Doctors come up with new surgical procedure to fix broken ribs faster

By pulling the muscles aside, instead of cutting through them, surgeons are able to access the chest wall and ribs less invasively.

Washington D.C: Rib fractures can be problematic because unlike a snapped limb, ribs usually cannot be set back in place to make the healing process fast and pain-free.

Going by the current treatment approach, little to no intervention is made to fix fractured ribs, which consequently leads to prolonged discomfort and breathing difficulties for the patient....read more

New China coronavirus can spread between humans

A new Corona virus that has killed at least three people and sickened more than 200 in China, can be transmitted between humans, as per Chinese government, fueling fears about the possibility of a deadly epidemic as millions prepare to travel for the Lunar New Year holiday.

Zhong Nanshan, from Chinas National Health Commission confirmed that at least two cases had been spread. Zhong, who helped discover the severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARS) in 2003, said the infectiousness of this virus was not as strong as SARS....read more

Consciousness

• Energy is the raw material of the universe.
• Information is the organization of energy into reproducible patterns.
• Consciousness is living information and energy (living energized information)....read more

Health Sutras By Dr K K Aggarwal

White sugar, white Maida and white rice are slow poisons as they increase insulin resistance.

Healthcare News Monitor

IP Alliance asks govt to clarify on eligibility of existing units on refund scheme under GST for units located in states with tax sops

Pharmabiz India - Yash Ved

The Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IP Alliance) has asked the Union finance ministry to provide clarification relating to eligibility of existing units on the refund scheme under goods and service tax (GST) for units located in states with tax sops like North Eastern States including Sikkim. However, the notification dated April 12, 2018 states that the benefits are available to new units. In its pre-budget memorandum, the IP Alliance stated that the issue is majorly related to units located in erstwhile excise exempt zone for which quantum of benefit is not protected under GST. Clarification is awaited regarding eligibility of existing units and applicability of exemption on expanded units. "Many of the pharmaceutical manufacturing units in India are located in states which offer tax benefits such as Himachal Pradesh, J&K and the North Eastern states, including Sikkim. This tax benefit is thus passed on to the consumers which in turn enhances access and affordability of medicines. After the roll-out of GST, the excise benefit scheme availability is a matter of concern to the industry," IP Alliance said in its memorandum.

Health experts demand 3-fold increase in allocations for health sector in state & Union budgets

Pharmabiz India - A Raju

The healthcare experts from Telangana have demanded a three-fold increase in the budget allocation by the state and Central governments. While speaking at a seminar in Hyderabad on the issues of healthcare sector and the budgetary allocations by the central government for tackling various rare diseases, various healthcare experts felt that the central government must give more priority to healthcare sector and increase the central budgetary allocations 3 folds more to tackle various healthcare issues and to ensure that the rare diseases are addressed. Particularly the doctors’ community sought tax exemptions as they felt that they are overburdened due to excess taxes. Overall, healthcare experts and doctors have unanimously expressed their concern over the low budgetary allocations for healthcare sector and urged the central government to increase the budget by at least 3 folds from that of last year’s to comfortably deal with requirements of the healthcare sector. According to Dr B Nagender, superintendent of Osmania General Hospital, the state and central governments are neglecting the medical research and hardly allocate any funds for the development of medicines for treatment of rare diseases. “The patients suffering from rare diseases are hit hard as it is not that easy for them to get medicine in the open market and they need to be sourced separately. Particularly the diseases like Haemophilia, auto-immune disease and cystic fibrosis. It is high time that the government must allocate some part of their healthcare allocations towards research of treatment of rare diseases,” observed Dr B Nagender.

Baby delivered on Civil Hospital floor in Punjab: Absent from duty, doctor couple didn’t show up despite distress calls from staff nurse

The Indian Express- Divya Goyal

The probe conducted by the three-member panel constituted by Moga Civil Surgeon has indicted senior gynecologist Dr Manish Gupta and her husband, senior pediatrician Dr Ashish Aggarwal, for remaining absent from emergency duty on the night a woman gave birth on the floor at Dr Mathra Das Pahwa Civil Hospital. The inquiry report adds that the baby, who later died, was not properly cared for even after being delivered on the floor on the intervening night of January 8 and 9. It further says that both the doctors did not check baby or mother even after coming late and went straight to their OPD. The panel constituting Assistant Civil Surgeon Dr Jaswant Singh and others, has submitted the report to Moga Civil Surgeon Dr Harinder Pal Singh, on the basis of which, the latter has written to Director Health recommending ‘strictest action’ against both the doctors. Final call will, however, be taken by Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, said sources. A patient Amandeep Kaur from village Bajeke had delivered a baby boy on hospital floor after staff nurse on-duty allegedly refused to take her inside labour room saying there was still time left for delivery. The newborn died six days later, on January 15, at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital. Speaking to The Indian Express, a senior official who was part of the probe process, said, “The probe has found both the doctors — Dr Manisha Gupta (gynecologist) and Dr Ashish Aggarwal (pediatrician) — were missing from their emergency duty and they did not come to the hospital despite repeated calls even after the baby was delivered on floor. The staff nurse on duty has also provided us with call records from her phone which show that she called both doctors at least six times to inform that baby was unwell but they did not come till morning. They kept guiding her on phone and even after they came on duty next morning around 9 am, they did not check the baby or the mother. They directly went to their OPD and it was only after the next pediatrician on duty — Dr Dalbir Kaur Gaba — came that the baby was shifted to Sick Neonatal Care Unit (SNCU) and later referred to Faridkot as his condition deteriorated. The baby was already suffering from hypothermia and pneumonia by then.”

Killer hospitals: Primary healthcare key to curb child deaths

DowntoEarth- Priya Ranjan Sahu

The lack of primary healthcare facilities leads to an increase in the number of infant deaths at bigger hospitals, a case study from Odisha shows. Seventeen per cent of the infants (one year-olds) admitted to the Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Science and Research (Vimsar) at Burla in Odisha’s Sambalpur district in 2019, died. Being a referral hospital, Vimsar is flooded with infants from the whole of western Odisha and even neighbouring Chhattisgarh. Many infants come to Vimsar upon the reference of doctors at peripheral hospitals, doctors said. The physical system of such infants, mostly months old, is not fully developed. They are quite vulnerable to infections and diseases, doctors said, adding that though most survive, many die. Most of the infants admitted to Vimsar are from poor and marginalised families. The health condition of an infant largely depends on the health of his / her mother. A total of 5,049 infants were admitted to Vimsar in 2019. Out of them, 876 died. The special newborn care unit (SNCU), which admitted 2,870 patients recorded 220 deaths. On the other hand, a total of 2,229 infants were admitted in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), of which, 656 infants succumbed to their vulnerabilities. However, Vimsar doctors said this was not abnormal. “It is not considered alarming for a hospital if the death rate is below 10 per cent at SNCU and 30 per cent at NICU,” Vimsar superintendent Jayashree Dora said. Her colleagues said the death rate in Vimsar’s SNCU was much lower as compared to many leading hospitals in India. On the other hand, the standard death rate in NICU is 40 across the country. Vimsar hit national headlines in 2015 after 133 infants died there. Before that, nine infants had died within 24 hours in 2013. At that time, the hospital only had the SNCU, with 24 beds. The NICU was established soon after. Patient inflow at Vimsar increased over the next four years – 3,753 (2016), 4,301 (2017), 4,614 (2018) and 5,099 (2019).