NRHM to launch hygiene programme for rural girls

NRHM to launch hygiene programme for rural girls

Bangalore, April 20, DHNS :

The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) will launch the menstrual hygiene programme for adolescent girls in nine districts of the State from May, said Dr V D Palekar, project director (Reproductive and Child Health), NRHM.

Under the one-year pilot project, estimated 10 lakh girls aged between 10 and 19 will be given six sanitary napkins per cycle by their respective Primary Health Centres (PHCs). The nine districts include the six districts of north Karnataka and Chamarajnagar, Kolar and Chitradurga in south Karnataka. Attending the consultative meet on ‘child care during mother's sterilisation’ organised by the Family Planning Association (FPA) India, Bangalore branch, Dr Palekar said the budget for the project - Rs 20 crore - will be released by the Health ministry. Meanwhile, Dr Naina Rani, deputy director, Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS (PPTCT) programme, NRHM integration, Karnataka State Aids Prevention Society (KSAPS), said that contrary to the notion, HIV positive women could give breast milk to baby till six months. She added that instead of tubectomy (sterilisation method for women), HIV infected women should be given post partum IUD (PPIUD) till the HIV status of her child is clarified. Dr Sheela Mane, vice-president of the FPA, Bangalore branch, said women in urban areas were suffering from breast abscess and found it difficult to give breast milk to their child. Dr Mane said since the number of deliveries was more in bigger hospitals, few deliveries had the presence of pediatrician. “Without checking the baby's condition, we don't do sterilisation. We also don't conduct sterilisation on women who have not had normal pregnancy, hypertensive during pregnancy, anaemic or any other health problems,” she said.

Source http://www.deccanherald.com/content/155386/nrhm-launch-hygiene-programme-rural.html

Azad writes to MCI board, wants it to be fair and transparent

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has asked the board of governors of the Medical Council of India (MCI) to be absolutely transparent, and fair and free in their decisions.

In a letter addressed to S.K. Sarin, the chairperson of the board, the Minister assured the MCI of all help from the Ministry and said that instructions had been issued to officials not to interfere in the functioning of the MCI.

Mr. Azad drew the attention of the board to touts, being used by the managements of some institutions to get clearance for the colleges by illegal means. He said these touts collect money from interested institutions in the name of the government, office-bearers and MCI members, thereby bringing a bad name to everyone.

“As such, I would like you to caution the members of the newly constituted board of governors that they have to be vigilant and keep their eyes open since their every step is being watched by the entire country with high expectations,” the letter said. 

READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE.....

NGO Seeks Bill For Protection Of HIV Patients' Rights

A Hyderabad based NGO has demanded a parliamentary bill for the protection of the rights of HIV positive patients.

World Vision, which works with AIDS and HIV positive people, maintains it should be a legal requirement that such patients be treated humanely and brought into the mainstream.

World Vision Advocacy Director Reni Jacob put forward the demands on behalf of their patients, and appealed to the Central government to pass the HIV bill.

Read more:

Barcoding of medicines to be made mandatory, says DCGI

Patiala, Apr 9 (PTI) The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has proposed to make it mandatory for medicines meant for domestic supply to bear barcodes. "We propose for the addition of serial numbers to the unit-pack level on all medicines destined for use in the domestic market," Surinder Singh of DCGI told reporters here. The unique identifier (UID) number will also be printed on the pack in a user-readable format so that it can be sent via text message to a centralised phone number for authentication, he said. Singh said the Commerce Ministry had unveiled an ambitious scheme to add serial numbers to all medicines to be exported this year - via the printing of GS1-compliant 2D barcodes on primary packaging and 1D or 2D codes on secondary packaging. President of Indian Drug Manufactures' Association N R Munjal said the total cost of the printing of 2D barcodes will add another burden on the industry and the cost of drug will escalate by about 40 per cent, which will further burden the consumer.
Read the Complete Article......