Vaccination just got painless with needle-free kit
BRISBANE: Good news for the needle-phobic. Australian scientists have developed a cheap and painless 'needlefree' vaccination device that can be self-administered.
To know more read: needlefree' vaccine

World Heart Day:29 September 2011

Cardiovascular diseases are the world’s largest killers, claiming 17.3 million lives a year. Risk factors for heart disease and stroke include raised blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, smoking, inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables, overweight, obesity and physical inactivity.

In partnership with WHO, the World Heart Federation organizes awareness events in more than 100 countries - including health checks, organized walks, runs and fitness sessions, public talks, stage shows, scientific forums, exhibitions, concerts, carnivals and sports tournaments.

Source: World Health Organization

Michael Hart

Michael Hart, father of e-books and founder of Project Gutenberg, died on September 6th, aged 64;
He posted works that were safe in the public domain, but chafed at being unable to give away books that were new, and fought all copyright extensions like a tiger. “Unlimited distribution” was his mantra. Give everyone everything! Break the bars of ignorance down!
Read more;The Economist

HEALTHCARE

1 doc for 1,000 people not before 2028

NEW DELHI: India will take at least 17 more years before it can reach the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended norm of one doctor per 1,000 people.

The Planning Commission's high-level expert group (HLEG) on universal health coverage (UHC) - headed by Dr K Srinath Reddy - has predicted the availability of one allopathic doctor per 1,000 people by 2028. It has suggested setting up 187 medical colleges in 17 high-focus states during the 12and 13five-year Plan to achieve the target.

HLEG estimates that the number of allopathic doctors registered with the Medical Council of India (MCI) has increased since 1974 to 6.12 lakhs in 2011 - a ratio of one doctor for 1,953 people or a density of 0.5 doctors per 1,000 people . The nation has a density of one medical college per 38.41 lakhs. There are 315 medical colleges that are located in 188 of 642 districts.

There is only one medical college for a population of 115 lakhs in Bihar, UP (95 lakhs), MP (73 lakhs) and Rajasthan (68 lakhs). Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu each have one medical college for a population of 15 lakhs, 16 lakhs and 19 lakhs, respectively.

The HLEG has proposed a phased addition of 187 colleges. It expects that by 2015, under phase A, 59 new medical colleges will admit students in 15 states like Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana , J&K , Jharkhand, MP, Maharashtra , Meghalaya, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, UP and West Bengal. By 2017, 13 of these states will have an additional 70 medical colleges, and by 2022, another 58 institutes will be built in two additional phases (2017-2020 and 2020-2022 ). By 2022, India will have one medical college per 25 lakh population in all states except Bihar, UP and West Bengal.
Read more:1 doc for 1,000 people not before 2028

Rural development projects

PRADAN is one of the pioneers in the promotion of Self-Help Groups (SHG) in India, having formed its first SHG in Alwar, Rajasthan, in 1987. A savings and credit SHG is a simple yet effective way of reaching out and connecting with rural poor women.
Visit: PRADAN

A healthy and successful Burundi,Africa where conditions of human misery are eradicated and where all of the country’s citizens have the tools they need to build productive and successful lives that include access to high quality healthcare, economic development and education opportunities.
Visit:villagehealthworks

Japanese encephalitis hits city for the first time, 4 infected
NEW DELHI: Four cases of Japanese encephalitis, a mosquito-borne disease that affects the meninges of the brain, have been confirmed in the city for the first time
To read more about causes and prevention visit:MedlinePlus

Planning Commission backs shortened medical degree for rural areas
NEW DELHI: The controversial three-and-a-half year long medical degree -Bachelor of Rural Medicine and Surgery (BRMS) -- has now got the backing of Planning Commission's all powerful high level expert group on universal health coverage.

The panel has in its report (finalized on Sunday and available with TOI) "endorsed" the all new BRMS cadre and said that as a career progression incentive, they should be promoted to the level of public health officers after 10 years of service.

According to the panel, by 2022, India should actually have BRMS colleges in all districts with populations of over 5 lakh.

The course should focus on "high quality of competence in preventive, promotive and rehabilitative services required for rural populations with focus on primary health care."

A successful model

The Comprehensive Rural Health Project, Jamkhed,Maharashtra has been working among the rural poor and marginalized for over 40 years. By partnering with village communities and expanding upon local knowledge and resources the project aims to effectively meet the immediate and long term needs of these groups, especially women. With values of compassion, justice, respect and trust, CRHP works to empower people, families and communities, regardless of caste, race or religion, through integrated efforts in health and development.

Lung cancer linked to risk of stroke
(Reuters Health) - People recently diagnosed with lung cancer are at higher risk of having a stroke than those without lung tumors, suggests a large new study from Taiwan.
Researchers looking at data covering more than 150,000 adults found that among those with lung cancer, 26 in every 1000 experienced a stroke each year, compared with 17 in 1000 who did not have cancer.
SOURCE: Stroke, September 13, 2011.

Longevity gene under cloud of doubts
A trans-Atlantic dispute has opened up between two camps of researchers pursuing a gene that could lead to drugs that enhance longevity.
British scientists say the longevity gene is "nearing the end of its life," but the Americans whose work is under attack say the approach remains as promising as ever. The dispute concerns genes that make sirtuins, proteins involved in controlling cells' metabolism.

Girls face bias in heart surgery too
NEW DELHI: A study conducted by doctors at the AIIMS has found that among children who require heart surgery, boys have a much better chance of undergoing the procedure than girls.
Even when faced with life-threatening ailments, girls are discriminated against in India. A study conducted by doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences has found that among children who require heart surgery, boys have a much better chance of undergoing the procedure.
Published in the medical journal Heart, the study interviewed parents of 405 children aged up to 12 years who had been advised to undergo elective pediatric cardiac surgery at AIIMS. When their status was reviewed after a year, doctors found 44% (59/134) of the girls had undergone surgery against 70% (189/271) of boys.

Bionic boon for the blind
NEW DELHI: For millions of Indians who suffer from loss of vision due to retina damage and age-related macular degeneration , there is now hope. A bionic eye which would help them see is going to be developed indigenously .

The visual device would use eyeglasses fitted with digital cameras and a retinal implant and has been successfully tried on patients abroad. The co-inventor of the global project, Dr Rajat N Agrawal , says he wants to make the implant affordable here and will work to bring down the cost of the implant to Rs 5 lakh from its present cost of Rs 45 lakh (approx).

"We are collaborating with experts from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and several IITs to indigenously develop a cheaper variant of the eye implant so that people here can afford it. We are also trying to get the central government to fund the research project," said Agrawal, an assistant professor of clinical ophthalmology at the University of Southern California.

Metro elders most prone to cancer risk
NEW DELHI: One in 13 men and one in 11 women in the national Capital run the risk of developing cancer by the time they turn 64. The probability is more acute by the time they reach 74, when one in seven men and one in eight women become susceptible to the disease.

In other metros like Mumbai and Kolkata, one in 19 men and one in 14 women run a similar risk before their 64th birthday. However, while one in 10 men and one in nine women in Mumbai face the possibility of suffering from cancer by the time they are 74 years, the risk is faced by one in 10 men and women in Kolkata.

Read more@ TOI

Online gamers crack AIDS enzyme puzzle
Online gamers have achieved a feat beyond the realm of Second Life or Dungeons and Dragons: they have deciphered the structure of an enzyme of an AIDS-like virus that had thwarted scientists for a decade.

The exploit is published on Sunday in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, where -- exceptionally in scientific publishing -- both gamers and researchers are honoured as co-authors.

Their target was a monomeric protease enzyme, a cutting agent in the complex molecular tailoring of retroviruses, a family that includes HIV.

Use social media to strengthen health systems - SciDev.Net

Use social media to strengthen health systems - SciDev.Net

POLIO ERADICATION IN INDIA AND THE NATIONAL POLIO SURVEILLANCE PROJECT
The goal of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative is to ensure that no child will ever again know the crippling effects of polio. Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus poliovirus. It invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. It can strike at any age, but affects mainly children under three. Polio is mainly passed through person-to-person (i.e., fecal-oral) contact, and infects persons who do not have immunity against the disease. There is no cure for polio, but the disease can be prevented by immunization with polio vaccine. Oral polio vaccine (OPV) was developed in 1961 by Dr Albert Sabin; OPV is a highly effective, safe and inexpensive vaccine, and has been used in all countries of the world to achieve polio eradication.
NEWS
It's cross-border terror of a different kind. India is on high alert against the deadly polio virus coming into the country from Pakistan and the health ministry has asked the Punjab government to mandatory vaccinate all children aged 0-5 years coming to India from Pakistan.
India raised the alarm after China confirmed that polio had re-entered its territory after a gap of 10 years. Genetic analysis showed that four infants in China's Xinjiang province were infected with polio virus imported from Pakistan.

Bid to make pvt hospitals keep cancer patients' count

NEW DELHI: Every hospital in India — private or public — may soon be bound to inform government on the number of cancer cases they treat.The push is in the offing since the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has recommended to the Union health ministry to make cancer a "notifiable disease".
At present, highly infectious diseases like plague, polio, H5N1 bird flu or the H1N1 swine flu figure in the list. Cancer will become the first non-communicable disease (NCD) to be bracketed in the same category.

Govt leaves kids with HIV in the lurch: Study
Neha PushkarnaNeha Pushkarna, TNN | Sep 18, 2011, 05.18AM IST

NEW DELHI: They live the nightmare everyday, suffering the stigma of being HIV carriers. Little hearts, but sunk by an overwhelming thought that death may strike early. They live in the shadows and prefer anonymity for fear of discrimination. And those who go to school are often ostracized. Nor do they get specialized treatment despite massive funds being pumped for HIV care. What's shocking is that their numbers are in thousands in Delhi. The city has at least 11,333 children infected with HIV. Most of them, nearly 2000, are concentrated in south Delhi and around 1,700 in the New Delhi area. Others are scattered across the city.
Source; TOI


The plight of these children has been highlighted in a study commissioned by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR). The report states that the nine anti-retroviral treatment (ART) centres are not wellequipped and HIV-infected kids are yet to receive benefits of any government scheme. DCPCR has now sent its recommendations to the Delhi government for rehabilitation of these children. A potent anti-retroviral regimen helps suppress the HIV virus and preserves normal immune response in children.

51% rise in new breast cancer cases in developing nations
NEW DELHI: Breast cancer cases are surging across the globe.
The maiden global analysis that factored in the trend over the past three decades shows the number of new breast cancer cases diagnosed worldwide has increased dramatically from about 6.4 lakhs in 1980 to 16 lakhs in 2010.

On the contrary, the rise in deaths from breast cancer globally has been slower, increasing from about 2.5 lakhs in 1980 to 4.25 lakhs in 2010, possibly reflecting the effectiveness of early detection and advances in treatment in developed countries. The study, published in the British medical journal " The Lancet" on Thursday, says that 51% of these new cases of breast cancer occurred in developing countries like India.

Give HIV+ve insurance cover, says IRDA

NEW DELHI: HIV positive ( AIDS) patients should not be denied insurance cover for other diseases they have, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) chief, J Hari Narayan said on Thursday.

"Insurance cover will not be given for HIV disease but for other ailments, which are not directly related to that disease and this inclusion of HIV patients in insurance cover will happen," Narayan said. He urged insurance companies to reconsider the reasons for excluding of HIV+ patients from getting cover

National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR) was established in 1977 as 'Malaria Research Centre', which was renamed as 'National Institute of Malaria Research' in November 2005. NIMR is one of the institutes of the Indian Council of Medical Research (an autonomous body under Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India). The primary task of the Institute is to find short term as well as long term solutions to the problems of malaria through basic, applied and operational field research. The Institute also plays a key role in man power resource development through trainings/workshops and transfer of technology.
To read more visit their website:National Institute of Malaria Research

Medical Libraries and Problem Based Learning

Problem Based Learning(PBL) is a student-centered pedagogy in which students learn about a subject in the context of complex, multifaceted, and realistic problems. Working in groups, students identify what they already know, what they need to know, and how and where to access new information that may lead to resolution of the problem. The role of the instructor is that of facilitator of learning who provides appropriate scaffolding of that process by (for example), asking probing questions, providing appropriate resources, and leading class discussions, as well as designing student assessments.Librarians collaborate with the instructors in the areas of curriculum design, communications and library user education and facilitate active learning amongst students.
Read More as to how librarians are involved in PBL in the following article:
http://jlis.lis.ntu.edu.tw/article/v2-1-3.pdf

Govt panel suggests regulatory mechanism for healthcare sector

NEW DELHI: A government panel has suggested path-breaking reforms to revamp the country's healthcare system, including regulatory mechanism for the heath sector- both public and private -to ensure affordable and quality healthcare for all the citizens.

The expert group of the Planning Commission aims to set up the National Health Regulatory and Development Authority, an apex body to keep an eye on both public and private healthcare providers.

A system of universal healthcare was suggested by the expert group to ensure all the citizens can access promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative heath services at an affordable cost so that they do not suffer financial hardship in pursuit of good health.

The authority will enjoy power of enforcement and redressal along with overseeing accreditation of healthcare providers, development of ethical standards and a patient's charter of rights.

It will be empowered to take any measures to control entry, quality, quantity and price.

The committee recommended, "regulation of public and private sector to ensure provision of assured quality and rational pricing of healthcare services essential for implementation of universal healthcare.

The authority was advised to be set up to regulate pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

Registration of all clinics has to be made mandatory along with the accreditation of all healthcare providers, including both allopathic and traditional (ayurvedic).

The proposed National Health and Medical Facilities Accreditation Authority (NHMFA) will define standards of healthcare facilities. Similar accreditation agencies under the supervision of NHMFA will be set up in states to oversee the operations and administrative protocol of healthcare facilities.

An autonomous office - Health System Evaluation Office - will be established to independently appraise the performance of both public and private health services at all levels.

Aiming to provide free healthcare for all, the panel, headed by Dr K Srinath Reddy, argued for a national health entitlement card (NHEC) for every citizen that will guarantee access to a package of essential primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare fully funded by the Centre.

The plan is of ensuring coverage of both in-patient and OPD services free of cost with cashless facility. The health package will focus on most common and high-impact healthcare requirements.

Patients will be free to choose between public sector facilities and private providers that enter into contract with the government.

Spice up your plate, get heartburn

NEW DELHI: A cup of tea with spicy snacks makes a rainy day perfect, while many cannot get through the day without a tall glass of iced cola. But new health studies reveal that the excessive intake of aerated drinks, caffeine and spicy food causes acid reflux or heartburn cases to rise significantly. Teenager are the worst-affected due to their poor food habits.

Doctors at AIIMS say that about 50 per cent of the patients who arrive at the ENT department complain of problems such as a recurrent chest infection, sore throat and difficulty in swallowing food, itching in ears, nose congestion and nasal discharge - all symptoms of acid reflux.

"The excessive intake of coffee, cold drinks and spicy snacks like pizza, burger and chips aggravates heartburn problems in children. They come with all kinds of serious health ailments related to the disease. In older people, poor eating habits, which include late night dinners and a sedentary lifestyle, is the main problem," said Dr S C Sharma, head of the ENT department at AIIMS. He said that up to 50 per cent cases that the ENT department at AIIMS sees in a month includes patients complaining about acid reflux-related health complications which are caused, and in some cases aggravated by an excessive intake of aerated drinks and caffeine. Some of the most common symptoms of the disease are a recurrent sore throat, changes in the voice, fatigue and difficulty swallowing.

"Acid reflux is a chronic digestive disease that occurs when stomach acid or bile flows back (refluxes) into the food pipe (esophagus).

The backwash irritates the lining of the oesophagus and causes a burning sensation in the chest, sometimes spreading to the throat, and leaving a sour taste in mouth. Obese, diabetic patients, pregnant women, children, hiatal hernia patients and smokers are at risk.

Usually oral medications are prescribed but there are some extreme cases in which surgery may be required to create a barrier preventing the backup of stomach acid or to tighten the lower oesophageal sphincter," said Sharma.

Dr V K Paul, head of the pediatrics department at AIIMS, said that heartburn in children is caused due to a variety of factors which include a congenital defect or the presence of helicobacter bacteria. "Poor lifestyle and bad food habits increases the problem," said Paul. Experts say that because AIIMS is a referral center the cases of acid reflux being reported here is often higher as compared to other medical centres.

Dr Anoop Misra, director, department of diabetes and metabolic diseases at Fortis Hospital says that a few precautionary measures are all it takes to help check the disease. "Maintain a healthy weight, avoiding fatty or fried foods, energy drinks, alcohol, chocolate, mint, garlic, onion, and caffeine.

Those suffering from acid reflux should not smoke because it decreases the lower oesophageal sphincter's ability to function properly," said Misra.

GNU Health is a free Health and Hospital Information System
with the following functionality :

* Electronic Medical Record (EMR)
* Hospital Information System (HIS)
* Health Information System

Their goal is to contribute with health professionals around the world to improve the lives of the underprivileged,providing a free system that optimizes health promotion and disease prevention.
Read More:GNU Health

Evidence based librarianship

Scientific decisions are based on the quality evidence from the exhaustive & comprehensive scientific literature. Evidence-Based Librarianship, or EBL, is a way of practicing librarianship. It combines a conceptual framework with practical tools that enables librarians to do their jobs more effectively and in a more informed fashion. There are always decisions to be made in a library setting: policy decisions, digitization, service, and staffing decisions. Often, decision making is based on anecdotal evidence, past practice, and even best guess. EBL is a way of systematizing the process in order to achieve more reliable results.It involves :
Step 1: Formulate a Question
Step 2: Find the Evidence
Step 3: Appraise the Evidence
Step 4: Apply the Evidence
Step 5: Evaluate the Results
Step 6: Disseminate Research

A paper worth reading :Evidence-based librarianship: an overview

Research needs proper attention in our educational culture
Dr KK Talwar, Chairman, Medical Council of India is working towards strengthening and providing high quality medical education, which is meaningful to the growth of medical services in the country. In an interaction with Dhirendra Pratap Singh, he shares insights about the medical education scenario in India

What is the role of MCI in enhancing and streamlining medical education in India?

The Medical Council of India was established in 1934 under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1933, now repealed, with the main function of establishing uniform standards of higher qualifications in medicine and recognition of medical qualifications in India and abroad. The objectives of the Council are maintenance of uniform standards of medical education, both undergraduate and postgraduate, recommendation for recognition/de-recognition of medical qualifications of medical institutions of India or foreign countries and permanent registration or provisional registration of doctors with recognised medical qualifications.....

News Digest

Treat poor for free: SC to private hospitals
NEW DELHI: Poor patients will get free treatment in 40 private, state-of-the-art multi-specialty hospitals in Delhi without any exception and for any disease or ailment, the Supreme Court said on Thursday.

A bench of Justices R V Raveendran and A K Patnaik asked these private hospitals, which had got land at concessional rates from the government, to reserve 10% of their inpatient department (IPD) capacity and 25% of OPD for free treatment of poor patients.

Though 27 private hospitals had fallen in line, 10 hospitals had challenged a Delhi High Court order asking them to provide free treatment to poor patients. The court dismissed all the petitions.

Seven fresh dengue cases reported in city
NEW DELHI: Seven new cases of dengue were reported in the city on Thursday, taking the total number of cases of the disease to 73 this season. According to MCD officials, maximum number of cases are being reported from Civil Lines and Karol Bagh zones.


Discrimination keeps poor patients away
NEW DELHI: A High Court order that made it mandatory for private hospitals to provide free treatment to poor patients has made little difference to those for whose benefit it was passed.

Hospitals invariably charge patients for diagnostics , medicines and consumables and the attitude of the doctors is often discouraging enough to dissuade poor patients from approaching highend medical facilities.

Instead they prefer to wait endless hours outside government hospitals where atleast they know what to expect. It is no wonder then that the free beds in private hospitals generally remain vacant.


Half of urban women have hypertension
NEW DELHI: Hypertension, which is directly responsible for 57% of deaths due to stroke and 24% of fatalities caused by heart attack, has been found to be rampant in Indian women.

A multi-centre three-year study, spearheaded by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and published in the "Journal of Human Hypertension" on Thursday, said almost one in two women in urban study sites and one in three women in rural sites, were suffering from hypertension. Worryingly, overall, only one in five hypertensive women were on treatment, and less than 4% are controlled.

Read More: Times of India

CANCER is Curable

Cancer is always perceived by the common man as a fatal disease. The diagnosis of cancer evokes a frightening response and the usual outlook is one of helplessness and shock. Prevention of cancer is the best and early diagnosis and treatment is the next best. Today, we have several options that help cure cancer completely. What we need to worry about is the lack of awareness than the disease itself.

To know more about its symptoms and treatment visit http://www.drvinodraina.com/
you will find health tutorials and much more in this website.