Think India Foundation

Now, doctors a call away at Bhopal

BHOPAL: Consulting a doctor from the comfort of your home will soon be possible as telemedicine service is likely to start at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhopal, in the coming fortnight, according to officials.

Initially, simple two-way consultation would be offered through a call-centre, which would operate from the medical college at AIIMS Bhopal. After it is fully functional, telemedicine service would be extended to even district hospitals in the state. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Hypertension: India's silent killer (May 18 is World Hypertension Day)

New Delhi : 

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. Read more

Source : www.business-standard.com

Karnataka registers marginal rise in mortality among men

Bangalore : The State registered a marginal rise in mortality rate among men and reported a decline among women in 2011 according to the Sample Registration System (SRS) statistical report 2011, prepared by the office of Registrar General of India.

While 8.2 men per 1,000 died in 2011 as against 7.7 men per 1,000 in 2010, which, incidentally was higher than the national average of 7.8 men per 1,000, the death rate among women in 2011 was 5.9 per 1,000 as against 6.6 per 1,000 in 2010. Read more

Source : www.deccanherald.com

Weight loss surgery a growing fad in India

With obesity on the rise, India is emerging as one of the fastest-growing centers in the billion-dollar global market for stomach-shrinking, or bariatric surgery.

Reducing the size of the stomach is a drastic approach to losing weight

Weight-loss operations are gaining in popularity in urban centers all across India. Two years ago, Karsan Patel, a businessman from Mumbai, who weighed 162 kilograms (356 lbs.) suffered from severe diabetes and sleep apnea. He could barely walk a few steps without feeling breathless and as a consequence his business activities also suffered. Read more

Source : www.dw.de

‘In India, even cancer patients don’t want to undergo mastectomy’

New Delhi: Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie’s decision to go public about having undergone preventive breast cancer surgery has received massive public attention and has been welcomed by women who share her predicament of having a family history of breast cancer.

Image used for representational purposee only.Reuters

Risk of breast cancer is a growing worry for women in urban India, given that the number of reported cases has been rising in recent years. Read more

Source : www.firstpost.com

UPA on media blitz to showcase its feats

NEW DELHI: I&B minister Manish Tewari on Monday launched a multi-media initiative with the theme 'Glimpses of the India Story' to showcase the achievements and highlights of nine years of UPA rule. 

The publicity campaign seeks to highlight the impact of policy decisions at the ground level for inclusive growth and participatory governance. The ad spots have been directed by Pradeep Sarkar of 'Parineeta' fame while the radio jingles have been written by Javed Akhtar and sung by Shaan and Sunidhi Chauhan. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

‘Indian comprehensive healthcare not ready yet’

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.

‘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. Read more

Source : health.india.com

Andhra Pradesh's biggest hospital faces water crisis

HYDERABAD: Osmania General Hospital, the biggest state-run institute, is receiving just 10% of its daily requirement of around 3 lakh litres of water and is struggling to meet its water needs, officials said.

Patients and doctors have been hugely inconvenienced as sterilization of instruments, cleaning of operation theatres is being compromised, exposing patients to more infection, doctors said. Also, water shortage also increases the use of disposables, thereby increasing the hospital expenditure. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Gurgaon lacks toxic waste disposal policy

GURGAON: There is no policy or guidelines for disposing of toxic waste generated by city hospitals and nursing homes in the city. This shocking fact came to light in a recent RTI reply.

According to the RTI reply, there does not seem to be any specific policy or instructions to dispose of the toxic waste generated by city hospitals, nursing homes and clinics in a safe manner. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

DDA hikes floor area ratio for hospitals by over 25%

NEW DELHI: Delhi Development Authority has raised the floor area ratio (FAR) of hospitals by at least 25%. The increase is based on the width of the right of way (ROW) and subject to NOC from agencies concerned. Experts say private hospitals are likely to benefit the most as they can build an additional floor. 

The FAR hike was recommended by a healthcare committee constituted by the urban development ministry . The change was proposed and approved in a DDA meeting held on Wednesday. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Shameful: More newborns die in India than anywhere else in the world

India accounts for 29 percent of all the first-day deaths globally, the highest for any country, according to the ‘State of the World’s Mothers’ report released by ‘Save the Children’ on May 6^th 2013. This dismal rank puts a question mark over claims made by the Union government in regard to have taken concrete steps to improve child mortality in the country. 

The health ministry does not independently estimate the number of day old child deaths but had in 2011 estimated the early neo-natal mortality rate (number of infant deaths less than seven days of life per thousand live births) to be 24. The ‘Save the Children’ report identified three key factors for alarming number of day old children deaths in the country: preterm birth, severe infections and complications during childbirth. Read more

Source : health.india.com

'Britain to help Maha govt to raise health infra in state'

Mumbai : The Maharashtra government will partner the UK for strengthening and upgrading health infrastructure in the state's urban areas, state Health Minister Suresh Shetty said today. 

At a meeting with British Cabinet Minister Kenneth Clarke, Shetty said Britain's partnership would be helpful to provide state-of-the-art health services to the urban areas. Read more

Source : www.business-standard.com

India, US joint research gets fresh leg up

New Delhi : India and the US will announce eight new agreements between top research universities at a summit level meet in June in a bid to give fresh impetus to their education diplomacy under the $10 mn Singh Obama 21st Century Knowledge Initiative. 

Eight Indian universities will each tie up with an American university handpicked by top researchers in the latest phase of the initiative, named after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama. The universities will collaborate on research projects on climate change, demographic gains, public health, sustainable infrastructure development, renewable energy and agriculture education. Read more

Source : www.hindustantimes.com

Modern lifestyle leaves urban folk wheezing: Expert

VARANASI: There is a sharp increase of asthma patients due to environmental pollution and lack of awareness towards the disease and its morbidity. "There is a need to create awareness among people about asthma, a modern-day disease caused by environmental pollution," said Dr JK Samaria, professor and head, department of chest disease, Institute of Medical Sciences,Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and national secretary of Indian Chest Society.

"Besides, the rapidly increasing modernisation and consequent changes in lifestyle has caused rapid increase in asthma prevalence," said Samaria, adding that being concerned about the rapid growth of the disease, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared first Tuesday of May as World Asthma Day. This year the World Asthma Day is being observed on May 7 with the theme 'You can control your asthma'. The WHO has set a target of reducing the asthma disease by 50% in the years to follow, he said. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Despite success stories, most cities still offer a dark reality

While the majority of Indians still live in rural areas, this, too, is changing fast. From 1970 to 2010, India's urban population grew by 250 million. The next quarter-billion will be added in half that time. By 2030, 70 per cent of India's GDP will come from its cities.

But cities are simply unable to cope with the influx of migrants on the current scale. The fast-growing metropolises of India, China, Brazil, and other major emerging economies offer plenty of jobs, but basic amenities are lacking; as a result, many of the urban poor live in slums, without adequate health care, water supplies, or electricity. Read more

Source : www.timesofoman.com

National Campaign 'Humara Bachpan' Launched in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: Every child has a right to live in a safer and healthier living condition so as the children living in urban poverty said Mr. Devi Prasad Mishra, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Odisha launching “Humara Bachpan” a national campaign on young children living in urban poverty, Shri Mishra assured the support of his department in building safe and healthy physical environment for children.

On this occasion Padmashri Jockin Arputham, a Magsaysay Awardee & President, International Slum Federation emphasised on a child friendly neighbourhood which could be guaranteed by providing access to housing and basic services to the urban poor with practical planning. Read more

Source : indiaeducationdiary.in

Could India's polio eradication success story be a model for its other health issues?

In the 1940s and 1950s, polio was considered a global epidemic, with thousands of new cases arising each day throughout the world.  Families in the United States kept their children out of public places such as parks and swimming pools, worried they would catch the disease. Between 1950 and 1954, doctors say some 22,000 US citizens were paralyzed by the virus. In 1952, the same year scientists developed an effective polio vaccine, almost 58,000 children were reported to be infected in the US alone, leaving 3,300 dead and thousands paralyzed.  

In India, the journey toward eradicating the disease has been a long one. By 1988, when the World Health Organization (WHO) passed a resolution to eradicate polio, 1,000 people a day worldwide were still being stricken by the virus. India accounted for around half that, with 450 children infected with polio every day, says Deepak Kapur, chairman of Rotary International’s India PolioPlus Committee. Read more

Source : www.minnpost.com

Piling e-waste turning Hyderabad city toxic

HYDERABAD: Throwing out your old computer in a garbage dump may lead to mercury poisoning and a possible brain stroke. Confused? Experts on e-waste (electronic waste) management warned Hyderabadis against the hazards of not disposing e-waste properly and going by their claims, the city could have its very own Erin Brockovich story if immediate steps are not taken. 

In fact, some say the city is at the top spot when it comes to illegally converting PC monitors into television sets especially during lucrative periods like the ongoing IPL season, and later dumping them in water bodies. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

‘Waste management is a social responsibility’

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Minister of State for Human Resource Development (HRD) Shashi Tharoor has said that a health policy cannot stand isolated from issues such as waste management and water management, which are the responsibilities of the society as a whole rather than that of any particular government department.

Tharoor said this while delivering the inaugural address at a seminar organised by the State Government to formulate a draft health policy here on Saturday. Read more

Source : newindianexpress.com

Special panels to curb sex tests in urban areas of Maharashtra

MUMBAI: To curb the practice of pre-natal sex determination in urban areas, the state government has decided to set up special vigilance committees in Mumbai, Thane, Pune and other municipal corporation areas. "The functioning of the committees will be monitored by the municipal commissioner of the area," said public health minister Suresh Shetty. 

The decision to set up such committees was taken at a meeting of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) committee on Friday. The committee, which comprises advocates, women MLAs and NGOs, was formed to curb the declining child sex ratio in the state. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Cabinet nod for fund-strapped urban health drive

NEW DELHI: The Cabinet cleared a financially-pruned National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) on Wednesday — a move that will help the UPA spruce up its poll manifesto with another 'achievement' to showcase in the next year's parliamentary polls. 

The current financial allocation for the mission stands at a paltry Rs 1 crore for this fiscal. But, the mission, which is now treated as a part of the overarching National Health Mission (NHM), was cleared by the Cabinet after health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, building on assurance from the finance ministry, told his colleagues that the ministry would mobilize much larger quantum of funds for the 'sub-mission'. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Drug regulator without updated list of drugs sold in India

NEW DELHI: Copying the western drug regulators that provide accurate information on drugs marketed in their countries, the Central Drug Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) proudly told the department-related parliamentary standing committee on health and family welfare that similar actions had been taken in India. However the list was so full of inaccuracies that the parliamentary committee directed Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to remove it from its website immediately. 

In May 2012, the parliamentary committee looking into the functioning of the CDSCO recommended that with the information technology resources currently available, a centralized databank (e.g. licenses issued, cancelled, list of sub-standard drugs, prosecutions etc.) may be created to which all the State Drug Authorities should be linked. In its Action Taken Report (ATR) the health ministry informed the committee that data regarding 85,000 brands of drug formulations approved by the various state licensing authorities as obtained from the State Food & Drug Control Administration (FDCA), Gujarat had been uploaded on the CDSCO website. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Slum-dwellers losing faith in public health facilities

 Mumbai : AROUND 18 per cent of people in low-income slums are moving from above poverty line to below it, reveals a new study on the health of urban poor by International Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai.

The study, which covered Pune, Bhubaneswar and Jaipur, attributes this to the fact that a large majority of the urban poor is opting for expensive private health services, leading to massive "out-of-the-pocket expenditure". Read more

Source : www.indianexpress.com

Child immunization programme in 184 districts

New Delhi: 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. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Empire of maladies: What ails urban India?

Politics, paani puri & pollution — almost anything can hold our health hostage. A map of India's top malaises

 

Empire of maladies: What ails urban India?

The northern and southern most states of the country are facing some trouble in their head and heart. Over 55 per cent of the population suffers from some form of mental trauma in Kashmir, owing to decades of political turmoil. In Chennai, the prevalence of Coronary Artery Disease — one of the leading causes of death globally — is 11 times higher today than it was in the 1960s. And there we have it. Though middle class, urban India growing at a phenomenal rate (in three years, there'll be 53.3 million such households), invests generously in the wellness industry — pegged at Rs 49,000 cr — the rampant lack of well-being in our cities is surprising. Mirror spoke to researchers, doctors and residents across India to examine this disconnect, and ask them a simple question — what ails us and why? The answers were wide-ranging. Some connections, such as that between oral cancer and tobacco were apparent, others like the one between air pollution and infertility we wouldn't have guessed. In each case, however, experts stressed that while solutions are at hand, implementation through improved healthcare facilities and individual care is needed. Read more

 

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Only 25% of Indian have access to modern health care: Union minister

CHENNAI: To achieve significant progress in implementation of National Rural Health Mission and in higher education, the private sector needs to play an pro-active role, said Dr M Mangapati Raju, Union minister of human resource development on Saturday. "No doubt that the government has to facilitate an incentivizing mechanism to involve private sector. Government of India had taken a policy decision of developing public private partnership models in all these activities. I hop these models may attract more private sector participation during the XII Plan period," he said addressing the 17th convocation of Sri Ramachandra University, Porur. 

Only 25% of the Indian population have access to the modern tertiary health care, which is practiced mainly in urban areas, where two thirds of India's hospitals and health centres ate located, Raju said "India also lags behind the developed nations in the doctor-patient ratio. There is one doctor for 1,953 people or a density of 0.5 doctors per 1,000 population coupled with acute shortage of nurses and health delivery personnel. There is an urgent need for strengthening public health through creation of necessary human resource capacity at all levels," he said. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation suspends 2 officials

PUNE: The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has suspended two officials for irregularities in the purchase of tuberculosis testing machine for Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial (YCM) hospital in Pimpri. A departmental inquiry has also been initiated against them.

Municipal commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi said the civic administration has suspended stores in-charge Tanaji Lokhande and deputy accounts officer Dnyandeo Garade. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Vaddem lake fish not fit to eat: Kuvelkar

VASCO: Vaddem's residents have been warned against consuming any fish from the lake, where, a week ago, dead fish were found afloat. "The fish are not fit for human consumption," Dr Vikas Kuvelkar, health officer, Urban Health Centre, Vasco, told TOI on Thursday.

He said the fish could have died due to lack of oxygen as the water is shallow and the temperatures are high, as well as the pollution caused by dumped wastes. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

India's mobile user base makes ideal market for mobile health services: Frost

mHealth solutions can strengthen the healthcare delivery system for rural population

The number of mobile health (mHealth) initiatives in India is likely to grow thanks to the robust mobile technology infrastructure and the launch of 4G. Changing diseases profiles, increased adoption of smart phones, advancements in mobile technology and greater focus on health and wellness are factors that will contribute to the growth of mHealth in India, says a report by Frost & Sullivan.

Currently, there are more than 20 initiatives for mHealth in the country. It is still a fledgling concept and most of the initiatives undertaken are only a couple of years old. The market has very few successful business models and it will be at least two to five years before a successful model emerges. This is due to the large disparity in mobile infrastructure in rural and urban India, the report said. Read more

Source : www.business-standard.com 

Immunisation drive targets kids in high-risk urban zones

Lucknow : After achieving almost 66 per cent coverage in immunisation level across the state, the Uttar Pradesh government has launched a special routine immunisation campaign for identified high-risk zones in urban areas.

The campaign is expected to cover almost 63,000 high risk sites identified in all 75 districts, vaccinating children who have been left out in routine immunisation camps due to migration of families and further increasing the immunisation coverage of the state. Read more

Source : www.indianexpress.com

Cidco warns of illegal disposal of biomedical wastes

NAVI MUMBAI: The city and industrial development corporation (CIDCO), which is the civic authority for major part of Navi Mumbai, has appealed to the medical practitioners to dispose bio-medical waste according to the norms meant for waste handling and disposal.

It is has been noted by the Public Health Department of City and Industrial Development Corporation that Medical Practitioners were disposing Bio-Medical waste in the regular Municipal Solid waste bins. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Enforce pillion rider helmet rule: Doctors

Mumbai : According to the Bombay Neuroscience Association, every year, India has been getting the rather unenviable distinction of having the highest number of cases of head injury in the world.

To bring down the number of deaths due to road accidents the active participation of the traffic police and civic body is a must, city doctors have said. Read more

Source : www.dnaindia.com

Crackdown on land sharks to start soon in Noida

NOIDA: Concerned over massive encroachment of floodplains in the NCR, a high-level meeting was held in Noida Authority office on Monday in which officials decided to crack down on violators. Environmentalist Sunita Narain, environment pollution authority chairman Bhure Lal and senior police and administration officials of west UP, Delhi and other NCR towns also discussed ways to curb rising pollution levels.Noida Authority also assured that measures will be taken for providing parking facilities, promoting public transport and addressing traffic congestion issues.

On Monday, while reviewing existing systems in place in the twin cities, the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority appointed by the apex court stressed on the deplorable medical waste disposal facilities and management in Noida and Ghaziabad. Apart from this, the pollution control body also directed the Authority not to damage parks for creating parking space. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Why it is important to boost Indian healthcare

Indian healthcare industry is a disappointment on various levels.  

Healthcare in India: Why it is important to boost Indian healthcare

Though we may have the best technologies and doctors, Indian healthcare still lacks infrastructure in terms of paramedics, clinics, diagnostic centres and affordable healthcare. To get a broader picture, we got Aman Gupta, Principal Advisory for India Health Progress (IHP), an independent call-for-action forum dedicated to improve health care across India, to explain how we can address the lacunae in health care in India. Read more 

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Neonatal mortality rate declines in Rajasthan, but still above national average

JAIPUR: The neonatal mortality rate (NMR) in Rajasthan has decreased but it is still among the top four states with highest NMR in the country. In Rajasthan, 37 infants out of 1,000 live births die before completing 29 days, says the sample registration system (SRS) statistical report of 2011, prepared by office of the registrar general. 

However, the NMR in the state is constantly on decline. In 2008, it was 43, it reduced to 41 in 2009 and in 2010 it was recorded at 40. It has reduced to 37 in 2011, as per the latest SRS report. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Umeed project for Bandra's slum children

MUMBAI: The project Umeed, as the name suggests focuses on fulfilling the hopes of children and the communities in Bandra. Umeed project hopes to enhance the lives of urban slum children in the areas of child protection, education, vocational training, child participation and health in the project area.

With this aim the Umeed project is being implemented since June 2009 and reaches out to approximately 1800 families (specifically in four communities in Bandra named Garibnagar, Pipeline, Patel nagar and Kherwadi). 'Basti Ki Dhamal' is an event organized to let the community and stakeholders (children, women, parents, local groups etc) get a platform to bring the community together and create a space for innovative expression. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Biomedical waste posing a threat to human life

KOZHIKODE : Many hospitals in the state have been found to flout norms stipulated by the state in disposing off biomedical waste or utilising the services of IMAGE, the biomedical management body of the Indian Medical Association, which is entrusted with handling biomedical wastes produced in the state.

 At present, the services of IMAGE are being utilised only by 4,103 hospitals and clinics out of about 15,000 in the state. Read more

Source : newindianexpress.com

Infrastructure of Odisha medical colleges to be developed

Berhampur (Odisha) : With the Medical Council of India agreeing to the Odisha government's proposal to increase the number of MBBS seats in each government-run medical college from 150 to 250, their infrastructure would also be developed. 

"Since MCI has agreed to increase the number of seats, infrastructure will be developed in all government medical colleges," Health and Family Welfare minister Damodar Rout said here today. Read more

Source : www.business-standard.com

India must emerge as leader in low-cost vaccines by 2020: APJ Abdul Kalam

Solan : Former president APJ Kalam on Thursday said India should emerge as the leader of low-cost vaccines for HIV, cancer and Malaria, and set the target of producing 20 per cent of world generics drugs by 2020.

"India is rich in bio-diversity which could be of immense use in the field of drug evolution and the Pharma industry and pharmacists should do exhaustive research and evolve drugs based on traditional Indian plants and herbs to combat many of the prevalent diseases around the world," he said referring to his 'Pharma Vision 2020'. Read more

Source : www.dnaindia.com

Cabinet plans sops ahead of LS polls

New Delhi : Moving into an overdrive with political clamour rising, the UPA government is set for an image makeover by taking crucial decisions having possible implications before the next general elections.    

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would be chairing a Cabinet meeting on Thursday to decide on issues ranging from special economic package for Janata Dal (United) ruled Bihar to a new health mission for urban areas, in addition to new stringent anti-corruption norms for bureaucrats and a new system for appointment of judges of the high courts and the Supreme Court. Read more

Source : www.hindustantimes.com

Ahmedabad, India Launches Pioneering Heat-Health Action Plan

Ahmedabad’s groundbreaking Heat Action Plan is being launched today, with AMC Commissioner Shri Guruprasad Mohapatra saying, “Our Heat Action Plan provides the roadmap we need to save lives when the next dangerous heat wave hits.”  The plan is headed for formal administrative approvals next week.

A group of partner organizations in India and the US has been working since 2011 to develop the Heat Action Plan. Today, the efforts of many terrific people -- public health and policy experts at the Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar; Public Health Foundation of India; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University; Georgia Institute of Technology; and we at the Natural Resources Defense Council, supported by the Climate & Development Knowledge Network-- are being launched as an actionable Plan. Read more

Source : switchboard.nrdc.org

Karnataka government seeks Rs. 149 crore from Centre to boost pharma education

BANGALORE: With an aim to boost and strengthen drug administration in the state,Karnataka government has sought a grant of Rs 149 crore from the central government. A proposal has been sent to the central government authorities including the Planning Commission for consideration.

Addressing the participants at the health regulatory practices workshop, M Madan Gopal, principal secretary, health and family welfare department, Karnataka said: "The main focus of the government is to develop quality enforcement wing, drug testing laboratories and quality pharmacy education, in Karnataka. The state has one of the best drug administrations in India, which has been appreciated by the centre. If the proposal is approved by the centre, it will give a boost to the pharma industry in Karnataka." Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

CYSD Plan Project to organise 2-day Gramina Swasthya Mela for adolescent girls from April 22

Bengaluru : The Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD), Karanjia, Orissa, a non-governmental organisation, will organise the Gramina Kisori Swasthya Mela for 150 participants at the Rural Livelihood Training Centre, (RLTC) Kapundi, Patna from April 22 to 24, 2013.

The key objective of the event is to protect the adolescent girls.  “Now within an integrated approach, health services can play an important role in helping adolescents to stay healthy,  treating those who are ill, injured or troubled and reaching out to those who are at risk,” said Dr Pramod Nanda, APM (Health) CYSD Plan Project. Read more

Source : www.pharmabiz.com

Pneumonia rife in Mumbai city’s overcrowded slums

MUMBAI: Paediatrician Dr Deepak Ugra, who was the former head of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics, said pneumonia is the biggest killer of Indian children. "There would be a higher incidence in Mumbai's slum children because they live in overcrowded and unhygienic surroundings," he said.

Of course, these grim statistics are quite lower than they were two decades ago. In 2011, globally, around 7 million children younger than 5 years died from preventable causes while the corresponding toll 20 years ago was 12 million. In India, under-five mortality fell from 100 children dying for every 1,000 live births in 1995 to 60 deaths in 2010. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Karnataka health dept makes Rs.149-cr proposal to strengthen drugs control dept

Bengaluru : Karnataka department of health and family welfare has proposed for Rs. 149 crore to strengthen the drugs control laboratory and enforcement wing.

Incidentally, the Union government under its 12th Plan has taken a decision yesterday to allocate Rs.1200 crore to improve the drug administration in the country for the development of the drugs control departments across the country. The government is now looking to spruce up its laboratory for drug testing and bolster the enforcements wing which are critical components to ensure high quality and safe drug manufacturing in the country. Read more

Source : www.pharmabiz.com

Doctors in Andhra secure 'work permit' to escape rural stint

HYDERABAD: Dozens of doctors in state-run hospitals are evading rural postings through "work permits", which health department sources said was an eyewash to allow influential doctors continue with their urban jobs and lucrative private practice.

During the last one year, at least 100 government doctors in the twin cities who were given rural postings, managed to dodge a government order, and are continuing their practice in Hyderabad, based on permissions obtained from the Director Medical Education (DME), in clear violation of government and Medical Council of India norms. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Why India needs to worry about communicable diseases like dengue

A new multinational study suggests that the dengue virus will find its way into cities that have no prior history of infection thanks to the unplanned way urban areas have come up in India. The global mapping study which was done by Oxford University found that India had 33 million dengue cases which accounts for one-third of the infections across the world every year. India’s climate and huge population have both been favourable for the spread of the disease.

‘With globalisation and the constant march of urbanisation, the virus may enter areas that previously were not at risk, and number of infections may increase in areas that are currently affected,’ said Professor Simon Hay, a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. The effect of urbanisation on dengue is apparent with a significant jump in the number of dengue cases in Mumbai in the last three years – from 115 in 2010 to 1,008 last year.  At present, there is no treatment or vaccine to treat the infection. Read more

Source : health.india.com

Solar lighting at Koraput hospital

KORAPUT: The Koraput district administration is going to install rooftop solar photovoltaic cells at the district headquarters hospital here. Officials said though the new solar energy system will not be able to fully meet the power requirement of the headquarters hospital, it will lessen dependence on hydropower.

"Initially, all works at the maternity ward will be carried out using solar power. Water heating and lighting at the ward will be done with the help of solar power and there will be zero dependence on grid for power to this ward," said collector (Koraput) Sachin Jadhav. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

India leads the world in dengue burden: Nature

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Dengue, the world’s most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral disease, is taking a far bigger human toll than was believed to be the case. As many as 390 million people across the globe could be falling victim to the virus each year, according to a multinational study published by Nature on Sunday.

Collector Ashish Kumar inspects a dengue fever ward in Tuticorin Medical College Hospital, in Tamil Nadu on December 5, 2012. Photo; N. Rajesh

India emerges in the analysis as the country with the world’s highest dengue burden, with about 34 per cent of all such cases occurring here. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

‘Urbanisation, unplanned growth main cause for BP’

BANGALORE : The Department of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday observed World Health Day, albeit on a small scale owing to the poll code of conduct which has been put in place.

A doctor examining a participant at a camp to mark World Health Day in Bangalore on Sunday. Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Following the theme set by the World Health Organisation — Blood Pressure or Hypertension, the programme for the day started off with a blood pressure camp. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com