700 PVTG ration card holders out of Ayushman in Palamu
2
3
Daltonganj: Around 7,000 ration card holders belonging to the particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) communities in Palamu are yet to get the Ayushman card.
There are around 14,000 PVTG ration card holders in the district.
This was detected during the review meeting of the health services by deputy commissioner Sameera S on Monday. "All ration card holders of the PVTG should be provided with the Ayushman card at the earliest," she directed civil surgeon Dr Anil Kumar.
Speaking to TOI, Dr Kumar said, "Aadhaar cards of the PVTG ration card holders have not been updated. Further, they are not linked to mobile phones, which is a major reason of the gap."
The issue of middlemen influencing blood bank was also raised. The DC told the officials, "I received three complaints in one week about middlemen dominating the blood bank. Identify such elements and control them. It's unacceptable."
The issue of ambulances was also taken up. Last week, an accident victim died in the sub-divisional hospital in Hussainabad as there was no oxygen nor could she be taken to any higher centre as the driver had left his ambulance parked and taken the key.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
'Aspatal Bachao, Nijikarn Hatao': Hundreds protest over hospital privatisation
MUMBAI: Nearly 200 residents and activists protested in Cheetah Camp and Mankhurd on Monday, opposing BMC's plan to privatise two peripheral hospitals and key health services in five others. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A total of 20 participants also sat on a hunger strike near Maharashtra Nagar Maternity Home, demanding stronger public health infrastructure. The protest, the second in recent weeks under the coalition banner 'Aspatal Bachao, Nijikarn Hatao', brought together 25 civil society groups and political parties. Activists remembered local residents who died because of poor hospital facilities and shortages. In a statement, the group alleged that more than half the women who visit smaller facilities like Shahji Nagar and Deonar maternity homes are sent directly to larger hospitals such as Sion Hospital or Rajawadi Hospital in critical condition. 'Several patients die during these referrals due to lack of timely treatment,' the statement read, adding that the cost of travel, medicines, and tests pushes families into debt within days. On Saturday, TOI reported that the BMC plans to gradually privatise individual services, including blood banks, cardiology, and MRI at other peripheral hospitals, after a similar union faced protests when it tried to run entire hospitals on a public-private partnership. Protesters demanded the immediate recruitment at the Maharashtra Nagar Maternity Home, restoration of paediatric ICUs, scrapping of all public-private partnership projects in civic hospitals, and guarantees that no patient will be denied care for lack of identification. They also called for a citywide plan to improve govt hospitals and weekly meetings with the municipal health officer to address complaints. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now of the Jan Haq Sangharsh Samiti said the demonstrators met with Chief Medical Superintendent of Peripheral Hospitals Dr Chandrakant Pawar and were promised their concerns would be raised with senior authorities. Dr Pawar remained unavailable for comment till press time.
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Time of India
Maha set to become first Indian state to vaccinate cattle with new lumpy skin disease vaccine
Pune:Maharashtra is set to become the first state in India to use the newly developed 'Lumpi-ProVac' vaccine to immunise 1.4 crore bovine animals against lumpy skin disease (LSD) from Dec-end. Scientists said the new vaccine was safer and more effective than the existing goatpox shots in combating LSD, which has affected about 5,500 animals, with 115 deaths, across Maharashtra since June. Animal husbandry commissioner Pravinkumar Deore, a veterinarian, told TOI, "Maharashtra will become the first state in the country to use the newly developed vaccine for mass immunisation drive. The existing goatpox vaccine, based on the Uttarkashi strain, provides some immunity to cattle against LSD, but it is not as effective as Lumpi-proVac. " It was in 2022 that the state acquired the technology for producing the new LSD vaccine from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) amid a severe outbreak. "The Institute of Veterinary Biological Products (IVBP) in Pune is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and capable of manufacturing the vaccine. We aim to roll out the vaccine by Oct-end. We are now conducting mandatory in-house trials on cattle at animal farms," Deore said. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune A senior scientist from the animal husbandry department said, "The goat pox vaccine appears to induce immunity in cattle but it could not prevent the disease emergence in all the vaccinated animals. The maximum deaths have occurred among unvaccinated calves. The disease is under control as of now, but we cannot rule out the possibility of further spread, making the immunisation drive crucial." Deore said the department would be able to vaccinate about 23.8 lakh animals in the Dec-end vaccination cycle. "The state has about 1.4 crore bovine animals. To vaccinate all, we will need to conduct the vaccination drive throughout the year," he said. At present, state govt uses a single dose of goatpox vaccine for cattle, including cows, buffaloes and oxen, as part of its vaccination efforts. LSD cases, however, continue to be reported in several districts, including Pune, indicating the need for a more effective solution. Naveen Kumar, director of the Pune-based National Institute of Virology, said the World Organisation for Animal Health recommended a homologous live-attenuated vaccine for effective LSD control. "Heterologous vaccines like goatpox offer only partial protection. So, Maharashtra's decision to introduce the new LSD vaccine is a proactive measure," he said, adding that the goatpox vaccine failed to induce a cell-mediated immune response, crucial for protective immunity against LSD. A homologous live-attenuated vaccine uses a weakened version of the exact same virus or bacteria that causes the disease, to stimulate an immune response. On the other hand, heterologous vaccines use a related pathogen that shares some antigens or characteristics with the target pathogen, to stimulate an immune response for protection against the target disease. Experts said widespread infection in 2022 resulted in significant animal deaths and those who survived developed herd immunity, which is likely to last for 2-3 years. "The current LSD cases show that the herd immunity has already waned. Therefore, it is essential to use the new vaccine to mitigate LSD spread," Kumar said. IVBP scientists said the new vaccine has been extensively tested. "Additionally, a private firm vaccinated cattle on private farms in Pune. The results against LSD have been positive, and we will request the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for a license to produce the vaccine at our facility," joint commissioner YA Pathan of IVBP said. A senior scientist at the laboratory said they aimed to produce the vaccine in-house by Dec-end. "However, meeting this deadline will be a significant challenge because we must conduct further testing, which is a time-consuming process," the scientist said. But that begs a key question. Is mass immunisation using the new vaccine as simple as it sounds? No, said the experts, citing regulatory and on-ground challenges. IVBP scientists said after getting vaccine production licence from CDSCO, the department would need state FDA permission to start production. "The real challenge, however, lies in implementing the vaccination drive at the village level, where officials will need to convince hesitant farmers and address concerns about potential milk production losses. Building trust and awareness among farmers is crucial for the success of our mass immunisation programme," a senior official said. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Time of India
154 animals succumb to lumpy skin disease in Solapur, Jalgaon & Ahilyanagar districts
Kolhapur/Nashik: Over 150 bovine animals have succumbed to lumpy skin disease in Solapur, Jalgaon and Ahilyanagar districts off late, with the number of infections rising to at least 4,800, animal husbandry officials told TOI on Monday. Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a viral infection that affects cattle primarily transmitted through blood-feeding insects like mosquitoes, flies and ticks. Vishal Yewale, deputy commissioner of the animal husbandry department, Solapur, said, "At least 2,100 cows and calves were found infected with the disease, of which 58 have died over the last two months. At present, 441 animals are being treated against LSD. There are about 7.8 lakh bovine animals in the district." Solapur district experienced an LSD outbreak in 2023 and has been declared a "controlled area" to enhance monitoring and prevent further spread. Baburao Narawade, the regional joint commissioner of the animal husbandry department, Nashik, said the total number of infected cattle stood at 2,700 across Nashik, Ahilyanagar, Jalgaon, Dhule and Nandurbar districts. "At least 97 cows have succumbed to the disease over the last one month, including 54 in Jalgaon district, 42 in Ahilyanagar and one in Nashik. Among the infected animals, at least 1,600 have been cured so far," Narawade said. Officials said cattle congregation was banned in Jalgaon district to curb disease spread, besides terms and conditions were put in place for cattle transport in Solapur. "Jalgaon collector Ayush Prasad has banned all kinds of cattle gatherings in the district, including exhibitions and even transportation from one place to another. The district has 109 epicentres where the infection outbreak was recorded," Narawade said. In Ahilyanagar district, the number of infected animals is 1,099. "There are a total of 34.8 lakh bovine animals across Nashik division, with Ahilyanagar district having the highest number at 13.6 lakh, followed by Nashik (8.9 lakh) and Jalgaon (5.7 lakh). The number of infected animals in Jalgaon is the highest," a senior official from the department said. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
