Page 17 - Health Medical Pharma

Don't resort to agitation, Pondy govt tells doctors

: Puducherry government has directed the medical fraternity here not to resort to agitation scheduled Monday to protest against the attack on two doctors in Kolkata recently. Director of Health and Family Welfare Services K V Raman in a press release Sunday said the members of the Indian Medical Association have been asked not to go on strike, as such conduct would be a violation of the conduct rules governing civil servants. A dharna has been planned for an hour in front of the Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Research Institute here on June 17 to protest against the attack of two doctors in NRS medical college and hospital in Kolkata recently. The director said that the patient care should not be at stake. He, however, said that the government was fully concerned about the safety of all doctors and also about prevalence of congenial atmosphere for proper practice of medical profession. He said that the government was also pursuing steps for early tabling

Striking doctors ready to meet Mamata - in media's presence

The striking doctors in West Bengal on Sunday decided to hold talks with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to immediately end the impasse but said there should be media coverage of the deliberations to avoid discrepancies.

Goa doctors to join nationwide protest on Monday

Medical professionals in Goa has decided to join the Indian Medical Association's (IMA) call for a nationwide closure of non-essential medical services on June 17 to show solidarity with doctors in West Bengal and support the demand for a special legislation to make assault on doctors a non-bailable offence.

Hospitals in Delhi to join IMA's strike call on Monday

Healthcare services at several government and private hospitals in the national capital are likely to take a hit on Monday as scores of doctors have decided to boycott work for a day in support of their striking colleagues in West Bengal. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) had given the June 17 strike call with the withdrawal of non-essential health services across the country. IMA members will also stage a dharna at its headquarters here. Doctors at the Centre-run Safdarjung Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital, RML Hospital as well as Delhi government facilities such as GTB Hospital, Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital,Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital and Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital will not function on Monday. The IMA said all outpatient departments (OPDs), routine operation theatre services and ward visits will be withdrawn for 24 hours from 6 am on Monday to 6 am Tuesday. Emergency and casualty services will continue to function, it said. Junior doctors in West ...

Will set up state-of-the-art research centre for encephalitis in Muzaffarpur: Dr Harsh Vardhan

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said the Centre would set up a state-of-the-art research centre here within a year to deal with the menace of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES).Referring to different theories doing rounds about the spread of AES, which has claimed 84 lives so far, Dr Vardhan said: "There is a need of a state-of-the-art research centre to tackle this challenge in Muzaffarpur which will work in collaboration with the ICMR and the WHO."He said that the children who got admitted here have low blood sugar and sodium levels, and there is an electrolytic imbalance in their systems."In 2014, the Union Health Ministry discussed the reasons for this medical condition. There are questions as to whether this is because of toxic reasons due to litchi consumption," he said."Some doctors were of the opinion that heat and humidity may be the reason behind this. These reasons call for a state-of-the-art research centre," he added."When we got to know that this issue is

UP woman ends life by jumping off hospital building after death of her newborn

A 22-year-old woman died after allegedly jumping off the terrace of a district hospital here after the death of her newborn girl, police said. Chief Medical Superintendent of the district hospital, Alka Sharma, said the woman was upset over the death of her daughter within a few hours of birth last week. She was suppose to be discharged from the hospital on Sunday. However, the woman went to the terrace on the third floor of the hospital building and allegedly jumped from there, Sharma said.

Muzaffarpur: Encephalitis kills 93, public creates ruckus as Harsh Vardhan visits

As deaths due to encephalitis in Muzaffarpur mounted to 93 on Sunday, people created ruckus at a government-run hospital here while Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan was visiting to take stock of the situation.Those demonstrating alleged inadequate services by the hospital and negligence by politicians.Vardhan, accompanied by his deputy Ashwini Choubey, visited Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) where 79 children have lost their lives. The central ministers, however, had to face public outrage as black flags were shown to their convoy.A visibly distraught man, whose brother is admitted in the hospital, took off his shirt and protested against visits by political leaders and also alleged medical negligence."No one listens to us. Why do these politicians come here if they do not want to listen or care about us? Who made them leaders? We chose them and made them leaders. They are all thieves. Our children are dying. All leaders and media make a visit every day and then

Heatwave claims 56 lives in Bihar

Heatwave has claimed 56 lives in Bihar with 32 deaths being reported from Aurangabad, 7 from Nawada and 17 from Gaya, authorities said Sunday.Confirming the deaths in Aurangabad, Civil Surgeon Dr Surendra Prasad Singh said that the toll could rise further as the number of patients being admitted in hospital with heatwave-related symptoms was increasing.Nawada District Magistrate Kaushal Kumar said seven deaths have taken place in the region and 11 patients have been referred to Pawapuri Medical College.Gaya-based ANM Medical College and Hospital Superintendent Dr Vijay Krishna Prasad said, "11 people have died due to the heatwave in the past two days whereas six patients were brought dead to the hospital. Forty-four people are being treated in the hospital."He said, "The hospital administration has made necessary arrangements for the treatment of the patients. A sufficient number of beds have been made available. Manpower has also been augmented in the hospital. Medicines are ...

IMA to hold nationwide protest protest on Monday against attack on doctors

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) will hold a nationwide protest on Monday against the beating of doctors in West Bengal, said Dr Ranjan Sharma, president of the doctors' national body, on Sunday.Dr Sharma said that they would also stress for the enactment of protection law for the doctors and amendment in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC)."We need amendments in IPC and CrPC so that anybody who indulges in acts of violence against hospitals and doctors is taken to task as per the laws," said Dr Sharma while talking to ANI.Terming the strike of doctors in West Bengal as the failure of the system, Sharma said: "All that was asked was a visit to the victim by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Is it too much? And if you did not meet, then why to insult them?"Sharma said that there is a need for CCTV cameras and guards, who are actually concerned about the security of doctors."At NRS Hospital in Kolkata, there were cops on duty inside the emergency complex.

WB: Junior doctors strike enters sixth day in Siliguri, patients suffer

Junior doctors strike entered the sixth day on Sunday in the Siliguri district hospital and North Bengal Medical College and Hospital here resulting in a hassle for patients and their relatives.A protest erupted after an intern was allegedly attacked at the Nil Ratan Sarkar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital by the relative of a patient who died on June 10.Speaking to ANI, a relative of a patient said, "My mother suffered from a heart attack on Friday and now she got paralysis. Doctors are not looking after her properly. They asked for a CT scan but they have not examined the report carefully.""Now doctors have released my mother from the hospital and I have to take her home. This is an emergency situation and if there is a strike going on, they should make arrangements to look after the patients properly," he said.A patient said, "I was admitted yesterday and doctors are not attending me."On June 15, West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi had asked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee .

Harsh Vardhan reviews situation after 84 children die of encephalitis in Bihar

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday stressed the need for research on Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) that has caused the deaths of 84 children so far in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district.

Striking doctors ready to meet Mamata - with media present

The striking doctors of West Bengal on Sunday decided to hold talks with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to immediately end the impasse but said there should be media coverage of the deliberations to avoid discrepancies.

25 batches of drugs of 18 pharma companies found substandard since Jan 2018 by BPPI

The Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI), which implements the Centre's flagship affordable medicine scheme PMBJP, has found 25 batches of drugs of 18 different pharmaceutical companies to be of substandard quality since January 2018, according to an official document. While 17 out of the 18 companies are private, one is a public sector unit (PSU) -- Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited (IDPL), according to the document. Both the BPPI and the IDPL work under the Department of Pharmaceuticals of the central government. Once the affordable generic drugs are procured from pharmaceutical companies by the BPPI, they are supplied to various Janaushadhi Kendras that are managed under the Pradhan Mantri Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP). There are 4,677 Janaushadhi Kendras functional in the country, as on December 31, 2018. Batches of two drugs of AMR Pharma India Private Limited - one an antidiabetic drug Voglibose and the other a hypertension drug Telmisartan - were found to be ...

Patients bear brunt as junior doctors continue stir in WB

Patients have been facing the heat of junior doctors' protest in West Bengal as services remain affected in state-run hospitals and colleges for the sixth day on Sunday. At SSKM hospital in Kolkata, Raiganj-resident Samuel Haque, who was admitted with a cardiac problem, said he was uncertain about his treatment. His brother said, "We came to Kolkata last Sunday when everything was normal and the outpatient department was functioning. We admitted him on an emergency basis, with doctors giving date on Tuesday for check-up, following which the date of surgery was to be decided." But now no doctor is attending to Haque, he said. Senior doctors say they don't have enough hands to conduct tests, he said. "His condition is deteriorating. We cannot take him home because it is very difficult for my brother to travel long distance in trains. We will wait till Monday." Services in emergency wards, outdoor facilities and pathological units of many hospitals have been hit. The doctor's strike ...

AI tool can predict psychosis risk from your speech

Scientists using artificial intelligence have discovered a hidden clue in people's language that can accurately predict whether they are likely to develop psychosis in future. The machine-learning method more precisely quantifies the semantic richness of people's conversational language, a known indicator for psychosis. The research, published in the journal npj Schizophrenia, shows that automated analysis of the two language variables -- more frequent use of words associated with sound and speaking with low semantic density, or vagueness -- can predict whether an at-risk person will later develop psychosis with 93 percent accuracy. Even trained clinicians had not noticed how people at risk for psychosis use more words associated with sound than the average, although abnormal auditory perception is a pre-clinical symptom. "Trying to hear these subtleties in conversations with people is like trying to see microscopic germs with your eyes," said Neguine Rezaii, who conducted the ...

Doctors say better health infrastructure could have contained Encephalitis

As Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) continues to claim lives in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district, medical doctors have said that better health infrastructure could have helped contain the disease and save lives.The death toll in Bihar, which is grappling under the deadly encephalitis, touched 84 till Sunday afternoon.Randeep Guleria, Director at AIIMS told ANI, "Unfortunately, encephalitis is common in Bihar and many types of research are being done. Our aim is to get control over the deaths. There is a need to increase health infrastructure.""AIIMS is ready to give support. The central government is also looking into it. Over the next few years, we will be able to control Japanese Encephalitis," he said.National President of Indian Medical Association, Doctor Ranjan Sharma said that the IMA should be roped in by the government to suggest remedies of Encephalitis, which usually breaks out in summers."Every year it is being said that everything has been done to contain it but it still ...

Here's how mother's immunity transfers to her baby

To help the newborn immune system learn to discriminate between friend and foe, mothers transfer antibodies to their infants via the placenta, recent findings suggest.As part of a recent study, a team of researchers has determined how a pregnant woman's vaccine-induced immunity is transferred to her child, which has implications for the development of more effective maternal vaccines."Newborns arrive into the world on the first day of life with brand-new immune systems that, like the children themselves, need to learn to cope with both helpful and harmful microbes in their environment," explained Galit Alter, co-senior author of the study published in Cell paper.According to the researchers, to help the newborn immune system learn to discriminate between friend and foe, mothers transfer antibodies to their infants via the placenta.The rules by which the placenta performs this absolutely essential function have been unknown but if decoded, could hold the key to generating more powerful

AES deaths: Harsh Vardhan chairs meeting with Aswini Kumar, Bihar health minister

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday chaired a meeting with Mos Health Aswini Kumar Choubey and Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey here as Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) has claimed 84 lives till now.Doctors of Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) were also present in the meeting.Earlier in the day, Harsh Vardhan met the patients and their families. He also reviewed public health measures for containment and management of AES.Earlier, attendants of patients admitted to the government hospital SKMCH alleged that there were no doctors on call during the night."My daughter is in the ICU room of SKMCH. The death toll is increasing day by day. There were no doctors after 12 in the night and only nurses are here. There are four bodies inside ICU," Mohammad Aftab told ANI.Another attendant, Sunil Ram said, "My four-year-old daughter was admitted to hospital on Saturday. She was declared dead today. There is no facility in SKMCH."In the wake of the fatalities, ...

Excess weight, body fat cause cardiovascular diseases: Study

Turns out, excess weight does more harm to the human body than we might think. According to a recent study, excess weight and body fat cause a range of heart and blood vessel diseases.In particular, the study published in the European Heart Journal, shows that as body mass index (BMI) and fat mass increase, so does the risk of aortic valve stenosis - a condition in which the valve controlling the flow of blood from the heart to the body's largest blood vessel, the aorta, narrows and fails to open fully.As part of the study, the team of researchers used a method called Mendelian randomisation to explore this phenomenon further.Mendelian randomisation is a way of showing whether or not individual risk factors actually cause disease, rather than just being associated with it. It uses genetic variants that are already known to be associated with potential risk factors, such as BMI and body fat, as indirect indicators or "proxies" for these risk factors.This enables researchers to discover

Vardhan writes to RS chairman for early consideration of allied and healthcare professions bill

Union minister Harsh Vardhan has written to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to expedite the reconstitution of a parliamentary panel for early consideration of a bill aimed at regulating and standardising the education and services provided by allied and healthcare professionals. The Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill, 2018, was introduced in the Upper House on December 31, 2018, by former health minister J P Nadda. It was then referred to the parliamentary standing committee on health and family welfare for its recommendation. "Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has written to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to expedite the reconstitution of the parliamentary standing committee on health and family welfare for early consideration of the Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill," official sources said. The bill provides for setting up of an Allied and Healthcare Council of India and corresponding state allied and healthcare councils, which will play the role of a ...