Page 33 - Healthcare

New MRI technique reveals changes in brain post Covid-19 infection

The new imaging technique, known as correlated diffusion imaging (CDI), was developed by systems design engineering professor Alexander Wong at University of Waterloo

Water parks, swimming pools a threat to ear infections, say Doctors

Children, in particular, are more susceptible due to their smaller ear canals and tendency to spend extended periods in the water

Sebi issues notices to 4 entities in Fortis Healthcare fund diversion case

Capital markets regulator Sebi sent notices last week to four entities asking them to pay Rs 4.56 crore within 15 days in Fortis Healthcare's case of fund diversion and misrepresentations to conceal the fraud. In addition, the regulator warned of attachment of assets and accounts if they fail to make the payment within the stipulated time. The four entities that received notices are -- Fortis Global Healthcare, RHC Finance, Shimal Healthcare and ANR Securities. The demand notices came after the entities failed to pay the fine imposed on them by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in May 2020. In four fresh notices dated June 9, Sebi directed them to pay Rs 4.56 crore, which includes interest and recovery cost, within 15 days. In the event of non-payment of dues, the regulator will recover the amount by attaching and selling their moveable and immovable properties. Besides, they will face attachment of their bank accounts. Also, the regulator takes the route of arrest

Microplastics getting deposited in human respiratory tract: Research

Microplastics, containing toxic pollutants and chemicals, are increasingly getting deposited in our human respiratory tract, and can pose serious health risks, warned a study

Lack of awareness, family's reluctancy hampering organ donation: Experts

Lack of awareness about organ donation and unwillingness of people to donate their relatives' organs are among the main reasons behind the rising number of patients languishing on a transplant waiting list, experts have said. Dr K R Balakrishnan, Chairman of Cardiac Sciences at MGM Healthcare, said people don't come forward to donate the organs of their loved ones after their death due to lack of awareness and myths associated with it. "India is far behind other nations in terms of having access to donated organs. One of the primary causes of this is a lack of awareness regarding organ donation, Dr Balakrishnan, who is also the Director of the Institute of Heart and Lung Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support (IHLTMCS) at the Chennai-based facility, said at a press conference in New Delhi on June 8. One deceased donor may save eight lives, he said, adding the purpose of this gathering of organ transplant recipients and the medical team is to raise awareness of organ donation

Over 11.4% Indians diabetic, 35.5% suffer from hypertension: Lancet journal

The prevalence of diabetes in India is 11.4 per cent, while 35.5 per cent of people suffer from hypertension, according to the findings of a nationwide survey published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal. The study, conducted by the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and other institutes, also found that the prevalence of generalised obesity and abdominal obesity in India stood at 28.6 and 39.5 per cent, respectively. The results, assessing the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD) across the states, are based on a survey of 1,13,043 (over 1.1akh) people (33,537 urban and 79,506 rural residents), in 31 states and Union Territories in the country, between 2008 and 2020. The survey also showed that 35.5 per cent of Indians suffer from hypertension, 15.3 per cent of people have pre-diabetes, while an alarming 81.2 per cent have dyslipidaemia -- the imbalance of lipids such as cholesterol, low-density

Over 8.3 mn cataract surgeries performed in 5 months, says official

More than 83 lakh cataract surgeries have been performed in the country from January 17 this year till date under a special campaign to clear the backlog created during the Covid pandemic, officials said on Thursday. This has led to the decline in the blindness cases caused due to cataract, they said. Cataract surgeries were largely affected under the National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI) during the pandemic. Therefore, the Union health ministry planned a special campaign for the backlog and targeted to conduct at least 75 lakh cataract surgeries. All the states and UTs were directed to speed up the procedure of cataract surgeries, said a health ministry official. "But we have surpassed the target as over 83 lakh cataract surgeries have been performed since January 17 till now," the official said. According to the NPCBVI carried out from 2015-2019, the prevalence of blindness had declined to 0.36 per cent in 2019. Under the National Health Polic

Kejriwal promises better education, healthcare facilities to Haryana people

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday appealed to people of Haryana to give one chance to his party in the next year's assembly polls in the state, promising to give better education and healthcare facilities. The Delhi chief minister, accompanied by his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann and AAP's Haryana unit chief Sushil Kumar Gupta, was addressing a gathering during "Tiranga Yatra" in Haryana's Jind. Kejriwal, who hails from Haryana, while seeking to strike an emotional chord with the people during the roadshow, said, "Haryana is my 'janmabhoomi' while Delhi is my 'karambhoomi'". Projecting the AAP as the only viable alternative before people of Haryana, Kejriwal asked the gathering that the Congress and the BJP have ruled the state over the years, "but tell me one thing they did right". "Any schools, roads they build...did they give jobs to your children? Then why do you vote for them," he said. "Give me one chance, we will give good education to your children and b

Modi-led BJP govt overhauled India's health infrastructure: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said in the last nine years, the Modi government has overhauled the country's health infrastructure from primary to tertiary level while ensuring free treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh for the poor. In tweets, Shah said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has embraced a future where healthcare is no longer a privilege. "'In #9YearsOfHealthForAll' India overhauled its health infrastructure from primary to tertiary level while ensuring free treatment up to ?5 lakh for the poor," he said. The home minister said the prime minister has harnessed the transformative power of technology making healthcare accessible. "Whether it is Covid Vaccination, telemedicine, hospital registration, or accessing health records, healthcare now is at the fingertips of citizens," he said. The Modi government's major initiative for healthcare is implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme under which those eligible will have a defined benefit co

Centre, states urged to increase number of endometriosis health experts

On an average 1 in 10 women suffers from endometriosis and a total of over 42 million women in India are presently suffering

Global R&D network can ensure access to medical countermeasures: Official

Initiatives such as a global research and development network can help build a future where no one is left behind and access to life-saving medical countermeasures becomes a universal reality, Department of Pharmaceuticals secretary S Aparna said on Tuesday. Delivering the closing remarks at the concluding session of the third G20 Health Working Group meeting here, Aparna appreciated all delegates for contributing their valuable insights on the establishment of a global research and development network within the global medical countermeasures platform to support pandemic preparedness and response. "The discussions have helped to define the pathway for collaborative partnerships and provided us with a framework to envision the global research and development network," she said. Underscoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the healthcare systems around the world, she said the time is now to build collaboration among nations, institutions, and stakeholders through a global ...

Piramal Critical Care appoints US-based Jeffrey Hampton as President, COO

Piramal Critical Care, a part of Piramal Pharma, on Tuesday said it has appointed Jeffrey Hampton as President and Chief Operating Officer (COO). For his new role, Hampton will be based in the United States. He joins the company from Accord Healthcare, where he was President and responsible for accelerating the firm's growth strategy. Before that, he was the Senior Vice President and General Manager at Apotex for the US and Latin America regions. "His experience across the domains of sales and marketing will help us develop stronger, long-term global operations strategies to deliver profitable growth," Piramal Pharma Global Pharma CEO Peter DeYoung said in a statement. His expertise across functions augurs well for the business, as Piramal Critical Care sets its sight to further reinforce its position as a leading global player in complex hospital generics, he added. Piramal Critical Care is a global player in anaesthesia, pain management, and intrathecal therapy. It has a presen

73.7% of healthcare firms pay ransomware demand globally: Research

Healthcare organisations had a 73.7 per cent likelihood of paying a ransomware demand, and they are also the fourth most targeted sector by ransomware attacks (13 per cent) globally, a new report said

Maha Ex-CM Manohar Joshi out of ICU, but remains semiconscious: Hospital

Former Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena stalwart Manohar Joshi was on Monday shifted out of the ICU of a private hospital, where he was admitted last month after a brain haemorrhage, as his health has stabilised though he remains in semiconscious state, said the medical facility here. Joshi (85), a former Lok Sabha speaker, was admitted to the P D Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Centre in Mumbai on May 22. "Mr Joshi has been shifted out of the ICU (intensive care unit) and his health is currently stable. However, he remains semiconscious," said an official statement issued by the multi-specialty hospital. The veteran politician's health is being monitored closely, said the statement. "Our team of experts continues to closely monitor his health," the hospital said. Joshi was the chief minister of Maharashtra from 1995 to 1999 and headed the first-ever Shiv Sena-BJP government formed in the state. A key figure in the undivided Shiv Sena, he served as the Lok

India's successful adoption of digital health tech lesson for world: WHO

India's successful adoption of digital health technologies can provide lessons for accelerating the progress towards universal health coverage for all countries, a top WHO official said on Monday. What is crucial is to achieve a level-playing field for making sure that these technologies are available widely for all countries, Dr Alain Labrique, Director, Department of Digital Health and Innovation at WHO, said. He spoke at a session on "Digital Health Innovations and Solutions to Aid Universal Health Coverage and Improve Healthcare Service Delivery" on the second day of the third G20 Health Working Group meeting here on Monday. "When we talk about digital health, we are talking about strengthening primary health care systems, improving universal health coverage, and timely and relevant data for decision making and resource allocation. Most important, we are talking about equity so that no one is left behind. Digital health is a proven pathway to achieve universal health goals," he

Central govt taking holistic approach to revolutionise healthcare: Shah

The Centre has taken a holistic approach to revolutionise healthcare by implementing a series of initiatives including Ayushman Bharat, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said here on Sunday. Shah, who was in town to take part in the silver jubilee celebrations of the Kochi-based Amrita Hospital, also inaugurated two research centres under the institution. Addressing the gathering, Shah said Mata Amritanandamayi has made immense contribution in creating appreciation for India's rich, spiritual culture and traditions. "She has taught the art of giving to the world. Even after 50 years of serving millions of people, her humility is striking. Amma's ashram built 1,200 houses in Gujarat after the 2001 earthquake. Those villages are locally called Amma's villages. That is the gratitude of the people for the help provided by her in their hour of need," he said. Shah said in the last nine years, the central government has taken a holistic approach to transform healthcare with the launch of ...

Study finds common sleep hormone pill can worsen bowel inflammation

An imbalance of unhealthy and healthy microbes in the intestines may contribute to weight gain, high blood sugar, above-normal cholesterol and other disorders

Threat of pandemics far from over, need to strengthen system: Minister

The threat of pandemics is far from over and the current need is to integrate surveillance systems of countries under the "One Health" framework and strengthen it, Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said on Sunday. "The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted that partnerships are most fruitful only when developed during peacetime and not amidst an ongoing pandemic, and that we need to focus on creating resilient health systems, with primary health as its cornerstone," Pawar said in her address at the third G20 Health Working Group meeting here. G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Tourism, S P Singh Baghel, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, and Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, were present on the occasion. Pawar further stated that the "partnership we share as G20 members is vital and facilitates in building trust, sharing knowledge, creating networks and working together to achieve meaningful impact and results." Pawar also highlighted the ne

G20: India proposes medical countermeasure coordination for public good

India, under its G20 presidency, has proposed a medical countermeasure coordination platform that will help set norms and standards for the common public good, equity and a voice for the global south to effectively deal with challenges of any Covid-like pandemic. The mechanism will focus on strengthening the global application of digital health, Dr Lakshmi Narasimhan Balaji, Senior Adviser Health, UNICEF, said on Sunday. He is attending the third G20 Health Working Group meeting being held here from June 4 to 6. "It took close to one and half years during the Covid pandemic to get a fuller understanding of the challenges related to equity and that the world is not safe if every country is not secure in terms of being able to control any outbreak. "G20 and G7 are powerful push mechanisms to get a global agreement. The medical countermeasure priority paper talks about a platform with a regulatory mechanism and rules of engagement among the countries," Balaji told PTI. He said India

Apollo Hospitals to raise $200 mn by selling 6% stake in online platform

In May, Apollo's fourth-quarter revenue from healthcare services climbed 18.5% and accounted for 51% of its total revenue