Health-Next

A health check up programme starting in Surat from November 16 will witness around 8 lakh children from Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC)-run schools as well as private primary schools being covered.

The two-month long health check up is arranged every year by SMC’s health department for detection of health problems and their timely treatment. Health problems like anaemia, night blindness, worm infestation, ear discharge, boils, scabies, dental problems and poor vision are common among kids which are often ignored.

According to health officers, the main aim of the health programme is to ensure good health among children studying in anganwadis, private schools and SMC-run schools. This is a venture to spread health awareness among the community.

50 medical teams each having a medical officer as well as a paramedical worker will be visiting the schools and examining the children in the two-month long period. Hemant Desai, incharge deputy commissioner of SMC for health and hospital states that the children needing examination by specialists will be provided free of cost treatment at SMIMER Hospital, Maskati Hospital and New Civil Hospital (NCH). Children detected with kidney problems, heart ailments and cancer will be referred to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital for free of cost treatment.

Popularity: 2% [?]

According to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, India is in need of structural reforms in its healthcare sector. Healthcare services need to be improved in the grassroots level and medical facilities should also be readily available to the underprivileged.

In the past two decades, the country has made a considerable progress in its healthcare segment. However, the PM adds that though the progress in healthcare has been good, it is still less than what could have been achieved. He also says that compared to healthcare system progress in South East Asia, the progress in India is significantly low.

The Prime Minister states that the quality of delivery of health services should be improved and aimed towards the poor and underprivileged, especially women and children. The minister also asked the central and state governments to work hard for increasing the 1 per cent GDP expenditure on healthcare to 2-3 per cent.

A new scheme is also on the way for upgrading the state government medical colleges; this will increase post-graduate medical seats throughout India. This is in view of having more doctors to cater to the mass and rural sector.

Popularity: 3% [?]

When it comes to child care, India is way behind several nations. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the reason behind the country’s negligence in obstetric care is that it hardly witnesses injuries and deaths in the critical period that follows childbirth.

The country needs to fix the loopholes in its health care programmes and health system for children and pregnant women. Health experts are of the notion that maternal health can be standardized in the country only when women with pregnancy problems are provided the right care during the delivery of child.

Much needs to be done in protecting and monitoring women’s reproductive and sexual health for putting an end to the preventable deaths. HRW says that that the government’s count of deaths in health clinics and hospitals are often under-resourced, because it fails to know what happens to women 2-3 days after childbirth; a number of women die in this crucial owing to lack of proper care.

The solution is that the government should pay attention to providing women with pregnancy complications, appropriate medical care through the immediate postpartum period.

Popularity: 2% [?]

A guide was launched in Manchester to help the 50 plus people maintain an active sex life. This illustrated sex guide contains chapters like ‘Dating advice’ and ‘Let’s talk about sex’. The graphically explicit book containing photographs of Manchester residents explores body changes and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD). In total, 5000 copies of the books have been published costing some £8,000.

People over 50 have always complained about the lack of proper guidance and relationship advice that exist at their age level. Lack of desire and proper communication between the partners make individuals single again. This free guide also carries experience from individuals like Pam, 68 who states, “We’re more experienced, more mature and more confident and we’re able to talk about what we want which makes us better lovers.” According to Martin Rathfelder (57), “I don’t think you can assume because people are over 50 that they know what’s right and healthy”. People like Pia Seig aged 57 had no problem posing in the towels in the photo guide.

This guide, incidentally the first in England, has generated a lot of positive reviews among the 50 plus group. The book, which was launched in the Manchester Town Hall to celebrate UK Older Person’s Day, was summarised aptly by Coun Val Stevens, Manchester’s deputy leader. According to him it is almost customary in Manchester to value older people.

Courtesy Telegraph UK

Popularity: 3% [?]

Serum Institute of India disclosed the first vials of the H1N1 vaccine on September 11 before the top officials of the health ministry. Serum with two Indian companies, Bharat Biotech and Panacea will be beginning the trials shortly.

Recently the ministry had signed a Rs 10 crore advance payment agreement with all three companies. The government will be placing dosage orders only when the companies announce the vaccine being a single or a double dose vaccination. It is expected that the three companies will be beginning human trials by December to prove the safety of the vaccination. It is also hoped that by March, the usage of the vaccine will start.

India is all geared up to start the human trials for the vaccination for testing the effectiveness as well as the safety of the foreign swine flu candidate vaccines, which are scheduled to arrive in the abroad market by October. Three international companies – Baxter, GSK, and Novartis are keen on starting a bridge study in India that is to start by October.

For the trials of these vaccines on 600 adult subjects, eight sites have already been finalized. For the time being, foreign vaccines will be bought after being tested on the India population for safety and effectiveness. This is being done to do away with any vaccine related problems.

India is doing its best to get other sources of shikimic acid, which is the most important ingredient in Tamiflu or oseltamivir, the most effective antiviral drug against swine flu. ICMR has provided grants to four institutes, NIPE, IIT Mumbai, Delhi University, and IIT Delhi, for the purpose of finding alternate sources of the shikimic acid.

Popularity: 5% [?]

With the increasing number of people testing positive for swine flu, the vaccine for the flu is given the green signal. The Australian Vaccination Network lobby group is of the opinion that more testing of the swine flu vaccine is required prior to be made available to the public. A national vaccination program is scheduled to be held at the end of this month.

The Federal Government has already ordered for 21 million doses of the swine flu vaccine which has been developed by the CSL. The national vaccination program in Australia is to be the largest of such programs that the country has ever witnessed. The program is mainly aimed towards the frontline health workers, indigenous people, pregnant women, and people with chronic health problems.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) declared yesterday that the vaccine is safe for use by all who are above the age on 10. Discussion is still on regarding vaccinating children of 9 years or below. Meryl Dorey, President, Australian Vaccination Network, has requested the government previously not to make vaccination a compulsion for children. According to Dorey, the vaccination can have a worse effect on children than the flu itself.

Dorey further adds that if vaccines were available for other seasonal flu, then there should be no exemption for swine flu also. In Australia, 172 people died of the flu and thousands of people were hospitalized. Swine flu was first detected in Australia in April.

Popularity: 3% [?]