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October 24, 2006
Seven fresh dengue cases in Madhya Pradesh
Indo-Asian News Service, October 24, 2006
Bhopal, Oct 24 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Tuesday reported seven more cases of dengue fever that has so far claimed three lives in the state.
"Of the 13 blood samples sent to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) on Oct 14, seven samples have tested positive. Of these, one case is in Bhopal and the remaining in Gwalior," a health official said.
The official, however, denied any dengue death in the state, though private clinics in the state capital had reported three such deaths in recent weeks.
"There has been no death due to dengue in the state. In all, around 18 suspected patients have been admitted to hospitals in Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior and Jabalpur," said the state's Health Commissioner Rajesh Rajora.
"The Health Department had taken all preventive and curative steps before the official confirmation of dengue," he said.
Malaria control rooms were set up at district and village levels, while cleanliness and awareness drive was also being carried out on a war footing across the state, Rajora added.
Dengue fever is caused by a virus spread by the female of Aedes Egyptis mosquito that breeds in stagnant waters.
Anti-vector and anti-larvae activities were taken up in 1,200 villages identified with high mosquito density, five million awareness pamphlets were distributed and mass awareness campaigns were being organised at village councils, schools and colleges.
A rapid mass fever survey was also being carried out in villages reporting high cases of fever, Rajora said.
Enough medicines were available with government health centres to tackle the disease, he said.
Posted by bhola at 06:37 PM | Comments (0)
October 22, 2006
Clinic treating Bhopal gas victims appeals for donations
Indo-Asian News Service, October 16, 2006
Bhopal, Oct 16 (IANS) The Sambhavna Trust Clinic has treated free in 10 years over 22,000 people affected by poisonous gas that leaked from the Union Carbide plant. As it prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary Tuesday, it appealed for donations and public involvement in the voluntary work.
Well-known environmental scientist Sunita Narain, director of the Centre for Science and Environment, will be chief guest at its anniversary function, said Aziza Sultan, a community health worker here.
All the physicians, technicians and community health workers from the Sambhavna Trust Clinic appealed to the people of Bhopal for donations and their involvement in the charitable work.
"A poster exhibition on environmental health, folk dances, a play by children, screening of a film made by Sambhavna staff and the release of a book on the occasion will be part of the programme. It will be presided over by Justice N.K. Jain, president, State Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission," Aziza said.
Every day over 200 people come for treatment at the clinic, located near the Union Carbide factory where the severely affected people reside.
The clinic also carries out research on the long-term effects of the disaster and the treatment, monitors exposure-related deaths and conducts surveys.
The Sambhavna Trust that runs the clinic does not accept money from governments or corporations. All funds required to run the clinic come from individual donations and from the royalties of the book, "It was Five Past Midnight in Bhopal", by Dominique Lapierre and Javier Moro.
The clinic, formed Sep 2, 1996, has provided free medical care to thousands of people suffering from after-effects of the December 1984 poisonous gas leak and the contamination of ground water by Carbide's chemical wastes.
Posted by bhola at 09:04 AM | Comments (0)
October 16, 2006
Wockhardt to open super-speciality hospital in Bhopal: but for the rich, not for gas- and water-victims
Corporate Voice/Weber Shandwick, October 16, 2006
Wockhardt Hospitals, India's leading super speciality hospital chain, today announced plans to establish a world-class super speciality hospital in Bhopal in association with Ayushman Medical Diagnostics Ltd.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish Wockhardt Hospital in Bhopal was signed today by Mr. Anil Kamath, President, Wockhardt Hospitals and Dr. Niraj Kumar, Dr. Gopal Batni and Dr. Ashok Gupta, Directors, Ayushman Medical Diagnostics in the presence of Hon. Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Chauhan.
The 120-bed Wockhardt Hospital in Bhopal will be commissioned in six months.
"We are fortunate that Wockhardt, a globally reputed name in healthcare, has decided to establish a world-class hospital in Bhopal," Chief Minister Shivraj Chauhan said. "My vision is to see Bhopal emerge as the centre of excellence for medical care in central India."
Wockhardt will construct additional facilities, upgrade existing facilities and invest in the latest technologies to provide the latest super speciality treatment in cardiology, cardio thoracic surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, high-end orthopaedic surgery and minimal access surgery. The new hospital will have four state-of-the-art operating theatre suites and a critical care facility with 25 ICU (intensive care unit) beds.
"People of Madhya Pradesh have long suffered from the absence of a world-class tertiary healthcare facility in central India," Wockhardt Hospitals' Chairman Habil Khorakiwala said. "We are determined to realize the chief minister's vision of making Bhopal the healthcare capital of the region with our rich experience of over 18 years in this field."
Wockhardt Hospital will bring to Madhya Pradesh the rich medical expertise from its exclusive association with Harvard Medical International, the global arm of Harvard Medical School, the world's leading medical institution. This association provides Wockhardt access to the latest clinical protocols, innovations and patient care practices from 17 prestigious Harvard-affiliated hospitals in the US, including the Massachusetts General Hospital, the Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Beth Israel Hospital.
Dr. Ashok Gupta, Ayushman Director, said, "Wockhardt's entry will be a boon for the people of Madhya Pradesh who now have to travel to Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and even Chennai for high end critical care." Shri Rakesh Mehra, consultant, Econotech Services Pvt Ltd, said the entry of branded hospitals will lift healthcare delivery standards in the region .
Key clinicians and other important staff will be trained at Wockhardt Hospitals in Mumbai to acquire skills and service quality, which will be at par with the best in the industry. The hospital will provide specialists with advanced infrastructure and superior nursing quality so that they can serve their patients in an ideal environment.
Wockhardt Hospitals' consultants and surgeons are recognised both within India and across the world for their pioneering contributions in advanced super speciality treatment. Wockhardt's dedicated super speciality hospitals in Bangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur and Hyderabad have success rates comparable to the best in the world. Wockhardt Hospitals are also recognized as the global pioneers of conscious off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery, popularly called 'awake heart surgery,' considered as the most evolved expertise in super speciality cardiac surgery.
The Harvard team has established Wockhardt's core nursing practices in the areas of intensive care, operating rooms and ward care. Experts from Harvard periodically conduct training programmes for Wockhardt Hospital personnel. This association with Harvard for quality-driven healthcare delivery has enabled Wockhardt Hospitals in Mumbai to earn the distinction of being the first super speciality hospital in South Asia to achieve accreditation from the Joint Commission International (JCI), the international arm of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organisations, which evaluates the standards of US hospitals. It is amongst 71 hospitals around the world to win this recognition. The accreditation requires a hospital to comply with almost 1,300 measurable standards. The new super speciality hospital in Bhopal will benefit from the standards achieved at Wockhardt Hospitals in Mumbai.
Wockhardt currently runs a cluster of super speciality hospitals in Mumbai dedicated to cardiology, neurology, orthopaedics, ophthalmology and minimal access surgery. It runs dedicated super speciality hospitals in Bangalore, Nagpur and Hyderabad and a super speciality kidney hospital in Kolkata.
Posted by bhola at 02:04 PM | Comments (0)
October 10, 2006
14 suspected dengue cases in Madhya Pradesh
INDO ASIAN NEWS SERVICE OCTOBER 10, 2006
Bhopal, Oct 10 (IANS) As many as 14 suspected cases of dengue, a viral fever caused by mosquito bites have been reported in Madhya Pradesh so far and their blood samples have been sent for tests to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, New Delhi, an official said Tuesday.
Moreover, 1,200 villages have also been identified with high mosquito density in the state.
The official, however, deny any dengue death in the state, despite three such deaths being reported at private hospitals in the state capital alone.
Bina district resident Kishore Singh Thakur died at the National Hospital on Sep 29, while Raisen district resident Rati Bai and Bhopal resident Rama Manjhi succumbed to suspected dengue fever at the Chirayu Hospital here.
But the state government denies having any knowledge about these cases.
"There has been no death due to dengue in the state. In all, around 14 suspected patients have been admitted to hospitals in Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior and Jabalpur," said state Health Commissioner Rajesh Rajora.
On the absence of dengue testing facility in the state, he said 1,000 portable dengue-testing kits have been arranged from Goa and they are being sent to places already identified with high mosquito density.
Moreover, malaria control rooms have been set up at district and village levels. Cleanliness and awareness drive is also being carried out on a war footing across the state, Rajora added.
Posted by bhola at 03:34 PM | Comments (0)
Private clinics mushroom in gas-hit Bhopal: Gas-hit areas in the Madhya Pradesh capital have seen a sharp rise in the number of private medical practitioners in the past two decades
IndiaPRwire, October 10, 2006
Gas-hit areas in the Madhya Pradesh capital have seen a sharp rise in the number of private medical practitioners in the past two decades.
Over 3,000 people were killed when 40 tonnes of lethal MIC gas leaked out of Union Carbide's pesticide plant in December 1984. To this day, residents exposed to the lethal gas have been suffering from respiratory and other ailments.
The number of private nursing homes and clinics in gas-hit areas has shot up from 60 to 260 in just two decades. The costly treatments have drained the victims of the gas tragedy both economically and emotionally.
'The compensation of Rs.50,000 each for the gas victims is little when compared to their huge medical bills,' says Abdul Jabbar, an activist, and convenor of THEpal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan.
Mohan Lal, 42, has been suffering from respiratory disorders for over 22 years.
'It's been so many years, but it looks we'll never get well again.'
Lal used to earn Rs.6,000 a month by selling spices till the tragedy struck. But it is difficult for him to perform physical labour now. He has sold his two ancestral homes for Rs.350,000 to sustain his family of five.
'All the money goes into paying medical bills. Still we do not keep well,' he rued.
There are thousands who are suffering like Mohan Lal.
The 'irrational' course of treatment has been condemned by activists. Apart from the respiratory system, neurological, reproductive and immune systems of the gas victims have also been affected. Cases of tuberculosis here are four times higher than the national average.
To add to their woes victims have been plagued by widespread corruption.
More than 70 percent of government doctors serving them have clinics of their own. And the patients are encouraged to see the doctors at their clinics, a report on the gas victims points out.
'In 1996, International Medical Commission on Bhopal charged Union Carbide with concealing information on chemicals that leaked. Even now many synergistic health impacts of the toxic gases are not known,' claims Satinath Sarangi, an activist who runs Sambhavna Clinic for the victims.
A Fact Finding Mission report released on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the tragedy also pointed out that in 72 percent cases patients are being given useless or harmful drugs and 53 percent patients are unsatisfied with the course of treatment.
The study also found many untreated mental illnesses linked to the disaster.
'In the 9/11 case, a compensation of Rs.80 million per head was given in less than a year. But the Indian government has neglected the victims. Even in a government-sponsored scheme, only 80 gas-hit women have got a job,' Jabbar said.
Posted by bhola at 08:28 AM | Comments (0)
October 09, 2006
No fresh Dengue fever cases reported, 5 samples sent to Delhi
Hindustan Times, October 8, 2006
THOUGH NO fresh confirmed case of dengue was reported on Sunday, the State Health Department sent blood samples of five suspected patients – three from Bhopal and two from Indore — to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), New Delhi, for confirmation.
Patients with symptoms of viral infection, including malaria and dengue, continue to pour in at private and government hospitals, though not many cases are being confirmed.
The condition of woman from Seoni Malwa, who was admitted to the City-based National Hospital and tested positive for dengue – continues to be critical. Another woman, tested positive at another private hospital, is showing signs of recovery, hospital authorities said. Two samples from suspected patients done through the Rapid Card Test at the Hamidia Hospital tested negative.
Also, anti-aedes operation was launched in 1,200 villages of the State with high aedes density on Sunday morning, Health Commissioner Rajesh Rajora told the Hindustan Times. Preparations are over for platelet separation at the blood banks of medical colleges of Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior and Jabalpur. Soon arrangements will be made at the Medical College, Rewa, and in district hospitals in seven other towns, he said.
The surveillance has been stepped up, Rajora said, adding the State Control Room at IEC Bureau on the JP Hospital premises is functioning round-the-clock. The private hospitals and nursing homes have been directed to immediately provide information on any suspected case to the control room.
DIVISIONAL MEETING: A review meeting of the eight districts under Bhopal division was held on Sunday in the State capital for reviewing the implementation of an action plan on mosquito-related diseases, including dengue, chikungunya and malaria. The Chief Medical Officers, civil surgeons and District Malaria Officers from Bhopal, Hoshangabad, Raisen, Vidisha, Sehore, Betul, Rajgarh and Harda attended the meeting.
Posted by bhola at 06:31 PM | Comments (0)
October 06, 2006
Dengue case in state: Precautions only `mantra'
Editorial, Bhopal Central Chronicle, October 6, 2006
Dengue and chikunguniya diseases have created terror in some states. Both these mysterious diseases have shaken up the health authorities. Even though the health authorities have not yet found a sure mechanism to end the menace, yet human beings safety rests with precautions. It is important to create awareness about the disease among the people.
The peaceful state of Madhya Pradesh, in general, has not fallen prey to any epidemic as such. However, the disease chikunguniya has hit the state first and tormented its people the most. Till now the state was safe from dengue fever, but after the death of a person, resident of a place near Bina, in Bhopal due to dengue, the residents of the state are no more safe. Now the only `mantra' to fight the dreaded fever is `taking all the precautions'. The state's health department should gird up its loins. A little laxity and the disease will spread all over the state. Health workers need to be deputed in villages. Primary health centres should have adequate stocks of preventive medicines. The doctors who shy away from going to rural areas, should adopt a humanitarian approach at least now, and fulfill their duties towards the citizens. It should be the duty of the health squads to make arrangements so that the dengue or chikunguniya patients reach the district health centres or nearest medical colleges. It is a matter of solace that both these diseases have not taken an epidemic form in the state. However, this is also true that any disease does not come by knocking the doors. Thus the message is clear for the health staff to be ever ready to meet any situation.
Posted by bhola at 11:13 AM | Comments (0)