Chinas coronavirus death toll crosses 2,300, WHO team to visit Wuhan

A total of 397 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported on Friday, while 109 deaths were reported from 31 provincial-level regions, Chinese health authority said on Saturday.

BEIJING: The death toll in Chinas novel coronavirus climbed to 2,345 with 109 more deaths reported, while the confirmed cases rose to 76,288 as a team of WHO experts, currently in the country to investigate the COVID-19 outbreak, is expected to visit the worst-affected Wuhan city on Saturday, Chinese health officials said....read more

Lets Be Self-reliant

Reproduced from: https://www.indialegallive.com/analysis/lets-be-self-reliant-87760, published February 8, 2020 China supplies 70 percent of bulk drugs and raw materials for medicines in India. With the epidemic now hitting the antibiotic and vitamin industry, India should think of manufacturing these

The recent coronavirus outbreak and the resultant lockdown in China could affect Indian industry, especially pharma....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 ever lasting if we not only hear, understand and know but also incorporate the knowledge in our practice....read more

How Corona Aware Are You

Health Sutras By Dr K K Aggarwal

Do not ignore any symptom, which is unusual, unexplained and is detected for the very first time.

Healthcare News Monitor

Bringing medical devices under Drugs Act to help medical device regulation effective: ICRA

Pharmabiz India

ICRA has stated that the latest notification bringing medical devices under Drugs Act will pave the way for higher regulation of medical devices under the Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO). Almost entire gamut of devices is covered under the Drugs Act including those that are used for diagnosis, life support, treatment of any ailment, the ones used to disinfect other medical devices as also the software used in medical instruments. Union health ministry through a paper issued on February 11, 2020, has notified all medical devices as drugs and has brought them under the purview of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 (Drugs Act), effective April1, 2020. According to Kapil Banga, assistant vice president, ICRA, “This notification paves the way for higher regulation of medical devices under the Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO). Companies will now have to obtain approval to manufacture, import and sell medical devices in the country, thus increasing the cost of compliance, leading to longer lead time and higher expenses in launching new products, thereby resulting in increase in costs. The measure comes post the imposition of the health cess of 5% on import of medical devices in the country, making these devices costlier for hospitals. It is believed that much of the price hike will be passed on to the patients, cushioning the impact on the profitability margin of hospitals.” The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) under the ministry of chemicals and fertilisers had earlier announced price caps on cardiac stents on February 13, 2017, leading to a reduction in stent prices by up to 84%. These had led to a significant adverse impact on the margins of the hospitals as that change came with the rider that the hospitals cannot pass it on to the patients for a certain period.

Wearables for wellness & healthcare is here to stay but the future could be sensor-integrated devices: Nick Talbot

Pharmabiz India - Nandita Vijay

The use of wearables in the wellness and healthcare is already well established. Nevertheless, many more wearables are on the anvil for multiple applications spanning from real-time health monitoring to fitness and caring for the elderly, stated Nick Talbot, Global Design and Innovation Head, Tata Elxsi. Bagging the prestigious iF Design Award recently, Tata Elxsi, the global design company, was recognized for its novel concept of Augmented/Mixed Reality based smart assistive wearable devices designed for autism and Alzheimer patients. Talbot, who works at Tata Elxsi UK office, told Pharmabiz in an email, “We explored uses of audio as a method of providing augmented reality. Our interest was on ‘memory augmentation’ which led us to design and develop a discrete wearable system that can be potentially helpful for autistic and Alzheimer patients. The whole project from brainstorm to defining the product and system concept took us around 8 weeks. We believe that this is the first application of such a technology to address the needs of autism and Alzheimer patients.” Most augmented or mixed reality systems rely on a wearable headset to present visual information. Instead, we opted for a discrete approach by using small wearable cameras, microphones and some sophisticated software for facial and environmental recognition. The feedback to the users is through audio: headphones or discrete ear buds. We view that this new combination and its application to help these people in their daily lives which helped us win the coveted international iF Design award, Talbot stated. Considerable assistance was garnered from the Tata Elxsi India team. In fact we worked closely between the London and Bengaluru design studios to scoop out the relevant technologies and applications. Based on the concept itself, the designers re-assured that the system could be delivered affordably. While the company has not yet embarked on clinical trials or even identified a manufacturing partner we hopes that do that as part of the further development process, he said.

Delivery on hospital floor: Two doctors suspended

The Times of India

Bathinda: More six weeks after a woman gave birth on the floor of the Moga civil hospital, Punjab health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu has ordered the suspension of two doctors. The baby had died after six days. Gynaecologist Dr Manisha Gupta and paediatrician Dr Ashish Aggarwal have been put under suspension after Amandeep Kaur of Baje Ke village in Moga delivered a baby on the floor of the maternity ward in the Moga Civil Hospital on January 9. The orders of suspension came after the woman’s family met the health minister in Moga on Saturday. The baby had developed multiple problems and died at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital in Faridkot while undergoing treatment on January 15. On Saturday, during his visit to Moga, Sidhu also laid the foundation stone of 50-bed Ayurvedic, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homeopathy (Ayush) Hospital at village Duneke near Moga. He said that the hospital to be set up at a cost of Rs 9 crore would be made functional within 15 months. The building on five kanal land will come up with Rs 6.16 crore, while Rs 3 crore, will be spent on furniture and other equipment. Moga MLA Harjot Kamal said that Moga Ayush hospital will be only second in Punjab, the first being opened at Mohali. Soon, a trauma centre would be set up on the seven-kanal land, adjacent to the Ayush Hospital. MLAs Sukhjit Singh Lohgarh, Darshan Singh Brar were also present.

Doctors shortage leaves Bhubaneswars ESI Hospital in comatose state

The New Indian Express- Hemant Kumar Rout

Several pro-people initiatives like 5T and Mo Sarkar to ensure delivery of public services notwithstanding, patients are at the mercy of doctors and made to wait weeks for surgeries at the ESI Hospital, Bhubaneswar, the only referral health facility in the Capital for 2.7 lakh beneficiaries. Patients coming from far off places like Koraput, Malkangiri and Rayagada are left disheartened as shortage of regular physicians, specialist doctors and paramedical staff has crippled the health services. "I have travelled around 650 km to get a surgery of my relative done at the hospital. Though I am here at the hospital for the last two days, nobody is attending the patient or ready to give a date for the surgery," said Santosh Behera from Koraput. Several others echoed Behera’s frustration. A patient alleged the doctors here are inhuman. "They would admit you and give date for surgery, but they would simply vanish on the date. I was admitted three times for a surgery. Finally, I had to do it in a private facility as the doctor concerned did not find time," he alleged. Operational since 1997, the hospital was upgraded to a 100-bed hospital on December 24, 2018 with Central assistance of Rs 73 crore. At a glittering event Prime Minister Narendra Modi had dedicated the renovated hospital and hoped that equipped with modern facilities, it will provide good medical care to beneficiaries under ESI scheme. More than a year after renovation, the fate of the hospital has remained unchanged as the State Government has failed to appoint doctors and other paramedical staff as per sanctioned strength. The hospital is being managed by only seven regular doctors and five contractual doctors besides seven staff nurses.