(In the weeklyHealth problemsnews bulletin,Ramya Kannanwrites about how to achieve good health and stay there.You can sign up here to receive the newsletter in your inbox.)
Flip-flops can be embarrassing, downright creepy, especially if they pervade red tape. In recent times, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued and withdrawn guidelines for medical education and generic drug prescribing in a short period. The withdrawals have invariably followed outrage from health care workers and students, not to mention state governments. Once announced, stated policies and guidelines were reconsidered, yielding to loud demands. While the government has the prerogative to make rules and regulations, in a democracy this is expected to be a consultative process. It definitely appears that there has not been adequate consultation in preparation for an amendment to the rules, or that the NMC has not been included. The last of course was the sheer confusion caused by the law requiring doctors to only prescribe generics, it wasn’t original at all, but what bothered the doctors was that there was a hefty punishment if you prescribing branded drugs, vs. to generics. This, coupled with the argument that they expect minimum quality assurance in the standards of domestically manufactured drugs, which is currently unavailable, solidified their defence. For a detailed picture of what the NMC guidelines would do if implemented, read this pieceAbdul Ghafurinfectious disease specialist. Invariably, and as expected, the Ministry of Health withdrew the decision, he saidBindu Shajan Perappadan.
Of course there was rejoicing when the mandate was reportedly rescindedSiddharth Kumar Singh.There was no doubt that the law was ill-advised and inadequately thought out, especially in the Union Ministryitself by paying attention to quality assurance in the drug manufacturing process and striving to apply good manufacturing processes in the wide range of small and medium-sized enterprises participating in the pharmaceutical industry.
This is not the only disappointment in the NMC’s work this week in India. The NMC’s soft stance on salaries for postgraduate medical students has also been criticized for its inadequacy, reportsC. Maya.
On August 24, NMC wrote to all private medical schools to comply with Regulation 13.3 of the Postgraduate Medical Education Regulation (PGMER) 200. According to this regulation: postgraduate students of institutions that are based in different states/ Union Territories shall be paid a fee equal to that paid to postgraduate students of State Government Medical Institutions/Central Government Medical Institutions in the territory of the State/Union where the institution is located. Students’ regret was that the board had once again chosen to tone down the salary issue simply by warning private medical colleges that rigorous action would be taken, even if complaints (regarding non-compliance with the PGMER) were received in the future. .
Another one for the record: New National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines omit the Pulmonology Department (specialty) as a requirement for establishing and starting new medical universities. All medical universities chartered from the 2024-25 academic session onwards are required to include 21 departments in their MBBS programs and Pulmonology is an obvious shortcoming. Given the recent worldwide experience with the COVID-19 pandemic and the life-saving role played by Pulmonologists, it is a bit of a puzzle that the NMC has removed Pulmonology from the list. Madurai Respiratory Society members have written to Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansuk Mandaviya and requested his intervention to reconsider and reinstate this critical department into the compulsory curriculum, reportsL. Srikrishna.
In the meantime,Matthew Georgeit goes back to the drawing board to define the true purpose of a medical school. A medical school, he reasons, is an institution that serves a dual purpose. First of all its educational role: first and foremost as an institution for the education and training of students to become professionals in the medical sector through teaching and apprenticeship (traineeship). Its secondary purpose is to offer medical assistance.
Moving forward, the world was reminded of the horrific murders of seven children (and the attempted murders of 6 other children) by British nurse Lucy Letby after she was handed down a life sentence, the maximum under British law. At this point, here is a look at the care protocol for children in hospitals in India.
Here’s a podcast you might want to listen to: It deals with India’s rising childhood obesity rate Zubeda Hamid talk to Dr. Vijay Vishwanathan, a senior diabetologist and childhood obesity researcher. They discuss the long-term health complications childhood obesity can lead to and what parents, schools and societies can do to address this problem.
But how do we measure what we eat? Learn more about calories and kilojoules, the energy content of food, and the accuracy of package labels in this article here, viaLauren Ball, Emily Buch, Katelyn Barnes.The fad for consuming supplements isn’t going to subside, even though several studies continue to disprove the claims from time to time. Researchers from Kasturba Medical College (KMC), Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal and Yenepoya Research Centre, Mangaluru, have unveiled some insight into the potential impact of the widely used herbicide clethodim on male reproductive health. These findings need further investigation and careful reconsideration of the use of such herbicides to ensure the well-being of both humans and our environment, the researchers concluded.
The National Institutes of Nutrition recently stated in an animal study that cinnamon and its active constituents have been shown to prevent prostate cancer and that more research will be done to examine the potential of using this compound in humans as well. .
A couple of stories posted this week in The Hinduwe remain on the Tuberculosis topic, deepening it further with periodic updates. Here, R. Prasad examines how, while India has a shortage of tuberculosis drugs, Tamil Nadu has no such shortage. India has been facing an acute shortage of TB drugs for about a year now, including medicines used to treat drug-resistant TB such as Linezolid, Clofazimine and Cycloserine. Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation procures drugs for the state, avoiding the shortage that other states seem to face.
He also notes critical gaps in detecting TB cases among children, despite significant progress and greater understanding of the challenges faced in tackling TB in children in this story: Missed childhood TB cases impede achievement target of 2025.
We are reminded from time to time that COVID-19 is not really a thing of the past, but that it has cast its shadow over us for times to come. Here,Dr. Rajeev Jayadevarevisit her favorite topic: the long-term outcomes of a COVID-19 infection. While you’re at it, read on tooSimon ClarkeToday, he wonders whether the mask should make a comeback, after the new BA.2.86 variant (dubbed pirola) sparked concern due to the large number of mutations in its spike protein. He adds that scientists are still looking for credible data.
There’s more than one highlight this week, as we bring you unique healthcare stories and wide-ranging perspectives.
Jake Ebertsa volunteer in a controlled study of human infections in the US discusses what it’s like to be under the loupe, while India considers introducing CHIS, in this story: Battling a Deliberately Acquired Infection to Help Find a Cure.
Satyasundar BarikI came up with this crazy story of how the villagers of Odisha ask permission from the police to hire witch doctors to treat people with psychological disorders.
From the Health page
If you have a few extra moments while you’re here, stop by and read the following stories:
India and Asian Development Bank to establish a climate change and health center in Delhi.
This is great news! Actor Puneethseye’s donation has inspired nearly 1.28 lakhs in pledging eyes over the past two years; Since then, 3,989 eyes have been collected.
Sequel, part 3 of the Vital Signs podcast series bySonikka LoganathanANDVignesh Radhakrishnan: Does the curriculum of NEETs serve only as an entry filter or does it offer more?
And this is where you find more content from our regional offices last week.
delhi
70 schoolchildren in Delhi, Sagarpur fall ill after midday meal.
Karnataka
Deaths from water contamination in Karnataka: CM Siddaramaiah requests report within 15 days.
The government intends to investigate allegations that it placed an advance work order for the PET-CT equipment project at Kidwai.
NIMHANS to establish a brain and mind museum to raise awareness of neuroscience in Bangalore.
Karnataka sets up Commission of Inquiry to investigate alleged COVID-19 related wrongdoings during BJP regime.
Kerala
Antimicrobial resistance shows an upward trend in Keralaby AS Jayanth.
Thalassemia patients receive a little attention in the Samashwasam program of the Kerala government.
The referral system could help facilitate travel at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.
Type 1 diabetes: College students will have extra time during exams.
Tamil Nadu
Delay in surgical correction: SHRC recommends Tamil Nadu to pay 5 lakh compensation to woman.
Government announces COVID-19 service incentives, doctors’ section raises questions.
Intellectual Property India grants patent for non-invasive nadi parisothanai device.
As always, put us on your radar, as we deliver more health content your way. Get moreThe Hindushealth coverage here.
#Health #important #collaboration #Consult #health #policy
Image Source : www.thehindu.com