WHO corrects China virus global risk level to high

Geneva, Jan 27 (AFP) The World Health Organisation on Monday admitted an error in its assessment of the global risk of a deadly virus in China, saying it was "high" and not "moderate".

Geneva: The World Health Organisation on Monday admitted an error in its assessment of the global risk of a deadly virus in China, saying it was "high" and not "moderate". The Geneva-based UN health agency said in a situation report published late Sunday that the risk was "very high in China, high at the regional level and high at the global level."

In a footnote, the WHO explained that it had stated "incorrectly" in its previous reports on Thursday, Friday and Saturday that the global risk was "moderate"....read more

Coronavirus Update: All questions answered

It’s not new

Every decade, a zoonotic coronavirus crosses species to infect human populations and in this decade, we have a virus, provisionally called 2019-nCoV, first identified in Wuhan, China, in persons exposed to a seafood or wet market. ....read more

Science behind kalpvas

The month of Magh is observed as Kalpvas where, for one month, people from all over gather, worship the sun (Vitamin D) , eat sesame (high in calcium) and do tulsi pooja (high fertility and high in calcium). The significance behind this is to gather one year’s vitamin D quota....read more

Health Sutras By Dr K K Aggarwal

Fast food are dry fruits, fresh fruits and fresh washed vegetables. Eat them in plenty.

Healthcare News Monitor

KSGPA to intensify agitation demanding filling up of vacancies & increase pay scales of govt pharmacists in the state

Pharmabiz India - Nandita Vijay

The Karnataka State Government Pharmacists Association (KSGPA) is on war path to ensure that the government fulfills its demand to hire pharmacists to fill the existing vacancies and increase the pay scales of the government pharmacists in the state. Following the lackadaisical attitude of the state government towards its demands, the association is now gearing up to organise a rally of pharmacists on January 30. This will pave the way for the pharmacists not to participate in health schemes and also boycotting its services from government medical centres in the coming days. The association in its five-point agenda presented to the state government has asked for a slew of demands. It begins with salary rise and the need to fill up vacancies and recognise the role of the pharmacists in the healthcare milieu. In the absence of government support, plans are in place to stay away from work. In order to attract the government attention, KSGPA planned a five phase strike. Between January 2 to 12, 2020, the association members in their first phase of action sported black ribbons on their shoulders at work. Here there was no action whatsoever by the government. In the second phase of action, on January 30 the association has called for a rally which will commence from Freedom Park in Bengaluru and to conclude at the office of the health and family welfare department in the city.

Piramal Group to invest Rs.500 cr in next 3 years to establish 3 more API units in Telangana

Pharmabiz India - A Raju

Major pharmaceutical and healthcare manufacturer, Piramal Group has announced its intention to expand its active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) manufacturing units in Telangana and has expressed its interest to invest Rs.500 crore in the next 3 years to establish 3 more manufacturing units in addition to its already existing two units at Digwal village of Kohir mandal in Sangareddy district. As the state government of Telangana is already fast-tracking the Pharma City project, and the Industries and IT minister of Telangana K Taraka Rama Rao is at the 50th edition of World Economic forum in Davos to attract investment for Telangana, the announcement of Piramal group to invest Rs.500 crore in Telangana and its interest to expand two more API manufacturing units has come as a shot in arm for the state government of Telangana, which will further give a boost to its already flourishing pharmaceutical sector in the state. While announcing its expansion in Telangana, Priamal Group head Ajay Piramal said that the industrial environment is very much conducive in Telangana as the state government is proactive in encouraging new industries through its industrial policy. “We are already having 3 units in Telangana in Sangareddy district and employed more than 2,400 people; we want to further expand our base in the state and looking to establish two more manufacturing units and looking to generate 2,000 more direct and indirect employment.”

Patients fleeced as governments dawdle

The New Indian Express- Sumi Sukanya Dutta

Until a few months back, friends and family members would often describe Narendra Ram, 35, a resident of Durgapuri in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh, as the ‘most happy-go-lucky guy’ they knew. “He was so jovial and won’t show any distress even about things that everyone else will worry about. But, then destiny took a cruel turn suddenly,” said Narendra’s sister-in-law Jamvanti Devi. “Now he barely even smiles.” On July 4, his wife Soni Rani fell from the roof while trying to save their one year-old child who had got dangerously close to the edge, and immediately slipped into coma. She was taken to the 20-bedded Aastha Hospital in Barabanki, where she spent 20 days in the intensive care unit (ICU) before being declared dead on July 24.“The doctors kept saying that she had severe internal bleeding in brain but discouraged us from shifting her to a hospital in Lucknow, saying it could be fatal,” recalls Narendra, who works as an auto-repair mechanic and earns Rs 7,000-8,000 per month. If the shock of his wife’s death was not enough, he got another one just as the bad news was broken to him. “I was handed over a bill of Rs 2.7 lakh for those 20 days she spent in the ICU. They refused to hand over the body until all dues were cleared,” he says. Narendra scrambled to arrange for the money and was forced to sell his small farmland at a throwaway price, before he could get to cremate his wife. What he found problematic was that the hospital did not provide the detailed breakup of the bill. “In addition, I was always forced to buy medicines and other consumables from the pharmacy within the hospital,” says Narendra.

Suspected coronavirus patient admitted in Jaipur hospital

India Today- IANS

A man in his 20s has been admitted to the SMS Hospital for suspected coronavirus infection, Medical Superintendent Dr DS Meena confirmed on Sunday. The patient pursued a medical degree in China but had come to the Pink City for a postgraduation course. His exact age could not be immediately ascertained. Health Minister Raghu Sharma has directed health officials to keep the patient in an isolation ward and get his family screened too, it was learnt. Directions have also been issued to send the samples collected from the patient to Punes National Virology Laboratory. Sharma said 18 people had come from China to four districts of Rajasthan and officials had been directed to keep them under observation for 28 days.