Page 2 - Health Care

Covid infections down in Singapore but experts call for precaution

The number of COVID-19 infections in Singapore appear to have plateaued over the past week, but experts have urged people to be cautious and mask up in crowded enclosed places as a precaution. Last week, Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported a 75 per cent jump with 56,043 cases, compared with 32,035 cases in the previous week. The seven-day moving average of the infection was 7,870 on December 12 and decreased slightly to 7,730 on December 17, The Straits Times newspaper reported. Experts have urged people to be socially responsible and mask up in crowded, enclosed places, even if they feel well, since the transmission of the virus occurs a day or two before symptoms appear. "It'll be a bell curve confounded by Christmas parties," Professor Dale Fisher, a senior infectious diseases consultant at the National University Hospital (NUH), said. "You don't know if it's peaked until after it's peaked," he was quoted as saying by the newspaper on Tuesday. While the numbers remai

Make India leading power in medical research, health care: President

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday asked the health care fraternity to work towards making India a leading power in medical research and ensure facilities are so affordable that people from across the world can come to the country to avail them. She was the chief guest at the inauguration of the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Nagpur. Hailing GMCH for the services it had rendered in the past 75 years, the President said affordable medical facilities were necessary for the overall development of any society. The COVID pandemic made everyone realise the importance of a strong health care system, she said. "It was the hard work of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals which ensured India could vaccinate such a huge population speedily against the disease," she said. Pointing out that lack of doctors was a big obstacle in providing universal health care, the President said the country had recently seen a good increase in

59 mn hospitalisations worth Rs 74K cr authorised under AB-PMJAY since 2018

General medicine is the most consulted specialty at over 11 million patients under the AB-PMJAY, the data said

InGovern raises red flags over Care Health Esops to REL's Rashmi Saluja

The source said Care Health could, therefore, pass a fresh resolution for the grant of Esops to Saluja without requiring any Irdai approval

India's first pollution OPD sees flat response despite spike in AQI

Those involved in the project of pollution OPD see it as a long term plan and not a sudden measure to tackle the pollution

Truemeds Unveils the Visionary Leaders Transforming the Healthcare Industry

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6.5% Covid patients died within a year of hospital discharge: ICMR study

The study examined data from 14,419 patients across 31 hospitals, tracking their health over a year through phone follow-ups

Investing in primary health care can help countries detect pandemics: WHO

Countries of all income groups should invest in primary health care (PHC), which can provide more than 80 per cent of services and also help detect outbreaks of pandemics at an early stage, WHO's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday. On the EG.5 strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus being recently classified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a variant of interest, Ghebreyesus said it is important to continue to remain vigilant. Ghebreyesus was talking to media persons during his visit to a health and wellness centre (HWC) at Adraj Moti village in Gandhinagar district after his arrival here to attend a global summit on traditional medicine. The investment in primary health care in Ayushman Bharat' by the Government of India is the right investment, and that's what we are asking all countries to really focus on. As you know, many countries including high-income countries were surprised by COVID-19, he said. The problem was because of a lack of investment in

Nursing institutes offering UG courses rose by 36% in 9 years: Mandaviya

The number of nursing institutes offering undergraduate courses increased from 1,641 in 2014 to 2,229 until March this year, a rise of 36 per cent, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told the Lok Sabha on Friday. Similarly, the number of UG seats also rose from 83,192 to 1,16,595, an increase of 40 per cent during the same period, Mandaviya said in response to a question. Currently, there are 5,203 nursing institutes in the country including 715 government institutes. "The number of nursing institutes providing undergraduate courses increased from 1,641 in 2014 to 2,229 in 2023 (upto March, 23), reporting an increase of 36 per cent and similarly graduate seats also increased from 8,3192 to 1,16,595 reporting an increase of 40 per cent during the same period," Mandaviya said. There are 35.14 lakh registered nursing personnel in the country with a population ratio of 2.06 nurses per 1,000 population, he added. The distribution of nursing colleges/institutes is attributed to var

MedPlus Health reports 18% rise in Apr-June qtr profit on retail demand

India's MedPlus Health Services reported a 18.3% rise in first-quarter profit on Monday as increased presence of the pharmacy helped drive its retail sales

Pre-owned medical equipment imports to enhance accessibility: MTaI

Medical Technology Association of India (MTaI) on Tuesday said the import of pre-owned medical equipment can increase accessibility of such equipment for the patients, especially in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. In a statement, it noted that complex medical equipment like CT scan, MRI, robotic-assisted surgical systems, X-ray machines and endoscopes cost several millions of dollars, which often exceed the budgetary capability of small- to mid-sized hospitals. Pre-owned medical equipment, which are backed by adequate service guarantees and abide by regulatory requirements, can go a long way in solving this problem of access and affordability, it said. Earlier, the Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD) asked the government to withdraw the official memorandum permitting the import of pre-owned medical devices, raising concerns that the move would impact domestic manufacturers. Countering the narrative, MTaI Chairman Pavan Choudary said there was a need to distinguish impor

Govt committed to providing affordable health facilities: Mandaviya

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is committed to providing affordable and accessible health facilities to the people of the country, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said here on Saturday. Mandaviya addressed the seventh meeting of the Central Institute Body (CIB) of AIIMS and Chintan Shivir at the National Institute for Health and Family Welfare during the day, a health ministry statement said. The CIB is the highest decision-making body of all AIIMS for finance, infrastructure, vacancy, recruitment, enforcement of policies, challenges and procurement. The agenda of Saturday's meeting was to review the compliance of decisions taken in earlier CIB meetings, the statement said. Addressing the gathering, the Union health minister said, "Chintan Shivir has provided a platform to hold discussions with higher officials and experts, which will help in evolving better practices of premier health institutions like AIIMS." "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is commi

Tata Steel UISL spearheads measure to prevent dengue in Jamshedpur

Tata Steel UISL, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Tata Steel, on Monday said the company was taking measures to combat the spread of dengue and other vector-borne diseases in the monsoon season in Jamshedpur City. Tata Steel UISL has implemented a comprehensive strategy to prevent and control the transmission of dengue, the company said in a statement. Key activities undertaken by Tata Steel UISL included rigorous surveillance to identify and destroy mosquito larvae in residential areas. Trained teams are conducting thorough inspections and taking actions to eliminate the potential breeding sites. From April to June this year, a total of 180,062 houses have been covered under the surveillance and out of these, mosquitoes larvae were found in 4,193 houses, the statement said. Besides, Tata Steel UISL is conducting extensive searches for breeding sites of culex mosquitoes in outdoor stagnant water, drains, and ditches and riverbeds.

30-40% un-met demand for allied health professionals: NATHEALTH-BCG study

Shortage is projected to worsen as demand has already tripled in the past decade and is could rise further

Affordability, inclusivity are India's key strengths: Ex-ICMR director gen

He concluded stating that "when India is prepared, the world is prepared"

Important Nutrients For Women Of All Ages

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ICMR, AYUSH ministry sign MoU for collaboration on health research

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the AYUSH ministry have signed an agreement for collaboration and cooperation for research in the field of integrated medicine. Integrated medicine refers to using alternative medicine systems such as ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, unani, siddha and homeopathy with orthodox systems as part of a treatment plan. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will combine traditional knowledge with modern research and boost ayurveda's identity on the basis of scientific evidence, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said. According to an official statement, the agreement envisages cooperation and collaboration between the ministry and the ICMR for exploring areas of convergence and synergy for integrated health research and strengthening research capacity. The agreement will focus on promoting high-impact scientific research in identified areas of national importance in healthcare, it said. It will also look into the possibility of conducting

Reproductive health market will continue to expand through 2030: Report

Global medical devices market is poised for significant growth in coming years, with sexual and reproductive health segment expected to experience robust expansion through 2030, said a report

Rajasthan govt realising resolution of 'Nirogi Rajasthan', says CM Gehlot

The state government is realising its resolution of 'Nirogi Rajasthan', Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Saturday, referring to the Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme and the Right to Health Act. Gehlot was speaking at the inauguration of a building and staff quarters of the Government Prabha Tai Ojha Primary Health Centre, Gusaisar Bada, in Bikaner's Sri Dungargarh. Speaking on the occasion, Gehlot said education and health care are the priorities of the state government. Under the Chief Minister Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme, free medical facilities up to Rs 25 lakh are being provided to people of the state in all government hospitals, Gehlot said. The minimum monthly pension has also been increased to Rs 1,000 under the social security scheme, he added while highlighting the government's other schemes. Ministers BD Kalla, Govindram Meghwal, Bhanwar Singh Bhati, the Congress' Rajasthan unit chief Govind Singh Dotasra and other leaders were present at the event.

XBB.1.16 Covid variant no cause for concern: Maharashtra heath minister

Maharashtra Health Minister Dr Tanaji Sawant on Saturday said the current XBB.1.16 variant of coronavirus was no cause for concern and citizens should not panic about the rise in cases. The present wave will come down to an endemic stage by May 15 and a downward trend will be seen next month, the minister said while urging citizens not to panic. Maharashtra on Friday reported 993 COVID-19 cases and five deaths, which took the tally to 81,60,499 and the toll to 1,48,497. According to the state health department, the XBB.1.16 is the dominant variant of Omicron that was driving the case surge in the state. So far, 681 cases caused by this variant have been detected, and five persons have succumbed. The minister was speaking at the 'bhoomi poojan' ceremony of the new 900-bed district civil super-speciality hospital in Thane, which was performed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Speaking on the occasion, Shinde said the Thane District Civil Hospital had a major role in the development o