Diseases of unknown origin: Are environmental toxins the cause?

TOI: AIIMS Delhi Toxicology Lab tested patients with serious illnesses whose cause couldnt be established for environmental toxins. Of 216 patients tested, 32 (16%) had high levels of dangerous metals and substances,including arsenic, lead, chromium, fluoride, iron and cadmium. The lab is now testing a set of 17 tests in such cases. Long-term exposure to toxics via air, water or food can increase the risk of diseases such as cancer, CKD, heart diseases, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.

CKD of unknown origin (Sri Lanka) and young MIs (Asia) may find the answers.

Healthcare News Monitor

Health care industry expected to generate 40 million jobs by 2020: Sadananda Gowda

ET Healthworld– ANI

Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, DV Sadananda Gowda, said on Tuesday that the health care industry in India has been one of the countrys largest economic sectors and is expected to generate 40 million jobs in India by 2020. "With regard to both employment and revenue, the health care industry in India has been one of the countrys largest economic sectors. The Indian healthcare sector is expected to record a threefold rise, at a CAGR of 22 per cent during 2016-2022 to reach USD 372 billion in 2022 from USD 110 billion in 2016," Gowda said. The Minister was addressing a gathering after he inaugurated the Annual Health Conference "Pharma Med HD 2019 Transforming the perception of Indian Health Care Industry". India ranks 145th among 195 countries in terms of quality and accessibility of healthcare. Gowda said there was immense scope for enhancing healthcare services penetration in India, thus presenting ample opportunity for the development of the healthcare industry. “The Indian healthcare industry is one of the most knowledgeable and professional industry in the world. The sector is expected to generate 40 million jobs in India by 2020," he said.

First swine flu case reported in Dehradun

The Times of India- Ishita Mishra

DEHRADUN: A 62-year-old man, from Kaulagarh, diagnosed H1N1 positive was admitted to a city-based private hospital on Tuesday. The health department confirmed that the patient’s condition is critical and he is being monitored by doctors. Speaking to TOI, Dehradun’s chief medical officer Dr SK Gupta said that the patient got the H1N1 test done in New Delhi and was admitted to a hospital in Dehradun on Tuesday. “The doctors and paramedics across the city have been asked to keep track of the suspected cases of H1N1 and inform the health department on daily basis,” added the CMO. Dr Gupta urged people to take preventative measures to combat the disease. “Swine flu is a form of influenza which is curable but the virus can prove fatal for diabetic patients, children, and the elderly. Thus, I advise people to go for treatment as soon as the symptoms of the disease are detected and avoid contact with people to check its spread. One should immediately consult a doctor in case of prolonged fever and breathlessness,” he added.

India Today TV Impact: Centre removes 97 hospitals from govt panel over fraud claims

India Today- Milan Sharma

After India Today TV’s SIT investigation exposed the chinks in the Ayushmaan Bharat scheme, the Centre has removed 97 hospitals from government panel for indulging in fraudulent activities. India Today TV investigation revealed how patients, who were beneficiaries of the PM’s Ayushmaan Bharat scheme, were being denied treatment by certain hospitals. Union Minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday said that nearly 1,200 cases of fraud have been confirmed and action has been taken against 338 hospitals. Giving out figures, Harsh Vardhan said 376 hospitals currently are under investigation while the National Health Authority, the apex body responsible for the implementation of the centrally-sponsored scheme, has taken action in terms of issuing showcause notice, suspending, levying penalty and de-empanelling against 338 hospitals. The Union minister said 97 hospitals have been de-empanelled from the scheme while FIRs have been lodged against six hospitals. A total amount of Rs 1.5 crore in penalty has been levied and nearly 1,200 cases of fraud have been confirmed.

With a 12-year-old patient on sling, Odisha doctor walks 5 km through a forest and hill

Hindustan Times- Debabrata Mohanty

In a State where abysmal healthcare systems make news every other day, a 52-year-old doctor in Maoist-affected Malkangiri district of Odisha has gone beyond the call of duty and done what doctors rarely do. On Monday, Shakti Prasad Mishra, a 52-year-old doctor working in a sub-centre-- the lowest rung of government healthcare system-- in Khairput block of Malkangiri district, carried a 12-year-old orphaned boy in a sling and walked for 5 km in hilly and forested terrains so that he could be taken to the health centre. Kamulu Kirshani, a 12-year-old tribal boy of Nuaguda village was suffering from fever over last few days. But with no communication facilities available between his village and the nearest primary health centre, all that the boy and his elder sister could do, was pray. On Monday a villager from Nuaguda gave Mishra a SoS call to save the boy. Though Nauguda doesn’t come under the area served by Mishra’s health centre, he decided to pick up the boy in the centre’s ambulance. After driving a few kilometers they came through a non-motorable terrain and had to walk for 5 km through a forest, nullah and hill to reach the village, according to the ambulance driver named Govind.