Health and the UN goals

• India and the Health targets:
• Of the eight MDGs, 3 relate directly to health. 
• The first goal was to reduce mortality among children under the age of five; this is only moderately on-track. 
• The second goal was to reduce maternal mortality. On this India is off-track. 
• India is on-track for the third goal, which was to halt and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, and 

Read More

National Health Profile (NHP) 2015

Predictions on cancer 

• 20 per cent jump over the next 5 years, with the increase being higher in women than in men.
• In men - Mouth cancer registering the highest spike despite country wide ban on Gutkha
• In women - Bladder cancer showing the sharpest increase
• Prostate cancer, liver cancer and lung cancer all increasing

Statistics

• Number of doctors and others (Approximate)
• Allopathic - 10 million
• AYUSH - 7 Lac
• Dentists - 1.5 Lac
• Nurses - 25 Lac
• Pharmacists - 6 lac
• One govt doctor for 11000 people
• Number of Hospital Beds
• Rural - about 2 lac
• Urban - about 5 lac
• One govt hospital bed serves 2000 people
• Incidence of Disease (Comparison between 2013 and 2014)
• Increased
• Malaria by 25%
• AES - 25%
• Kala Azar Doubled!
• JE - by 50%
• Diarrhoea, Typhoid, acute respiratory Infection - all increased
• Decreased
• Chickungunya 

Image: The Indian Express

Read More

Healthcare (Dengue Crisis) in India | Solutions and Examples

"In any free society where terrible wrongs exist, some are guilty; all are responsible.” 

- Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

Why in news?

• Many reasons - recent one Dengue deaths in New Delhi
• In most health indicators we are behind South Asian neighbours, other BRICS nations and, for some indicators like child immunisation, sub-Saharan Africa. 
• Improper coverage of news - Buried inside a national newspaper on April 12 this year was the heartrending story of a tribal in Odisha who allegedly felt forced to sell his two-month-old son for Rs 700 to buy medicines for his sick wife.

Who is responsible?

• the state and Central governments, 
• municipal corporations, 
• private hospitals, 
• public health functionaries,
• negligent householders
• careless construction workers who let water stagnate for mosquitos to breed. 

Solution

• Systemic reforms even after dengue dies seasonally.
• Effective prevention or early and appropriate healthcare
• Mosquito breeding will become even more intense as temperatures rise with climate change. 
• Well-coordinated prevention measures that link multiple civic services, government agencies and community organisations; 
• Efficient surveillance systems that help in forecasting and monitoring;
• Concerted clinical care strategies that intelligently draw upon the combined resources of public and private providers. 
• Regulation, planning and coordination. 
• Strengthening of both rural and urban primary health services. 
• Whether it is the initial assessment and care of fevers, chronic care of high blood pressure and diabetes or ensuring adherence to tuberculosis treatment, frontline health services can provide most needed healthcare. 
• Many patients with viral fevers do not require investigations and treatment at large hospitals — indeed, they run the risk of unnecessary investigations and inappropriate treatment if they do. Triage and referral guidelines will help primary care facilities to steer only the persons who need advanced clinical care to large hospitals. 
• Timely and effective risk communication to the public. 

Examples

• Thailand is a hyper-endemic country for dengue and experienced high numbers of deaths some years ago has now controleld dengue remarkably well. Mehtod--> 
• Prevention measures
• Application of a standardised clinical management protocol. 
• Tamil Nadu, too, is endemic for dengue but its well-organised public health services are geared to cope with the challenge. 
• Mohalla clinics proposed by the Delhi government

Conclusion

• Else, terrible things will continue to happen to innocent children, expectant mothers, poor tribals, disabled persons — and to your family and ours. We will all be responsible when such terrible wrongs happen.

Dengue Map of World (Source Indian Express)

Read More

India is free of Maternal and Newborn Tetanus

What's the news?

• India has successfully eliminated maternal and newborn tetanus (MNT), an infection that at its peak killed some two lakh infants and women in the country
• Describing the achievement as yet another health milestone for India after eradication of polio last year, the PM paid rich tributes to the UPA government’s flagship programme the National Health Mission (NHM). (good example to quote)
• 52% of India’s under-5 mortality is contributed to by deaths of newborns in the first month of life. Under NHM, our approach emphasises a continuum of newborn care both at the community and facility level 

Read More

Pharma Jan Samadhan Scheme

Why in news?

Launched by Ministry of Chemical and fertilizers

Details;

- for grievance redressal of consumers on drug pricing and availability

- a web-enabled system where consumers can lodge complaints

- web-system run by NPPA

- NPPA will initiate action within 48 hours of the complaint.

- also awareness programs and pharma-literacy initaitives

Read More

Surakshit Khadya Abhiyan

Why in news?
Surakshit Khadya Abhiyan, a countrywide campaign was launched recently. It was launched to create mass awareness and capacity building for safe and hygienic food.

Know more:

Read More

National Health Assurance Mission (NHAM)

Why in news?
Mr. Nadda' interview by Indian Express.

National Health Assurance Mission:

Read More

National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) | Drug Price Control Order Para 19

Why in news?
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority’s (NPPA) decision last week to expand the number of drugs under price control by a further 39 drugs has no doubt increased scope of price control but the pharmaceutical industry feels the overarching objective of increasing access to medicines is not being adequately addressed.

About NPPA: "Affordable medicine for All"

Read More

Economic and Health Burden Because of NCDs and Solutions.

• 33% of world poor are in India + 20% of world's disease burden is on India --> More health burden --> Less growth
• Health burden is three fold - 
• infectious diseases
• Burden from infectious diseases reduced between 1990 and 2010
• violence/ injuries
• been increasing
• Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), like cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes. 
• 1990-2010 - premature deaths and disability increased due to NCD --> loss of 6% GDP due to total health burden
• NCD -->  
• 60% deaths in India, 
• 40% of hospital stays
• 35% of outpatient visits. 
• Problem is huge! Are we doing enough?

Read More

Leptospirosis

Why in news?
With twelve deaths from Leptospirosis in Mumbai in the first week of July and 21 cases in the last seven days, many are getting affected from the disease despite the scarcity of rains. 

About Leptospirosis:

Read More

Kayakalp | Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan

Why in news?
Health Minister Shri J P Nadda holds meeting to review “Kayakalp”.

What is KAYAKALP?

Read More

Universal Immunisation | Mission Indradhanush, Rapid Survey of Children (RSOC), Pentavalent Vaccines, NTAGI

Why in news?

• The Women and Child Development Ministry, to whom the UN agency submitted the data of the Rapid Survey of Children (RSOC) conducted during 2012-13, has refused to accept it questioning the very basis of the survey.
• Mission Indradhanush, the new scheme launched.
• Several changes in Universal Immunisation Program recently made

What is RSOC?

Read More

Calcium Carbide

Know about the Calcium carbide and its harmful effects:

Read More

Trans-fats and PHOs

Why in news?

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that it will seek to eliminate majority of partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) from the country’s food supply by 2018. 
• The decision comes after years of lobbying by health advocates and scientists that artificial oils, commonly called “trans fats”, clog arteries and raise the risk of heart disease.

What are trans-fats, PHOs and what are their impacts?

Read More

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) 

• Established under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 
• A consolidation of various acts & orders that have hitherto handled food related issues in various Ministries and Departments.
• Created for 
• laying down science based standards for articles of food and 
• to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

Establishment

Read More

FSSAI Draft Norms for Food Recall

Why in news?

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) came out with the draft norms amid safety concerns over Maggi noodles, which was earlier this month recalled from the market.

Draft Safety and Standards (Food Recall Procedure) Regulations, 2015, has been put up for public comments.

FSSAI has proposed regulations for recall process with the objective to guide the food business operators on how to carry out a recall process.

What is 'Food under recall'?

Read More

Fight Against Hunger and State of Food Insecurity Report, 2015

The Millennium Development Goal of halving the proportion of chronically undernourished people in developing countries by 2015 is within reach. But progress must accelerate by the end of this year

Hunger Stats

• Hungry Population —>  800m which is ~10% world Population
• Chronically Hungry - 780m in developing countries
• Decline in hungry people since:
• 2005 - 167m
• 1991 - 200m

Read More

The story of Maggi Noodles, Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), Lead and Umami

Why in news?
Times of India newspaper recently reported that Samples of Maggi collected from Uttar Pradesh (UP) contained added MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), also known as Ajinomoto, and Lead was multiple times the permissible quantity. So Lucknow's  Food Safety and Drug Administration has now started inquiry and written to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in New Delhi seeking to cancel the licence for Maggi". Now Maharashtra and Gujarat have also sent the samples for testing. 

What is MSG? Is it harmful? What is Umami? Read ahead to know more.

Read More