Team JGJ

Nov 08, 2024 Bengaluru: The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has approved Johnson & Johnson’s device for a type of condition which causes abnormal heart rhythm, the company said on Thursday. The device, Varipulse, is a pulsed field ablation system which uses small burns or freezes to cause some scarring in the inside of the heart to help break up the electrical signals that cause irregular heartbeats. Medical device makers such as Boston Scientific and Medtronic also have devices approved for atrial fibrillation, a condition that is characterized by an irregular rhythm of the healt. The health regulator has approved the use of the J&J device for the treatment of drug refractory paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, in which the symptoms are occasional and usually last between a few minutes and hours. (Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta) Source: Economic Times

Nov 12, 2024 Faridabad: Amrita Hospital has partnered with the Nagaland Government to bring specialised healthcare to the state with monthly outpatient clinics (OPDs) at Naga Hospital Kohima (Teaching Hospital of NIMSR Kohima) and District Hospital Dimapur. This new collaboration will offer advanced clinical services in cardiology, nephrology, oncology, and hepatology to the people of Nagaland. As part of this initiative, Amrita Hospital specialists will provide cardiology and nephrology services on the second Wednesday of every month at Naga Hospital Kohima and on the second Thursday at District Hospital Dimapur. Additionally, oncology and hepatology clinics will be conducted on the third Wednesday of each month in Kohima and on the third Thursday in Dimapur. Dr Sanjeev Singh, Medical Director, Amrita Hospital, Faridabad said, “The partnership will also focus on professional development for local medical practitioners. Amrita Hospital’s visiting specialists will conduct continuing medical education (CME) sessions tailored to the needs of Nagaland’s healthcare professionals, ensuring an ongoing exchange of expertise and knowledge.” The hospital is set to offer observership programmes for local doctors, enabling them to gain hands-on experience and advanced clinical insights at the hospital, with approval from the Nagaland Government. “Through this collaboration, Amrita Hospital seeks to enhance healthcare access and support the professional growth of medical practitioners in Kohima and Dimapur, making high-quality specialised healthcare more accessible to the people of Nagaland,” said Swami Nijamritananda Puri, Administrative Director, Amrita Hospital, Faridabad. Source: Economic Times

Nov 12, 2024 Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government on Tuesday ordered a probe into the death of two persons, enrolled under the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, after they underwent angioplasty at a private hospital in Ahmedabad. The relatives of the two persons alleged the hospital kept everyone in the dark and conducted the procedure in a haste to raise medical bills under the government scheme. The Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) provides free health insurance of up to Rs 5 lakh per year to the needy people. The two persons – Nagarbhai Senma (59) and Mahesh Barot (45) – died soon after the angioplasty procedure along with stent placement was performed on them at the Khyati Multispeciality Hospital in Bodakdev area of the city on Monday. After learning about the deaths, their relatives rushed to the hospital and sought justice from the government, claiming both the men were healthy and the hospital management performed angioplasty in a haste to raise medical bills with the government under the PMJAY scheme. Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said, “The alleged incident at the Khyati Hospital is very serious. I have ordered an immediate inquiry by the State Anti-Fraud Unit (SAFU) of PMJAY. If there is any substance in the allegations or evidence of medical negligence, severe action will be taken against the hospital and the doctors involved.” A preliminary probe by the authorities suggested the hospital had arranged a free medical check-up camp at Borisana village in Kadi taluka of Gujarat’s Mehsana district on Sunday. After the camp, the hospital brought 19 villagers to its facility here saying they will have to undergo angiography, Patel said. “After doing angiography, they performed angioplasty on seven of them and also put a stent. Of these seven, two died soon after the surgery on Monday. This is nothing but criminal negligence,” the minister said. In view of the incident, Patel said a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) about arranging health check-up camps will be issued soon for private hospitals. Former state health minister Nitin Patel, who belongs to Kadi in Mehsana, rushed to the hospital and interacted with 12 other patients, all belonging to Borisana village. “After arranging the camp on Sunday, the hospital brought 19 villagers here on Monday. Of the seven who went angioplasty with stent placement, two have died. Villagers told me that even their relatives were not aware about the surgery;” he said. “They were under the impression that only a check-up would be conducted. They had signed the form as directed by doctors,” Nitin Patel said. Relatives of these 19 patients, in a video which they made outside the hospital on Monday night, alleged the medical facility conducted the procedures in a haste and kept everyone in the dark just to take undue benefit under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Source: Economic Times

Nov 07, 2024 Bangalore: A 72-year-old patient in India has undergone a procedure to receive the Percept RC, a brain-sensing device, as part of treatment for Parkinson’s disease. The patient, who had been struggling with persistent symptoms despite various medications, opted for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery. DBS involves implanting electrodes in specific areas of the brain that deliver electrical pulses to help regulate abnormal brain activity, alleviating symptoms such as tremors, stiffness, slowness, and involuntary movements. A small neurostimulator device is placed under the skin, typically in the chest area, to power the electrodes. A recent advancement in this field is BrainSenseTM technology. This advanced technology continuously monitors the patient’s brain activity, specifically focusing on beta oscillations associated with Parkinson’s symptoms. By analyzing these patterns, clinicians can fine-tune the stimulation settings, optimize treatment, and minimize side effects. Dr. Ravi Gopal Varma, Director, Global Centre for Excellence and Lead Consultant Neurosurgeon , Aster Hospitals, said, “We are the first in India to implant the entire circuit—Percept RC with directional leads. The entire procedure took four hours, and the patient has responded well to the surgery.” Commenting on the procedure, Dr. Nirmala S., Consultant Neurosurge1Y, Aster CMI Hospital, said, “This device provides a personalized approach to deep brain stimulation therapy, adapting to the patient’s changing needs.” Source: Economic Times

Nov 06, 2024 Mumbai: 15-year-old Anamta Ahmad recently became the youngest person to undergo a shoulder-level hand transplant after a severe electric shock. Her recovery is being supported by a custom, biocompatible 3D-printed orthotic device designed to aid healing and minimize discomfort. The device, created by Imaginarium, a multi-specialty digital manufacturing company, was specifically tailored for Anamta, helping her navigate the challenges of a complex recove1Y post-transplant. “Knowing I’m the first transplant patient with a custom 3D-printed brace is exciting,” she shared. This breakthrough highlights the potential of additive manufacturing in healthcare, providing patient-specific solutions that improve outcomes in complex cases. The advance in personalised medical applications, such as custom surgical guides, implants, and orthotic devices, is paving the way for innovation in healthcare customisation. Source: Economic Times

Nov 04, 2024 This was at Zomato’s Hyperpure warehouse located in Kukatpally, Hyderabad. The warehouse is known as an FBO (Food Business Operator) operating with a state license. FBOs supply fru its, vegetables, meat, seafood, gourmet foods, packaging, consumables, kitchen equipment, etc, to hotels, restaurants, and caterers. A “future date of packing” like this is a food safety violation and this comes amid the officials uncovering serious food safety issues ahead of Diwali at sweet shops, a momo outlet, and shawarma units in certain places after health complaints. The officials even found house flies inside the warehouse and noted it didn’t have a proper insect-proof screen with few of the food handlers not wearing hair caps and aprons. This is despite the warehouse having its license, medical fitness certificates for food handlers, and pest control records. Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal responded to the incident saying the packets in question had already been identified by the warehouse team and were rejected during an inward quality check. “l am not sure why just these small number of mushroom packets worth ₹7,200 (out of the crores of inventory in the warehouse), which were never going to make it to customers, are being talked about the media, while we got an A+ rating,” he said in a post on X. All these findings come after the task force in June this year, raided a Blinkit warehouse (Zomato owns quick commerce platform Blinklt) at Devar Yamjal in the Medchal Malkajgiri District near Hyderabad, finding unhygienic premises, expired items, and food that was possibly infested, among several other issues. Another NDTV report on this matter quoted Blinkit as saying in response, “We take safety and hygiene standards very seriously. We are closely working with our warehouse partner and the Food Safety Department to implement corrective actions from the findings.” Source: Hindustan Times

Nov 02, 2024 NEW DELHI: Congress MP Manickam Tagore has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing concern over the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority’s recent decision to increase prices of eight commonly-used drugs and sought the establishment of an independent review committee to assess the real impact of the price hike. In the letter, Tagore said he was writing to express his concern regarding the recent decision by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to increase the ceiling prices of eight commonly-used drugs by 50 per cent. “While I understand that the government cited ‘extraordinary circumstances’ and ‘public interest’ as reasons for this increase, I believe it is crucial to clarify the rationale behind such a significant decision,” the Congress MP from Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar said. “This price hike affects vital medications for conditions like asthma, tuberculosis, bipolar disorder, and glaucoma, which are essential for millions of citizens,” Tagore said. Many patients and their families already face financial challenges in accessing necessary treatments, he said. A sudden increase in medicine prices can place an additional burden on these individuals, potentially compromising their health outcomes, Tagore said. “I urge the government to provide a more detailed explanation of the extraordinary circumstances that necessitated this price hike. Furthermore, I propose the establishment of an independent review committee to assess the real impact of this increase on patients and healthcare providers,” he said in the letter dated October 25. Such a committee could offer recommendations for future pricing policies that balance industry viability with public health needs, he said. “Transparency in this decision-making process is vital to maintaining public trust. A thorough review could lead to informed policies ensuring that essential medicines remain affordable and accessible for all,” Tagore asserted. “I look forward to your response and hope for a resolution that prioritises the wellbeing of our citizens,” the Congress leader said. Source: Times Of India

Nov 02, 2024 Hyderabad: To help individuals make a conscious decision to eat healthy, pre-packed food will feature pictorial front labels. ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition in the city, which conducted a study on how consumers view labels, has submitted its findings to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. It examined consumer reactions to different kinds of labels that would assist them in making the right decision about purchasing something that is ‘overall healthy’ or avoiding food considered not healthy. In the study conducted in various parts of the country, one significant finding was that only a small percentage of consumers actually read the labels. “The first thing that consumers look at is the date of manufacture and date of expiry. They also look at the indication whether the food is veg or non-veg. Only a small percentage of people actually look at the nutrients to understand and make a healthy choice,” said Subba Rao M Gavaravarapu, principal investigator, information, communication and health education, ICMR-NIN. R Hemalatha was project coordinator of the study conducted in 2023. In NIN’s study, the total sample size was 2,500 adults and adolescents, including participants from five regions — north (Delhi), east (Kolkata), west (Pune), south (Hyderabad) and northeast (Jorhat, Assam). Most of the respondents reported that they checked the expiry date (74.2%). Over 60% of the participants also read the brand name, and 57.7% checked the manufacturing date. “A small proportion of participants reported that they also considered nutrition information,” the report said. The most commonly checked nutrients were calories, total fat, sugar, salt, and protein. “In the context of growing overweight, obesity, and non-communicable diseases, if front-of-pack nutrition labelling has to serve as a preventive tool and deter consumers from the consumption of nutrients of concern, then warning indicator labels could be helpful,” NIN said in the report. Source: Economic Times

Oct 31, 2024 When it comes to relishing piping hot momos, spicy red chutney and mayonnaise come as the perfect combo, but in a sad incident, a woman died after eating mayonnaise in Telangana and that led to banning of mayonnaise for a year in the state. Scroll down to read the details. As per news reports, the Telangana state government on Wednesday banned mayonnaise made with raw eggs for a year due to food safety concerns. The state government took this decision after a woman died and 15 others fell ill after eating momos in Hyderabad. It has been stated that many such cases have come to light in recent times, where the issue has arisen due to eating mayonnaise made from eggs, which is used in large scale in the state for making sandwiches, momos, shawarma, and many other dishes. The Telangana Food Safety Commissioner said in a statement, “Observations and complaints received over the last few months have shown that consumption of mayonnaise made from raw eggs is leading to cases of food poisoning.” It is also said that in cases where food products appear to be harmful to public health, that food product would be banned. As per reports, the ban on production, storage, and sale of mayonnaise made using raw eggs has been implemented from October 30, 2024 for a period of one year. For the unversed, the decision came after a 31-year-old woman died and 15 others fell ill after eaing momos in Hyderabad along with mayonnaise. In a similar incident, a few days back, cases of food poisoning were reported at shawarma outlets in the city, after which health officials conducted raids on shawarma outlets. Side effects of mayonnaise While mayonnaise makes for a creamy and delicious condiment, the store bought mayonnaise also poses some important side effects. Take a look High caloric content: It uses a lot of oil, which makes mayonnaise calorie-dense, which can contribute to weight gain if consumed in excess. High fat content: While it contains healthy fats, too much saturated fat can be a concern for heart health. Allergies: Some people may be allergic to eggs (a common ingredient in traditional mayonnaise) or other components, leading to allergic reactions. Foodborne illness: Mayonnaise made with raw eggs carries a risk of salmonella infection if not prepared or stored properly. High sodium: Many commercial mayonnaise brands contain added salt, which can contribute to high blood pressure if consumed excessively. Digestive issues: It may cause digestive discomfort, such as bloating or diarrhea, if a large amount of mayonnaise is consumed. Processed ingredients: Store-bought mayonnaise often contains preservatives and additives, which some people prefer to avoid for health reasons. Source: Times Of India

Oct 31, 2024 Those aged 70 years and above can now benefit from the expansion of the Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) regardless of income, a major shift in the govt policy. Earlier, only poor and vulnerable families and a few specific categories of workers, like ASHA staff, were eligible for the scheme that offers health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary-care hospitalisation. Anyone aged 70 years or above can apply for the Ayushman Bharat Senior Citizen Scheme on the website, www.beneficiary.nha.gov.in, or by using the Ayushman App (available for Android on the Google Play Store). Beneficiaries simply need to verify their identity and eligibility through Aadhaar e- KYC. Aadhaar serves as the primary document for confirming both the beneficiary’s age and state of residence and is the only document required to complete the registration process. Yes. Family members can register the eligible an beneficiary through beneficiary login option on the mobile app and website. All they must do is to enter their mobile number and put in the OTP that’s generated to initiate the enrolment process. One can also visit the nearest empanelled hospital and get themselves enrolled. AB PM-JAY is a completely cashless scheme, and govt sources said payments are made to hospitals against the treatment provided to eligible beneficiaries. Empanelled hospitals are mandated to offer cashless treatment to beneficiaries. One can lodge grievances on the AB PM-JAY website or through the national call centre ‘14555’, mail, letter, fax etc. Any complaint regarding denial of treatment by an empaneled hospital is to be seen as an SOS grievance and a ‘turn around time’ of 6 hours has been set for resolving it. Such beneficiaries will have to re-initiate their Aadhaar based e-KYC via the website or mobile app to be registered as a beneficiary under the senior citizen scheme. The list of empanelled hospitals for Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY scheme is available on the website www.dashboard.pmjay.gov.in. As of Sept 30, approximately 30,000 hospitals across the country are empanelled to provide benefits under the scheme, which is run overall by the National Health Authority. The list includes 190 leading corporate hospitals like Centre For Sight (Delhi), Medanta-The Medicity (Gurugram), Metro Hospital and Heart Institute (Noida), Fortis Escorts Hospital (Jaipur), Yashoda Super Speciality Hospital & Heart Institute (Ghaziabad), etc. Public health and hospitals being a state subject under the Indian Constitution, state health agencies (SHAs) are mandated to empanel hospitals under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY. Beneficiaries can visit any empanelled hospital, present either their Ayushman card or their PMJAY ID to receive treatment. Before visiting, the beneficiary should confirm that the hospital is empanelled to treat the specific condition for which they require assistance. Nearly all treatments covered by the scheme cost below Rs 2 lakh and, so, the Rs 5 lakh cover is sufficient to meet beneficiaries’ healthcare needs, govt sources said. Further, under the umbrella scheme of Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN), financial assistance up to Rs 15 lakh is provided to patients from poor families — who are eligible for PM-JAY — for availing those treatments that are not covered under PM-JAY. Hence, AB PM-JAY along with other central govt schemes can take care of hospitalisation needs of eligible beneficiaries. No. With these states not implementing the scheme, elderly citizens cannot join or receive the benefits of AB PM-JAY Source: Times Of India