25 years of Pulse polio programme to be celebrated on 31st October

“October 2019 marks 25 years of Pulse Polio Programme in India, on this momentous occasion let us renew our pledge to reach every single childto save them from Vaccine Preventable Disease (VPDs),” said Dr. Harsh Vardhan, the Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, the pioneer of Pulse polio programme in the country.

Addressing the media on the celebration of the Silver Jubilee of the Pulse Polio Programme, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that an event is scheduled to be held on 31st October, 2019 at Dr. Ambedkar International Center, Janpath with an expected gathering of around 800-900 delegates.Speaking on the occasion, Dr Harsh Vardhan said that India being declared Polio free in 2014 was a long and momentous journey, “It all began with a single thought that if ballot papers can reach each person, two life saving drops of vaccination too can reach every child”.The success of administering polio vaccination drops to12 lakh children through 4000 ‘polio kendras’ on 2nd October, 1994 in the city of Delhi, led to a countrywide movement and Pulse Polio Program was taken countrywide a year later in 1995 (PIB, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Oct. 22, 2019).

Prevention of antimicrobial resistance

Perfect Health Mela HCFI-WHO Consensus: No blood in stools, no antibiotics

• For most patients with acute watery diarrhea (unless cholera), do not routinely administer empiric antimicrobial therapy.
• Multiple pathogens can cause watery diarrhea.
• Severe volume depletion is the most important complication of acute diarrhea in adults. ....read more

Kayotsarga or mind-body relaxation: A spiritual prescription

Shavasana is a term used in Hatha Yoga, which means lying like a corpse.

In modern medicine, it is called mind-body relaxation. In terms of psychiatry, it is called progressive muscular relaxation. Mahavira called it as Kayotsarga in his teachings.

Kayotsarga does not mean only lying like a corpse but also abandonment of the body. It is a state of restful alertness where the mind is alert, but the body is at rest. All meditative practices begin with Kayotsarga. It is the very foundation of spiritual sadhana.

In terms of physiology, it increases alpha rays in the brain and in the language of neurology, it creates a parasympathetic state of the body. ....read more

Types of Memory

The easiest way to remember types of memory is by understanding the concept of Suno, Samjho, Jano and Karo (hearing, listening, knowledge and wisdom). Hearing is the shortest lasting memory. We hear and we forget is the rule.

Once we listen and understand, the memory is longer lasting but the same memory becomes everlasting if we not only hear, understand and know but also incorporate the knowledge in our practice. ....read more

Healthcare News Monitor

Union health ministry releases draft notification to notify all medical devices under D&C Act for effective regulation

Pharmabiz India - Shardul Nautiyal

Union health ministry has released a draft notification to notify all medical devices under the Drugs and Cosmetics (D&C) Act, 1940 to effectively regulate them as per the provisions of the said Act and new Medical Devices (MD) Rules, 2017. As of today, 37 medical device categories have been notified. Earlier, 26 medical devices were notified between 2005 and 2017 which has under its ambit 364 products. In December, 2018 three new devices like nebuliser, glucometer and surgical gowns were notified. In a notification dated February 8 this year, the Union health ministry brought all implantables along with eight new medical equipment like CT scan equipment, MRI equipment, defibrillators, dialysis machine, PET equipment, X-Ray machines and bone marrow cell separator under the regulatory framework. The draft notification stipulates to notify all the medical devices under sub-section (b) of section 3 of the D&C Act, 1940 to regulate them as per the provisions of the Act and MD Rules, 2017. As per the Union health ministry notification, it has been decided to solicit suggestions/comments/objections from the public/stakeholders with regard to the draft notification before its finalization. The suggestions/comments/objections may be forwarded within 30 days from the date of issue of this notice by email at drugsdiv-mohfw@gov.in or by post to the Union health ministry.

Delhi: Last-resort antibiotics fail; 10 die in 22 months in AIIMS

TNN

NEW DELHI: Between January 2016 and October 2017, AIIMS Trauma Center had 22 patients who didn’t even respond to colistin — a last-resort antibiotic. The patients were suffering from multi-drug resistant infection caused by gram-negative bacteria K Pneumoniae. Research conducted by a group of scientists from AIIMS, CMC Vellore and US’ Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that of the 22 patients, 10 (45%) died within a fortnight of admission. The rest survived but required 23 days of admission and administration of a combination of high-end drugs. Colistin, discovered in 1959, was one of the first antibiotics with significant activity against gram-negative bacteria. But it caused side effects such as damage to the kidneys due to which the drug was discontinued from regular usage as safer antibiotics came up. However, it had to be reintroduced recently to treat infections that couldn’t be treated with any of the new antibiotics, for example carbepenems. In the AIIMS study, researchers found that all 22 patients were also resistant to other high-end drugs, including carbepenems, extended spectrum cephalosporins, and penicillin/B-lactamase. “Action is needed from a broad range of stakeholders, including clinicians, microbiologists and public health officials, to limit the spread of this critically-important multi-drug resistant organism,” the scientists warned in the research, published in ‘Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology’.

TS govt to give top priority to check pollution in pharma city, plans to install ZLD based effluent treatment plants

Pharmabiz India

To give the much needed boost to the proposed pharma city project in Hyderabad, the state government is giving highest priority to overcome the pollution menace and is proposing to install most advanced zero liquid discharge (ZLD) based common effluent treatment plants. With this, there will be not a single trace of pollution observed in the Asia’s largest integrated pharmaceutical conglomerate. While referring to the pharma city project, the Industries Minister K.Taraka Rama Rao said that as already the state government has handed over nearly 9,000 acres of land acquired from the farmers to the Telangana state Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (TSIIDC), the basic infrastructure development works like roads, erection of power lines, laying of drainage lines and other related works are going on at a brisk pace. However the minister stressed that a project of such a gigantic stature is difficult for the state government to take it up alone and he sought the central government’s assistance to speed up the pace of development works in the pharma city project. According to sources from the TSSIDC the pharma city project would need Rs. 3,418 crore to develop its first phase, of which about Rs. 1,318 crore would be required for the development of external infrastructure linkages, while another Rs. 2,100 crore are required for the project towards its internal infrastructure facilities like laying of advanced drain lines, laying of all weather roads, laying of power lines and to ensure round the clock availability of water to the integrated pharma industrial cluster.

AYUSH and Defence ministries ink MoU to provide traditional medicine services

ET Healthworld- PTI

New Delhi: The AYUSH ministry has signed an MoU with the Defence ministry to provide traditional medicine services at the armed forces hospitals and dispensaries. Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik on Monday inaugurated an Ayurveda Palliative Care Unit at the Base Hospital in the Delhi Cantonment. "Our soldiers work in challenging environmental conditions right from glaciers of Siachin to the desserts of Thar, which takes a toll on their physical as well as mental health," the minister said. He said ayurveda and yoga can help them to attain the best of physical and mental health, and improve their endurance. Naik said ayurvedic medicines and panchkarma procedures such as snehana and swedana are effective in treating the work related musculoskeletal disorders. Under the MoU, ayurveda units will also be established at palliative care centres at the Army Research and Referral Hospital, Air Force Hospital, Hindon in Ghaziabad and five identified ex-service men Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) polyclinics in Delhi -NCR.