November 2024

Nov 18, 2024 New Delhi: A separate central law to deal with offences against health care professionals is not required as the state laws have adequate provisions to address day-to-day minor offences and serious ones can be addressed by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, the National Task Force (NTF) has recommended. The NTF was constituted by the Supreme Court on August 20 to formulate a protocol for ensuring safety and security of medical professionals in wake of the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. In a slew of recommendations made in its report, the NTF said 24 states have already enacted laws to address violence against health care professionals, whereby the terms “health care institutions” and “medical professionals” have also been defined. It said two more states have already introduced their Bills in this regard. The recommendations said most of the state laws cover minor offences and prescribe punishment for them and the major offences or heinous crimes are adequately covered under the BNS. “It has been observed that state laws have adequate provisions to address day-to-day minor offences and serious offences can be addressed by BNS. A separate central law to deal with offences against health care professionals is, therefore, not required,” the NTF said. The task force has recommended that in states where no specific legislation exists to protect medical professionals, the provisions of the BNS 2023 should be used immediately to address acts of violence against them. The Centre has placed the NTF’s report in an affidavit filed in the apex court. In its detailed report, the NTF said for the timeline of implementation, its recommendations have been divided into short-term, medium-term and long-term measures. It has stressed on ensuring due security in health care establishments, including constitution of security committee there, deployment of trained security personnel and coordination with local police. The NTF has recommended that depending on the size and nature of the health care establishments (HCE), adequate number of CCTVs are required to be installed for surveillance. “Distress call system is to be installed in HCE in critical, vulnerable/violence prone areas and other areas as per requirement which should be accessible to medical professionals,” it said. The NTF has also made recommendations about infrastructural development and strengthening of infrastructure, which included well- kept boundary wall with fencing and secured windows. “NTF recommends that medical institutions should endeavour to adhere to guidelines laid down/instructions issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) from time-to-time in respect of duty hours regulation and working conditions for resident doctors,” it said. In its recommendations for strengthening legal framework and capacity building, the task force has said timely intervention (lodging complaint/FIR, including Zero FIR), proper investigation and prompt legal action is necessary to deter potential offenders and create a sense of security amongst all medical professionals. It said public at large and medical professionals in particular may be made aware about legal provisions related to safety and security of medical professionals. The NTF has said effective communication between medical professionals and patients’ families is critical in ensuring a safe environment in medical spaces. “Poor communication is often identified as a major factor in frustration, mistrust and sometimes increased tension resulting in violence or even mob attacks on medical professionals,” it said. It recommended that an internal grievance redressal mechanism should be set up to enable medical professionals to register complaints and redress any threat or offences committed against them. The report stressed on constitution of internal complaints committee (ICC) under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 at each HCE. It said appropriate measures must be taken to prevent any stigmatisation of the complainant. “All HCEs should bring awareness regarding ‘Sexual Harassmentd electronic- Box (SHe-Box)’ which is a single window online access portald for every woman, irrespective of her work status, whether working ind organised or unorganised, private or public sector, to facilitate the registration of complaint related to sexual harassment,” it said. The NTF has recommended that states and Union Territories (UTs) may utilise and further strengthen ‘Women Safety’ infrastructure which has been instituted across the country in last few years, both for safety of women in public places as also for speeding up probe of crimes against women and the judicial process to bring offenders to justice quickly. In its conclusion, the NTF report said implementation of these recommendations would need to allow flexibility in terms of size, scale and sophistication of the HCEs and cannot always be uniform for all. “Accordingly, committees may be constituted and SOPs (standard operating procedures) may be developed appropriately as may be required at different levels of HCEs for implementation of the recommendations,” it said. The task force has said monitoring mechanisms may also be devised accordingly for implementation of the recommendations and the Centre, states and UT administration may ensure that adequate support is provided to all HCEs in this regard. Source: Economic Times

Nov 17, 2024 Mangaluru: Health and family welfare minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Saturday said chief minister Siddaramaiah will inaugurate 10-bedded chemotherapy day care centres in all district hospitals next month. He told reporters after holding official review meetings that patients requiring chemotherapy have no proper facility in govt hospitals at present. Further, govt hospitals also lack oncologists. Hence, the govt has tied up with private hospitals to fill the gap. In Mangaluru, a 10- bedded chemotherapy daycare centre will be opened at Govt Wenlock District Hospital in association with the Yenepoya Hospital, the minister said. The minister said that he received complaints regarding patients being charged for MRI and CT scans at the Wenlock Hospital. “I directed the officials to take measures to resolve the issue or terminate the contractor. Patients should get the facilities free at the Wenlock Hospital. Hence, alternative measures should be adopted to provide the facilities from the hospital itself,” he said. The authorities of the Wenlock Hospital requested the minister to arrange special grants to construct a new building for the mortuary, paramedical college, kitchen, and a bridge to connect two blocks of the hospital. “It may require nearly Rs six to Rs 10 crore to provide all these facilities. I will try to arrange funds from the govt and also through CSR. I asked officials of the Wenlock Hospital and the Lady Goschen Hospital to attend a meeting to be held in Bengaluru to discuss all requirements in the hospitals. By Dec or Jan, all demands will be finalised,” he said. The KMC Hospital has to construct an OPD block for the Wenlock Hospital as per an agreement made in 2017, the minister said, adding that he will hold talks with the KMC Hospital management. He added that the construction of the Critical Care Block building at an estimate cost of Rs 24 crore and Integrated Public Health Lab (IPHL) at an estimate Rs one crore will begin soon at Wenlock Hospital. Rs 6.1 crore for Addoor-Polali bridge repair Dinesh Gundu Rao said the PWD minister Satish Jarkiholi has approved for the repair of Addoor-Polali bridge, which will be taken up at an estimate cost of Rs 6.1 crore. Meanwhile, an estimate cost of Rs 5 crore has been allocated to repair the bridge at Ulaibettu. The works will begin within a month and are expected to be completed in three months. A new bridge at Addoorwill require about Rs 50 — Rs 60 crore, he said, adding that the funds will be sanctioned on priority. Source: Economic Times

Nov 22, 2024 Berhampur: Three healthcare facilities in Ganjam district, among 10 in the state, earned the National Quality Assurance Standard (NQAS) certificate for their outstanding services, as recognised by the Union ministry of health and family welfare. The certified institutes in Ganjam district include Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM) sub-health centres (SHC) at Ankushpur, Anantei and Chamakhandi. The Union health ministry assessment team assessed the performances of the sub- health centres earlier this month virtually and certified them under NQAS. Besides assessing the existing infrastructure facilities, the central team also assessed patient satisfaction, clinical care, services available, availability of drugs and facilities for diagnostics, infection control measures and healthcare outcomes, among others, to certify the institutes under NQAS. The assessment revealed an impressive performance score for the healthcare institutes. The overall score of the healthcare institute in Ankushpur was 87.03%, Anantei 84.16% and Chamakhandi 88.52%, sources said. “We are happy as three of our healthcare institutions have been certified under NQAS,” said Bijay Kumar Panda, chief district medical officer of Ganjam district. “The facilities are delivering quality healthcare and this will continue in the coming days,” he said. He also congratulated the teams of each healthcare institute. The other healthcare institutes that were also awarded the NQAS certificates include AAM SHC, Simulia in Balasore district, Patilo, Jambhara, and Rampas in Keonjhar district, Kantabad, Kodaberini, and Kantia in Khurda district, sources said. The National Health Systems Resource Center, the technical support institute with the National Health Mission under the ministry of health and family welfare, recently communicated to the mission director of the state about the certification of ten public health facilities in the state under NQAS, sources said. Source: Times Of India

Nov 19, 2024 “I still use checkbooks at the bank and don’t own credit cards, debit cards, or any net banking app,” says R. Sampathkumar, an octogenarian from Chennai. A retired deputy manager from Indian Oil Corporation, he is recovering from knee surgery performed seven months ago. He lives with his wife in Chromepet and receives a Rs.5,300 annuity from Life Insurance Corporation. Dependent on his children for most needs, he tells Frontline that people often forget about seniors like him. “Public facilities aren’t planned with old people in mind. The railway station near my house has no escalators, so I must climb stairs whenever I travel. It’s really tough for me.” The digital divide, he adds, makes things even harder. For 81-year-old H. Jayam, leaving her house is a daily challenge. She suffers from joint pain that restricts her movements. A former private school teacher, she tells Frontline: “I used to walk in the park before COVID-19 but had to stop because of my health.” Diabetic for several years, she underwent dialysis in 2014. Now in better health, she keeps busy with simple household chores and cooking for her family. “I’m happy I can still help them, even at this age,” she says. On October 29, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a health insurance scheme for all senior citizens aged 70 and above, regardless of income, under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY). The scheme aims to “overcome the despair of the poor when illness strikes”, with the government covering hospital expenses for beneficiaries up to Rs.5 lakh. Indians have long considered themselves superior to much of the world in treating the elderly, citing mythological stories to show respect for the old. Sadly, modern facts do not bear this out. An Observer Research Foundation (ORF) paper published in September 2024, titled “Caring for the Elderly: Need for a Sensitive Approach”, states that “40 per cent of elderly people in India are in the poorest wealth quintile, while about one-fifth have no income”. The Longitudinal Ageing Survey of India (LASI) 2020, conducted between April 2017 and December 2018, found that “at least five per cent of the elderly had faced abuse, some from those closely related to them”. This figure is especially alarming given the growing elderly population. Source: The Hindu

Nov 19, 2024 New Delhi: Union Health Secretary, Punya Salila Srivastava has written to all Chief Secretaries of states and union territories, urging them to review and strengthen capacities for prevention, preparedness and mitigation against fire accidents in all health facilities. In a letter dated November 19, the Union Health Secretary said, “This is in continuation of this Ministry’s previous communication vide DO letters dated March 23; May 29; June 06; July 30 (copies enclosed), wherein State Health Departments were requested to review and strengthen capacities for prevention, preparedness and mitigation against fire accidents in all health facilities. Further, a detailed checklist on ‘Prevention and Maintenance of Fire Safety’ that may be utilized at facility level had also been circulated to all States/UTs (Copy enclosed).” This directive comes in the wake of a tragic fire at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Jhansi Medical College on the evening of November 15, which claimed the lives of at least 10 infants and left several others with burn injuries. Around 54 infants were being treated in the NICU at the time of the incident. In the letter, the Health Secretary has requested all states and union territories to immediately review and update their fire prevention plans for all healthcare facilities and training of all healthcare staff on fire safety protocols, evacuation procedures, and use of fire-fighting equipment. Additionally, states/UTs have been instructed to conduct regular fire safety drills including evacuation plans, and to implement effective fire prevention measures. This includes regular maintenance and inspection of electrical systems, as well as the installation and maintenance of fire detection and suppression systems such as smoke alarms and fire extinguishers – ensuring all equipment is regularly checked for functionality and compliance, including verification of expiry dates. The Health Secretary also requested all States/UTs to constitute a district-level committee, headed by District Collectors, to oversee fire safety inspections of healthcare facilities. These committees, comprising officials from health, fire services, and public works departments may also be directed to undertake suitable actions against the defaulters, as deemed necessary under the law. Source: Economic Times

Nov 23, 2024 For the first time in decades, public health data from the United States show a decline in drug overdose deaths across the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 111,802 overdose deaths were reported in the 12 months ending August 2023. This number fell to 93,087 in June 2024 (the last month for which data are available) — a 16.4% drop in a 10-month span. But what is leading to this trend is both promising and disturbing. The good Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, lies at the heart of the United States’ drug crisis, and contributes to the majority of overdose deaths. Years of public health messaging and expanded access to treatment options for fentanyl overdose seem to finally be paying dividends. For instance, Naloxone and other medication for opioid addiction have become more affordable, and hence more easily available to drug users. Programmes offering sterile syringe exchanges and fentanyl test strips are also saving lives. The US government’s crackdown on Mexican cartels and international supply chains is making chemicals and other supplies used for making fentanyl harder to get. Pure fentanyl is thus becoming more scarce and expensive — and purity of the product has a direct correlation with its lethality. The bad The data show uneven progress among racial and ethnic groups, and geographic regions. This means that many communities that have been historically marginalised are yet to see much change, if any, in their situation. “There are entire communities that are not seeing that progress,” Dr Allison Arwady, the director of the US government’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, told The NYT. Perhaps more concerning is the fact that some experts actually believe that the government’s public health programmes have played a relatively marginal role in the recent trend. “We don’t have anything that would predict this magnitude of effect this quickly,” Dr Nabarun Dasgupta, an expert on street drugs at the University of North Carolina, told NPR. Addiction experts have pointed to some not-so-positive developments in this regard. The ugly The crackdown on fentanyl has spurred the rise of other drugs, mixed with fentanyl or sold on their own. Street fentanyl, for instance, is increasingly being cut with xylazine, a toxic animal tranquiliser which that can cause skin lesions (even leading to limb amputations in extreme cases) and other long-term health effects. But mixed with fentanyl, it is likely saving lives. This is because xylazine sedates people for hours. If someone consumes fentanyl mixed with xylazine, “you might not shoot another bag of fentanyl, because you’re knocked out,” Colin Miller, a researcher at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, told The WT. There is also some research to indicate that patients admitted to emergency departments for fentanyl overdoses had less severe outcomes when xylazine was also detected. The crackdown on fentanyl has led to the growing spread of other drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine which are not as acutely deadly as fentanyl, although still dangerous. A recent study showed a possible correlation in Ohio between plummeting opioid fatalities and a surge of meth in the state. Source: Indian Express

Nov 21, 2024 Scurvy, a disease caused by severe vitamin C deficiency and once thought to be an illness of the past, has never truly disappeared in Canada. Most recently, 27 cases were reported in Saskatchewan, shedding light on the ongoing risk, particularly among those facing food insecurity or limited access to fresh produce, experts warn. The disease is both preventable and treatable, but without proper nutrition, a person can develop scurvy, which can lead to symptoms like bruising, gum disease, tooth loss and even death. Despite the seriousness of scurvy, it is highly unlikely to develop in people who maintain a diet rich in fresh vegetables, fruit and meats, all of which are excellent sources of vitamin C, explained John Neary, an associate professor of internal medicine and McMaster University in Hamilton. “It’s not exactly a disease of the past, but it still can happen,” he said. “But the amount of vitamin C human beings need for their diet to not develop scurvy is quite low. Essentially, it’s impossible to get scurvy if you eat any fresh fruit or vegetables or meat.” Without sufficient vitamin C, the body cannot properly heal wounds, and the structural integrity of blood vessels and connective tissue deteriorates. Vitamin C also plays a crucial role in the formation of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, bones, teeth, and gums, while helping the body absorb iron and recover from wounds and bums. “Vitamin Cs biological role in the human body is to help stabilize connective tissue,” Neary explained. “When the human body is lacking vitamin C, connective tissues are weaker than they should be, and that leads to phenomena such as bleeding gums, loosening teeth and easy bruising.” Other symptoms can also develop, he said, such as fatigue, weakness, lightheadedness, fainting, and in the end stage, it can lead to cardiovascular collapse and death. Historically, Neary explained, scurvy was primarily associated with sailors and early explorers who, during long sea voyages, were deprived of fresh food sources. This lack of nutrition often led to severe cases of scurvy, as the sailors’ diets consisted mostly of preserved foods that lacked the essential nutrients necessary to prevent the disease. “It has been rare since the mid-19th century. It was primarily seen on long sailing voyages when people had no fresh fruit for months on end. And the advent of steamships largely did away with that,” he said. Since then, Neary said episodic cases of scurvy have emerged throughout the 20th and 21 st centuries, often linked to socio-economic factors such as social isolation. Source: Global News

Nov 23, 2024 Canada’s public health agency on Friday confirmed the first case of clade I mpox in Canada, in an person in Manitoba. The Public Health Agency of Canada said this travel-related case was associated with an ongoing outbreak of clade I mpox in central and eastern Africa. “The individual sought medical care for mpox symptoms in Canada shortly after their return and is currently isolating,” the agency said in a statement. “PHAC is working closely with public health authorities in Manitoba. The National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) notified the province on November 22 that the sample tested positive for mpox clade lb,” the agency further said. The World Health Organization earlier in the day had said that the mpox outbreak continues to represent a public health emergency. The WHO declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years in August after a new variant of the virus, called clade lb, spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring countries. mpox is a viral infection that spreads through close contact and typically causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. It is usually mild, but it can be lethal. The PHAC added that while the risk to Canada’s general population at this time remains low, it continues to actively monitor the situation. It also said that a public health investigation, including contact tracing, is ongoing. (Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard and Christopher Cushing). Source: Economic Times

Nov 22, 2024 Ahmedabad: Experts from across the country participated in TRANSCON 2024, the 49th Annual National Conference of the Indian Society of Blood Transfusion and Immunohematology (ISBTI). This is a major conference on transfusion medicine and blood banks. The three-day event began on Thursday at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. “We saw participation from researchers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers. The participants shared the latest developments in the field and also shared novel cases. Emphasis was also on blood and organ donation drives,” said organisers. Dr Krishan Kumar, SAG, director general of health services (DGHS), delivered the inaugural address, highlighting the importance of innovation and collaboration in transfusion medicine. The practitioners also presented papers and posters on themes such as blood safety, donor management, innovative transfusion practices, and new technologies. Source: Times Of India

Nov 20, 2024 Jaipur: Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Tuesday said providing cheap, accessible and quality medical facilities to the people of the state is the priority of the state government. He instructed officials to ensure all the budgetary announcements related to the health sector should be completed at a fast pace with an effective action plan to realise the ‘Apno Swasth Rajasthan’ concept. Sharma was chairing a review meeting of the Medical and Health Department in the Chief Minister’s Office on Tuesday. Medical and Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khinvsar was also present in the meeting. He informed the chief minister that the process of recruitment on about 48,000 posts by the Medical and Health Department is going on at mission mode and so far appointment have been made on about 8000 posts. Chief Minister Sharma said that to provide quality health services in small cities and towns, the state government has decided to build Ayushman Model CHCs across the state. The chief minister said that free treatment is being provided to the general public under the Chief Minister Ayushman Arogya Yojana. The government has decided to include pediatric packages under this scheme and rationalise the rates of some packages. He instructed the officials to widely publicise the new provisions added to the scheme. Source: Economic Times