ayurveda strengthens the nervous system and prevents degeneration of the optic nerves.

According to him, even complicated and rare diseases that affect the optic nerve and retina that lead to blindness can be treated with great success with ayurveda.

Thousands of people are today resorting to ayurveda for effective cure, he said.

Major eye diseases treated at Sreedhareeyam include diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataract and detachment of retina.

The hospital also manufactures all medicines and formulations utilized in eye and other treatment.

Shalakya Tantra is the branch of ayurveda that deals with ailments above the neck. Ayurvedic texts deal with 76 eye, 28 ear and 31 nose diseases.

Sreedhareeyam boasts of a large collection of ancient ayurvedic manuscripts of medicinal preparations and treatment methods.

These inscriptions in old Tamil and Malayalam are on palm leaves and have been handed down by ancestors of the Namboothiri family.

We even treat and cure eye problems not normally curable by other medical sciences, Namboothiri says.

Today, our hospital has brought new respect to the science of ayurvedic ophthalmology.

-

Tips to protect eyes from heat

Fri, 10 May 2013 19:11:46 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 10 - From viral conjunctivitis to corneal ulcer, the merciless summer can cause all sort of eye-related problems. Water, eye exercises and other remedies can help protect them.

Sanjay Dhawan, director, ophthalmology at Fortis Healthcare, shares some of the common eye problems during summer and tips on how to ward them off.

Viral conjunctivitis: If your eyes turn red, get pricking sensation and if they start watering, you are suffering from viral conjunctivitis. Since it spreads fast, try not to contact people for a few days. You also need to maintain good hygiene by washing hands and the eye area with clean water.

Keep handkerchiefs and towels to yourself and do not allow others to use them. Use antibiotic eye drops and eye ointments, but only after consulting experts.

Stye: In this case, your eyes swell up. You will experience pain and redness will occur due to bacterial infection on the eyelids. Hygiene is important to get rid of stye. Maintain it with a hot compress. Analgesic tablets and antibiotics will also help to give some relief from pain.

Dry eyes syndrome: The symptoms of this condition includes intense itching, fluid discharge from eyes, redness and soreness or dryness in the eyes. Eyes need to be washed thoroughly, lubricating eye drops will provide relief too. Wear good quality eye shades that will help to protect eyes from sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.

Corneal ulcer: The infection can be a result of complication of conjunctivitis or use of contaminated contact lenses. It can be bacterial, fungal or viral. It leads to severe pain, redness, watering, blurring of vision, photophobia and a yellowish white spot on the cornea. You must immediately visit a doctor if you are infected.

Dhawan also suggests some dos and don'ts.

Sunglasses: Opt for sunglasses that cover whole eyes. Shades block out 99 to 100 percent of both UVA and UVB radiation and screen out 75 to 90 percent of visible light.

Make sure your sunglass lenses are perfectly matched in colour and free of distortion and imperfection. Gray-coloured lenses reduce light intensity without altering the colour of objects, providing the most natural colour vision. See a sunglass lens on how much UV radiation it absorbs.

Contact lenses: Your contact lenses should also be protected from intense heat. If you wear UV protective contact lenses, you still need to wear a pair of sunglasses to protect the area of the eye that is not covered by the lens.

No air-conditioning -: Use of AC should be avoided in case you are suffering from any kind of eye infection.

Cold Water: Splash cold water on your eyes at regular intervals. This relaxes stressed eyes and keeps your eyes hydrated. Avoid rubbing eyes. Stay away from dusty areas.

Eye exercise: Exercise is good for relieving the stresses off from eyes. The best eye care exercise that you can practice is to close your eyes and press them with your palms. You should do this eye care exercise daily for about 5 to 10 minutes.

National agency on organ transplant ready

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:43:59 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 10 - The government would soon come up with a central coordinating agency on organ transplants, the ministry of health Friday said.

The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation - will be set up at Safdarjung Hospital, Director General of Health Services - Jagdish Prasad told reporters here.

The building is ready. The National Information Centre has been asked to prepare an online network, Prasad said, and added that regular meetings were being held to monitor the progress.

Under the NOTTO, the government will give funds to private and public hospitals to appoint a coordinator for organ transplants. Free software would also be given to all centres.

Apart from the NOTTO, four regional centres would also be set up across the country.

The DGHS said that as a pilot project, the NOTTO would become operational in the National Capital Rregion -.

Following unearthing of a kidney transplant racket five years ago, the government had brought about changes in the Transplantation of Human Organs Act -, 1994, specially for the benefit of patients of renal failure.

About 200,000 people are diagnosed with renal failure every year and for most, the only cure is kidney transplant. But less than 3,000 transplants are carried out annually in India due to strictures on possible donors under the present law.

The amended act allows organ donations from a near relative, which it defines as spouse, son, daughter, father, mother, brother or sister. The amended law broadens the definition of near relative to include grandparents, grandchildren, uncles and aunts. Also, not-so-close relatives who have stayed with the patient can donate organs, provided there is no commercial dealing.

The law makes legal the swapping of organs between two unrelated families if the organs of the respective willing near relative donors are found medically incompatible for the intended recipients. But the swap should be without any commercial transactions, it stipulates.

Free health camps for slum dwellers by Art of Living

Fri, 10 May 2013 17:59:47 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 10 - Over 20,000 slum dwellers were treated by a team of 262 doctors in a month-long campaign by the Art of Living - foundation, it was announced here Friday.

The 108 free health checkup and awareness camps were launched April 14 in collaboration with the Indian Medical Association - in slum clusters in several east Delhi localities in five phases over five consecutive Sundays. The last round is scheduled May 12.

The camps focused on detection and treatment for acute illnesses, provision of health education and spreading awareness about maternal health, said Maheish Girri, international director of AoL.

According to V.K. Goyal, president of IMA east Delhi, eye problems among the slum dwellers was a major concern.

We would be collaborating with eye hospitals in the capital to conducts free eye check-up camps and cataract operations as a follow up exercise, he said.

Medicines worth Rs.22 lakh were distributed by a team of 1,634 volunteers who worked with the doctors.

The camps were organised under Volunteer for a Better India, an initiative launched by spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar earlier this year.

Mothers all the way for special children

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:51:49 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 10 - Vijaya Chaing never thought her daughter, now in her 30s, would ever be able to converse normally with a guest or be able to conduct her day-to- day routine activities without help.

At the age of 5, after failing to meet the majority of the milestones, Chaing's daughter was diagnosed to be developmentally delayed and was told that even when fully grown, she would have the IQ of an eight-year-old.

I was shattered, Chaing recalled. It was especially difficult to make my family understand her special needs, she told IANS.

But the college lecturer from Gwalior didn't give up. After checking out the options for special children in her city, she moved to Delhi to provide her daughter with the best facilities.

I gave up a dream job and a settled home in pursue of a life for my child, she said.

As the world celebrates International Mother's Day on May 12, it is the story of mothers like Chaing, whose children have special needs, which needs to focused on.

Chaing is not alone. Similar to hers is the story of Geeta Mehra, whose 13-year old daughter also has special needs.

I knew something was amiss when my daughter missed all the milestones of normal development. She was also very hyperactive, Mehra said.

I ran from pillar to post and consulted a range of doctors but nothing helped. Finally somebody asked me to consult a psychiatrist and within six months I got results, she recounted.

Her daughter is now in a much better position to communicate, learn and carry on her day-to-day activties.

It was as difficult for Rama Nayar to bring up her daughter. Now 18-years-old her daughter shuttled between regular and special schools with doctors diagnosing her as a borderline case of mental disability.

An independent young woman now it is only her mother who fought with society, made her family understand and tutored her to be what she is today.

All the three stories have one thread in common: a determined mother who faced challenges from across all frontiers and helped her child overcome the special needs she was born with.

According to child psychiatrist Nikhil Raheja, the patience and perseverence of a mother can help in massive improvements in children with special needs.

Whenever parents, specially mothers, have learnt the skills and techniques to handle the child, the development of the children has been more than what would have been in fancy schools.

How the child will develop also depends on the mother, he said, adding: I have seen so many cases where the prognosis was very bleak but the children developed much better with the help of their mothers.

Raheja said there have also been some cases where the father has given up and left the child and the mother, saying he couldn't cope up with the emotional stress - but the mother always carried on.

According to UN data, children with disabilities are at 1.7 times greater risk of being subjected to some form of violence.

In India, 1.67 percent of the 0-19 years population has a disability, while 35.29 percent of those living with disabilities are children. The total number children with disabilities in India is around 12 million.

-

Safdarjung doctors on strike

Thu, 09 May 2013 20:39:58 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 9 - Around 1,000 resident doctors at the Safdarjung Hospital are on a strike, miffed with poor amenities, security and salaries, and patients are bearing the brunt of their agitation, a doctor said Thursday.

The strike that began Wednesday has hit the out patients department - services but the emergency and the intensive care unit - services are running smoothly, officials said.

Lambasting the hospital for lacking basic facilities, one of the doctors said: There is no drinking water even for patients, leave alone doctors. We are not getting paid properly and no proper security facilities are in place.

There are cases where doctors have been assaulted by aggrieved families of patients, he added.

Doctors also complained of lack of adequate accommodation for the number of doctors in the hostel.

Harsh Anand, president of Resident Doctors Association, told IANS: We have already held meetings with the hospital authorities before going on strike but still situation remains the same.

S.N. Makwana, press information officer at the hospital, however assured that the gridlock would end soon.

We are meeting the resident doctors on strike and the strike would be over soon, Makwana told IANS.

However, another doctor, Sameer Prabhakar warned that if their demands were not met, the agitation would continue at any cost.

We are all hoping that our demands will be met and the issue would get resolved soon If that does not happen then we will continue with the strike, he said.

Safdarjung doctors on strike

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:48:02 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 9 - Around 1,000 resident doctors at the Safdarjung Hospital are on a strike, miffed with poor amenities, security and salary, and patients are bearing the brunt of their agitation, a doctor said Thursday.

The strike that began Wednesday has hit the outdoor patients department - services but the emergency and the intensive care unit - services are running smoothly, officials said.

Lambasting the hospital for lacking basic facilities, one of the doctors said: There is no drinking water even for patients leave alone doctors. We are not getting paid properly and no proper security facilities are in place.

There are cases where doctors have been assaulted by aggrieved families of patients, he added.

Another doctor said that the hospital does not have adequate accommodation for the number of doctors and they were compelled to agitate as the authorities are not serious about addressing the various problems of the medicos.

They are just dragging their feet and every time give false promises, said a resident doctor.

Encephalitis claims 3 kids in Bihar

Thu, 09 May 2013 13:52:05 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Patna, May 9 - A six-month-old baby succumbed to a deadly mosquito-borne disease in Bihar Thursday, taking the toll from the disease to three in 2013, and 16 children have been admitted to hospitals in Muzaffarpur, officials said.

Six-month-old Himanshu Kumar died of suspected Acute Encephalitis Syndrome -, at Sakra Referral Hospital, Muzaffarpur Civil Surgeon Gayan Bhusan said.

The AES is a severe case of encephalitis characterised by inflammation of the brain. The mosquitoes transmit the infection causing high fever among the children.

All the three deaths have taken place in Muzaffarpur.

Earlier this week, a four-year-old boy died of suspected AES at the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital - in Muzaffarpur, about 70 km from here.

Bhusan said the situation is under control and there was no need to panic.

Last week, a one-year-old girl died of suspected AES at the hospital in Muzaffarpur. It was the first death suspected to be caused by AES reported in Bihar.

Bhusan said that so far 16 children with symptoms of AES were admitted to various hospitals in the district in the last 10 days.

Every year, encephalitis hit Muzaffarpur, Gaya and other neighbouring districts in May or June. But this year it seems to have hit a little early, a health department official here said.

Last year, the AES killed nearly 240 children in Muzaffarpur and Gaya districts.

In April, the state government launched a special vaccination drive to cover 1.8 million children against encephalitis.

Screen blood to avoid infections, HC tell Delhi government

Wed, 08 May 2013 22:18:28 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 8 - The Delhi High Court Wednesday issued notice to the city government on a PIL seeking direction for it to adopt blood screening methods that eliminate the possibility of infections through blood transfusion.

A division bench of Chief Justice D. Murugesan and Justice Jayant Nath also issued notice to city government's department of health and family welfare and sought their responses by July 10, the next date of hearing.

The Public Interest Litigation -, filed by lawyer Jewesh Maneja through advocate R. Jawaharlal, said the government should use Nucleic acid Amplification Test - screening of donated blood in blood banks in the city by Individual Donor Testing -. The implementation of NAT will be an important step forward in the prevention of transfusion transmission infections, it contended.

There is a need to ensure safety of blood donated for transfusion in blood banks in Delhi and to eliminate the inherent risks of transmission of infections through infected blood, without adequate testing of donated blood, the petition said.

It added: In case the donor has infections like Hepatitis B virus or Hepatitis C virus or Human Immuno Deficiency Virus -, for which no vaccine exists, such infection would be passed on, to the recipient as well, endangering his life and others also.

Therefore, unless screening methods, like Individual Donor Testing - through Nucleic acid Amplification Test - which eliminate the possibility of infections being undetected are deployed, the possibility of infections being spread through blood transfusion, remains an imminent and life threatening threat, the petition said.

Dikshit for awareness on TB

Wed, 08 May 2013 22:06:28 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 8 - An awareness campaign on tuberculosis, similar to polio, is necessary to curb the easily preventable disease, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said Wednesday.

Speaking at the launch of National Forum on Tuberculosis, Dikshit said: Awareness campaign on tuberculosis is necessary, it should be similar to anti-polio campaign. Polio, which was a great menace and left many handicapped for life once, has been easily eradicated by our constant campaign.

The National Forum on Tuberculosis - will bring together parliamentarians, policy makers and civil society representatives to discuss the challenges for TB prevention and control.

A handbook on TB in India, which provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges around TB control in India and the role of policy-makers was released.

The campaign should involve lakhs of school children, they would take the message to their parents and teachers. The handbook which provides information on TB should be distributed to them, Dikshit said.

The forum will not only raise awareness on the need for improved TB control but its members will formulate key recommendations to address these challenges which will be presented to the ministry of health and family welfare - for further action.

The forum will serve as a platform to bring together various stakeholders to highlight and address the complex challenges facing TB in India, a disease that is easily preventable and treatable, Dalbir Singh, convener of the forum said.

Tuberculosis kills one Indian every two minutes. India bears the highest burden of tuberculosis in the world, with two million suffering from this disease annually.

Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah 'extremely critical'

Wed, 08 May 2013 19:14:25 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Chandigarh, May 8 - Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah Ranjay, who is in a hospital here after being attacked in a Jammu jail last week, suffered renal failure Wednesday and doctors said that his condition was extremely critical.

The patient has become extremely critical. He has developed renal failure with no urine output since morning. Hence he was put on peritoneal dialysis by Nephrologists. He had developed hypothermia, a medical bulletin issued by the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research - here said.

Neurologically he continues to be in deep coma. His overall status is extremely critical, far worse than yesterday - night, S.N. Mathuriya, professor and head, department of neurosurgery, said.

Sanaullah had developed jaundice and other internal infections Tuesday, doctors said.

Two members of Sanaullah's family had arrived here Tuesday from Pakistan.

I appeal to the Indian government to send him back to Pakistan with us, Mohammad Shahzad, Sanaullah's brother-in-law said.

Sanaullah, who was undergoing life imprisonment at Jammu's Kot Bhalwal Jail, was attacked Friday by an Indian prisoner. The Pakistani was flown from Jammu to Chandigarh for treatment.

The attack took place a day after Sarabjit Singh, an Indian prisoner in Pakistan, succumbed to grievous injuries following a murderous assault in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail.

Declare thalassemic patients as disabled: Himachal trust

Wed, 08 May 2013 17:44:27 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Shimla, May 8 - Shimla-based public welfare trust Umang Foundation Wednesday asked the state government to include thalassemics in the category of disabled so that they could avail facilities being provided to the physically challenged.

The government should also initiate a screening programme for the detection of thalassemic children and frame appropriate policy for them, the trust's chairman Ajai Srivastava said on World Thalassemia Day Wednesday.

He said members of the foundation met state Health Minister Kaul Singh and submitted a memorandum to him demanding facilities for thalassemic children.

Thalassemic children also have functional disability, so they should be included in the category of disabled. In this way they should be entitled for scholarship from school to university-level, Srivastava added.

He said that Himachal Pradesh did not have facilities for testing thalassemia and that poor parents could not afford costly medicines and faced problems during blood transfusion.

Thalassemia patients at Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Shimla are being provided free medicines. But other government hospitals do not have such a provision. It should also be extended to other hospitals, he said.

A survey conducted by Umang Foundation at blood banks in the state shows that there are around 125 thalassemia patients in Himachal Pradesh.

Srivastava said the government should conduct a survey to ascertain their exact number.

More couples going for pre-marital thalassemia test

Wed, 08 May 2013 14:24:44 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 8 - Anshu Gupta, a school teacher, ensured her fiance got himself tested for thalassemia before tying the knot so that their children don't suffer from the hereditary blood disorder. Doctors say many couples are now coming forward to undergo pre-marital thalassemia test.

According to doctors, more than 10,000 thalassemic children are born in India every year and it can be easily prevented through greater awareness.

May 8 is globally celebrated as 'International Thalassemia Day'.

It is an inherited blood disorder in which the patients need to undergo regular blood transfusion since their body cannot produce enough haemoglobin, Dharma Choudhary, senior consultant and director hemato-oncology and bone marrow transplant, B.L.K. Super Specialty Hospital, told IANS.

Choudhary said that owing to spread of awareness many couples do come for thalassemia test but more needs to be done.

It is important that everyone before marriage should go for thalassemia test to ensure that both the partners don't suffer from the genetic disorder. In case both the partners are suffering from it, chances to have a child suffering from thalassemia major - increases, he said.

The disorder which requires regular blood transfusion can be cured if the patient gets the right donor for a bone marrow transplant. However, the success rate remains abysmally low at three to five percent.

Ajay Rathore, who is suffering from the disorder, met his life partner on a matrimonial site and asked her to undergo thalassemia test.

Half-a-dozen girls rejected my demand to undergo a test but finally my wife accepted it. We got married as her family did not have any problem with me being thalassemic. I am blessed with a son, who is normal, said Rathore, who works in a multinational company in Noida.

Gupta says it is necessary that couples undergo thalassemia test to be on the safer side.

There was a case in my neighbourhood where the man's family hid his thalassemic status and the girl was also suffering from the disorder. They had to go for abortion as they came to know that the child in the womb was thalassemia major, said the 30-year-old.

Manish Gogoi, programme officer, National Thalassemia Welfare Society says people are slowly getting aware about the disorder and every pregnant woman should be tested for thalassemia.

We have been running several campaigns to make people aware about it. Awareness is a key to fight against the disorder. We organise regular testing camps and many youngsters turn up for it, Gogoi told IANS.

Gogoi also appealed to people to come forward for blood donation as thalassemic patients have to undergo blood transfusion regularly.

In our camps we see that couples are coming forward for the test. It is indeed heartening. I feel happy that young people are now more aware about it and come forward for the tests, Gogoi added.

'Kids hardly get to spend 1 hour with parents'

Tue, 07 May 2013 20:06:15 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 7 - Busy schedules of parents are increasingly deprieving their children of their company and hence, they are growing up cocooned in their own world. A study by Assocham Ladies League - shows that over 65 percent of youngsters between the age of eight and 24 get to spend less than one hour with their parents.

This leads to a situation where youngsters become aloof, introverted, impatient and intolerant, says the study.

Parents are reaching home much later in the evening and leaving home much earlier in the morning and the consequences of this are that with the growing number of nuclear families, there is no one to look after the children in their absence, adds the study.

ALL Global Chairperson Harbeen Arora said: Since violence and abuse emerge from complex causes, we require participation of multiple stakeholders in addressing the issue. The practices of responding to complaints and victims must become more sensitive and supportive, and civil society is ready to help in such endeavors.

The study highlighted the fact that the majority of youth spend less time in and with their families resulting in estranged relationships. Most of the respondents rarely shared any problems with their parents. Thus, problems of communication, inadequate expression and lack of parental support have been identified as factors associated with behavioural problems in children and adolescents.

Urvashi Butalia Director & Co-founder , Kali for Woman said: Rape and sexual assault are not merely women's issues. They are a symbol of the deep-seated violence that women and other marginalized people experience every day in our society. So a mindset change is required and there's a need for inculcating values for respecting women in our education and culture

Abuse and violence in families not only affects the psyche of a child but also hinders growth and development. Children from homes where domestic violence is occurring are also more likely to exhibit aggressive behaviour and tend to be intolerant and impatient, adds the study.

Sikkim moves to 'catch' health problems

Tue, 07 May 2013 13:50:19 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Gangtok, May 7 - Preventive health checks! The exclusive preserve of the affluent in most parts of India but not in the hill state of Sikkim where the government-backed Comprehensive Annual and Total Check-up for Healthy - programme aims to reach out to people even in the remotest areas.

The state's unique initiative, a slow yet sure way towards a healthier Sikkim, promises to catch any health problems even before they occur. The flagship programme is aimed at providing a universal and comprehensive check-up on an annual and periodical basis. A head-to-foot health check-up of all citizens is done and a database maintained, say officials.

Once the check is done, a conscious attempt is made to provide comprehensive care based on the history of the patient.

Launched in August 2010, CATCH covered 50 percent of the state's estimated 607,000 population by the end of 2012.

Scattered health security-based programmes are being converged at all levels and being executed by building partnerships in the health sector. At present, one state referral hospital, four district hospitals, 25 primary healthcare - centres, 147 sub centres - are functioning in the state.

There is also a medical college, based on the private-public partnership module. All are working together to implement CATCH in various capacities.

Our aim is to provide community-based comprehensive annual health check-ups and care, free of charge. We will bring healthcare to the doorsteps of the people and make Sikkim the healthiest state in India, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling told The Journal.

The first step is to collect detailed medical history of a citizen and maintain it in a universal database. This database can be updated on each annual health check-up. This is followed by a thorough physical check-up during which a screening of major health problems is done. In case any disease is detected, the patient is sent for free consultation to the appropriate doctor. After that, a laboratory investigation is done.

Counselling on a healthy lifestyle and preventing further problems follow.

The citizens are graded according to their health status and a real-time database can be obtained to find out the overall health status of Sikkim.

This database also helps the state government allocate resources within the health sector as and when required. Efficient planning of the health sector is possible because of the maintenance of an annual patient health record.

Based on available records, the major causes of deaths in Sikkim have been found to be heart and blood vessel diseases, alcohol-related complications, respiratory diseases, cancer and tuberculosis.

Eighty-three percent of urban households and 94 percent of rural households depend on the public medical sector for healthcare. Sikkim ranks highest among all Indian states in the proportion of households that use the public medical sector as their main source of healthcare.

According to Ramesh Dahal from Yangyang town: This is a good initiative for those who are poor and cannot afford treatment. In a recently-concluded CATCH health check-up camp, the doctors checked my sugar and blood pressure. I was advised what to eat and how to lead a healthy lifestyle. It was extremely informative for the villagers, too.

We hardly get any time to think of our health since we are so occupied with our farms. But with this system at least we will be able to get regular check-ups, Dahal said.

Aita Rani from Basilakha added that the elderly have been the main benefactors as they are unable to go to the hospitals themselves.

It's not entirely without problems though.

The CATCH authorities don't have any medicines except for basic ones such as paracetamol. We have to buy most of our medicines ourselves. Even then, I feel it's a good initiative by the government, Aita said.

But what a boon it is for people like Mansingh Subba from Sumic-Mangthang village, who pointed out that the nearest dispensary was a 30-minute walk away.

The main road is far away from here. So it was helpful when doctors came to us and conducted check-ups. Otherwise, we have to walk for half-an-hour to reach the dispensary.

-

Early diagnosis can check dementia

Tue, 07 May 2013 11:46:47 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Manesar -, May 7 - Go for a brain scan from age 55 years onwards, at least once in five years, to check for signs of mental deterioration, a leading Indian scientist says.

There is no cure for disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, common forms of dementia, but medication can prevent deterioration and reduce the symptoms if the condition is diagnosed early, Pravat Mandal, a professor at the National Brain Research Center - here, told IANS in an interview.

Mandal, a senior editor of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and guest editor of the American Journal of Neuroradiology, has developed a state-of-the art imaging technology to detect early signs of dementia.

The test is available free of charge for the first time in India at the NBRC. More than 300 people, mostly referred by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences -, have benefited from the test, introduced about a year and half ago, Mandal said.

Dementia is a progressive loss of cognitive functions that leads to confused thinking, and mostly affects the elderly. People suffering from the disorder tend to forget things like what they ate yesterday or their own address. They also develop hallucinations.

The World Health Organisation - estimates that the number of people living with such diseases worldwide was 35.6 million in 2010, could double by 2030 and more than triple by 2050.

According to a report by the Alzheimer's and Related Disorders Society of India, the country had an estimated 3.7 million people with dementia in 2010, and the number is set to double in the next 20 years.

The 13-minute-long non-invasive test developed by Mandal and his team is being performed in collaboration with Manjari Tripathi of the AIIMS' neurology department.

The test could easily detect the abnormalities in the early stage of any disorder. The MRI scans offered by the centre are safer and easier as they do not require radiation, drugs and surgery, Mandal said.

For want of awareness, people are not well informed about the need for brain scans, said Mandal, who is a post-doctoral Fellow at the University of California-Davis and an assistant professor in the psychiatry department of University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He obtained his doctorate from the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras.

Before any manifestation of brain disorder, certain chemical changes occur in the specific regions of the brain. In some cases, structural changes are also observed in the brain prior to the clinical symptoms, Mandal said.

For instance, in the case of pre-Alzheimer, hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in the processing of memory and spatial navigation, becomes alkaline; in normal aged persons this is acidic, he added.

Anybody who is above 60 can be affected by the disorder as age is the main risk factor for Alzheimer's. In rare cases, some genetically inherit it, Mandal pointed out.

The earlier the disorder is detected, the better the intervention, he said. Awareness is required about the latest technology so that more patients can avail themselves of this free service, Mandal said.

-

Gene causing motor development disorder found

Sun, 05 May 2013 15:43:50 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 5 - In a discovery that is paving the way for the diagnosis and treatment of a rare genetic disorder related to the brain's functioning, a team of researchers has identified the causative gene behind the disease, which delays development of motor activities in children.

The study was done on a four-year-old child from Punjab, and nine other children who were suffering from motor developmental delay. They could not walk and sit without support.

The team, led by Ryan Taft of the University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience -, comprised 16 researchers including I.C. Verma, director, Centre for Medical Genetics, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and Monica Juneja, Department of Paediatrics, Maulana Azad Medical College.

The doctors used genome sequencing to determine that these children were suffering from a defect in a gene previously not associated with human disease.

It has been found that mutations in a gene called DARS gene is responsible for causing inherited brain disorder called HBSL -, which affects the motor development activities, a statement from the doctors said.

We analysed the genome sequences of this child and his parents, using a method called whole genome sequencing and found that a mutation in the DARS gene was likely causing the disorder, Taft said.

In collaboration with clinicians from India, Canada, Netherlands, Australia, and the US, we then examined the genomes of nine other children who appeared to be suffering from the same disease and the genomes of their parents, and confirmed that they all had mutations in the DARS gene, he said.

This gene has never previously been associated with human disease and may not have been identified as the culprit using any other method, said Verma, who heads the department of genetics at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

Experts from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi, India and IMB in Brisbane, Vrije Universiteit Medical Center in Amsterdam, Murdoch Children's Research Institute and The Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, and Children's National Medical Centre in Washington D.C came together for this research.

Verma elaborated: They have named the disease HBSL because it causes Hypomyelination in the brain stem and spinal cord, leading to leg spasticity. Hypomyelination occurs when people do not have enough myelin, the substance that coats nerve fibres and enables the transmission of electrical impulses in the nervous system.

Our goal is to dramatically reduce the number of unresolved paediatric cases of the rare genetic disease, said Taft.

The technology of exome sequencing and whole sequencing now allows doctors to find the cause of disease in many children with unknown brain disorders. The doctors say they have used exome-based targetted next generation sequencing to identify the culprit gene in other patients also.

At present 30 to 40 percent of patients with intellectual disability go undiagnosed in India. Doctors say the new techniques will remarkably reduce this number.

Discovering the causative gene will help in providing genetic counselling to the family. It will also ensure that they have normal children, Verma said.

This is the future of medicine - doctors, including clinical specialists like MRI experts - and genomics researchers working together to diagnose and develop treatments for people with unknown diseases, he added.

'May 6 Kashmir doctor's strike is unlawful'

Sat, 04 May 2013 15:01:25 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Srinagar, May 4 - The Jammu and Kashmir human rights commission Saturday termed the proposed May 6 Valley-wide strike by doctors against an alleged fake drug scam in the state a violation of rights.

Panel member Rafiq Fida said the strike violates the orders of the Supreme Court.

The alleged scam recently surfaced after a government-appointed committee's order worth Rs.800,000 for the Maxizin 625 antibiotic, a combination of amoxycillin and clavenate, tested fake in laboratory analysis, prompting the Doctors Association of Kashmir calling for a valley-wide shutdown May 6 against the fiddle.

The rights panel also termed the strike as a human rights violation.

The panel has asked the Kashmir Valley's director health services and the divisional commissioner to file responses as to what alternate arrangements have been made by them to ensure that patients do not suffer due to the May 6 strike.

The president of the local doctors association has also been asked by the rights panel to file his response by the next date fixed for hearing the case.

Screen yourself from the sun, but beware of sunscreen myths

Sat, 04 May 2013 12:49:29 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 4 - Doctors have time and again harped on the importance of using a sunscreen to protect one's skin. For many, however, choosing the right sunscreen is a tough choice, what with scores of products with various SPFs - flooding store shelves.

Does higher SPF mean better protection? Not so much, say doctors, who warn against being misled by marketing gimmicks.

SPF is a log measurement of protection against the sun's rays. Although you may be led to believe that a higher SPF sunscreen will give you better protection, the difference in effectiveness between a lower and higher SPF lotion is not much. For example, the difference in the efficacy between an SPF 15 and 30 sunscreen is just 1.2 percent, Nitin S. Walia, consultant, dermatology at Max Super Speciality Hospital, told IANS.

What actually does make a difference is the amount of sunscreen lotion or cream that you dab on, he added.

Surabhi Patel, dermatologist, agrees: One should apply generous amounts of sunscreen on all exposed parts of the body, at least 15 minutes before stepping out in the sun, for its effectiveness to kick in.

Also, considering the Indian climate, one tends to perspire a lot in the heat. So re-application of sunscreen lotion or cream every two hours is important, Patel said.

The same rules apply when you are going for a dip in the pool -- apply generous amounts of sunscreen and re-apply every two hours.

Consumers should be aware that no sunscreen is waterproof, because ultimately all such creams get washed off. They can be water resistant, but those that are labelled so should also state whether they remain effective for 40 minutes or 80 minutes when swimming or if you perspire. Also there should be directions on when to re-apply, Patel said.

Talking about the benefits of sunscreen products, dermatologist Bindu Sthalekar said, Many people think that sunscreen is only to guard against tanning. However, over- exposure to sun and sun damage can lead to premature ageing, dullness, pigmentation, and fine lines. Applying an SPF 15 suncreen means you can stay out in the sun for 50 minutes or roughly two hours without any skin damage.

While doctors advise sunscreen in all seasons, the efficacy of physical protection is given great importance by all.

Large amounts of sunscreen would ideally be needed to protect oneself the whole day, and carrying around so much sunscreen may not be feasible, Walia said. This is why physical protection, like a scarf or dupatta, long sleeved clothes, an umbrella, a pair of shades, is important because they screen you from the sun's direct rays.

Protection of your hair with a head gear or hat is also important.

And doctors advise limited time outdoors between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. when the sun's rays are the strongest.

So guard yourself and bask in the sun, literally!

-

Unsafe abortions claim lives of 4,500 women per year

Fri, 03 May 2013 18:57:14 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 3 - As many of 4,500 deaths or eight percent of all maternal deaths occur due to unsafe abortions every year, parliament was told Friday.

As per Registrar General of India's Sample Registration System - survey report -, 8 percent of maternal deaths in the country are attributed to abortion which translates into an absolute number of approximately 4,500 deaths in one year, Minister of State for Health Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

Under the Janani Suraksha Yojana -, a conditional cash transfer scheme to promote institutional delivery with a special focus on below poverty line - and scheduled caste/scheduled tribal - pregnant women.

The scheme has brought about a significant increase in institutional delivery, added Choudhury.

More than 8.8 lakh ASHAs have been appointed in the villages to facilitate accessing of health care services at institutions, by the community, particularly pregnant women, he said.

President asks Indian youth to donate blood

Fri, 03 May 2013 16:53:21 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 3 - President Pranab Mukherjee Friday called upon young men and women of the country to donate blood in a big way to ensure that not a single person in need of blood is left wanting.

Despite the notable efforts of our country's blood banks, our country remains short of two million units of blood. I take this opportunity to call upon our young men and women to come forward in a big way and take part in voluntary blood donation, said Mukherjee, addressing the ceremonial session of the annual general meeting of the Indian Red Cross Society - and St. John Ambulance.

Our efforts must be to ensure that not a single person in need of blood is left unanswered, he said.

The president also presented awards to 26 volunteers and branches of IRCS and St John Ambulance - in recognition of their committed services.

Observing that despite the progress made by mankind, it cannot exercise control over occurrence of natural disasters, Mukherjee said: While we may not be able to prevent such unfortunate events from occurring, we can definitely lessen their adverse impact on human lives.

For that, the quick response mechanisms for relief must be reinforced, he said.

Mukherjee also asked volunteer-based organisations to ensure immediate medical assistance during road accidents so as to minimize the loss of life.

In India, the Indian Red Cross Society and St. John Ambulance have been at the forefront of humanitarian service since 1920.

Low-cost electric wheel chair to be launched soon

Thu, 02 May 2013 18:27:23 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 2 - Physically challenged people may soon be able to buy easy mobility when a low-cost electric wheelchair is launched, doctors here Thursday said.

In India, there has always been a tremendous need for an affordable and well designed electric power wheelchair to cater to the needy, Nekram Upadhyay, head of the department, assistive technology, at Indian Spinal Injuries Centre -, said in a statement.

According to ISIC, a normal powered wheelchair may cost between Rs.60,000 to Rs.10,50,000, the new low-cost electric wheelchair is said to reduce the price by half.

The Single Motor Propelled Wheelchair - will be jointly developed by the department of assistive technology, ISIC and the Human Engineering Research Laboratories -, University of Pittsburgh.

The objective is not only to develop a low-cost electric wheelchair, but to develop one technically best suited for Indian environment, whether urban or rural, said H.S Chhabra, chief of spine services, ISIC.

The project is funded by the department of biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Institute for Health.

According to the World Health Organisation -, about 65 million wheelchairs are needed globally.

Urban health mission gets cabinet nod

Wed, 01 May 2013 19:46:48 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 1 - The government Wednesday introduced a scheme to provide healthcare to the urban poor on the lines of its flagship National Rural Health Mission, which is seen as successful in reaching the rural populace.

The National Urban Health Mission - would be formed under the over-arching National Health Mission -, officials said.

Under the NUHM, approved by the union cabinet Wednesday, the government plans to set up various facilities at an outlay of Rs.22,507 crore for five years.

These include one urban primary health centre for every 50,000-60,000 people, one urban community health centre for five to six areas in big cities, one auxiliary nursing midwives' centre for a population of 10,000, and one Accredited Social Health Activist - for 200 to 500 households.

Of the total outlay, the central government's share will be Rs.16,955 crore.

Centre-state funding share for the scheme will be on 75:25 ratio, except for northeastern states and other special category states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. For these states, the funding pattern will be 90:10.

The scheme will be implemented in 779 cities and towns that have a population of over 50,000. It will cover about 7.75 crore people, said officials.

It will help reduce infant and maternal mortality, and provide universal access to reproductive healthcare and convergence of all health-related interventions.

The cabinet, in its meeting of April 2012, had already approved the continuation of the National Rural Health Mission - till March 31, 2017.

The NRHM, along with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, is seen as among the game changers for the UPA, in elections subsequent to their launch.

Nigerian girl undergoes rare limb-salvage surgery

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:36:45 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, May 1 - Doctors in a city hospital claim to have performed a rare limb-salvage surgery to avoid amputating the left leg of a 13-year-old Nigerian girl suffering from bone cancer.

Mariam underwent surgery at the Nova Specialty Surgery Centre in Kailash Colony two weeks ago and her stitches were removed Wednesday.

According to doctors, the teenager was suffering from 'osteosarcoma' -- the most common type of bone cancer and the sixth most common type of cancer in children.

She came to us with acute pain and was confined to bed. On diagnosis, a tumour was discovered in the lower part of her thigh, said Ramneek Mahajan, senior orthopaedic surgeon, who performed the surgery

Mariam was advised chemotherapy to contain the spread of the tumour. She went through six cycles of chemotherapy. Her biopsy results showed that the tumour had regressed. Now the dilemma was what to do, he said.

Mahajan said the challenge was whether to go ahead and amputate the leg or look at other options.

We discussed it with her family and evaluated the various options apart from amputation. We decided to go for a rare surgery called limb-salvage. The objective was to overrule amputation and make her walk pain-free, he said.

The doctors believe that in two weeks' time, Mariam can stand and walk independently.

I miss my friends and school. I thank the doctors of India for saving my leg. I will be able to walk pain-free and play with my friends when I reach home, said an elated Mariam.

Fear of fake drugs haunts Kashmiris

Wed, 01 May 2013 09:18:41 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Srinagar, May 1 - What started as an allegation over the wrongful purchase of antibiotics by a government-appointed committee in Jammu and Kashmir has now started haunting the imagination of the public in the Valley. But is the issue being blown out of proportion?

The alleged scam initially surfaced after a government-appointed committee's order worth Rs.800,000 for the Maxizin 625 antibiotic, a combination of amoxycillin and clavenate, tested fake in laboratory analysis. Now the Doctors Association of Kashmir has called for a Valley-wide shutdown on May 6 against the suspected fiddle.

Ironically, the fear and scare among the commonman are so widespread here that from ordinary cottonwool supplied to government hospital drug stores to life saving injections like Mannitol administered in the Valley's only superspecialty Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences -, every drug is viewed with suspicion by the public.

Many people even argue that medicines sold at public retail shops in summer capital Srinagar and other places are also spurious.

One trusts nothing in Kashmir these days. If a committee of senior doctors appointed by the government can purchase fake drugs what stops retail drug shops from also selling spurious medicines, Gowhar Ahmad, 28, a government employee, told IANS.

Interestingly, the alleged scam has not attracted any public attention in the Jammu region although the alleged fake antibiotic Maxizin 625 was supplied to all the hospital drug stores in 2010.

Now that the Valley doctors and also chemists are up in arms against the scam, the separatists have also started fishing in troubled waters. They are supplying poison to the people of the Valley in the garb of medicines, alleged a senior separatist leader.

While the separatist accusation is obviously far fetched, the fact remains that the ever suspecting Kashmiri is living out another nightmare of suspicion.

I purchased some medicine for my backache in Goa during this winter. It worked wonderfully. I bought the same brand in Srinagar and it does not work, Ali Muhammad Dar, 64, a brick kiln owner in central Badgam district, told IANS.

The state government has handed over the investigations to the Crime Branch and also asked the vigilance department to probe the assets of members of the committee that approved the purchase of the fake antibiotic.

-

Fortis launches 'next-generation' hospital in Gurgaon

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:24:29 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 30 - Fortis Healthcare Limited, a chain of private healthcare providers, Tuesday launched its flagship next-generation hospital, the Fortis Memorial Research Institute - in Gurgaon, an official said here Tuesday.

The multi-speciality quaternary care hospital will have a capacity of 1,000 beds. In the first phase, the hospital will function with 450 beds.

FMRI aims to bring the next generation of super-specialization in oncology, trauma and pediatric care, with embedded centres at hospital in neurosciences, minimal access surgery, cardiac sciences and orthopedics.

It is the first hospital in its category to house the country's full-fledged stem cell lab that would engage in advanced pre-clinical and clinical research and offer a potential medical benefits for patients requiring organ transplants and those suffering from degenerative diseases.

Speaking at the launch of the hospital here, Dilpreet Brar, regional director of FMRI, said: The hospital is a momentous step in the furtherance of quality healthcare. Every detail has been meticulously looked into. We are offering clinical and allied services at the cutting-edge of science and technology, to treat patients across the spectrum of specialities.

Ashok Seth, chairman Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, said the hospital will take healthcare delivery in the country to its next level.

Our intent is to create the same equity for FMRI in multi-disciplinary care as the Fortis Escorts Heart Institute has cardiac care, he said.

Director and head of obstetrics and gynecology at FMRI, Sunita Mittal said that the institute will provide a multi-disciplinary care to each patient, unlike government facilities which are generally overcrowded to receive such care.

About 85 percent of the healthcare in the country is in the private sector.

Fortis Healthcare Limited is an integrated healthcare delivery provider in the Pan Asia-Pacific region, with about 70 healthcare facilities, 600 primary care centres and over diagnostic centres.

Sarabjit's family likely to return as his condition worsens

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:34:40 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Amritsar/Lahore, April 30 - The distraught family of Sarabjit Singh, the Indian prisoner on death row in Pakistan who was brutally assaulted last week, is likely to return home after doctors have reportedly indicated that he was clinically dead.

Sarabjit's lawyer Awais Shiekh told a news channel that Sarabjit's sister, Dalbir Kaur, had expressed the family's desire to return to India.

After the doctors told her about Sarabjit's condition, she had first told me that they wanted to go back today. But later, in their hotel, they said that they will go back tomorrow, Shiekh told a news channel from Lahore.

Sarabjit Singh, 49, was admitted to a Lahore hospital in a critical condition after a vicious attack on him by fellow prisoners at the Kot Lakhpat jail April 26. He has been on ventilator support ever since.

His lawyer said that media had asked Dalbir Kaur if the doctors at Jinnah Hospital in Lahore had sought her permission to remove the ventilator support from Sarabjit.

India had Monday appealed to Pakistan for the release of Sarabjit Singh's release even as a medical panel in Pakistan said that he would continue to get treatment in Pakistan.

The ministry of external affairs in New Delhi had asked Pakistan to take a sympathetic and humanitarian view on Sarabjit.

Dalbir Kaur, Sarabjit's wife Sukhpreet Kaur and daughters Swapandeep and Poonam, had crossed from the Attari-Wagah border to Pakistan Sunday afternoon to visit him in hospital.

He has been on death row in Pakistan since 1990 after being convicted by Pakistani courts for bomb blasts in Lahore and Multan, which left 14 people dead.

Sarabjit's family claims he is innocent, and that he crossed over to Pakistan in August 1990 in an inebriated state and was arrested there.

Police in Pakistan, however, claimed that Sarabjit Singh, known as Manjit Singh, was involved in terrorist strikes.

Fear of encephalitis outbreak haunts Bihar

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:16:30 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Patna, April 30 - With this year's first death suspected to be caused by Acute Encephalitis Syndrome - reported in Bihar, the fear of an outbreak of the deadly mosquito-borne disease has returned to haunt the state, an official said Tuesday.

One-year-old Sapna Khatoon died Monday of suspected AES at the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital - in Muzaffarpur, about 70 km from here.

Sapna's father Mohammad Jalaluddin, a resident of Sirsia Kalyanpur village in East Champaran district, said she was admitted to the hospital after her condition deteriorated.

A district health official in Muzaffarpur said that 10 children with suspected AES were admitted to various hospitals in the district in the last two days.

While three children have been admitted to the Kejriwal Hospital, seven are undergoing treatment in SKMCH, the official said.

Every year, encephalitis hits Muzaffarpur, Gaya and other neighbouring districts in May or June. But this year it seems to have hit a little early, a health department official here said.

Last year, the acute encephalitis syndrome - killed nearly 240 children in Muzaffarpur and Gaya districts.

AES is a severe case of encephalitis characterised by inflammation of the brain.

Last week, the state government had launched a special vaccination drive to cover 1.8 million children against Japanese encephalitis.

Scanner for diagnosing cancer in Delhi hospital

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:36:07 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 29 - A state-of-the-art high-end scanner machine set up at a hospital here helps in getting right and accurate diagnosis in treatment for cancer and heart ailments, the medical centre said Monday.

The Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography - scans set up at BLK Super Speciality Hospital gives an accurate diagnosis from staging to assessing the treatment response in both cancer and coronary artery disease.

The Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography - machine helps in assessing treatment response during chemotherapy and also prevents unnecessary bypass surgeries in heart patients by detecting the viable and non-viable myocardium -, a statement from the hospital said.

According to the doctors, scanning takes less time, thus reducing the discomfort to the patient.

We have many cases where patients suffer due to wrong diagnosis in their early stage of the treatment but with the launch of this machine, patients would now get right and accurate diagnosis along with the treatment, Praneet Kumar, chief executive officer, BLK Super Speciality Hospital said.

Immunization drive to widen vaccination net

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:21:09 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 29 - The government Monday launched special immunization weeks to widen its vaccination net and include children in marginalised populations, urban slums and other hard-to-reach places.

Four weeks, with a week each in April, June, July and August, will be used to hold special immunisation sessions in high-risk areas across the country, said Anuradha Gupta, additional secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and mission director, National Rural Health Mission.

Close to 75 lakh children every year miss childhood vaccinations. A majority of them are from among underserved and marginalised populations. Globally, every fifth child is unimmunized.

The Special Immunization Week is an opportunity to reinforce India's call to action for child survival and development, Gupta said, launching a new communication campaign attended by the media, development partners, and health officials here.

The new communication campaign includes a new logo, TV spot, radio spot and posters.

The new logo and other communication material will promote consistent messaging to raise awareness on the urgency of reaching every child with life-saving immunization, Gupta added.

She encouraged her state counterparts and development partners to focus on ensuring that vaccines that are provided free under the Universal Immunization Programme - and reach every last child in the country.

Louis-Georges Arsenault, UNICEF India Representative said: In India, inequity persists within and between states. There are geographical, rural-urban, poor-rich, gender and other related differences in vaccination coverage. Disparities need to be addressed to reach every last child. The special immunization week is an opportunity for all of us to renew focus on ensuring equity in immunization coverage.

The special immunization week lays sufficient importance on generating awareness about immunization and to reach marginalised populations in brick kilns, urban slums and other hard-to-reach areas. Engagement with media and other key stakeholders have been planned and will be continued in the following weeks, said Ajay Khera, deputy commissioner, Child Health and Immunization.

ESI hospitals face major vacancies

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:36:56 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 29 - ESI hospitals across the country are facing a large number of vacancies, parliament was informed Monday.

This is due to frequent turnover of medical manpower, non-availability of technical staff and non filling up of vacancies by states, Minister of State for Labour and Employment K. Suresh told the Lok Sabha.

ESI hospitals in Andhra Pradesh accounted for the most number of medical vacancies - followed by Delhi region -, Gujarat - and West Bengal -.

On the paramedical front, the maximum vacancies were reported in West Bengal - followed by Andhra Pradesh -, Delhi - and Gujarat -.

Child immunization programme in 184 districts

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:56:19 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 29 - In an effort to check child deaths due to preventable diseases like measles and diphtheria, the central government has launched a special immunization week to reach out to 184 high-risk districts, an official said Monday.

We have identified 184 high priority districts, where our prime focus would be to lay sufficient importance on generating awareness about immunization, said Anuradha Gupta, additional secretary, ministry of health.

These high risk areas have been identified through India's Polio Eradication Programme. The awareness campaign will reach the marginalised populations in brick kilns, urban slums and hard-to-reach areas, Gupta said at an event here.

The special immunization week will be held over four weeks in as many months. The programme are planned for one week each in the months of April, June, July and August in the high-risk areas across the country. The programme for the month of April has already taken place.

We have introduced new routine immunization logo, posters, and radio and TV advertisements which will help the public understand the importance of these life- saving vaccines, Gupta added.

Unveiling the new logo, radio advertisements and posters, Gupta stressed that communication and campaign were necessary.

The new logo and other communication material would promote consistent messaging to raise awareness on the urgency of reaching every child with life-saving immunization, Gupta said.

The official said a 2009 survey showed that 26 percent population in the country were not aware about vaccines.

Louis-Georges Arsenault, Unicef-India representative, said: There are geographical, rural-urban, poor-rich, gender and other related differences in vaccination coverage.

According to Unicef, nearly 1.6 million children under the age of five years die in India every year. A large number of these deaths can be prevented with vaccines.

MPs panel raps ministry for clearing 33 drugs without trials

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 17:54:05 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 28 - Thirty-three new drugs were granted approval by the health ministry without clinical trials on Indian patients between January 2008 and October 2010, a parliamentary panel has found.

It a report tabled in parliament last week, the panel headed by parliament member Brajesh Pathak said: This is yet another instance where the ministry, inspite of appreciating the serious problem the continued marketing of these 33 drugs may pose to Indian patients, has chosen to take no action to resolve it.

The panel criticised the union health ministry for its inaction on certain alleged irregularities in clinical trials of drugs before their introduction in the country.

It also charged the officials involved in granting approval to these drugs with violation of law and an intention to save the guilty.

The committee is shocked to note this dilly-dallying by the ministry on the matter, which could be affecting lives of lakhs of people in the country, who are consuming these drugs, it said.

The ministry agrees with the committee's viewpoint about review of approvals to ensure safety of patients, fair play, transparency and accountability but instead of taking strict and immediate action in all proven cases of delinquency and omission and commission, it still continues to be in a state of profound procrastination, the parliamentary standing committee on health and family welfare said in its 66th report.

It said that even after a lapse of more than seven months the three-member expert panel looking into this contentious matter has come out with virtually nothing concrete and observed that the government intends to delay a decision by referring it to yet another committee.

These tactics have been, as stated at several places in this report, resorted to by the government to delay indefinitely the decisions and consequent actions that would be required to be taken against several officials and non-officials who have indulged in rampant acts of omission and commission while approving these drugs in gross violation of the law of the land.

The committee has taken strong objections to these dilatory tactics and recommended immediate decision on these proven gross violations, lest the health of the people is compromised irrevocably.

Interventional treatment gains popularity against life-threatening diseases

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 10:49:58 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 28 - Akash Saxena, 55, was diagnosed with liver cancer and a transplant would have cost him Rs 17-18 lakh -. It was at this point that he got to know about Interventional Radiology - which saved his life.

I took two sittings of chemoembolization at an interval of 6-8 weeks and I started feeling better physically. Thereafter, the cancer was treated without much pain either, Saxena, a South Delhi resident, told IANS.

Chemoembolization is a minimally invasive treatment for liver cancer. Under this therapy, the maximum dose of chemotherapy is given to tumor cells and the toxic effect of chemotherapy is minimal. Thousands of patients in India who are diagnosed with life-threatening diseases like spinal tumor; liver, lung or prostate cancer, stroke and uterine fibroids often require painful invasive surgeries and chemotherapy as part of their treatment.

Now, interventional treatments - which are also proving to be cost-effective and less painful - offer a new lease of life to hundreds of such patients.

In a country like India, where people are diagnosed with serious diseases every three minutes, while one dies of the disease every 13 minute, these practices are gaining popularity, mostly in big cities. The practice is very common in western countries, doctors said.

Interventional Radiology is a sub-speciality of radiology and utilizes minimally-invasive therapy to diagnose and treat diseases in almost all organs, usually as an alternative to traditional open surgery.

The practice is a rapidly growing area of medicine for treating a wide variety of disorders and diseases and is playing a role in developing new techniques that may improve cancer treatment, including the use of magnetic particles to draw cancer-killing agents into tumours; and the delivery of genetic material, called gene therapy, to fight or prevent cancers, Pradeep Muley, senior consultant and Interventional Radiologist at Fortis Hospital, told IANS.

It is also used to treat blockages inside arteries and veins, to block off blood vessels that nourish tumors, destroy malignant tumors using focused heat and freezing, drain blocked organ systems such as the liver, gallbladder and kidney and perform biopsies that would otherwise require surgical exploration.

Muley said that these are generally easier for the patient because it involves no incisions, carries less risk, causes minimum pain, is very cost effective and usually has shorter recovery times.

Stating that there has been a 25 percent increase in patients opting for this treatment and is expected to rise 300 percent in coming years, Muley said that 98 percent of the patients, however, still opt for surgery even in conditions like fibroids and adenomyosis where removing the uterus is not required at all.

I must say people in India are still not aware of the treatment, he said.

Interventional radiology first evolved in the 1960s when angioplasty procedures were developed to treat blockages in arteries as an alternative to open surgical bypass.

Since then, the ability of interventional radiology techniques to treat an ever-expanding list of conditions continues to grow.

Similar to Interventional Radiology, Interventional Neuroradiology -, used in diagnosing and treating serious diseases related to the head, neck and spine is also becoming a popular practise in the country, doctors said.

The practice is very significant in treating various conditions. Interventional neuroradiology plays a critical role in dealing with cerebrovascular diseases and strokes and treating them using minimally-invasive procedures, Vipul Gupta, head of Neurovascular Interventional Center at Institute of Neurosciences in Medanta the Medicity, told IANS.

It also avoids long term damage that may occur during open surgeries and is highly cost-effective too, he said.

Every year, over 1,000 patients - the highest in north India - undergo treatment through this procedure at the institute. The trend is also gaining recognition in other major cities across India, the doctor said.

Gupta said though the practice is gaining recognition both among the patients and medical community in the country, it is still at the initial stages.

He said about 80 percent of patients across Europe, and about 70 percent of patients in the US prefer this treatment over open surgeries, while in India, the majority of patients still undergo open surgeries.

But it is slowly gaining popularity.

The issue is that there are very few properly trained professionals in the country. Also, the awareness among the patients is low and there is lack of an appropriate setup and equipment. But I am sure it will soon become very popular in India too. After all, it is cost-effective and less painful, Gupta asserted.

-

Awareness on chronic heart disease must

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 20:35:48 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 27 - With an increasing number of Indians suffering from heart diseases, proper eating habits, heart friendly nutrition and a healthy lifestyle is the need of the hour to tackle the alarming situation with a special focus on youth, a leading doctor said Saturday.

We need to build awareness on cardio-vascular disease. Heart wellness programmes, with timely and effective medical and interventional management, may help us in curbing the rising menace of coronary artery disease in India, said Naresh Trehan, chairman and managing director, Medanta Medicity told reporters.

Medanta Medicity has started India Prevent, an NGO which will come up with a programme to eradicate heart attacks.

The NGO will help cardio-vascular patients adopt a healthy lifestyle, including heart friendly nutrition, exercises, tobacco abstinence, weight management, hypertension, diabetes care and stress management will enhance corporate health, Trehan said.

According to doctors, India holds more than 60 percent of cardio vascular disease burn of the world. Deaths from cardio vascular disease in India is estimated to be 15 lakh per year.

Maharashtra medicos call off 4-day-old strike

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:57:46 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Mumbai, April 26 - Around 3,500 resident doctors in all government-run hospitals in Maharshtra have called off their four-day-old strike Friday, an official here said.

We have decided to call off the strike in view of the government's assurances to continue negotiations on our pending demands, Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors - president Santosh Wakchaure told mediapersons here.

Wakchaure said the medicos decided to call off their agitation in view of the severe drought situation in large parts of the state and the doctors did not want to add to the woes of the people.

The announcement came barely hours after around 2,000 MARD doctors declared that they had called off the strike and would resume duties Friday night.

This left around 1,500 doctors working in three major hospitals run in the city by Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai -, who are still on strike since last Tuesday.

The chief demands of MARD included enhanced stipend and better working conditions.

The strike proved a harrowing experience for thousands of patients in the government-run hospitals.

Adopting a tough stand, the state government Thursday night threatened to invoke the stringent Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act against the striking medicos.

The government also slapped eviction notices on the medicos to vacate their official quarters in various hospitals and medical colleges if they continued the strike.

The medicos, who get a stipend of Rs.31,000 per month, have been offered Rs.36,000 by the government, but the doctors are adamant on Rs.41,000.

According to indications, the doctors will start resuming their duties Friday night and the situation is expected to return to normal by Saturday morning.

One of every five Indian kids acutely malnourished: Krishna Tirath

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:03:34 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 26 - Nearly 20 percent of children in the country suffer from acute malnutrition, Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath informed the Lok sabha Friday.

The minister was citing statistics from the National Family Health Survey-3, 2005-06 which showed that the percentage of acutely malnourished children under five years is 19.8 percent.

The problem of malnutrition is complex, multi-dimensional and inter-generational in nature, and cannot be improved by a single sector alone, she said.

Tirath said: The approach to deal with the nutrition challenges has been two pronged. First is the multi-sectoral approach for accelerated action on the determinants of malnutrition in targeting nutrition in schemes or programmes of all the sectors.

The second approach is the direct and specific interventions targeted towards the vulnerable groups such as children below six years, adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating mothers.

Government has given top priority to addressing the huge problem of malnutrition. The Prime Minister's National Council on India's Nutrition Challenges was constituted in 2008 for policy direction, review and effective coordination between ministries for tackling malnutrition.

Over five lakh kidney patients require dialysis or transplant

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:58:06 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 26 - Around 5.5 lakh patients in the country require dialysis or kidney transplant, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Dialysis facility is available with central government hospitals like All India Institute of Medical Sciences -, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research -, Puducherry, and Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research -, Chandigarh, the Lok Sabha was informed Friday.

In a written reply, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said: Cardio-vascular diseases and diabetes are the leading causes of chronic kidney diseases. The national programme for prevention and control of cancer, diabetes, cardio-vascular diseases and stroke - has been launched by the government, which will help in reducing chronic renal diseases and incidences of renal failure.

The government is also giving support for strengthening or up-gradation of medical colleges and district hospitals which includes services for chronic kidney diseases also, he said.

Time limit of abortions raised to nine weeks

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:29:39 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 26 - The time limit for abortions has been increased from seven to nine weeks to facilitate family planning, the Drug Controller General of India has said.

Nozer Sherian, secretary general of the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies -, said here Friday: The Drug Controller General has increased the time limit of abortions to 63 days, that is nine weeks.

In the last two years, 332,000 medical abortions were carried out, which show that if given a choice, women want to limit their families.

This is very important as around eight percent of maternal deaths take place due to unsafe abortions, he said.

FOGSI is promoting medical abortions along with Interuterine Medical Devices - to help people plan their families.

Hema Diwakar, president of FOGSI, said that women are now given a choice of post-placental IUD as soon as they give birth.

The family planning initiative taken up by the FOGSI and the Population Services International - is called 'Pehel'. It is run mostly in urban slums.

It covers 30 districts in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Ten additional districts in these three states would be covered in the next phase.

Pehel Phase 3 will continue to complement the government's efforts to reduce maternal mortality and increase the contraceptive prevalence rate, said Pritpal Marjara, director of PSI.

According to government data, every year about 78,000 women die during pregnancy, child birth or within 43 days of delivery in India.

Girl of 11 undergoes open heart surgery in Delhi hospital

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:53:30 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 25 - An 11-year-old girl from Africa, who had sickle cell disease, underwent a rare open heart surgery, doctors at a hospital here claimed Thursday.

Ayesha Sadiq was diagnosed with a disorder of the heart valve, which caused outflow of the blood from the right side to be obstructed. She also had sickle cell disease, a genetic disorder.

Sickle cell disease is a condition in which the haemoglobin in the blood is of an abnormal kind, resulting in a high tendency for blood to clot within the body under conditions of stress. This can lead to stroke, renal failure and even death.

The girl was operated upon by surgeons at the BLK Super Specialty Hospital.

According to Neeraj Bhalla, senior consultant, cardiologist, at BLK, though a procedure was carried out without any complications, the result was not too satisfactory. That is what compelled them to go for open heart surgery.

Even after our continuous efforts, there was no decline of the obstruction across the valve. We realized that the child probably had major obstruction and might need open heart surgery, said Bhalla.

The surgery was that much more risky as it carried a higher threat of blood clotting because of the sickle cell disease, he added.

According to doctors, the entire blood of the girl was changed prior to the surgery and the abnormal blood was drained.

Open heart surgery then proceeded in routine fashion and recovery was uneventful, said Sushant Srivastava, cardiac surgeon at BLK.

Pentavalent vaccination launched in 8 states

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:23:27 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 25 - The government Thursday said it had started the pentavalent vaccination drive in eight states.

The pentavalent vaccination drive for infants under the Universal Immunization Programme - has been started in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka and Puducherry, the government informed the Rajya Sabha.

The vaccine is given at the age of 6 weeks, 10 weeks and 14 weeks of age to infants. Pentavalent vaccine protects against Diphtheria, Pertusis-Tetanus, Hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenza-B.

Pentavalent vaccine is provided as commodity assistance by Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization - through Unicef, Minister of State for Health Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury said, in written reply this week.

Several states like Assam, Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal have made requests to the centre for introduction of pentavalent vaccine in their state.

However, no decision has been taken by the government in this regard.

'Awareness on chronic lung disease necessary'

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:57:23 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 25 - Prolonged cough and breathlessness should not be taken lightly, as it can lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, say experts. Over half a million people die every year due to such respiratory issues.

We need to build awareness on chronic lung diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - which is the fourth leading cause of death globally. The early symptoms of COPD are cough, bringing up sputum and breathlessness, Vivek Nangia of Fortis Hospital said.

Over 20 percent of the total deaths from COPD, across the globe, occur in India. Yet there is lack of awareness. There are limited medications available to treat such a disorder, Nangia said.

According to World Health Organisation -, COPD is an under-diagnosed, life-threatening lung disease and a chronic obstruction of lung airflow that interferes with normal breathing and is not fully reversible. Smoking remains one of the most important causes of the disease.

Joining hands with Fortis Hospital, Breathe Easy India, an NGO, will get in touch with the patients suffering from chronic lung disease like COPD, chronic asthma and pulmonary fibrosis for spreading awareness.

We are starting a awareness programme, initially we will enrol patients who suffer from chronic lung disease. We anticipate to organise monthly meeting and create a network of respiratory patient support group, where they get advice from experts and get educated about the disease, Aanchal Bhatia, of Breathe Easy said.

Mamata under attack for asking people to smoke more

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:53:24 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Kolkata, April 25 - West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday came in for sharp criticism from within her party and the opposition after she suggested people to smoke more to provide compensation to victims of a chit fund scam.

Smoking is bad.. let there be tax on it. But am I responsible for what Sudipta Sen did? Why should I pay more tax on every cigarette I smoke? I haven't fleeced the people, I haven't fleeced their money, rebel Trinamool Congress parliamentarian Kabir Suman said.

The singer-turned-politician said the 10 percent additional tax on cigarettes announced by the Banerjee government Wednesday was not a valid political argument.

Banerjee Wednesday announced the constitution of Rs.500 crore relief fund for compensating depositors who have lost money by investing in chit funds run by the Saradha Group.

After declaring the 10 percent additional tax on cigarettes, Banerjee with a smile had said: Smoke a little more to help the investors.

Congress MP and spokesperson Renuka Chowdhury described Banerjee's suggestion as alarming and destructive.

When the world has been campaigning against the fatal effects of smoking, the chief minister comes out asking people to smoke more. It is alarming, it is destructive, said Chowdhury.

Boy of 11 undergoes open heart surgery in Delhi Hospital

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:09:20 PST

Support group for diabetic, obese patients launched

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:23:09 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 24 - In a bid to help people suffering from diabetes and obesity, a support group was launched here Wednesday by the IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils.

'En-Lighten' - an initiative by Max Super Specialty Hospital, will provide a platform to diabetic and obese people to share their experiences with each other. It will also educate patients about ways to deal with obesity and treatments options available.

The initiative was launched jointly by Pradeep Chowbey, vice-chairman, Max Healthcare and Delhi Daredevils players including Australian batsman Ben Rohrer, and Indian pacer duo Umesh Yadav and Siddharth Kaul.

Having spread to epidemic proportions globally, India reports one-third of teenagers as obese. Going by such alarmingly high number of obese children in India, the day is not far when large population of our future adults will be morbidly obese, said Chowbey, the man behind the project.

There is an urgent need to create public awareness about the mechanisms of identification, prevention and treatment of severe obesity, he added.

The doctor appealed to people who are affected by obesity or diabetes to join the group as it provides a platform for people to share their experiences with each other.

People who are hesitant about discussing their problems with peers and family have got an opportunity to talk heart to heart with people with similar stories and a chance to discuss their medical and psychological concerns with experts, he said.

Citing a recent survey, the doctor said that approximately 48 percent of the Indian population is overweight due to unhealthy lifestyles.

Malaria remains a major threat, say experts

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:29:06 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 24 - The number of deaths from malaria might be steadily declining, but health experts believe the mosquito sting continues to pose a grave threat to millions in the country.

An estimated one million fresh cases of the disease - which causes body ache and fever - are reported in India each year. About 95 percent of the country's population resides in malaria endemic areas.

According to the World Malaria Report 2011, over 70 percent of the country's 1.2 billion population faces the risk of malaria infection, with an estimated 310 million people - one-third of the total - facing the highest risk.

The situation is very bad and it is an epidemic sort of issue. Malaria is quite rampant across the country, particularly in rural areas, S. Chatterjee, senior consultant, internal medicine, at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, told IANS.

Sandeep Budhiaraja, director - at Max Hospital, added: The problem very much exists, and not just in the rural areas but also in major cities like Delhi. The situation is certainly very bad.

He said though the country has been effective in treating the disease with new medicine, the threat of plasmodium which causes the disease becoming resistant to new drugs remains.

Even though the plasmodium became resistant to old conventional treatment, new drugs have been effective for now. But, we have seen in countries like Cambodia and Thailand, it has developed resistance. Though the type is different, threat remains that it may also develop some resistance, Budhiaraja said.

Echoing similar views, Chatterjee said most physicians no longer administer Chloroquine to patients as the plasmodium - P. falciparum - that causes the severe type of malaria has more or less developed resistance to the drug. He said the drug has only been effective in controlling the milder from of malaria.

The main vector of the disease in India is the female Anopheles Culicifacies, which is a small to medium sized mosquito. They usually breed in rainwater pools and puddles, burrow-pits, irrigation channels, seepages and sluggish streams. Extensive breeding is generally encountered following the monsoon.

Some experts, however, also say that investments in malaria control have yielded good returns in the past years.

Manish Mohil, consultant - at Saket City Hospital, said even though the situation is not good, most hospitals and doctors are usually well equipped to handle malaria cases and only severe cases are reffered to speciality hospitals.

People are as much responsible as the government for not being able to curb the disease. The issue is that citizens don't take proper precautions even when they are more or less aware, Mohil told IANS.

In last five years, there has been a constant reduction in the number of malaria cases in the country. The number of cases has gradually come down from 2 million in 2001 to about 1.2 million in 2011, said a senior scientist at the National Institute of Malaria Research.

Recent government data also shows a decline both in the number of malaria cases and related deaths.

According to National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme -, over 1.5 million cases of malaria were reported in the country in 2009 and 2010. The figure fell to 1.3 million in 2011 and to 1 million in 2012. Till March 25 this year, 72,327 cases have been reported.

Likewise, the number of malaria related deaths in the country in 2009 were 1,144 and came down to 1,018 in 2010. In 2011, the number further came down to 754, and to 506 in 2012. This year, till March 25, the number of deaths are only 18.

However, in a clear contradiction to the government data, a 2011 study by Lancet stated that malaria actually killed an estimated 46,800 Indians in 2010. The country had over 10 crore suspected malaria cases but only 15.9 lakh could be confirmed in 2010, according to World Malaria Report 2011.

Experts, however, say more needs to be done to completely check the disease.

Towards this, the World Malaria Day celebrated on April 25, instituted by WHO during the 2007 World Health Assembly of 2007, aims to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control.

According to the World Malaria Report 2011, malaria is prevalent in 106 countries of the tropical and semi-tropical world, with 35 countries in central Africa bearing the highest burden of cases and deaths. Compared to a century earlier, the area of malaria risk has reduced from 53 percent to 27 percent of the earth's land surface, while the number of countries exposed to some level of malaria risk has fallen from 140 to 106.

Worldwide, there were 655,000 deaths from the disease in 2010.

-

Jogi seeks Rs.1 crore for robotic legs

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:56:48 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Raipur, April 22 - Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ajit Jogi has asked the state's BJP government to provide him Rs.1 crore for obtaining robotic legs, family sources said Monday.

During the 2004 general elections, Jogi met with a road accident in which both his legs were paralysed.

Jogi is hoping to get rid of his wheelchair and become perhaps the first person in India to walk with the help of robotic legs.

According to family sources, at the time of the accident Chief Minister Raman Singh had offered bear the expenses of the treatment but Jogi had refused to accept this.

The robotic legs will cost Rs.90 lakh and expenses on doctors will also run into severl lakhs. The former chief minister has thus asked the state government to give him Rs.1 crore towards medical process, the ffamily sources said.

A trial of the robotic legs was carried out on Jogi at his residence on Monday. Jogi reportedly walked for 10-15 minutes in the presence of experts who have come from New Zealand.

High costs no deterrent for alcohol consumption: Experts

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:56:46 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 22 - The strategy of increasing prices and taxes of alcohol and alcohol-related beverages has not lowered neither their demand or consumption in the country, leading to various health and social issues, health experts said Monday.

Speaking at a two-day national workshop Alcohol Taxation and Multi-Sectoral Policy Interventions to Counter the Harms Associated with Alcohol Consumption, the experts said India has become a major market for alcohol companies, and that there is a policy deficit to check issues related to its consumption.

Data of last five years have revealed that cost of all alcoholic beverages have substantially gone up, but alcohol consumption has not reduced at all. There is a huge undocumented and illicit market and trading of alcohol in the country, said Vivek Benegal, an associate professor at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences -.

He said it has been found that in areas where Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act - has been implemented, use of alcohol was also more.

Studies after studies have shown that even moderate drinking is not good for health as it gives rise to coronary heart diseases, said Benegal adding that 30 percent of youth up to 20 years age start consuming alcohol early in their life.

He also noted that there is also a significant relationship between alcohol and sexual behaviour, adding that recent cases of rape incidents in the country have also found alcohol intoxication among the accused.

Monika Arora, director - Public Health Foundation of India -, said that the country has become a lucrative market for alcohol companies, and alcohol sales have become a major revenue generator for the states.

She asserted for a need to have a national and sub-national policy on alcohol, regulation of consumption, comprehensive monitoring of advertisments and inter-sectoral strategy in the country.

There is no uniform age cap in states. Various surrogate ads through fashion shows, cricket matches are being used by agencies for aggressive promotion. There seems to be a policy deficit, said Arora.

As the per capita income of people has increased, alcohol consumption has also increased. Alcohol shouldn't be considered as a free tradable commodity as there are many health, social and economic issues related, she noted.

Thor Norstrom, professor at Stockholm University, said there was a need for mobilizing women groups, NGOs, and advocacy groups in India to check unwanted alcohol consumption.

In India, in about 27 percent of domestic violence there was some level of physical violence , out of which 60 percent of accused had done that in alcohol intoxication, he said.

Nostrom also said that even in the recent fatal rape cases in the country, the culprits had acted under alcohol's influence.

Stating that there countries should learn from the Swedish experience, Mats Ramstedt, associate professor at the Stockholm Forebygger Alkoholoch Drogproblem, said that alcohol consumption and related issues dipped in the Scandinavian country due to the stable cap on taxes and prices.

NHRC notice on baby's finger being chopped off

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:54:37 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 22 - The National Human Rights Commission - Monday sought a report from the Rajasthan government over a one-year-old child losing his finger when a sweeper tried to remove an intra-cath device from his wrist in a government hospital.

We have issued notice to secretary, ministry of health and family welfare, of Rajasthan and the superintendent of police, district Barmer, returnable in four weeks, said an NHRC official.

The boy was admitted to a government hospital.

This raises a serious issue of violation of human rights on account of negligence of the public servant in discharge of their duties, he added.

Reportedly, the ward sweeper was acting on the orders of a male nurse. After initial efforts to take out the intra-cath device proved futile, he picked up a pair of scissors to take the adhesive tapes off. While trying to do so, the child's finger got chopped off, he said.

Over 2,000 march for Haemophilia awareness

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 16:00:25 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 21 - To commemorate World Haemophilia Day and spread awareness about the bleeding disorder, over 2,000 people Sunday participated in a walk and a rally in the capital.

The participants, which included haemophilia patients and their families, school students, members of medical fraternity, volunteers and civil society members, marched from Parliament Street to Tolstoy Marg.

Haemophilia, a congenital lifelong disorder that prevents the blood from clotting, leads to patients bleeding internally, mostly in the joints, muscles and vital organs like the brain. In many cases, the disease leads to permanent disability.

Keshav Desiraju, secretary in the ministry for health and family welfare, flagged off the walk at 7.30 a.m.

It is unfortunate that despite our untiring advocacy drive, filing number of PILs -... , Haemophilia has not been included in the national health scheme. However, we are hopeful of the inclusion of comprehensive haemophilia care services in the draft 12th Five Year Plan by the government, said K. Ghosh, president of Haemophilia Federation -.

The event was organised by GAIL, Baxter India and Haemophilia Society-Delhi Chapter.

The vast majority of people with haemophilia do not have access to proper care in our country... We can reduce the gap in care, said S.S. Roychoudhury of Haemophilia Federation -.

Hiding mental ailment costs suicide victim's kin dear

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 12:22:28 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 21 - Offering relief to the Life Insurance Corporation -, the apex consumer court has overturned the Rajasthan consumer commission's judgment directing the company to pay the claim after the suicide of a woman whose mental sickness was not disclosed by her husband when buying the policy.

Ram Kanya Devi suppressed material facts regarding her mental sickness and treatment and on this count...complainants are not entitled to any compensation, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission said.

The national commission also faulted the state commission and the Bhilwara district consumer forum for entertaining the complaint of Ram Kanya Devi's family for the Rs.50,000 life insurance claim.

Under one of the provisions related to the policy, in case of suicide by a woman within three years of taking policy, the insurance company was liable to refund only the premium paid by the insured without interest, said commission's Presiding Member K.S. Chaudhari and Member B.C. Gupta in a recent order.

Perusal of record reveals that proposal for taking the insurance policy was made on March 24, 1992, and policy was issued on Nov 24, 1992, whereas suicide was committed on Aug 28, 1994, in Bhilwara, meaning thereby that the suicide was committed within a period of three years from taking the policy, the national commission said.

It becomes clear that as insured Ram Kanya Devi committed suicide within a period of three years from the date of policy, her family are entitled only to the refund of premium paid towards policy and are not entitled to receive the policy amount, the top consumer court said.

The state commission has committed an error in dismissing the insurer's appeal and the district forum has committed an error in allowing the claim seeker's complaint, the national commission added.

LIC had moved the national commission against the unfavourable judgment of the state commission based in Jaipur.

Ram Kanya Devi's husband Ganesh Lal told the national commission that the state commission's order was in accordance with law and hence the insurer's revision petition should be dismissed. His plea was rejected.

The national commission said Ram Kanya Devi had signed resolution 4 - of the policy which was binding on her and her husband and in such circumstances, her family members were entitled to receive only premium paid towards this policy and not entitled to the policy amount.

Ganesh Lal had earlier alleged deficiency in service on LIC's part for not honouring his claim for his wife's death.

LIC contested this and said Ram Kanya Devi was suffering from a mental illness and this fact was suppressed while taking the policy.

The company claimed it did not commit any error in repudiating Ganesh Lal's claim and hence, the complaint be dismissed.

The insurer, however, lost the case in the district forum, which allowed Ganesh Lal's plea seeking the Rs.50,000 claim.

The district forum told LIC to pay the claim amount along with interest. The company challenged this in the state commission, which also favoured Ganesh Lal.

Ganesh Lal now has the option of challenging the national commission's vedict in the Supreme Court.

Collaborate to achieve holistic health, Walia to doctors

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 22:32:34 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 20 - Delhi Health and Family Minister A.K. Walia Saturday called upon medical professionals to work in close association with one another as well as with environmental specialists to achieve the goal of holistic health.

The health ministry is looking for such collaborations as centre point of all health care agencies in future whereby every citizen will have access to clean water, clean food and clean air, said Walia while addressing a two-day national seminar and workshop on Holistic Health at Maulana Azad Medical College.

The seminar is being organized by the state health and family welfare department and is being attended by more than 500 participants of all fields of medical and health from different parts of the country.

The minister said that a platform is required where all systems of medicine and health can learn from one another while maintaining their uniqueness, and holistic health is an integrated approach pertaining to every aspect of health care, including the physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs of people.

No healthcare system alone in the world can survive by concentrating only on curative aspect of diseases. Therefore, an inter-departmental coordinated approach between various disciplines like allopathy, ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, home remedies, unani, homeopathy and allied therapies (like physiotherapy, laughter therapy, etc. should be the prime focus. Thus integration is the future of the holistic health, he said.

Walia also cautioned that human health cannot be dissociated from the health of environment.

Rape victim stable, needs reconstructive surgery: Doctors

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 20:20:23 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 20 - The five-year-old girl undergoing treatment here after she was brutally raped for two days is in stable condition, doctors said Saturday, adding she will need reconstructive surgery as she suffered severe injuries in her private parts.

At present her general condition is stable. She is recovering and continues to be under close observation and monitoring. She is conscious, alert and all her parameters are within normal limits. She is speaking to her parents, D.K. Sharma, Medical Superintendent of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences - where the girl is being treated, told reporters here.

He said the girl has been subjected to detailed medical evaluation and a procedure has been carried out to divert stools as her private parts have suffered grievous injuries due to the sexual assault.

She has suffered injuries in her private parts and will need to undergo corrective and reconstruction surgery, said Sharma.

He said that her wounds would be redressed Sunday evening under anaesthesia.

She has been put on intravenous fluids and antibiotics, he added.

The girl was shifted to AIIMS Friday.

Earlier the hospital said a surgical procedure was done on her midnight.

She was shifted to AIIMS at 6.30 p.m. Friday. She was stable and no intensive care was needed. She was kept in the emergency section of the paediatrics department, Sharma said.

The doctor added that a team of eight doctors from various departments like paediatric medicine, paediatric surgery, gynaecology, anaesthesia, urology, forensic medicine and hospital administration are looking after the child.

Sharma said Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad visited the hospital in the morning to see the child.

The minister visited the hospital in the morning at 11 a.m. to see the patient. He also interacted with her parents, the doctor said.

We don't expect her to stay in hospital for long, the doctor said.

The girl was abducted April 15 and kept hostage for two days without food and water in a room in which the attacker lived, on the ground floor of the building in east Delhi's Gandhi Nagar. The victim's family stays in the same building, police said.

The girl, who was repeatedly raped, was rescued when members of her family heard her screams Wednesday, police said.

The accused was arrested from his village in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district.

Mentally ill man chained to bed for 12 years

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 10:20:08 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Churu -, April 20 - Unable to pay for his treatment, and receiving no help from the government, the family of a mentally-challenged 33-year-old man in Rajasthan's Churu district has kept him chained to a bed for more than 12 years now.

The victim, Arif Kaji, is a resident of Sunjagarh town in the district, some 350 kilometres from state capital Jaipur.

Arif lost his mental balance at the age of 21, after a prolonged illness. Arif was married and had three children by then.

For the past 12 years, he has been living tied to an iron chain in a dark corner of his house, and receives no treatment.

Rubeena, his wife, says Arif would suddenly turn violent and start throwing things out in a fit of rage.

If he is kept free, he throws stones even at neighbours and shouts at them. I am his wife and it hurts a lot to see him chained like this, but this is the only way for me to keep him under control, Rubeena told IANS, adding that her husband suffers from hallucinations.

Rubeena said she had sought medical help from doctors in her town and nearby places, but the condition of her husband did not improve.

People say I should get him treated at a specialised hospital in a bigger city, but my money has now dried up and I don't know whom to approach, Rubeena said, explaining that she had taken her husband to public grievances camps organised by the district administration several times, but received no financial help.

I am forced to work as a labourer to look after my three children and husband. The income is not enough to send the children to school, Rubeena said.

UP gears up to deal with encephalitis

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 09:28:06 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Lucknow, April 20 - Unhappy with the tardy progress in initiatives to deal with the outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis - in the eastern districts of Uttar Pradesh, the government has fixed time lines for completion of pending projects, an official said Saturday.

At a high-level meeting, Chief Secretary Jawed Usmani directed officials to ensure that a paediatric intensive care unit - was established on a turn-key basis and becomes functional by July 15.

The top bureaucrat also directed health officials to complete vaccination of 30 lakh people by June and warned officials to ensure that the 100-bed encephalitis ward at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur was completed as per milestones set by the government.

The government also set time lines for the construction of 1.80 lakh toilets.

Usmani said that prevention of JE and other strains of encephalitis was a priority for the state government.

Hundreds of people in seven districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh have died in the last two years because of JE and other strains of encephalitis.

The state government, soon after being sworn in last year, had promised sustained action against the killer disease, and had undertaken many initiatives, but with little success.

The number of deaths in 2012 was almost the same as in 2010-11, when the union health ministry had described the disease as being akin to an epidemic.

Some serious efforts, officials told IANS, were hampered by delays in the construction of an additional ward at the Gorakhpur Medical College and in purchase of ventilators.

The incidence of JE spikes with the onset of the monsoon in eastern UP, as the disease is caused by a mosquito-borne virus. Mortality is especially high in children.

Candle, bottle poked into rape victim's genitals: Doctors

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:02:00 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 19 - The five-year-old girl, who is undergoing treatment here after she was brutally raped for two days during which a 200 ml bottle and pieces of candle were inserted into her private parts, is said to be in stable condition, doctors said Friday.

Upon examination, we found a 200 ml bottle and two or three pieces of candle inserted into her private parts. This is the first time that I have seen such barbarism with a five-year-old girl, R.K. Bansal, medical superintendent, Swami Dayanand Hospital, told reporters.

Initially, she was really in a bad state but showed some improvement later. She is recovering now. The foreign bodies in her body have been removed, but there was some infection and we were treating her with anti-biotics, Bansal said.

Giving details about her condition when the girl was first bought to the hospital Wednesday, Bansal said: There were injuries on her lips and cheeks and bruise marks on her neck, suggesting that attempts were made to strangle her. The blood pressure was way below normal, and she had fever when she was admitted.

The girl was also operated upon, doctors said.

The traumatised girl, who was shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences - in the evening for better treatment, was admitted to the general ward, doctors said.

She was examined by a team of doctors, AIIMS spokesperson Y.K. Gupta told IANS.

D.K. Sharma, medical superintendent at AIIMS, said: She is in general ward and not in ICU -.

Team of doctors from surgery, paediatrics and gynae are examining her in detail, Sharma told IANS.

The girl was abducted April 15 and kept hostage for two days without food and water in a flat owned by the attacker, said to be in his 30s. He lived on the ground floor of the building in east Delhi's Gandhi Nagar, in which the victim's family also stayed, police said. The accused Manoj Kumar, 25, is at large.

The girl, who was repeatedly raped, was rescued when members of her family heard her screams Wednesday, police said.

Candle, bottle poked into rape victim's genitals: Doctors

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:25:59 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 19 - The five-year-old girl, who is undergoing treatment here after she was brutally raped for two days, during which a 200 ml bottle and pieces of candle were inserted into her private parts, is still critical but has shown some improvement, doctors said Friday.

Upon examination, we found a 200 ml bottle and two or three pieces of candle inserted into her private parts. This is the first time that I have seen such barbarism with a five-year-old, R.K. Bansal, medical superintendent, Swami Dayanand Hospital, told reporters.

The doctor said this is the first time I have seen such barbarisim with a five-year-old girl.

Initially, she was really in a bad state but showed some improvement later. She is recovering now. The foreign bodies in her body have been removed, but there was some infection and we were treating her with antibiotics, Bansal said.

Giving details about her condition when the girl was first bought to the hospital Wednesday, Bansal said: There were injuries on her lips and cheeks and bruise marks on her neck, suggesting that attempts were made to strangle her. The blood pressure was way below normal, and she had fever when she was admitted.

The girl, who was shifted to the All India Medical Sciences - in the evening for better treatment, was admitted to the emergency department.

She was examined by a team of doctors, AIIMS spokesperson Y.K. Gupta told IANS.

AIIMS doctors refused to give more details about the girl.

The girl was abducted April 15 and kept hostage for two days without food and water in a flat owned by the attacker, said to be in his 30s. He lived on the ground floor of the building in east Delhi's Gandhi Nagar, in which the victim's family also stayed, police said. The accused is at large.

The girl, who was repeatedly raped, was rescued when members of her family heard her screams Wednesday evening, police said.

According to Bansal, the girl was very scared and is in severe trauma and weighed 20 kg.

Huge dearth of diabetes educators in India, say doctors

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:23:54 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Kolkata, April 19 - There is a huge dearth of diabetes management experts and educators hailed as foot-soldiers needed to bridge the gap between doctors and patients after initial screening of the silent killer, say government officials and healthcare experts.

There is a huge dearth, absolute lack of diabetes educators in the country. This is a well established concept in the west but is slowly emerging in India, J.J. Mukherjee, senior consultant in diabetes and endocrinology, Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals here, told IANS Friday on the sidelines of West Bengal state round-table on Non-Communicable Disease -, organised here by CII.

A diabetes educator is a nurse or a health official who has received training in diabetes management that includes diet control, exercise and monitoring.

A doctor can guide the patient to walk on a particular road, but patient needs handholding. That is where we need diabetes nurse educators. They are like foot-soldiers. They are basically slightly more than a nurse, excess training they have had in diabetes management. They take the patients through all these basics, Mukherjee said.

Dubbed as a silent killer by experts worldwide, Diabetes Mellitus - - or simply diabetes - forms one of the four major non-communicable diseases in India, the other three being cardiovascular disease, cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

If trained people educate patients on disease management, they will listen. If anyone else does it, then they might not feel interested, said Urgen Sherpa, district nodal officer from Sikkim.

P.K. Malhotra, advisor and state programme officer - for West Bengal said: It should be an interactive with the patient's involvement... The patient should be made aware of his blood sugar levels.

The educators must understand the importance of what they are doing. They should get involved too, Malhotra said.

Odisha's state nodal officer for NCD, P.K. Patnaik said counsellors in his state are empowered to motivate others and bring about changes in lifestyle as a preventive measure.

They are quite empowered and know a lot about diabetes. They know how to motivate the people, bring about behavioural change, lifestyle change. They can bring about a lot of changes and professional educators are absolutely needed, Patnaik said.

D.C. Jain, deputy director general, Department of Health Services, said: If pregnant women are educated or counselled, then the offspring will also be born healthy. The process should start from the womb. We should also focus on educating school children so that they can inform their parents about the hazards of diabetes, Jain told IANS.

Around 347 million people worldwide have diabetes. The World Health Organisation - projects that the didease will be the seventh leading cause of death in 2030.

Around 62 million Indians have diabetes.

'India needs more specialists to combat rare genetic disorder'

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:39:48 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Kolkata, April 18 - India needs more specialists and better networking among doctors, geneticists and test centres to combat lysosomal storage disease -, a spectrum of rare genetic disorders that afflicts 1 in 4,000 children in India, childcare experts say.

The first task is identification of the disease followed by guidance as to what tests to opt for. Since LSD is a collection of 40 to 45 individual disorders, a test is needed to detect the exact one, Rajib Samanta of the Institute of Neuroscience, Kolkata, - told IANS.

We need doctors trained in identifying LSD and guide patients to proper testing facilities, Samanata added

LSD is caused by deficiency of enzymes that break down unwanted components in lysosomes - the cell's recycling centre that converts undesired substances to usable products.

Lack of enzymes leads to accumulation of unwanted particles in the cell, leading to symptoms like developmental delay, movement disorders, seizures, dementia, deafness and/or blindness. Some people with LSD have enlarged livers and enlarged spleens, pulmonary and cardiac problems and bones that grow abnormally.

It mostly affects children and they often die at a young and unpredictable age, many within a few months or years of birth.

Samanta said family members of the patients are usually unaware of LSD and even if they see some abnormalities, they do not know whom to approach.

According to Apurba Ghosh of the Institute of Child Health -, there is a lack of proper networking between doctors, geneticists and test centres.

Gradually, networking is being done in the western and southern parts of the country but in the east, there needs to be a proper network. Countrywide also, better networking and support facilities are needed, Ghosh told IANS.

One of the causes of LSD in India is consanguineous marriage or marriage between family members, according to Ghosh.

As consanguinity decreases, LSD will also decrease. However, the primary hindrance is the cost of treatment, he added.

This is where government needs to pitch in, the specialists said.

In western countries, there is ample government support for such genetic disorders. They have got insurance to cover these diseases too. Government support will go a long way to create awareness and fund treatment of the patients, Samanta said.

A member of LSD Support Society - agreed, saying awareness at all levels is urgently needed.

Anaesthetists meet in Kerala from May 10

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:35:43 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Thiruvananthapuram, April 18 - A three-day global meet of anaesthetists is set to begin here May 10, an official said Thursday. The doctors will discuss developments in research and critical care in the field of anaesthesiology.

The Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists -, a professional society of anaesthesiologists, is gearing up to stage the ISATRICON-2013 from May 10, an event that will see participation of doctors from Australia, Britain and the US.

A. Harris, organising committee member, told IANS that a major topic of discussion would be critical care and pain relief besides looking into the latest developments in anaesthesiology.

The presence of eminent anaesthetist Irene Osborn from the US will provide a major impetus to the more than 500 anaesthetists who will be coming from the country and abroad. She will be chairing a session on 'difficult airway' which is her speciality and has over two decades of experience in clinical, research and teaching, said Harris.

Other major sessions include pain management in the Indian scenario, chronic pain, interventional pain management, simulation workshops to name a few and would be chaired by experts from Australia and Britain.

Delhi's tiniest baby survives: Doctors

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:47:40 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 17 - A private hospital Wednesday said a baby girl, who was born three-and-a-half months premature and survived despite complications, might be the tiniest baby in Delhi.

Born three-and-a-half-months - premature and weighing only 550 grams, baby Pinky showed exemplary courage in fighting all odds and emerging a winner. Doctors treating her claimed that she might be Delhi's tiniest baby to survive after being delivered in the twenty-fourth week of pregnancy, said a statement from Balaji Action Medical Institute.

The baby was delivered Jan 28. Due to the extreme low weight and premature delivery, the baby was in an unstable condition.

Pinky had a renal failure on day three, which was improved with conservative management. The baby also had to be put on ventilator for about 18 days, it added.

Pinky is now double her birth weight - and without any apparent physical or neuro developmental handicaps, which are common in such premature babies, said the statement.

The statement added that the hospital had treated the baby free of cost for two-and-a-half months after she was born.

Indian health experts welcome WHO, Unicef's global plan to end preventable child deaths

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:20:24 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 12 - In an effort to end child deaths due to two major killer, but preventable diseases by 2025, WHO and Unicef have put together a Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhoea -. In India, pneumonia accounts for 23 percent and diarrhoea accounts for 12 percent of under-five - child deaths.

The report, which includes up-to-date strategies and makes recommendations to various countries on interventions needed to reduce child deaths significantly, was released Friday. It also includes an example from India on how private players can be involved for better quality care.

Around the world, pneumonia and diarrhoea account for 29 percent of all child deaths below the age of five, and result in the loss of two million lives each year.

The goal is ambitious but achievable: to end preventable childhood deaths due to pneumonia and diarrhoea by 2025. The momentum needed to achieve such a goal already exists, the report said.

Naveen Thacker, standing committee member of the International Paediatric Association said: We know what happens when the world comes together to take on killer diseases. We have eliminated the threat of small pox and we are drawing close to eradicating polio. Pneumonia and diarrhoea could be next, if we come together again to take action by implementing the integrated approach laid out in the GAPPD.

The solution to tackle these two health challenges does not lie in any major advance in technology. Children are dying because services are provided piecemeal and those most at risk are not being reached. Use of effective interventions remains too low; for instance only 39 percent of babies less than six months are exclusively breastfed, while only 60 percent with suspected pneumonia access appropriate care, the report said.

Two actions - identifying children at greatest risk and targeting them with intervention of proven efficacy - can help bringing down child deaths, the report said.

Children who are poor, hungry and living in remote areas are more likely to be visited by these 'forgotten killers' and the burden placed by pneumonia and diarrhoea on families and health systems further aggravate existing inequalities, the report stressed.

The three-fold strategy that GAPPD proposes is: protect children by promoting good health practices; prevent children from falling victims to pneumonia and diarrhoea by ensuring universal coverage of immunisation and HIV prevention; and treating children who fall ill with appropriate treatment.

Some of the interventions with proven efficacy are exclusive breastfeeding of a child for the first six months; appropriate vaccinations against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenza type b, measles and pertusis; oral rehydration salts - as treatment during diarrhoea; water, sanitation and hygiene interventions; reduction of household air pollution with improved stoves, and the like.

In the Indian context, Madhumita Dobe, chairperson for the Indian Academy of Public Health -, said that access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene - remains a persistent problem.

Diarrhoeal disease is largely preventable and improving access to WASH can play a huge role in preventing the condition, alongside treatment with oral rehydration solution and safe and healthy feeding processes, Dobe said.

By involving care providers, especially frontline health workers and communities, the integrated global plan hopes to reduce mortality from pneumonia in children below five to fewer than three per 1,000 live births, and from diarrhoea to fewer than one per 1,000 live births by 2025.

To reach these goals, other targets must be achieved, and the plan has outlined these - 90 percent full-dose coverage of all relevant vaccines, 90 percent access to pneumonia and diarrhoea case management, at least 50 percent coverage of exclusive breastfeeding during first six months of an infant's life and virtual elimination of paediatric HIV.

At the country level, GAPPD recommends development of a clear strategy and work plan to achieve the goals set, such as generating political will, developing and updating a situation analysis of pneumonia and diarrhoea, collaboration with private sector, academia and civil society and identifying groups at greater risk.

It also recommends that a national working group for pneumonia and diarrhoea prevention be designated and promote innovations to overcome barriers to service delivery.

The report also highlights an example from India on how the informal private sector can be used to improve quality of care. The Point-of-Use Water Disinfection and Zinc Treatment - project in Uttar Pradesh identified and trained 2,000 rural medical practioners - and 500 drug sellers through local NGOs to provide zinc and ORS is rural areas. These unlicensed providers treat 63 percent children under three who suffer from diarrhoea.

Creating such a bridge encourages companies to commit to a new market as it gives them the economic incentive to become active in underserved areas. It also helps rural providers to learn about and have access to zinc and other health products, the report said.

The targets of GAPPD will not be achieved without urgent action by national governments as well as supporting partners at the global level. This document calls on all concerned groups to demonstrate their commitment, allocate resources and work together to make preventable child deaths due to pneumonia and diarrhoea a tragedy of the past, it concludes.

Pakistani teenager undergoes liver transplant in India

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:24:45 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 12 - Madhia Tariq, 16, had no hope of survival when she slipped into a coma after collapsing in her Lahore school in January due to acute liver failure. An air ambulance from Delhi brought the young Pakistani student to India -- and back to life.

Madhia underwent a liver transplant at the capital's Indraprastha Apollo hospital where a team of 18 doctors operated upon her. Her brother Rizwan donated almost half his liver to her Feb 3.

Madhia had developed acute liver failure due to Hepatitis A. She was off the ventilator within 24-hours after the surgery and started eating the next day. Over the following weeks, her condition improved and she is now ready to fly home to Pakistan.

The process of sending an air ambulance to Pakistan, arranging visas for the entire family and taking a decision on the transplant took just 48 hours, which were very crucial, said Anupam Sibal, senior pediatric gastro-enterologist, at the Apollo Hospitals.

He said it was the first time that Apollo Hospitals had sent an air ambulance to any foreign country to pick up a liver transplant patient.

The entire government machinery in both India and Pakistan was extremely helpful, he said.

Neerav Goyal, who operated upon Madhia's brother Rizwan, 25, said undergoing a donor surgery is also very major. It is usually the family members who are the donors.

According to Madhia, her experience in Delhi has strengthened her desire to become a doctor. The Pakistani teenager and her mother and brother are grateful to the Indian doctors for giving her a second life.

With this transplant, the Indraprastha Apollo hospitals has completed 350 liver transplant cases of Pakistani patients, Sibal said.

Pakistani patients form the second largest chunk of patients from any country after India, who have undergone successful liver transplants in our hospital, he said.

The hospital has conducted 1,281 liver transplants in children and adults since the first one in 1998, he added.

Mamata getting better: Doctor

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:02:13 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Kolkata, April 12 - The condition of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is undergoing treatment at a private nursing home in the city, is improving, a doctor attending on her said Friday.

Banerjee was taken to the Belle Vue Clinic shortly after she landed in the city from Delhi Wednesday, with complaint of breathing problems, palpitation and body pain.

The doctor, part of the medical team formed for Banerjee's treatment, said: She is a bit nauseous because of the analgesics - she is taking for the back and knee pain. She vomitted last night, but her condition is improving.

According to the doctor, her discharge date has not yet been decided.

She still has pain in her back and left knee, which is affecting her movements. She is having difficulty while getting off her bed, the doctor said, adding: She just had a cup of tea and biscuits this morning. We haven't yet decided when to discharge her, let us see.

Earlier Friday, Banerjee underwent ECG tests.

Banerjee and her Finance Minister Amit Mitra were Tuesday heckled by activists of the Students Federation of India, the students wing of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, when she went to the Planning Commission office in Delhi for a meeting.

In Delhi Wednesday morning, Banerjee said she had been on oxygen throughout Tuesday night.

WHO, Unicef put together global plan to end preventable child deaths

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:26:33 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 12 - Taking the bull by its horns, WHO and Unicef have put together a Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhoea - aimed at ending preventable child deaths by these two major killers by 2025. In India, pneumonia accounts for 23 percent and diarrhoea accounts for 12 percent of under-five - child deaths.

The report, which includes up-to-date strategies and makes recommendations to various countries on interventions needed to reduce child deaths significantly, was released Friday. Around the world, pneumonia and diarrhoea account for 29 percent of all child deaths below the age of five, and result in the loss of two million lives each year.

The goal is ambitious but achievable: to end preventable childhood deaths due to pneumonia and diarrhoea by 2025. The momentum needed to achieve such a goal exists already, the report said.

The solution to tackle these two health challenges does not lie in any major advance in technology. Children are dying because services are provided piecemeal and those most at risk are not being reached. Use of effective interventions remains too low; for instance only 39 percent of babies less than six months are exclusively breastfed, while only 60 percent with suspected pneumonia access appropriate care, the report said.

Two actions - identifying children at greatest risk and targeting them with intervention of proven efficacy - can help bringing down child deaths, it said.

Children who are poor, hungry and living in remote areas are more likely to be visited by these 'forgotten killers' and the burden placed by pneumonia and diarrhoea on families and health systems further aggravate existing inequalities, the report stressed.

The three-fold strategy that GAPPD proposes is: protect children by promoting good health practices; prevent children from falling victims to pneumonia and diarrhoea by ensuring universal coverage of immunisation and HIV prevention; and treating children who fall ill with appropriate treatment.

Some of the interventions with proven efficacy are exclusive breastfeeding of a child for the first six months; appropriate vaccinations against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenza type b, measles and pertusis; oral rehydration salts - as treatment during diarrhoea; water, sanitation and hygiene interventions; reduction of household air pollution with improved stoves, and the like.

By involving care providers, especially frontline health workers and communities, the integrated global plan hopes to reduce mortality from pneumonia in children below five to less than three per 1,000 live births, and from diarrhoea to less than one per 1,000 live births by 2025.

To reach these goals, other targets must be achieved, and the plan has outlined these - 90 percent full-dose coverage of all relevant vaccines, 90 percent access to pneumonia and diarrhoea case management, at least 50 percent coverage of exclusive breastfeeding during first six months of an infant's life and virtual elimination of paediatric HIV.

At the country level, GAPPD recommends development of a clear strategy and work plan to achieve the goals set, such as generating political will, developing and updating a situation analysis of pneumonia and diarrhoea, collaboration with private sector, academia and civil society and identifying groups at greater risk.

It also recommends that a national working group for pneumonia and diarrhoea prevention be designated, and promote innovations to overcome barriers to service delivery

The targets of GAPPD will not be achieved without urgent action national governments as well as supporting partners at the global level. This document calls on all concerned groups to demonstrate their commitment, allocate resources and work together to make preventable child deaths due to pneumonia and diarrhoea a tragedy of the past, the report concludes.

Primary health workers win government laurels

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:58:13 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 11 - Recognising the importance of ground-level health workers in reducing maternal mortality, the government Thursday conferred awards on nurses, midwives and primary health workers for exceptional contribution to public health.

Nominations for national safe motherhood awards for health personnel were earlier received from across the country.

The awards were given away by Rakesh Kumar, joint secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to ASHAs -, ANMs - and doctors, in recognition of work that helped reduce maternal mortality.

Health workers have been instrumental in making a difference in the lives of women and mothers. Social determinants for health like early marriage and early pregnancy, and child spacing issues need to be addressed, Rakesh Kumar said, after giving away the awards.

Himanshu Bhushan, deputy commissioner, maternal health, in the health ministry, said that the workers awarded Thursday were from 10 high-focus states.

India has seen considerable progress in bringing down the number of women dying due to childbirth-related causes. The country has reduced MMR - significantly from 437 per one lakh live births in 1999 to 212 at present.

The reduction of maternal mortality is also one of the Millennium Development Goals - announced by the UN. The country has set a target of bringing down the maternal mortality rate to 109 per one lakh live births by 2015.

April 11 is observed as national safe motherhood day in India.

Traditional Indian systems of medicine to be promoted abroad

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:25:54 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 10 - As part of an initiative to promote traditional Indian systems of medicine abroad, the health ministry has signed agreements and set up research facilities to collaborate with international universities, an official said.

The department of AYUSH - has been making efforts to promote Indian systems of medicine abroad, a health ministry official said Wednesday.

Among initiatives taken is the setting up of the Centre for Research in Indian System of Medicine - under the National Centre for Natural Products Research -, University of Mississippi, US, to facilitate collaborative research and disseminate information on Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani medicines.

The department also signed a Memorandum of Understanding - with the Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charite University, Berlin -, to conduct a collaborative research on effectiveness and safety of Ayurveda as a treatment system.

An Indo-US interactive meet was organised on AYUSH research to explore the feasibility to conduct joint Indo-US Ayurveda research and to facilitate Ayurveda's entry into mainstream US medicine, the official added.

Apart from this, the health minister of Malaysia visited the AYUSH department and discussed various issues pertaining to cooperation on traditional systems of medicine, the official said.

Bihar's conjoined twins happy over apex court ruling

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:53:50 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Patna, April 10 - Seventeen-year-old conjoined twins Saba and Farah welcomed the Supreme Court ruling Wednesday that did away with the option of a surgery to separate them and directed the state government to grant the family Rs.5,000 per month.

We are very happy and excited, and thank the Supreme Court for its decision to rule out the surgical possibility to separate us. The court's verdict will provide us time to live together, like we have since birth, Saba, lying on a bed with Farah, at their Samanpur residence in the city, told IANS.

Farah said: We are grateful, from the core of our heart. We are also thankful to Allah for it, she said.

The court has directed the state government to ensure that the twins get the best medical attention, and said the Patna district civil surgeon must ensure regular check-ups for the conjoined sisters.

The father of the girls, Shakeel Ahmad, said: The court order has given us fresh hope. Ahmad, who runs a small roadside eatery here, said only the government could help the family.

Ahmad recalled that a few years ago, one of the rulers of a Gulf country had promised to the bear the costs of surgically separating the two sisters. After initial consultations at Delhi's Apollo Hospital, everything was forgotten, he said.

American neurosurgeon Benjamin Carson had travelled to India to study the twins. He had agreed to perform the risky operation, with assistance from Indian doctors.

Carson had warned that surgery would be risky, and only one the girls might survive. Doctors have also said that the option of surgical separation might mean a series of surgeries, since one operation might not suffice.

Although the twins have distinct brains and are neurologically and psychologically normal, only one of them has kidneys.

The apex court Monday directed a panel of doctors, including those from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, to give their opinion on the scope of surgery.

The court direction came on a public interest litigation by Aarushi Dhasmana, a law student at the Pune-based Symbiosis Law School.

Odisha increases retirement age of 873 doctors

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:49:43 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Bhubaneswar, April 10 - Odisha has hiked the retirement age of 873 doctors working in three of its government-run medical college and hospitals by five years to cover the shortfall in numbers, an official said Wednesday.

The doctors at the medical college and hospitals in Burla in Sambalpur district, Berhampur in Ganjam district and at Cuttack, a district headquarters town, will now retire at the age of 65 instead of 60.

The move would benefit 873 doctors, a senior official of the state health department told IANS.

The state currently has 3,936 doctors working in various government hospitals against the sanctioned posts of 4,362. At least 200 posts are vacant in state medical colleges.

The retirement age of the doctors has been increased as another 200 doctors of the medical college and hospitals would retire in the next five years and the required number of medics are not available to fill the posts.

The state government is also considering raising the retirement age of other doctors, especially those serving in rural areas, from 60 to 62, he said.

Besides, the government is planning to hire some doctors on an ad hoc basis to meet the shortfall, he added.

Medical negligence: Father compensated for daughter's death

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:45:42 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 10 - The father of a pregnant woman, who died after a negligent doctor treated her for cancer that she did not suffer from, has been awarded compensation of Rs.5 lakh by the apex consumer court.

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission held Chennai-based doctor Kurien Joseph and Joseph Nursing Home in the city guilty of medical negligence and upheld the Tamil Nadu Consumer Commission's decision that there was medical negligence on their part in giving wrong and irrational medical treatment to the patient for a disease which she did not have.

The rounds of chemotherapy given to her caused untold damage to her and were also responsible for her death, said commission president Ashok Bhan and member Vineeta Rai recently, dismissing an appeal filed by the doctor and the nursing home.

Joseph and the nursing home were directed to pay by June 2 a sum of Rs.5 lakh as compensation to victim G. Ushanandhini's father Govindarajan, failing which the amount would carry an interest of 9 percent per annum, together with Rs.3,000 as costs, the commission said.

The doctor and the nursing home have the option of challenging the decision in the Supreme Court.

Govindarajan, a resident of Jothi Ramalingam Nagar in Perambakkam, sought compensation of Rs.10 lakh in his complaint, which stated that the cancer treatment given to his daughter was not correct since she was not suffering from the disease. Ushanandhini was admitted with complaints of stomach pain and menstural discharge despite being pregnant.

The commission held the doctor and the nursing home guilty of ignoring a pathologist's advice to conduct tests for cancer before starting the treatment.

Despite specific advice of the pathologist to correlate the provisional finding of carcinoma with the clinical picture and conduct biological test in dilutions of the patient, the appellants failed to heed this and did not conduct the required tests nor did they consult an oncologist or get biopsy done, which is the common procedure undertaken in cases of suspected cancer of this nature involving mass in the abdomen and growths, Bhan said.

The doctor and the nursing home took the defence that there were important and more than adequate indicators to confirm that the patient had cancer and that there was no need for other tests, including biopsy, which could have caused her further damage.

The commission rejected the contention and said: We are unable to accept this contention of the appellants.No medical report has been produced to conclude that Ushanandhini was suffering from cancer.

The doctor, not having conclusively established that the deceased was suffering from cancer, should have realised that chemotherapy was ill-advised on the patient. We, therefore, hold that the opposite parties had been negligent in treating the patient and this had been the cause for the death of the patient, the judgment said.

We note that appellants had deposited a sum of Rs.2.50 lakh with the state commission, vide this commission's order of Feb 5, 2008. In that case, this amount be released to Govindarajan with interest accrued thereon and appellants are directed to pay the remaining amount as directed above, Bhan said.

-

Indian vaccine regulatory system meets WHO standards

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 20:29:34 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 9 - The Indian vaccine regulatory system has met the standards set by the World Health Organisation -, health ministry officials said Tuesday.

A WHO-led team of international experts reviewed the National Regulatory Authority of India - and other affiliated institutions and decided that they meet WHO's indicators for a functional vaccine regulatory system, officials said.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization in collaboration with WHO, has made exemplary efforts towards this achievement. The government of India has decided to further strengthen the central as well as the State Drugs Regulatory Systems, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said.

This reaffirms the faith in India's regulatory system and also reiterates the country's strength for the pharmaceutical sector. The effective regulatory oversight of vaccines is especially crucial for India which is a major vaccine producer and also supplier across the globe, health secretary Keshav Desiraju said.

India is a major vaccine producer with 12 major vaccine manufacturing facilities. These vaccines are used for the national and international market -, making India a major vaccine supplier across the globe.

'India must remain vigilant against polio'

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:35:35 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Mumbai, April 9 - Though India has not reported a single case of polio in the past two years, there is no room for complacency as the virus still exists in some neighbouring countries, an official said here Tuesday.

Polio still exists in Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. The virus can travel to India as people move from one country to another. We have to be very cautious and pro-active to ensure that the virus does not re-enter our country, said Rajashree Birla, chairperson of Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development.

She said the World Health Organisation - has advised India to maintain sensitive surveillance and ensure high childhood immunity against the wild polio virus.

This is vital to ensure that no strain of polio is imported to our country until eradication is attained worldwide. In India, we have to continue the momentum, Birla said.

She was speaking at 'Championing the Polio Eradication Drive' with Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan here. The drive is being carried out all over India in collaboration with the Government of India's Health Department, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, Aditya Birla Group and Rotary International.

The WHO declared India polio-free at a time when the world looked at India as the epicentre of the polio virus.

Birla said that around 15 years ago before the nationwide polio eradication drive was launched, nearly 200,000 children were crippled by polio every year.

The government, along with social groups and corporates, ensures that every child in the country is immunized and over 170 million children are administered pulse polio drops to tame the virus.

HC notice to centre, states on cancer-causing agents

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:05:33 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Chandigarh, April 8 - The Punjab and Haryana High Court Monday issued notice to the union government and authorities in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh after admitting a public interest litigation - seeking a ban on cancer-causing agents.

The PIL, filed by activist Hemant Goswami, has sought a ban on all cancer-causing agents identified by World Health Organisation - and the International Agency for Research on Cancer -.

In his petition, Goswami stated: WHO and its affiliate IARC has, in its over 50 years of research, identified hundreds of agents -... Despite such carcinogens having been clearly identified, the government does nothing and such cancer-causing agents frequently make way to the market... and are used in various industries to which people are exposed, and thereby it has resulted in increased cancer prevalence in India.

While seeking a ban on all carcinogens, the petitioner sought that suitable arrangements be made to compensate and provide damages to anyone who is exposed to carcinogens at his work-place or otherwise.

The PIL claimed a nexus between government officials and the industry, due to which carcinogens made their way into the consumer market.

The unholy nexus and collusion between the industry and public servants leads to a situation which results in mortality and morbidity of a large number of people, which is no less than cold-blooded murder, the PIL said.

--Indo-Asian News Service

js/rt/vm

Akhilesh doles out free treatment sop to UP scribes

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 14:23:19 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Lucknow, April 8 - In a major sop to the media, the Uttar Pradesh government Monday okayed a proposal for free treatment to all state accredited journalists at the multi-specialty Sanjay Gandhi Post-graduate Institute of Medical Sciences -.

The facility of free medical treatment was so far extended to journalists at all state government hospitals and health centres. With Monday's cabinet decision, the state accredited journalists would be entitled to free treatment at the premier SGPGI, considered to be out of reach because of the high cost of treatment there.

A decision to this effect was taken by the state cabinet at a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

The proposal was mooted by a group of state journalists during their meeting with the chief minister last year. Yadav assured the delegation that the Samajwadi Party - government was all in favour of such medical facilities being extended to accredited journalists in the state.

Soon afterwards, the state information and public relations department began the spadework on the ambitious proposal, but the file got stuck in legalities and red tape. The issue was taken up by the journalists again in their interactions with the chief minister, and found its way to the cabinet Monday.

There are 375 state accredited scribes in UP.

A revolving fund of Rs.25 lakh has already been created for extending the services to the journalists, sources said.

Hypertension kills 1.5 m each year in South East Asia: WHO

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 16:47:21 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 7 - Nearly 1.5 million people die every year in south-east Asia due to high blood pressure, a World Health Organisation - statement said here Sunday.

High blood pressure or hypertension is the leading risk factor for deaths claiming 1.5 million lives each year. One in three adults has high blood pressure. Males have a slightly higher prevalence of high blood pressure than females in almost all countries, the statement said.

WHO's theme for this year's World Health Day - is hypertension, or high blood pressure.

WHO added that India is not safe from this crisis.

Lack of adequate physical exercise and leisure activities centred around television, computers, improved transportation facilities and mechanisation of jobs has contributed to high blood pressure at a very young age, said Pradeep Chowbey, director, Max Institute of Minimal Access, Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery - at Max Super Speciality Hospital.

The WHO is assisting countries to develop national action plans and set national targets to track progress in preventing and controlling such diseases, including hypertension, and their key risk factors, the statement added.

Detox diets are new trend, but need supervision: Expert

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 16:33:51 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Kolkata, April 7 - Detox diet plans are gradually becoming a trend among diet freaks and health conscious citizens, says an expert but cautions that such regimes should be undertaken only under the supervision of dieticians.

Detox diet is basically an intake plan to cleanse the system by giving the stomach a break from excess which has accumulated and the toxins that are in the body.

Around 65-70 percent of my clients want to opt for a detox diet. But we talk to them to understand the requirement and recommend it if only it is required, says Namita Jain, a dietician and clinical wellness specialist associated with the Bombay Hospital in Mumbai.

But it has to be done under the supervision of a dietician and it has to be done in a scientific way. A lot of people do it on their own, Jain told IANS.

They will starve one day and next day eat and binge, and that really takes a toll on their health, Jain said on the sidelines of the inauguration of the first Diet Mantra Clinic, a wellness clinic in Kolkata.

These are special diet plans to clean the system, when you have eaten too much... It is not at all recommended for children or youngsters and only if a dietician suggests one should start it, she said.

According to jain, there are one-three-five and seven days plans for detox diets.

It has become a recent trend in India but it existed since long all over the world. Spas the world over have had such diet plans to get rid of all the toxins in one's body.

Detox diets may involve consuming extremely limited quantity and type of foods like only water or juice, or eliminating certain foods like fats or processed foods from the diet, according to experts.

Jain said dieting and exercising together are the mantra for keeping one fit. The trick to getting into shape is 80 percent diet and 20 percent exercise. We also advocate walking and bringing in at least one hour of exercise daily to lose weight, Jain told IANS.

Gates Foundation to continue support to Kerala sanitation projects

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 12:55:43 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Thiruvananthapuram, April 7 - The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - has committed to continue supporting sanitation projects in India and make the facility affordable and accessible for people.

We are keen on extending support to ESS - to address the issue of sanitation in India. The aim is to achieve 100 percent sanitation which is affordable and accessible, Doulaye Kone, senior programme officer - water, sanitation and hygiene, BMGF, said here Saturday evening.

The Kerala-based ESS is Asia's only recipient of Reinvent The Toilet Challenge - grant of about Rs.3 crore extended by the BMGF.

Kone is here to analyse operations of ESS, which develops technically and economically viable futuristic toilets for use by common people. Till date, the organisation has successfully implemented close to 450 e-toilet projects in various parts of the country.

The BMGF carries out its sanitation drive across the world through 30 research and development organisations like ESS.

An important challenge for the BMGF is to bring down the cost of sanitation technologies to make the facility more affordable and ESS is currently partnering with the University of South Florida to develop such technologies.

Daniel Yeh, a professor at the University of South Florida, told IANS that a new technology has already been developed and is being tested in a primary school in Florida. The technology converts human waste into energy resources.

We have visited Kuttanad in Alappuzha district and are developing customised solutions to address the specific challenges of such areas in India, said Yeh.

Alappuzha is a popular tourist destination in Kerala where farming activities take place below the sea level.

Tobacco users: Look out for stiffness of the jaw - could be cancer

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 10:43:03 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 7 - Regular smokers and those wont to popping little packs of gutka into their mouths need to watch out for a warning signal - stiffening jaw muscles. Oral submucous fibrosis is the pre-cancerous stage and 10 percent of these can develop into oral cancer, says a top expert.

What is worrying is that smoking is on the rise in India, especially among the young, as is the rise in the consumption of bidis, pan masala and khaini or chewing tobacco. This trend is all the more so in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Stopping tobacco consumption in India would help prevent 65 percent of cancers in India, including 15 percent among women, said Lalit Kumar, professor of medical oncology at the Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences -.

Tobacco consumption can sometimes cause submucous fibrosis, where the jaw muscles get fibrosed and the person can't work the jaw muscles properly. The individual has to take liquids. This is the pre-cancerous stage, Lalir Kumar told IANS.

Ten percent of such cases develop into full-blown oral cancer, where even surgery can't help, he added.

The mucus membranes on the insides of both cheeks get affected by cancer; so there is no scope for surgery. How does one replace them? It is very difficult, said Kumar.

Oral cancer cases are seen largely in southern India, especially Kerala, where chewing betel nut or supari is common.

The premier institute sees around 10-12 cases of oral cancer a year, the doctor added.

Other forms of cancer that tobacco consumption can lead to are of the head and neck, cheek, tongue, the lips and even the posterior part of the tongue - or the oropharynx, he said.

Keeping a cigarette or bidi dangling from the mouth may look hip, but those prone to doing so could run the risk of getting lip cancer.

Tobacco consumption can even lead to cancer of the voice box or larynx, which would lead to removing the larynx, Lalit Kumar said.

He said cancer due to tobacco consumption can even travel down to the food pipe, or oesophagus, and also cause stomach cancer.

Of late, cancer of the head and neck and foodpipe has seen a rise.

For more than 50 percent of all cancers smoking is a major contributor, said Lalit Kumar, adding that smoking is also on the rise among women in India.

Lung cancer is on the rise among women in India as well as cases of cancer of the head and neck. A lot of women in villages smoke bidis and chew tobacco and khaini. It is very popular in Bihar and eastern UP. Tobacco contributes to 15 percent of cancer among women, said the expert.

If we stop tobacco, 50 percent of cancer among men and 15 percent among women can be stopped, said Lalit Kumar.

In India the incidence of cancer due to tobacco consumption is higher. In the US, smoking is coming down. They have a rule that people can't smoke in public places and they stick to it.

In India, under former health minister A. Ramadoss we had legislation to impose a fine for smoking in public places. There has to be social awareness about the dangers of smoking. It has to come from schools and colleges and has to be part of the day-to-day activities. There should be legislation against smoking and it should be followed up, said the expert.

Lalit Kumar dismissed the touted benefits of smokeless tobacco, saying it is equally bad, there is no difference.

Smoking chillums and hookahs, which is a growing fad in plush bars, is bad too, according to Lalit Kumar.

It is equally bad. In villages, people smoke chillums and hookahs and cancer is prevalent among them, he said.

There is not a single thing good about tobacco.

Nearly 90-95 percent of cancer cases in India are related to environment and lifestyle, Lalit Kumar said.

The global burden of cancer includes 12.7 million newly diagnosed cases per year, of which more than half occur in less developed regions of the world. Cancers now account for more than 15 percent of the world's annual deaths -, and that number is rising, especially in less affluent countries.

According to data, the annual incidence of cancer in India per 100,000 people has seen a rise over the years. From 68.6 per 100,000 in 1984, it rose to 78 in 2005 and is slated to soon reach 90 per 100,000 people.

Annual deaths due to cancer have seen a rise - from 266,600 in 1984 to 449,000 in 2005 and is slated to reach 600,000 in 2020.

-

--Indo-Asian News service

rn/kbd/vm

Medics advocate injure-free, safe driving

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 22:00:53 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, April 6 - The medical community Saturday advocated prevention of injuries to avoid exorbitant health bills and loss of productive lives.

As part of a special drive by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences - to make people aware of the need to prevent injuries, doctors came out and asked people to follow careful driving standards.

Every person in society is responsible. It is a gigantic problem. Injury prevention is a social responsibility, M.C. Mishra, chief of AIIMS trauma centre said at a function here.

He quoted figures to say that 88 percent of injuries took place in the developing world.

The trauma centre got 56,000 injury patients in 2012, out of which 10 percent were women.

According to Nobojit Roy, professor of public health at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, by the year 2031, 25 percent of the total work force in the world will be from India amounting to 653 million.

Youth will have to be healthy to be productive, and the biggest problem facing Indian youth are road accidents and not any other health issues, he said.

Participants in the initiative included officials of the transport departments of Delhi and Mumbai.

Rajasthan to begin free medical diagnostic test scheme Sunday

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 20:02:52 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Jaipur, April 6 - Rajasthan will Sunday become the first state in India to have a free medical diagnostic test scheme.

We are launching this scheme from tomorrow -, which is World Health Day. Initially we will provide 57 kinds of tests free of cost to the patients at all the medical college hospitals and 44 tests in district hospitals across the state, said Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot at a press conference here.

Gehlot said that the scheme is likely to benefit lakhs of patients across the state.

The chief minister said that in the second phase from Doctors Day -, 25 types of test would be provided free of cost at Community Health Centres - and from Independence Day - this year, 15 tests will be provided free at Primary Health Centres - and dispensaries.

We are confident of making this scheme successful, Gehlot said, adding his government has taken various measures for the benefit of people, implementing 65 schemes and taking various steps in social security.

Our free medicines scheme has been a great success, he said, adding so far 8 crore patients have been benefited from free medicines scheme, which was launched on Oct 2, 2011.

He said that under the scheme, the government is providing 600 types of generic medicines free of cost to patients in government run hospitals and dispensaries.