Health & Wellness Community

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed the COVID-19 situation in the country on Wednesday in light of a recent surge in cases in some regions of the world, and instructed officials to remain vigilant and increase surveillance. “In view of the rising cases of Covid-19 in some countries, reviewed the situation with experts and officials today. COVID is not over yet. I have directed all concerned to be alert and strengthen surveillance. We are prepared to manage any situation,” Mandaviya stated this in a tweet. In view of the rising cases of #Covid19 in some countries, reviewed the situation with experts and officials today. COVID is not over yet. I have directed all concerned to be alert and strengthen surveillance. We are prepared to manage any situation. pic.twitter.com/DNEj2PmE2W — Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) December 21, 2022 The meeting was attended by the secretaries of health, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, Ayush, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Rajiv Bahl, Member (Health) of NITI Aayog Dr V K Paul, and National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) Chairman Dr N K Arora, among others. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan stated in a letter to states and UTs that such an effort will enable timely detection of newer variants, if any, circulating throughout the country and will facilitate the implementation of necessary public health measures. Given the rise in cases in Japan, the United States of America, the Republic of Korea, Brazil, and China, the Union Health Ministry encouraged all states and union territories on Tuesday to increase whole genome sequencing of positive Covid samples in order to track emerging variants. COVID has been spreading rapidly in China. According to informal figures, over 40% of Beijing residents are currently infected with COVID. The CCP, on the other hand, has shifted its agenda to depict COVID as a simple flu. As the number of cases increases in major Chinese cities, even people with minor symptoms are rushing to hospitals. Emergency call operators are receiving 30,000 calls each day, which is six times the daily average. According to Voices Against Autocracy, there are long queues outside fever clinics in several towns. Treatments and medication are in low supply, and hospitals are stressed as doctors and nurses become infected with the illness. Doctors who have tested positive or are asymptomatic are also being urged to report to work, putting the public at danger of further transmission. Epidemiologists recently predicted that at least three COVID waves would hit China this winter. According to The Hong Kong Post, the Chinese government was “under-prepared” when it unexpectedly ended its zero-COVID policy in response to nationwide protests. The Chinese government has stayed silent on the number of deaths so far. However, Chinese authorities have warned of successive waves of COVID infections in the coming months, since cases have continued to increase since restrictions were lifted earlier this month. Source: PTI, ANI

More than two weeks after the AIIMS cyber-attack, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin informed the Lok Sabha on Friday that all data had been recovered from an unaffected backup server, and that most of the institute’s services had been restored. In response to a question, Pawar stated that no specific amount of ransom was wanted by the hackers, despite the fact that a statement on the server implied it was a cyber-attack. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences has filed a FIR with the Special Cell of the Delhi Police in connection with the attack, according to the minister’s written reply. The e-Hospital application of the National Informatics Centre (NIC) was hosted on five physical servers at AIIMS Delhi. All data for the e-Hospital was recovered from an unaffected backup server and restored on new servers. “Most of the functions of e-Hospital applications like patient registration, appointment, admission, discharge etc have been restored after two weeks of the cyber-attack,” Pawar stated in a written response. Also Read: AIIMS server attack is part of a larger conspiracy by organised gangs: Minister The National Nodal Agency for Responding to Cyber Security Incidents, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), has “Empanelled Information Security Auditing Organizations” for auditing computer systems, networks, and applications involving public service delivery, including the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). AIIMS took immediate steps to enhance security, including endpoint hardening, string firewall policies, and network segmentation, according to the minister. To reduce the patient load on the Delhi hospital, the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) has approved the setting up of 22 new AIIMS and 75 projects of upgradation of existing government medical colleges or institutions through the establishment of super speciality blocks or trauma centres. They are in various stages of delivering inpatient and outpatient services to the underprivileged. Day-to-day operations or surgeries, as well as accompanying duties and record keeping, were carried out manually. The dashboard for real-time emergency bed availability at AIIMS Delhi was designed in-house, according to the reply.

The government announced on Friday that it has taken strong action against medical colleges that do not have proper faculty and that similar delinquent institutions will face similar action. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also told the Lok Sabha that in the case of government-run medical institutions, state governments are responsible for retaining faculty members, however in the case of private medical colleges, the obligation lies with the respective administration. Mandaviya stated that the central government continues to send inspection teams to medical colleges in addition to seeking commitments and affidavits from medical colleges in order to maintain proper faculty. “We have to give quality education to students, we have to produce good doctors. We have taken strong action against those institutions which were not maintaining proper faculty and some more action will be taken against some other institutions,” he said. The minister stated that the government would not hesitate to take harsh measures against medical colleges found to be involved in irregularities. In response to a question about the progress of the AIIMS Madurai, he stated that classes for students have already begun, and that work on the permanent building will begin soon after a delay due to changes in the proposed structure, resulting in a budget increase from Rs 1200 crore to Rs 1900 crore. “The government of India is committed to serve the people of Tamil Nadu through AIIMS Madurai. No need to worry, we will complete the project. We will build a good AIIMS (in Madurai),” he stated. Mandaviya noted that in order to increase the availability of qualified human resources in health and to reduce disparities in the country’s existing geographical distribution of medical colleges, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare administers a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for the establishment of new medical colleges attached to existing district or referral hospitals, with preference given to underserved areas and aspirational districts where no existing government or private medical college exists. According to him, 157 medical institutions have been sanctioned under the programme in three phases, with funds shared between the Centre and State Governments in the ratio of 90:10 for Northeastern and Special Category States and 60:40 for others. According to the scheme guidelines, the state government is the implementing agency, and the state government is responsible for project development, implementation, and commissioning. The scheme’s funds are released based on the rate of expenditure, the release of the appropriate state share, and the receipt of utilisation certificates, as well as demand from the state and UT governments, he explained. Source: PTI

Reliance Jio has signed a partnership with the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences that will allow the latter to utilise Jio’s 5G network for advanced healthcare technology. Jio’s ‘True 5G’ service, along with low latency, would enable novel use cases in healthcare, including robotics-based treatment or surgery, remote ICU, ICU Ambulance, community clinics, and more. 5G will not only improve existing technologies, but will also enable new use cases in healthcare, such as robotics-based treatment and surgery, remote ICU and ICU ambulance, community clinics, and more. Reliance Jio and emergency medical response service provider Medulance Healthcare launched their 5G-Smart connected ambulance in October of this year. Medulance Healthcare intends to use Jio’s 5G network to transform its nationwide fleet of over 7,500 ambulances into smart ambulances. The vehicle is equipped with cameras and smart technologies that enable real-time, two-way audio and video communication, transmission of high-definition footage, ambulance location tracking, and real-time streaming of patient health data to a distant doctor over the high-speed 5G network. This alerts the nearest hospital and professionals, allowing them to better manage the patient upon arrival and save critical time.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate three National Ayush Institutes on December 11 with the aim of improving infrastructure and promoting research in traditional medicine. PM Modi will inaugurate the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in Goa, the National Institute of UnMedicine (NIUM) in Ghaziabad, and the National Institute of Homoeopathy (NIH) in Delhi. According to the Ministry of Ayush, these satellite institutes will improve research, international cooperation, and make Ayush services more affordable to a larger community. These institutes will aid in the delivery of affordable healthcare to all citizens and to the country’s various regions. On December 11, the Ministry of Ayush will host the 9th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC), which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend. In Panjim, Goa, the event will highlight the scientificity, efficacy, and strength of the Ayush system of medicine on a global level. According to a Ministry of Ayush statement, the development of three new national Ayush institutes in Ayurveda, Homeopathy, and Unani would create 400 additional seats for 400 students pursuing UG, PG, and Doctoral programmes, as well as 550 additional beds in these three streams. The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in Goa will work to provide the highest quality facilities for UG, PG, and post-doctoral courses in education, research, and patient care services using the Ayurvedic medical system. According to the statement, it will be transformed into an Ayurvedic wellness hub encouraging Medical Value Travel (MVT) and will serve as a model centre for international and national collaboration for academic and research purposes. The National Institute of Homoeopathy (NIH) in Delhi, according to the statement, is the first of its kind to be established in Northern India for the development of the Homoeopathic system of medicine and the provision of health care services. It will work on mainstreaming and integrating Ayush healthcare services with contemporary medications, as well as encouraging R&D and innovation and developing reputable national institutes. The National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM) in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, will serve as a satellite center for the existing National Institute of Unani Medicine in Bangalore. It will be the first of its kind in Northern India, serving patients from Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and other Indian states, as well as international nationals under MVT. Source: ANI

While calling the AIIMS server attack a “big conspiracy,” Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar speculated that it could be the work of a “state actor” or large organised gangs. Chandrasekhar told IANS that the server attack was definitely part of a larger conspiracy. He stated that the situation is being investigated by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and the Delhi Police. He went on to say that while the government makes different provisions to protect government institutions from cyber-attacks, AIIMS, as an autonomous institution, hires private agencies to do so. According to him, the government is considering establishing a standard to prevent such incidents, which would be provided to institutions such as AIIMS as an advice, pushing its adoption. The minister described it as a ransomware issue, saying that patients’ data had not yet been leaked, but it had been made inaccessible from the hospital. He referred to it as a cyber security issue. Chandrasekhar went on to say that the government would introduce a Digital Personal Data Protection Bill about data theft, after which victims would be able to complain about their data privacy breach by contacting the Data Protection Board. Source: IANS

A team of researchers has identified the bacteria most typically found in severe oral infections, a discovery that could shed more light on the link between oral bacteria and other diseases. Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria were found to be the most frequent bacteria, whereas Streptococcus spp, Prevotella spp, and Staphylococcus spp were the most common genera. Previous research has found obvious links between oral health and prevalent diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden analysed samples obtained from patients with severe oral infections at Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden between 2010 and 2020 and developed a list of the most prevalent bacteria. “We’re reporting here, for the first time, the microbial composition of bacterial infections from samples collected over a ten-year period in Stockholm County,” says professor Sallberg Chen of Karolinska Institute’s Department of Dental Medicine. “The results show that several bacterial infections with links to systemic diseases are constantly present and some have even increased over the past decade in Stockholm,” the researchers wrote in the journal Microbiology Spectrum. “Our results provide new insight into the diversity and prevalence of harmful microbes in oral infections,” Chen added. “If a certain bacterium infects and causes damage in the mouth, it’s very likely that it can be harmful to tissues elsewhere in the body as the infection spreads,” the researcher explained.

At the international conference on family planning held in Pattaya, Thailand, India won the Leadership in Family Planning (EXCELL) Awards-2022 in the “country category.” Mansukh Mandaviya, the minister of health and family welfare, tweeted that “India wins the prestigious EXCELL award – Leadership in Family Planning by @ICFP2022. The award is a recognition of India’s efforts under PM @NarendraModi Ji’s leadership towards ensuring access to quality family planning choices based on right information and reliable services.” With this, India became the only nation to win the Leadership in Family Planning (EXCELL) Awards-2022 in the “country category.” In a statement issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, it was stated that India had achieved outstanding progress in expanding access to modern contraceptive techniques and adopting them, allowing couples to make educated decisions about family planning. Data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 5 reflect these. According to NFHS-5 data, the country’s total contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) rose sharply from NFHS4 data’s 54% to 67%. The percentage of unmet family planning requirements has been significantly decreased, from 13% to 9%. Additionally, the unmet requirement for spacing has decreased to fewer than 10%. The overall “demand satisfied” for family planning among Indian currently married women aged 15 to 49 rose from 66% in 2015–16 to 76% in 2019–21, exceeding the global SDG target of 75% set for 2030. According to NFHS-5 statistics, 68% of users of modern method contraceptives get their method from the public health sector, reflecting the government’s priority on enhancing simple and inexpensive access to modern contraceptives. According to the statement, Mission Parivar Vikas, one of the government’s flagship initiatives to address unmet family planning requirements, has also played a significant role in the development. India is making progress toward attaining the SDG targets for women’s and maternal health, as seen by its initiatives to improve family planning. “The International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) has served as a strategic inflection point for the global reproductive health community, providing a global stage for more than 120 countries worldwide, organizations, and individuals to make important commitments and celebrate achievements as the world’s largest scientific conclave on family planning and reproductive health. The event was attended by more than 3500 delegates physically and tens of thousands on the virtual platform,” the statement reads. Source: ANI

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s authentic documents sharing platform, DigiLocker, has successfully finished the second stage of integration with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). Vaccination records, doctor’s prescriptions, lab results, hospital discharge summaries, and other health documents may now be stored and accessed on the safe cloud-based storage platform of DigiLocker. Prior to now, DigiLocker had finished level 1 integration with ABDM, adding the ability for its 13 crore users to create Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA). With this most recent connection, users can now utilise DigiLocker as a Personal Health Records (PHR) app. Additionally, ABHA holders can use DigiLocker to link their health records from other ABDM registered healthcare providers, including hospitals and labs. Older health records can be scanned and uploaded by users to the app. Even ABDM-registered medical practitioners can access some of their records. Dr. RS Sharma, CEO of the National Health Authority (NHA), emphasised the benefit that users will receive from this integration when he remarked, “Under the ABDM, we are building an inter-operable health ecosystem. Dr. RS Sharma, CEO of the National Health Authority (NHA), emphasised the benefit that users will receive from this integration when he remarked, “Under the ABDM, we are building an inter-operable health ecosystem. The different applications from both the public and private sectors partners integrating with ABDM are helping expand the reach of the scheme to more users and adding more functionalities. DigiLocker is a trusted and popular app to access authentic documents. Therefore, it is a significant development as users would now get to use it as a PHR app and get the benefits of paperless record keeping.” Abhishek Singh, MD & CEO, Digital India Corporation, commented on the integration by saying, “We are proud to extend the benefits of ABDM to our 130 million registered users. The platform has already helped generate close to 85 thousand ABHA numbers. With the health locker integration, we’re positive that more people would be able to easily link and manage their health records digitally. DigiLocker aims to be the preferred health locker for ABHA users.” All DigiLocker registered users can now access the health locker services.