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India Gears Up for Mpox Outbreak: Health Ministry Issues Guidelines for Airports and Hospitals

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The Union Health Ministry has instructed airports and land ports, especially along the Bangladesh and Pakistan borders, to remain vigilant for travelers displaying Mpox symptoms, according to a PTI report. The move comes as part of India’s heightened preparedness for a potential outbreak of the virus, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. To bolster the country’s response, three hospitals in New Delhi—Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, and Lady Hardinge Medical College—have been designated as key centers for isolating, managing, and treating Mpox patients. State governments have been directed to identify similar facilities within their jurisdictions. In a high-level meeting convened by P K Mishra, principal secretary to the prime minister, officials confirmed that no active Mpox cases have been detected in India. However, surveillance efforts and testing capabilities are being ramped up across the country to ensure early detection and containment. Despite the more virulent strain of the virus currently circulating, the risk of a large-scale outbreak with sustained transmission remains low, according to current assessments. Globally, the WHO reports over 99,000 Mpox cases and 208 deaths across 116 countries since 2022. The Democratic Republic of Congo has witnessed a steady increase in cases, underscoring the need for ongoing vigilance. The Indian health ministry has emphasized the importance of enhanced surveillance, early diagnosis, and rapid case management. Currently, 32 laboratories across India are equipped to test for Mpox, and the government is working to further expand testing facilities. Mishra also stressed the need for widespread awareness campaigns targeting healthcare providers to ensure they can quickly recognize and report symptoms. India has reported 30 Mpox cases since 2022, with the latest case detected in March 2024. Although the situation remains under control, officials are taking proactive measures to mitigate any potential outbreak. Source: Economic Times

Doctors’ Strike Continues as Talks with Health Ministry Fail to Yield Resolution

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The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) announced on Monday that their indefinite strike will continue after a meeting with officials from the Union health ministry failed to bring about a resolution. The strike was called in response to the tragic rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College, leading to the suspension of elective services, including OPDs and non-emergency surgeries, across government hospitals nationwide. Despite extensive discussions with the Union health minister’s team, no concrete solution was reached, prompting FORDA to extend the strike. Dr. Aviral Mathur, President of FORDA, confirmed that the strike would persist into Tuesday, with emergency services continuing to operate. FORDA’s demands include immediate action on the concerns raised by residents at RG Kar Medical College, assurances against police brutality, respectful treatment of protesting doctors, and swift justice and compensation for the family of the deceased. The association also urged the Union government to implement comprehensive security measures for healthcare workers in all hospitals and called for the establishment of an expert committee to expedite the ratification of the Central Healthcare Protection Act.

‘No Safety, No Duty’: OPD Services Hit by Nationwide Doctors’ Protest

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Doctors across India have halted work, except for emergency procedures, in a nationwide protest against the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The protests have severely impacted outpatient department (OPD) services across the country, with healthcare workers demanding stricter security measures. The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) announced a pause in elective services, describing the incident as a “travesty” in the history of the resident doctor community. In a letter to Union Health Minister JP Nadda, FORDA demanded the resignation of officials responsible for failing to protect the doctor and assurances that protesting doctors will not face manhandling. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) also sent a letter to Health Minister Nadda, urging the enactment of a central law to curb attacks on doctors and declaring hospitals as safe zones. Although 25 states have laws to prevent violence against doctors, the IMA noted that these are often ineffective. The association emphasized the need for a special central law to act as a deterrent. In response to the protests, treatment at hospitals in Kolkata and across the country has been disrupted. Patients and their relatives have expressed frustration over the inconvenience caused by the strike. In Lucknow, doctors at King George’s Medical University marched to the OPD to stop work, leading to patients demanding treatment by banging on the OPD’s shut doors. In Mumbai, doctors from prominent hospitals, including JJ Hospital, Sion Hospital, Nair Hospital, and King Edward Memorial Hospital, joined the protest. At AIIMS Delhi, daily surgeries have dropped by 80% and admissions by 35% due to the indefinite strike. AIIMS authorities have issued a circular urging doctors to return to work, citing a High Court order prohibiting protests on hospital premises. A civic volunteer who frequently visited the hospital has been arrested in connection with the Kolkata doctor’s rape and murder. West Bengal’s Chief Minister has given the city police a deadline to complete the investigation, after which the state government may recommend a CBI probe.

Bajaj Group Eyes Healthcare Venture as Hospital Bed Demand Rises Steadily

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Bajaj Group is reportedly planning to enter the healthcare sector by establishing a chain of hospitals, with the venture likely to be led by Nirav Bajaj, who currently oversees corporate strategy at Mukand. However, the investment plans are not yet finalized. The hospital sector in India is experiencing growth, with major private hospital chains announcing expansion plans for the financial year 2024-25 (FY25). This comes after reporting an increase in average revenue per occupied bed (ARPOB) per day in FY24, reflecting rising demand for healthcare services. India faces significant challenges in healthcare coverage, with only 5 beds and 8.6 doctors per 10,000 people, according to OECD data—one of the lowest ratios globally. As life expectancy in India is expected to surpass 70 years by 2031, and with the aging population projected to reach 13% by the same year, the demand for healthcare services is set to grow. Additionally, the rise in non-communicable diseases, especially cardiac ailments, driven by lifestyle changes, further underscores the need for expanded healthcare infrastructure. This venture could mark the next significant move for the Bajaj Group, a 96-year-old conglomerate founded by Jamnalal Bajaj. Niraj Bajaj, Chairman of Bajaj Auto and Mukand, may be steering this new diversification. Meanwhile, Rajiv Bajaj’s son, Rishab, has also joined Bajaj Auto as a divisional manager focusing on electric vehicle product strategy. The new healthcare venture has already set up an office in Lower Parel, Mumbai. However, it remains unclear whether the investment will come from the Bajaj family’s office or the Group companies, which include Bajaj Holdings and Investments, Bajaj Auto, Bajaj Finserv, Mukand Industries, Bajaj Electricals, and Hercules Hoist. The Bajaj Group operates through a family council, which was formed three years ago and includes members such as Shekhar, Madhur, Niraj, Rajiv, and Sanjiv Bajaj. They meet regularly to discuss business and family matters. In March, the Bajaj Group committed ₹5,000 crore to social impact initiatives over five years, focusing on skill development under its “Bajaj Beyond” program. This initiative aims to benefit over 20 million youth by providing employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. In the last decade, the Bajaj Group has contributed nearly ₹4,000 crore towards various CSR initiatives, primarily in education, health, livelihood, and water conservation.

Orlando Health to Acquire 70% Stake in Alabama’s Brookwood Baptist Health

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Orlando Health has finalized a $910 million agreement to acquire a 70% stake in Tenet Healthcare’s Brookwood Baptist Health system in Alabama. This significant move will grant Orlando Health control over Brookwood Baptist Health’s five hospitals and affiliated physician practices in the Birmingham area. The deal encompasses Brookwood Baptist Medical Center, Princeton Baptist Medical Center, Walker Baptist Medical Center, Shelby Baptist Medical Center, and Citizens Baptist Medical Center. Following the transaction, the system will be rebranded as Baptist Health, with Orlando Health taking on management of daily operations. Thibaut van Marcke, Senior Vice President of Orlando Health Southeast Region and President of Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, will oversee the integration in Alabama. David Strong, CEO of Orlando Health, expressed optimism about the merger, stating, “We believe this is a new day in health care for our organizations and look forward to making Brookwood Baptist the best health care system in Alabama.” Brookwood Baptist Health operates over 1,700 beds, 70 primary and specialty care clinics, approximately 1,500 affiliated physicians, and employs over 7,300 staff. Orlando Health, based in Orlando, is a not-for-profit system with assets exceeding $10.5 billion, encompassing around 450 locations, 3,400 beds, and 17 hospitals. The partnership aims to enhance healthcare services in Alabama, leveraging Orlando Health’s extensive resources and management expertise to improve patient care in the region. Reference via Health Florida  

WHO Teams Up with IOC and France to Support Healthy Paris Olympics

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The World Health Organization (WHO) is collaborating with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and France to ensure the Paris Olympics, starting this Friday, are healthy and safe for both spectators and athletes. “Just as athletes and fans around the world have been preparing for the Paris Olympics, WHO has been working with the IOC and the Government of France to make sure these Games are healthy and safe for everyone involved,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “From promoting physical activity to protecting people from a range of health threats, WHO has been proud to play its part in making the Paris Olympics a success.” WHO and the IOC, partners since a 2020 memorandum of understanding renewed this year, have launched the “Let’s Move” campaign. This initiative promotes physical activity, leveraging the Paris Olympics to motivate sports stars and the global public to move for better health. In support of this campaign, the French Government has introduced a program mandating 30 minutes of daily physical activity for school students to ensure a lasting, healthy legacy from the Paris Olympics. WHO’s health security experts at its Geneva headquarters and European Regional Office in Copenhagen have been actively supporting national and regional authorities. Their efforts include preparing for potential health scenarios like heatwaves, infectious disease outbreaks, food and water safety hazards, terrorism, and crowd management. Public health advice has been developed in collaboration with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and France for travelers attending the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, starting on August 28. Guidance includes recommended vaccines, protection against various illnesses, and tips for staying cool and hydrated. WHO has participated in IOC Paris 2024 simulation exercises to test public health plans, established Olympics-specific health event-based surveillance, and is producing daily situation reports with ECDC. These reports aim to capture early signals of any health events and support timely responses, providing information to the IOC and other partners. Dr. Tedros will participate in the Olympic Torch Relay on Friday, following his speech at the Paris Summit on Sports for Sustainable Development, hosted by the French Presidency and the IOC. At the Summit, WHO will commit to mobilizing for nutrition ahead of next year’s Nutrition for Growth Summit in Paris and expand support to countries to improve diets, promote physical activity, and manage obesity, aiming to reduce obesity prevalence in targeted countries by 5% by 2030.

Union Budget 2024: Health Sector Sees Marginal Increase, NHM Allocation Rises Amid Infrastructure Cuts

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The Union Budget 2024, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, revealed a modest 1.7% increase in the health sector allocation, bringing the total outlay to Rs 87,656 crore for the fiscal year 2024-25. Despite the increase, major announcements for the health sector were noticeably absent. One of the significant allocations was for the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, which provides a Rs 5 lakh cover to the poorest 40% of the population. The allocation for this scheme increased slightly from Rs 7,200 crore last year to Rs 7,300 crore this year. The National Health Mission (NHM) received a substantial boost, with its allocation rising to Rs 36,000 crore from Rs 29,000 crore last year. The NHM focuses on reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health services, non-communicable diseases control, and enhancing access to comprehensive primary health care. However, the PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) saw a reduction in its budget from Rs 4,200 crore last year to Rs 3,200 crore this year. The revised estimate for this mission was even lower at Rs 2,100 crore. PM-ABHIM was launched to improve health infrastructure, including health centers, labs, and critical care hospital blocks, especially during the pandemic. Another infrastructure mission, the PM Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, also faced budget cuts, with its allocation dropping from Rs 3,365 crore last year to Rs 2,200 crore this year. This scheme supports the establishment of new AIIMS and the upgradation of district hospitals. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission (ABDM), which aims to create a digital health record platform for every citizen, saw its budget reduced from Rs 341 crore last year to Rs 200 crore this year. Despite this, the government plans to roll out its U-Win vaccine management portal as part of a 100-day plan, linking it to ABHA accounts for seamless health records. The tele-mental health program’s allocation decreased from Rs 133.7 crore to Rs 90 crore. This program was launched in the 2022 Budget to address mental health issues post-Covid-19 through a network of 23 mental health centers of excellence under NIMHANS. In contrast to the interim Budget’s significant health sector announcements, such as expanding the Ayushman Bharat insurance scheme and promoting HPV vaccination, the current Budget made only minor mentions. The Finance Minister’s speech included a reduction in custom duty on three cancer drugs and components for manufacturing X-ray machines.

Nearly 10% of Health Care Facilities in Punjab Operate Without Required PPCB Permission

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Nearly 10% of healthcare facilities (HCFs) in Punjab are operating without the necessary permission from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), as required under the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules 2016. This raises concerns about the enforcement of these rules. The state has a total of 14,715 identified healthcare facilities, including government and private establishments, as well as veterinary hospitals and clinics. However, only 13,301 of these facilities have been granted the required authorization under the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules 2016, leaving 1,414 healthcare facilities operating without approval. The PPCB shared these details in an interim report, which was sought by the Punjab State Human Rights Commission after it took suo motu cognizance of a TOI report highlighting healthcare facilities operating without the necessary authorization. Healthcare facilities that generate, collect, receive, store, transport, treat, dispose of, or handle bio-medical waste are required to obtain authorization from PPCB, as per Rule 10 of the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules 2016. The rules also outline penalties for any violations related to the management of bio-medical waste. All 14,715 facilities collectively generate 24.65 tonnes per day (TPD) of bio-medical waste. Individual healthcare facilities conduct the segregation of this waste at the source. Following segregation, waste is collected and transported to designated common bio-medical waste treatment facilities (CBWTFs) for treatment and disposal. The pollution board monitors the process through 16 regional/field offices across the state. The board submitted that bio-medical waste generated by facilities not having authorization is being regularly collected, transported, treated, and disposed of by CBWTFs under separate agreements executed between CBWTFs and healthcare facilities. Six CBWTFs are operating in the state. Of these, five are authorized to collect, transport, treat, and dispose of bio-medical waste in accordance with the provisions of the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules 2016. One facility has been authorized to collect and transport waste to four CBWTFs for treatment and disposal due to technical reasons, and a case regarding this matter is pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The board informed that notices have been issued to all healthcare facilities that have failed to obtain authorization or renewal of authorization as required under the rules. The matter is also being taken up by the board with the Department of Health, Department of Animal Husbandry, and Department of Rural Development and Panchayats to issue directions to healthcare facilities under their jurisdictions to obtain authorization under Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules 2016. The pollution board claimed that it is “diligently” implementing bio-medical rules in the state and has adopted measures to ensure that healthcare facilities operating without authorization obtain the same. These measures include setting up helpdesks at regional offices of the board across the state to provide technical assistance to health facilities for submitting authorization applications on the online portal of the board. It also conducts training programs for state officers and occupiers of health facilities for better understanding and compliance with the rules. The commission has directed the PPCB and the Director of Health to file the final and action taken report before the next hearing on September 6.

President Biden Addresses Concerns About His Ability to Serve Amid Health Speculations

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Facing persistent questions about his ability to serve, President Joe Biden stated he is willing to relinquish power to Vice President Kamala Harris if he wins a second term but is unable to complete it for health reasons — while discounting the likelihood of that scenario. “Only if I was told that there was some medical condition that I had, and that’s not the case,” Biden said when asked in a BET interview broadcast Wednesday if he would consider being a transitional figure and then turn over the presidency to Harris within two years. Biden, 81, acknowledged that questions about his age are “a legitimate thing to raise.” However, he defended his ability to lead the nation and expressed confidence in serving another four years in the White House. The president would be 86 years old at the end of a second term. “I’m only three years older than Trump, OK. And I think I’m in a little better physical shape than he is,” Biden said. “As long as I can demonstrate that it’s not affecting my ability to compete, my ability to get things done, my ability to literally lead the world.” Pressed on whether he would reconsider his service on a year-to-year basis, Biden said, “As a practical matter, yes. But there’s no reason to believe that’s likely to happen.” Biden has embarked on a furious effort to reassure the public of his mental acuity following his disastrous performance in a June 27 debate with Trump. Yet the onslaught of interviews, campaign events, and strategy memos has done little to assuage fellow Democrats’ persistent doubts about his ability to defeat Donald Trump. Earlier in the interview, Biden said he would also be willing to reconsider his determination to run for reelection if a medical condition emerged. The president was dealt several fresh blows on Wednesday. He tested positive for the coronavirus, forcing him to cancel a speech to a major Latino advocacy group. The diagnosis was announced after California Representative Adam Schiff became the most prominent Democrat to publicly call for Biden to withdraw from the race. The top US House and Senate Democrats in private conversations warned Biden about the continued risks his candidacy poses to the party’s efforts to win control of Congress, ABC News and the Washington Post reported. Even as Biden repeatedly vows to stay in the race, he has recently made a point to publicly declare confidence in Harris as questions about his health have touched off a debate over whether the vice president would be the most viable replacement if he steps aside.

Six Children Die of Suspected Chandipura Virus in Gujarat Since July 10

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Six children have died due to suspected Chandipura virus in Gujarat since July 10, with the total number of cases of the infection rising to 12, state Health Minister Rushikesh Patel has said. “Samples of the 12 patients have been sent to Pune’s National Institute of Virology (NIV) for confirmation,” he said on Monday. Chandipura virus causes fever, with symptoms similar to flu, and acute encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). It is transmitted by vectors like mosquitoes, ticks, and sand flies. The pathogen is a member of the Vesiculovirus genus of the family Rhabdoviridae. Patel said that four of the 12 patients were from Sabarkantha district, three from Aravalli, one each from Mahisagar and Kheda in Gujarat, while two patients were from Rajasthan and one from Madhya Pradesh. They received treatment in Gujarat. “Six deaths due to suspected Chandipura virus have been reported in the state, but only after results of the samples it will be clear whether they were caused by the Chandipura virus,” he said in a statement. “Five out of six deaths have been reported from the civil hospital in Himatnagar in Sabarkantha district. All 12 samples, including eight of patients at the civil hospital in Sabarkantha, have been sent to Pune’s National Institute of Virology (NIV) for confirmation,” Patel said. Paediatricians at the Himatnagar civil hospital had suspected Chandipura virus as the cause of death of four children on July 10 and sent their samples to NIV for confirmation. Later, four more children at the hospital showed similar symptoms. “Chandipura virus is not contagious. However, intensive surveillance has been undertaken in the affected areas. We have screened 18,646 persons in 4,487 houses. The health department is working round-the-clock to prevent the spread of the disease,” Patel said.