Adequate sleep and limited screen time can reduce impulsivity in children

A study “24-Hour Movement Behaviors and Impulsivity,” published online Aug. 14 in the journal Pediatrics has found that children who met the sleep, screen time and physical activity recommendations reported lower levels of impulsivity. Adequate sleep and limited screen time had the largest association with reduced impulsivity.

According to the authors, these findings could be important for pediatricians, educators, parents and policy makers as they consider opportunities to limit screen time, while also promoting early, routine bedtimes; especially as it relates to prevention and treatment of impulsivity-related psychiatric disorders such as Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

The guidelines recommend 9-11 hours sleep each night, no more than 2 hours of daily recreational screen time, and at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day.

Healthcare News Monitor

Harsh Vardhan writes to ministers, wants change in laws against Leprosy patients

Hindustan Times- Rhythma Kaul

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan has written to ministers of Law and Justice, and Social Justice and Empowerment for amending discriminatory laws against people affected with Leprosy. Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by mycobacterium leprae. The disease mainly affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosal surfaces of the upper respiratory tract and the eyes. The health minister on Tuesday wrote to the Union minister of Law and Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad, and the Union minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Thaawarchand Gehlot, seeking amendment of the existing 108 discriminatory laws against people affected by leprosy. “It will be a befitting tribute to the Father of the Nation on his 150th Birth Anniversary if we can expedite the process and introduction of the elimination of discrimination against Persons Affected by Leprosy (EDPAL) Bill, which was drafted by the Law Commission of India and annexed in its 256th Report,” wrote the health minister in his letter to the two Union ministers. “Even though the disease is now fully curable, it is disturbing to learn that there still exist 108 discriminatory laws against persons affected by leprosy including 3 Union and 105 State laws,” he further wrote.

Pharma traders want DCGI to introduce digital system in place of hard copies of invoices as office records

Pharmabiz India- Peethaambaran Kunnathoor

On behalf of the chemists and druggists in the country, the Kerala based association of pharmaceutical traders (AKCDA) has wanted the Drugs Controller General of India to exempt the traders from the proviso of Rule 65 of the D&C Rules 1945 in keeping hard copies of invoices as office records and introduce digital system in lieu of it. The proviso of Rule 65 mandates maintaining of carbon copies of the invoices/sale memos of medicines supplied for a period of three years as office records. Expressing full solidarity with the Central government’s initiative of Digital India campaign, A N Mohan, president of the All Kerala Chemists and Druggists Association, has written to the new DCGI, V G Somani, that in the wake of the Digital India programme of the Union government, the traders should be allowed to keep electronic invoices in place of carbon copies. According to him, burning huge bundle of carbon copies in open air creates atmospheric problems which later cause for stringent penal actions against them from the local authorities. A N Mohan apprised the DCGI that the Digital India policy of the government envisages mainly three key areas such as digital infrastructure to every citizen, Digital services & governance on demand and digital empowerment of citizens. In the wake of the process being undertaken by the government to transform the country into a digitally empowered society, it is necessary that the services of the pharmaceutical trade sector should also be made electronically available to the citizens. So, a direction in this regard is required from the office of the DCGI to the state regulators’ offices to advise the wholesalers and the retailers to make a shift from keeping paper documents into digital files.

Union health ministry to notify GDP norms under D&C Rules to ensure quality of drugs

Pharmabiz India - Shardul Nautiyal

Union health ministry will soon notify Good Distribution Practice (GDP) guidelines under the Drugs and Cosmetics (D&C) Rules 1945 to ensure that patients get quality drugs. Comments and suggestions on the same have been received and are in the process of getting compiled based on the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) notice to all the state licensing authorities and stakeholders. Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) in its recent meet deliberated the matter and recommended to amend the D&C Rules, 1945 to include provisions for GDP of pharmaceutical products. The issue of incorporation of GDP guidelines as a separate Schedule was also deliberated in 56th Drug Consultative Committee (DCC) meeting held on June 1, 2019. “The objective of the quality control over drugs is to ensure that the patients get quality drugs. For this purpose, it is necessary to ensure the quality and identity of pharmaceutical products during all aspects of the distribution process which includes procurement, purchasing, storage, distribution, transportation and associated documentation or record keeping practices. Each activity in the distribution system is required to be carried out in accordance to the GDP principles,” as per the DTAB recommendations. The recommendations further stated that the involvement of unauthorised entities in the distribution and sale of pharmaceutical products is a matter of concern as it leads to introduction of spurious drugs in the supply chain.

Rain illnesses take a toll on Mumbai hospitals

Daily News & Analysis

While not many patients are diagnosed with swine flu but other monsoon illness such as malaria, dengue, viral fever are on the rise. Due to the overburden of patients, few of the medical wards which admit patients with monsoon illness, have started having floor beds for the patients due to more number of patients needing admission. Sitting in the corridor and eating his lunch at St George Hospital, Biju Gupta, a Khar Road resident was happy that he will be getting discharged from the hospital today after five days of admission due to malaria. Just like Gupta, many patients have been coming to medicine outpatient department (OPD) of various public hospitals because of monsoon illness. “We cant deny patients which need medical attention," said a doctor from St George Hospital. While the OPDs have a huge number of patients coming in for a check up every week, the beds too are full and a floor bed between two hospital beds are installed for later admission.

ESI hospitals to be set up in all districts of country: Gangwar

ET Healthworld-PTI

The Centre is planning to set up ESI hospitals in all districts in the country, Union Minister of State for Labour (Independent Charge) Santosh Kumar Gangwar said on Wednesday. The facility was now available only in about 400 of the 700 districts in the country, he said dedicating the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Medical College and Hospital and laying the foundation stone for a new outpatient department block here. "The Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) is keen that ESI hospitals be set up in all the districts of the country," Gangwar said. He assured all support to the ESIC hospital here and make it an ideal facility as sought by Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy, who is the local Member of Parliament representing Secunderabad. He said there was no shortage of funds with the ESIC and the government has reduced the rate of contribution of employers from 4.75 per cent to 3.25 per cent and that of employees from 1.75 per cent to 0.75 per cent.