Finance ministry approves launch of National Health portal

The ambitious National Health Portal, a database proposed by the Union health ministry for storing the medical records of all citizens, has got an approval from the finance ministry.
The proposal will now go to the Union Cabinet for its nod, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Trivedi said here today, while inaugurating 'International Conference on Medical Electronics: Partnering for Access and Affordability' organised by FICCI.
He said the health ministry adopted a three-pronged initiative two years ago to put in place a National Health Portal, a 24-hour, 3-digit National Emergency Media Service Number and an Indian Health Information Network.
The National Health Portal, recommended by the National Knowledge Commission, would make optimum use of technology for establishing a database for the medical records of all citizens and other health related issues.
The portal would put information on standardisation and protocols in the public domain. The effort would also be to ensure that the medical records of all citizens are electronically stored for easy access by pathologists and doctors for diagnosis and treatment of patients.
The Minister lamented that the Health Ministry's proposal for acquiring railway land for setting up diagnostic centres at the 8000-odd railway stations has been hanging fire for the last year and a half. His suggestion that a beginning could be made by taking up 20 pilot projects has also not seen the light of day, he remarked.
Published: Thursday, Jun 2, 2011, 19:08 IST
Place: New Delhi | Agency: PTI

Lifestyle diseases afflict rich and poor alike

Cases of hypertension and diabetes exceed malaria and water borne ailments like jaundice, cholera and diarrhoea. An emerging trend of these lifestyle diseases are being recorded in the health camps organised by the civic body.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has set up over 37 health camps across the city. In all of these centres, a hike in the number of cases of hypertension and diabetes is being recorded. More number of people are being treated for these diseases than typical monsoon ailments.
Strikingly, such cases are coming from the non-affluentsections of society. To reach out to the masses, majority of the health camps are centered at slums dwellings and similar areas.
“There is a visible trend of such lifestyle diseases at the health camps. Most of the cases are of hypertension amongst the people approaching the health camps. Also there are cases where citizens have been detected with high sugar level. They are provided effective treatments for diabetes,” said Manisha Mhaiskar, additional municipal commissioner (health). Usually, in July monsoon ailments such as malaria, jaundice, cholera and diarrhoea rule the roost. However, till July so far, only 2,271 positive cases of malaria have been registered. The figures stood at 3,637 positive cases in June. While in May there were 4,503 cases. In the last three months, the slide positivity rate (SPR) of the malaria has been linearly declining from 3.2 to 1.6. The figures at the same time last year stood at 17,000. And the SPR stood at a high of 8.
The downswing has been also been recorded in case of water borne ailments. Rajul Patel, health committee chairman too maintained that the cases of the waterborne ailments have also stabilised.
Sporadic cases of unfit water samples are seen from Bhendi Bazaar and Kalbadevi. Mhaiskar stated that cases of malaria and waterborne ailments have decreased due to early intervention and strong vector control exercise-- this helped us reduce the parasitic load of the disease.
This peculiar trend of lifestyle disease at health camps contrast with the stereotypeof lifestyle diseases being restricted to affluent class. “Till now it was accepted that diseases like hypertension and diabetes are most prevalent amongst the affluent. But with such cases of these non-communicable diseases being observed in the health camps, we can no longer restrict these to a specific stratum of society. We are rendering medical services for its effective treatment,” added Mhaiskar.
This financial year, the BMC has allotted additional budget for the lifestyle diseases. “The health camps are helping us reach out to the people. From next month, 24 additional dispensaries will cater to lifestyle diseases. This will not only help us tackle the cases at OPD level but also lower admission rate in the hospitals,” Mhaiskar added.
Published: Monday, Jul 25, 2011, Mumbai | Agency: DNA

Indians most depressed people in the world, says WHO study.

Indians are the world's most depressed people with nearly 36 per cent suffering from Major Depressive Episode (MDE), the cluster of symptoms of depression, according to a WHO-sponsored study.
The study found that people living in wealthier nations like Netherlands, France and the US were less happy and more depressed than those in poorer ones.
Netherlands with an average 33.6 per cent case of MDE came second while France and US were placed on third and fourth positions with 32.3 per cent and 30.9 per cent cases respectively.
In India, around 9 per cent of people reported having an extended period of depression within their lifetime and nearly 36 per cent suffered from MDE.
The average age of depression in India is 31.9 years compared to 18.8 years in China, and 22.7 years in the US.
The study, published in the BMC Medicine journal, is based on interviews of more than 89,000 people in 18 different countries.
One in seven people (15 per cent) in high-income countries is likely to get depression over their lifetime, compared with one in nine (11 per cent) in middle and low-income countries, the study says.
MDE is characterised by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy and poor concentration, besides feeling depressed.
WHO ranks depression as the fourth leading cause of disability worldwide and projects that by 2020, it will be the second leading cause.
Women are twice as likely to suffer depression as men and the loss of a partner, whether from death or divorce, was a main factor, the study reveals.
Depression affects over 120 million people worldwide. It can interfere with a person's ability to work, make relationships difficult, and destroy quality of life. In severe cases it leads to suicide, causing 850,000 deaths a year.
Jul 27, 2011, 18:19 IST | Updated: Wednesday, Jul 27, 2011, 18:39 IST Place: London | Agency: PTI

Finance ministry approves launch of National Health portal .Published: Thursday, Jun 2, 2011, New Delhi | Agency: PTI

The ambitious National Health Portal, a database proposed by the Union health ministry for storing the medical records of all citizens, has got an approval from the finance ministry. The proposal will now go to the Union Cabinet for its nod, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Trivedi said here today, while inaugurating 'International Conference on Medical Electronics: Partnering for Access and Affordability' organised by FICCI. He said the health ministry adopted a three-pronged initiative two years ago to put in place a National Health Portal, a 24-hour, 3-digit National Emergency Media Service Number and an Indian Health Information Network. The National Health Portal, recommended by the National Knowledge Commission, would make optimum use of technology for establishing a database for the medical records of all citizens and other health related issues. The portal would put information on standardisation and protocols in the public domain. The effort would also be to ensure that the medical records of all citizens are electronically stored for easy access by pathologists and doctors for diagnosis and treatment of patients. The Minister lamented that the Health Ministry's proposal for acquiring railway land for setting up diagnostic centres at the 8000-odd railway stations has been hanging fire for the last year and a half. His suggestion that a beginning could be made by taking up 20 pilot projects has also not seen the light of day, he remarked. Read the Complete Article......

Medical negligence victims can now post complaints online

Published: Wednesday, May 25, 2011,
The Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) has decided to introduce an online complaint platform to help medical negligence victims ensure quick resolution of their issues.
This will be a major relief for patients who were awaiting justice in medical negligence cases. In the past few years, about 598 cases of alleged medical negligence have piled up at the council, waiting to be cleared.
On Saturday, an executive committee was formed with Dr Kishor Taori as president and Dr Avinash Yelikar as vice-president.
Other members of this committee are Dr Shivkumar Utture, Dr Bipin Pandit, Dr Santosh Kadam, Dr Manoj Dehsmukh, Dr Ravi Wankhedkar and Dr SD Nandkar.
“To deliver immediate justice, we are going to introduce a system where medical negligence victim can file his complaint online on our website which will start within a month. After receiving a complaint, we will not delay any procedure. The concerned doctors and complainants will be called to resolve the issue as early as possible,” said Dr Taori.
The committee has the right to suspend a doctors’ license depending on the nature of negligence. Dr Utture said, “Earlier, the MMC working committee used to sit for meetings once in two months. Now, we will call meetings depending on the gravity of the pending cases.”
Original Article

Finance ministry approves launch of National Health portal

Published: Thursday, Jun 2, 2011, 19:08 IST Place: New Delhi | Agency: PTI

The ambitious National Health Portal, a database proposed by the Union health ministry for storing the medical records of all citizens, has got an approval from the finance ministry. The proposal will now go to the Union Cabinet for its nod, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Trivedi said here today, while inaugurating 'International Conference on Medical Electronics: Partnering for Access and Affordability' organised by FICCI. He said the health ministry adopted a three-pronged initiative two years ago to put in place a National Health Portal, a 24-hour, 3-digit National Emergency Media Service Number and an Indian Health Information Network. The National Health Portal, recommended by the National Knowledge Commission, would make optimum use of technology for establishing a database for the medical records of all citizens and other health related issues. The portal would put information on standardisation and protocols in the public domain. The effort would also be to ensure that the medical records of all citizens are electronically stored for easy access by pathologists and doctors for diagnosis and treatment of patients. The Minister lamented that the Health Ministry's proposal for acquiring railway land for setting up diagnostic centres at the 8000-odd railway stations has been hanging fire for the last year and a half. His suggestion that a beginning could be made by taking up 20 pilot projects has also not seen the light of day, he remarked.

Read the Complete Article......

Postpartum Family Planning

Postpartum Family Planning (PPFP)

Birth spacing intervals are relatively short in India. Healthy spacing of 3-5 years between births is an effective way to prevent maternal and child mortality and morbidities. Socio-cultural and structural barriers, including limited awareness, socio-cultural norms, and misconceptions need to be addressed for behavior change. Hence the objective was to understand these barriers and accordingly develop separate messages for young women, her husband and her mother-in-law.

Postpartum IUD (PPIUD)

What is this intervention?

• PPIUD is the insertion of an IUD within 10 minutes after expulsion of the placenta by a trained midwife or physician. It is a different technique than interval insertion.

Why is it needed?

• Allows the client to leave the facility with an effective method that can be long-acting, or used for 24-36 months.
• It is cost-effective for the client, who does not need to return to the clinic multiple times for FP.
• It is cost-effective for the provider, who requires only minutes to perform the insertion after delivery and needs fewer instruments than for an interval insertion.

FDA: Repairing Pelvic Organ Prolapse With Surgical Mesh Risky

The risks of placing mesh through the vagina to repair pelvic organ prolapse may outweigh its benefits, according to the FDA.
Risks include mesh protruding out of the vaginal tissue (erosion), pain, infection, bleeding, pain during sexual intercourse, organ perforation from tools used in the mesh placement, and urinary problems. Additional surgeries and/or hospitalization may be needed to treat the complications or remove the mesh.
During pelvic organ prolapse, the internal structures that support the pelvic organs such as the bladder, uterus, and bowel drop from their normal position and "prolapse" into the vagina. Pelvic organ prolapse surgery can also be performed through the abdomen or vagina with stitches or surgical mesh to reinforce the repair and correct the anatomy. Surgical mesh is also widely used in hernia repairs and to treat stress incontinence.
In 2010, there were at least 100,000 pelvic organ prolapse repairs that used surgical mesh, and about 75,000 of these were transvaginal. These are the only procedures that the new FDA mesh warning applies to.
The FDA first issued a safety communication in 2008 after they received reports of adverse events associated with the transvaginal placement of mesh. Since then, the number of adverse events has increased, although they don't always differentiate between transvaginal and abdominal procedures. The group also reviewed the literature on the use of mesh for this procedure.
Now, the FDA will convene an outside panel of experts in obstetrics and gynecology to meet in September 2011 and discuss the safety and effectiveness of surgical mesh used to treat pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence.

FDA: Risks Outweigh Benefits

"We do not see conclusive evidence that using mesh for the transvaginal approach to pelvic organ prolapse improves clinical outcomes anymore than transvaginal procedures that do not use mesh," says William Maisel, MD, the deputy center director for science at the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health in Silver Spring, Md. "These devices appear to expose patients to greater risks."
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Doctors must possess six virtues, says Abdul Kalam

Former President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam on Thursday highlighted the six virtues that doctors have to possess since a doctor is expected to work with compassion.

The six virtues, he said, are — generosity, ethics, tolerance, perseverance, concentration and being intelligent.

Dr. Kalam was speaking at a function held at the Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre (MMHRC) here to commemorate the ‘10 years of operations of Smile Train in India' doing corrective surgeries for persons affected by cleft lip/palate.

The function also marked the completion of 5,000 corrective surgeries at the MMHRC in partnership with Smile Train, USA.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Health Ministry ropes in IIM-A to promote AYUSH

The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) is drawing up recommendations for the Union Health Ministry on how can AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) medicines be promoted better in the country. IIM-A has been entrusted with the task by the Department of AYUSH.
IIM-A professor Anil K Gupta said that currently AYUSH makes up barely 0.4 per cent of the total healthcare system in India, so the aim is to integrate AYUSH systems among themselves and also with allopathic medicine.
“AYUSH has not been able to reach people in rural and urban areas. It is an affordable medical system for the rural and urban poor. Even for the affluent it is a preventive system that is greatly useful because it targets lifestyle, food, mental health and overall well-being,” he said.
The recommendations will be finalised after a three-tier set of programmes concludes. At present, the third set of dignitaries, including doctors, researchers and field workers, is attending a five-day programme at the institute. Original Article

Private practice by government doctors no criminal offence: court

Private practice by a government doctor cannot be construed as a criminal offence, and at the most, departmental action can be taken against him or her, the Supreme Court has held.

In a big relief to government doctors, a Bench of Justices Markandey Katju and Gyan Sudha Misra said: “The demand for/receipt of fee while doing private practice by itself cannot be held to be illegal gratification as the same obviously is the amount charged towards professional remuneration. It would be preposterous, in our view, to hold that if a doctor charges fee for extending medical help and is doing that by way of his professional duty, the same would amount to illegal gratification as that would be against even plain common sense.”

Read More 

Three top medical institutes to mentor 6 AIIMS clones

NEW DELHI: India's best medical institutes will mentor the six new AIIMS-like institutions that are under construction.
Union health ministry has put three of the best known existing medical institutes — AIIMS Delhi, JIPMER Puducherry and PGI Chandigarh — in charge of helping the six new institutes find their feet.
"It will be like a hand-holding exercise to show them the way," a ministry official said.
AIIMS Delhi, will mentor the two new institutions at Patna and Bhubaneswar, PGI will hand hold the ones in Rishikesh and Jodhpur, while JIPMER will provide able guidance to AIIMS prototypes in Bhopal and Raipur.
Complete Story

MCI to keep tab on doctors' count

NEW DELHI: India's "invisible doctors" are giving the Medical Council of India (MCI) a major headache.


According to MCI's Indian Medical Register that was last updated in April 2011, the nation supposedly boasts of 840,678 registered medical practitioners.

The data includes names of doctors who were registered way back in 1933. Chances of these doctors being alive is dim, admits MCI.

Till date, neither the Union health ministry nor MCI has strictly pushed for re-registration of doctors, thanks to which, India isn't sure about how many doctors it actually has.

MCI will ask the ministry to make it mandatory for all doctors to re-register with the country's 24 state medical boards, and MCI every five years.Complete Article

Top U.K. award for Indian doctors

Two teams of medical professionals from India were awarded top honours at the British Medical Journal Group Awards distributed on Wednesday.

The award for ‘Medical Team in a Crisis Zone' went to ‘Doctors for You' for their flood relief work in Bihar in 2008; and the award for ‘Innovation in Health Care' went to Professor Subhashchandra Daga and his team at the Maharashtra Institute of Medical Education and Research Medical College for their work in neo-natal health.

Read the complete Article