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Medical Voice 7th August 2019

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Dr KK Aggarwal    07 August 2019

Updated guidance from ACOG & SMFM to help hospitals provide risk appropriate maternal care

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for Maternal–Fetal Medicine (SMFM) have jointly released updated guidance to better prepare hospitals to provide risk-appropriate maternal care. The Obstetric Care Consensus on Levels of Maternal Care (LoMC) is part of ACOG and SMFM’s efforts to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.

LoMC, first published in 2015, encourages the development of collaborative relationships between hospitals that offer different levels of maternal care in proximate regions. To that end, LoMC defines the required minimal capabilities, physical facilities, and medical and support personnel for each level of care, which include birth center, level I (basic care), level II (specialty care), level III (subspecialty care), and level IV (regional perinatal health care centers). Each subsequent level of care includes and builds on the capabilities of the lower levels.

  • Accredited birth center: Care for low-risk women with uncomplicated singleton term vertex pregnancies who are expected to have an uncomplicated birth
  • Level I (Basic care): Care of low to moderate risk pregnancies wit ability to detect, stabilize and initiate management of unanticipated maternal-fetal or neonatal problems that occur during the antepartum, intrapartum or postpartum period until the patient can be transferred to a facility at which specialty maternal care is available.
  • Level II (Specialty Care): Level I facility plus care of appropriate moderate-to high-risk antepartum, intrapartum or postpartum conditions.
  • Level III (Subspecialty Care):Level II facility plus care of more complex maternal medical conditions, obstetric complications and fetal conditions.

Healthcare News Monitor

 

Fresh doctor protests may erupt from Thursday

The Times of India

NEW DELHI: The protests over National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill are far from over. The faculty members of AIIMS on Monday held a meeting to discuss the desired amendments to the Bill that has already got the nod of Parliament. Sources said a committee has been formed to suggest the amendments. At the same time, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has given a call for withdrawal of services in healthcare facilities across the country on August 8, to protest against certain provisions of the NMC Bill. The association said the core concern of the medical fraternity has been left unaddressed in the NMC Bill. "The call is for all the modern medicine doctors to leave their work place across the sectors at all levels on August 8 from 6am to 6am the next day," it said, adding that medical students under IMA-Medical StudentNetworkwill continue their strike across the country.

IMA shutdown call: Private hospitals initiate talks with doctors

The Times of India

KOCHI: To ensure that inpatients and emergency patients are not put to inconvenience during the “withdrawal of services of modern medicine doctors” by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on August 8, majority of private hospital managements have decided to work. They are in talks with their doctors to ensure that there is no complete shutdown of services. “IMA is asking for a complete shutdown, but this is not possible. We can’t discharge patients and ask them to leave. A compromise formula is being worked out,” said Kerala Private Hospitals Association (KPHA) president Dr P K Mohamed Rasheed. As per the plan, the hospitals may engage junior doctors to be on duty to take care of inpatients as well as emergency patients. “Along with the junior doctors, there will be nurses and other staff to ensure that the patients are not put to inconvenience during the 24-hour strike. Any emergency planned surgery on the day of the strike will be performed a day before or otherwise rescheduled,” said Dr Rasheed.

Essenlix creates smallest, lowest-cost blood count device

BioSpectrum India

Essenlix Corporation, a US based premier provider of instant personal mobile health test solutions and a global leader in the application of nanotechnology, machine learning and advanced biology for health test, has announced the development of the worlds smallest, simplest, and lowest-cost blood count device – iMOST-CBC (instant mobile self-test for complete blood count). Essenlixs iMOST is an instant personal, mobile, health self-testing platform that uses unique technology innovations. iMOST allows an individual to perform health tests easily, quickly, accurately, and affordably anywhere, anytime, with results in 60 seconds that can be sent immediately to a healthcare professional. With the potential to do various tests of different biomarkers in different body fluids with different biochemistries, the first application of iMOST will be iMOST-CBC. CBC or complete blood count is a vital sign of a persons health, and one of the most common but important lab tests.

Lok Sabha takes up Surrogacy bill, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan calls it ‘need of the hour’

Financial Express – PTI

Stating that in the recent years India has unfortunately emerged as the hub for surrogacy, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday said the bill which seeks to ban commercial surrogacy was “the need of the hour”. Moving the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019 in the Lok Sabha for consideration and passage, Vardhan said that “A rough estimates says there are about 2,000-3000 surrogacy clinics running illegally in the country and a few thousand foreign couples resort to surrogacy practise within India and the whole issue is thorougly unregulated.” The bill, he said “was the need of the hour.” It seeks to ban commercial surrogacy. Besides, the bill says that only close relatives will be permitted to act as surrogates to infertile couples for “ethical altruistic” reasons. “There have been reports concerning unethical practises, abandonment of children born out of surrogacy and exploitation of surrogate mothers,” the minister said. He said, the 228th report of the Law Commission has recommended that the government should enact a legislation to ensure that there is only restrictive surrogacy in the country and commercial surrogacy is banned. The bill was moved for passage and consideration amid noisy protest and sloganeering by several parties including Congress, DMK, CPI (M) and National Conference.

Focus on care and affordability of cancer treatment to achieve SDGs: PHFI president

Pharmabiz India

Professor K Srinath Reddy, president, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) has urged all stakeholders to bridge gaps in access to care, awareness and affordability in cancer treatment to help the country achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Speaking at ‘5th Oncology Summit 2019’, organised jointly by FICCI and Varian in Kolkata on August 2, Prof Reddy said, “Cancer cannot be allowed to hamper the progress of India on SDGs. Awareness about cancer has increased, but there is a need to strengthen cancer care across the continuum of care.” Cancer, which is the second most common cause of death in India affecting 3.9 million lives, warrants a multi- disciplinary approach including skilling and capacity building of healthcare workforce, awareness and prevention, referral mechanisms, improving surveillance, attracting capital investment, PPPs and policy reforms. “FICCI can play an important role and collaborate with health sector experts like Varian to build a Global School in Oncology in India, to strengthen the entire ecosystem for tackling the burden of cancer in the country,” Prof Reddy said. Ashok Kakkar, Chair, FICCI Swasth Bharat Task Force and Senior MD, Varian India said, “With significant advancements in science and technology improving outcomes and survival rates in cancer patients, there is a growing need to de- stigmatize cancer and build hope in people living with cancer.”

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