06.25.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:03 am by heaven
NEW DELHI: In a bid to revamp the national immunisation programme, the Government will soon introduce new vaccines to protect children from diseases like bacterial pneumonia and meningitis.
The new vaccines for Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) and Pneumoccocal vaccine will be introduced on a pilot basis, sources in the health ministry said.
Officials also plan to accelerate measles control activities simultaneously.
The decision of revamping the immunisation programme was taken at a meeting of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) on June 16.
The Hib vaccine will be introduced in the form of a combination pentavalent vaccine along with DPT and Hepatitis B which will provide all five antigens in one injection, thereby decreasing the discomfort of multiple injections and ensuring greater injection safety to children.
In addition, the NTAGI has recommended introduction of Penumococcal vaccine which also protects children against certain pneumonias and meningitis.
This vaccine will be introduced as a pilot in one state which has a high mortality and adequate cold chain capacity, sources said.
The NTAGI has also endorsed an expert group's recommendation to accelerate measles control activities in the country as measles is another major killer with an estimated 1.5 lakh children dying due to the disease in India every year.
Permalink
Comments off
06.21.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:00 am by heaven
WASHINGTON: An oral option may soon replace 40 million intra-muscular injections required for treating vitamin B12 deficiency among patients every year.
At present, physicians rely on shots for people with vitamin B12 deficiency because of the poor record of oral formulations. Only about 1% of a vitamin B12 tablet is absorbed after travelling through the digestive tract.
But a new oral formulation developed by Emisphere Technologies claims an absorption rate of between 7% and 30%.
Our current studies have shown our oral solid formulation brings vitamin B12 absorption to a range of 7-30% without the discomfort of an invasive route of administration, said researcher Cristina Castelli.
Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause anaemia, dementia and reduced cognitive functioning, which afflicts millions of people worldwide. The elderly and strict vegetarians are most at risk from the disease, which shows up with symptoms such as fatigue, constipation, loss of appetite and weight loss.
Permalink
Comments off
Posted in Uncategorized at 7:59 am by heaven
COIMBATORE: Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Sunday urged private hospitals to cross-subsidise treatment cost, saying government alone could not meet the requirement of poor patients.
"Private hospitals should cross-subsidise treatment cost notwithstanding the increase in the cost of equipments following rapid advancement in technology as government alone cannot meet the requirement of poor patients," Chidambaram said on Sunday.
With the advancement of technology, the cost of the treatment was bound to increase in tune with the Intellectual Property Rights, he said after launching the 'World's fastest and Asia's first 128 Slice Heart CT Scanner,' produced by Siemens, at private K G Hospital here.
Since the government alone could not provide treatment at low cost or free of charge, the private hospitals should come forward to cross-subsidise treatment, like banks lending money at different interest rates for different sectors, he said.
Meanwhile Chidambaram also lauded the presence of Siemens in the country, saying the company, which supplied the Rs.6.5 crore machine, was making a turnover of Rs.11,000 crore in India, which offered a vast market for engineering and service sectors.
Permalink
Comments off
06.19.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:42 pm by heaven
Excerpt: "This survey of 252 HMOs found that almost all measure their performance on multiple indicators of quality and most use these data in quality improvement activities." (The American Journal of Managed Care)
Permalink
Comments off
06.14.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 5:47 pm by heaven
NEW DELHI: A new surgical tower with a separate surgical speciality block will be one of the new additions to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) when it undergoes a revamp.
Renovations and additions would be made to the existing set-up to improve patient care, AIIMS Deputy Director, Administration, Shailesh Yadav told reporters.
Beginning with the projects listed in the sixth proposal, he said, "We plan to have a new surgical tower. There is already one neurosurgery tower, the cardio-thoracic tower and a separate opthalmology and cancer tower. This new surgical tower will have a surgical speciality block, OPD and surgical wards."
This new tower will be raised in place of the existing laundry and the laundry instead will be pushed next to the Forensics department, Yadav said.
It will help in better care for patients who will undergo surgery. Plans are also on to connect the trauma centre with the main hospital building.
"The trauma centre is miles away from the main hospital building. It poses problems for trauma patients as there is lots of traffic which pose hurdles to the treatment that they immediately need. So we decided to go in for this underground tunnel that connects trauma centre and the hospital," Medical Superintendent Dr D K Sharma said.
The hospital has approached the DMRC in this regard. "The DMRC has chalked out an expenditure of Rs 28 crore for it. We are yet to finalise it," he said.
Permalink
Comments off
« Previous entries ·