Category:

Health

Covid in India maybe entering some kind of stage of endemicity: WHO’s Soumya Swaminathan

“As far as India is concerned that seems to be what is happening and because of size of India and heterogeneity of population and immunity status in different parts of country in different pockets, it is very very feasible that the situation may continue like this with ups and downs in different parts of the country, particularly where there are more susceptible population, so those groups who were perhaps less affected by first and second waves or those areas with low levels of vaccine coverage we could see peaks and troughs for the next several months,” said Chief Scientist of the World Health Organisation Dr Soumya Swaminathan.

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Better incentives for better quality healthcare providers under AB-PMJAY: National Health Authority CEO

As of now, Ayushman Bharat Scheme has been implemented in all 33 states and union territories, Dr.R.S. Sharma said. 
On the topic of fraudulent billing by hospitals, Dr R.S. Sharma highlighted, “We have a very robust IT system in place for fraud detection. Every single instance of fraud is immediately detected and investigated. We have anti-fraud software and systems deployed on our platform that immediately catches on any pattern that seems even remotely suspicious and this is investigated and appropriate action is taken.”

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Study suggests ways to support kids’ mental health during pandemic

The authors said , “Mental health problems increased dramatically among children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among those who experienced high levels of pandemic-related stressors including serious illness or death of a family member, significant financial loss, and social isolation.”

They concluded, “A number of simple strategies families engaged in appeared to promote better mental health during the pandemic including having a structured daily routine, limiting passive screen time use, limiting exposure to news media about the pandemic, and to a lesser extent spending more time in nature, and getting the recommended amount of sleep.” 

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SIMS Hospital performs total jaw joint replacement surgeries using 3D printed joints

Explaining the uniqueness of the procedure, Dr K Sridhar, Director, Institute of Craniofacial, Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery, SIMS Hospital, said, “We have performed total jaw joint replacement for three different patients. In one patient, who had zero mouth opening following a jaw surgery done elsewhere, the damaged jaw bone part was replaced with an artificial part made of titanium metal. The same was done for the second patient who had complete ‘ankylosis’ (immobile joint) of temporomandibular joint (TM joint), which acts like a sliding hinge, connecting jawbone to skull. This patient also had the complaints of sleep apnoea (snoring and sleep disorder due to less oxygenation) and hypoplasia of jaw bone (smaller than normal jaw bone). For this patient, first the jaw bone was lengthened with distraction and later total joint replacement was performed.

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 QubeHealth partners with OboPay to launch 0% pre-approved medical credit for corporate employees

The product has been rolled out to a select group of 150 large companies employing over 1,50,000 people in India, as part of their Employee Health Benefits program and activated across 735 towns/cities.

Chris George, CEO & Co-Founder of QubeHealth, says, “Employee-Healthcare is now center-stage conversation for companies across India and HR teams have wanted to provide a comprehensive solution to their team’s families as they navigate their way through the pandemic. By facilitating emergency healthcare funds on tap, at no cost of capital, Employees will now have the flexibility to make better healthcare choices and augment any company-paid health insurance.”

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India’s first smog tower inaugurated in Delhi

”This is the first such smog tower in the country. It’s a new technology. We have imported it from the US. The structure will suck polluted air from above and release clean air from below. It will purify 1,000 cubic metres of air per second,” Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal told reporters.
Experts, however, feel smog towers may provide immediate relief from air pollution in a small area but they are a costly quick-fix measure with no scientific evidence to back their efficacy in the long term.

Governments should instead address root causes and promote renewable energy to tackle air pollution and reduce emissions, they said.

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Pandemic threatens Asia-Pacific’s progress on global development goals, says ADB

Developing Asia’s extreme poverty rate – or the proportion of its people living on less than $1.90 a day – would have fallen to 2.6% in 2020 from 5.2% in 2017 without COVID-19, but the crisis likely pushed last year’s projected rate higher by about 2 percentage points, ADB simulations showed.
The figure could even be higher considering the inequalities in areas like health, education and work disruptions that have deepened as the COVID-19 crisis disrupted mobility and stalled economic activity, the ADB said in a flagship report on the region.

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