COVID-19 poses threat to couples seeking IVF treatment in India: Health experts

New Delhi: The unprecedented COVID-19 crisis has emerged as a huge challenge for couples seeking In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment in India, experts said. ,Medical experts pointed out that 30 lakh people seek infertility treatment in India every year, but only 5 lakh people undergo the IVF/Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) procedure. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, couples have suffered a lot. ,While most of the couples had to postpone their plans of parenthood, those who were undergoing treatment could not complete their treatment, experts said. ,"Out of 30 lakh people seeking infertility treatment in India every year, around 5 lakh people seek IVF/IUI treatment. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, they had to endure problems. There needs to be urgent awareness among the masses regarding the reproductive health ever since the outbreak of COVID-19 in India," said Sanjiv Navangul, Managing Director and CEO, Bharat Serums and Vaccines Limited. ....read more

CMAAO Coronavirus Facts and Myth Buster: COVID Update

With inputs from Dr Monica Vasudev1009: Can the Virus Disrupt the Endocrine System?Considering its effects on angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), researchers from Louisiana State University suggest that SARS-CoV-2 could potentially disrupt various endocrine functions throughout the body. 1010: Potential Treatments, but Hard to Test: Dipyridamole is a relatively cheap, FDA-approved drug given with blood thinners to prevent strokes. The drug could help patients with COVID-19. ,1011: Researchers at Johns Hopkins wanted to test another cheap generic drug, prazosin, an alpha-blocker, which can prevent inflammatory surges. ....read more

World COVID Meter 27th July: India Number 3, 213 Countries Affected

Cases: 1M April 2, 2M April 15, 3M April 27, 4M May 8, 5M May 20, 6M May 30, 7M June 7, 8M June 15, 9M June 22, 10M June 29th, 11M July 4, 12M July 8, 13M July 13, 14M July 17, 15M July 23 ,Ground Zero: Wuhan - in live animal market or cafeteria for animal pathogens: 10th January; Total cases are based on RT PCR, 67% sensitivity ,Coronavirus Cases: 16,412,794,Deaths: 652,039,Recovered: 10,042,362,Active Cases: 5,718,393,Currently Infected Patients 5,652,148 (99%) in Mild Condition ,66,245 (1%) Serious or Critical,Closed Cases: 10,694,401....read more

The spiritual meaning of the word Artha

Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha are the four fundamental principles of our very existence which means earning righteously with a desire to fulfil the inner happiness. ,Righteous earning is called ‘Artha’ and mistakenly it has been linked to materialistic money. In mythology, Artha is synonymous with Lakshmi, Saraswati and Kali, where Lakshmi represents righteously earned materialistic wealth, Saraswati represents wealth of knowledge and Kali represents wealth of wisdom to fight the bad in you and in the society. ,In any country, it is the wealth of knowledge, which is more important. India was ruled initially by warriors (Kali), later by money (Lakshmi) and in future will be ruled by knowledge (Saraswati). ....read more

Healthcare News Monitor

Coronavirus ignites investment appeal of Indian drugmakers; profit forecasts for pharma firms surge

Financial ExpressBy Abhishek Vishnoi

Indian drugmakers are on track to become a staple investment for some equity investors after being spurned for at least five years. The S&P BSE Healthcare Index has risen 27% this year, set for its first yearly outperformance in five versus the S&P BSE Sensex Index. The benchmark gauge has just one pharmaceutical member, Sun Pharmaceutical Ltd. That means the Sensex was unable to benefit from a stellar rally in some of the largest drugmakers in India.

India to boost drug and medical device production to lessen reliance on imports

Reuters

BENGALURU (Reuters) - India’s chemicals minister on Monday outlined plans to boost local manufacturing in the bulk drugs and medical device industries to reduce India’s reliance on imports, particularly from China.The plans, which include setting up research and manufacturing sites across the country to develop drugs and medical devices, follow weeks of heightened tensions between India and China. ,India has banned dozens of Chinese apps, and tightened its foreign investment and public procurement rules in recent weeks, in moves aimed at countering Chinese influence in India after a deadly border clash between Indian and Chinese troops in June.

AIIMS doctors remove 20-cm knife from man’s liver after rare surgery

HT

After a rare and challenging three-hour surgery, doctors at the AIIMS here successfully removed a 20-cm-long kitchen knife from a man’s liver who had bizarrely swallowed it in a fit of psychosis. ,The doctors said they were perplexed as to how the 28-year-old gulped down the saw-edged knife without any damage being caused to his wind-pipe, lungs, heart and other vital organs. “The knife could have easily perforated the esophagus and gone in to the trachea, heart or big vessels, on its journey from mouth to liver via duodenum,” said Dr Nihar Ranjan Dash, professor of Gastrointestinal Surgery and Liver Transplant at AIIMS. He said, “We have searched the literature, but such a big sharp knife ingestion has not been reported. We are searching for more literature.” He said there are reports of small needles and fish bones going into liver after perforating duodenum. The man, a daily wage worker from Palwal in Haryana, has a history of psychosis and had a habit of smoking cannabis. “He was not an addict but took cannabis quite often,” said the doctor. The man told the doctors that one-and-a-half-months ago, during the coronavirus lockdown when “he was in his kitchen, he felt like eating the knife. He tried to chew it and finally gulped it down with water”.

How a Haryana doctor upgraded Ayurveda to the digital age

livemint

Unlike Kerala, where a solid heritage shapes contemporary practice, in northern India, Ayurveda doctors are compensating the lost legacy with entrepreneurial skill. Dr Pratap Chauhan, for instance, has a unique format centred on telephone consultations. Jiva Ayurveda, the company he has founded, has a telecentre staffed with 150 doctors. He also runs clinics across north India and owns a medicine manufacturing plant in Haryana. ,‘Through the telemedicine centre, we provide free consultations to thousands of people in remote villages of India, who have limited access to medical facilities,’ says Chauhan enthusiastically. He leans forward, elbows resting on the large desk. The strong summer sunlight streams through the wispy jute blinds in his office.