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Delhi Govt To Expand Dialysis Services With 150 New Machines At Six Hospitals

Delhi Govt To Expand Dialysis Services With 150 New Machines At Six Hospitals

Time of India06-05-2025

New Delhi: Delhi govt is set to expand its healthcare infrastructure by adding 150 new dialysis machines across six govt hospitals. This initiative will provide complimentary dialysis services to economically weaker sections whilst offering subsidised treatment to others.The expansion is being executed through Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP) and PPP Dialysis Project . This development supplements the existing network of 150 machines currently operating under these programmes at 10 govt hospitals."We are proud to lead this effort in Delhi to ensure that life-saving dialysis is not a privilege but a right for every citizen, especially the needy people," said health minister Pankaj Kumar Singh. "No patient should be denied care due to financial hardship."The minister further added, "This is not just a medical service expansion; it is a promise to our people that Delhi govt stands by their side during hardship."The current 150 dialysis machines are functioning at Bhagwan Mahavir Hospital, Guru Gobind Singh Govt Hospital, Indira Gandhi Hospital, Pt Madan Mohan Malaviya Hospital, Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Maharishi Valmiki Hospital, Lok Nayak Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital and Dr Hedgewar Aarogya Sansthan.The new installations are occurring at six additional facilities—Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital, Burari Hospital, Janakpuri Super Specialty Hospital, Ambedkar Nagar Hospital, and Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital.Under PMNDP hospitals, patients possessing a National Food Security Card for PR & PRS category or an income certificate showing an annual income below Rs one lakh under the BPL category receive free dialysis services.For PPP model hospitals, Delhi residents with three years of residency and holding either a National Food Security Card or an income certificate showing an annual income up to Rs 3,00,000 qualify for free dialysis.

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Ashwagandha: Root, stock and barrel of awareness in Tricity
Ashwagandha: Root, stock and barrel of awareness in Tricity

Indian Express

time2 hours ago

  • Indian Express

Ashwagandha: Root, stock and barrel of awareness in Tricity

Superhero in the backyard, Indian ginseng, Indian winter cherry, biological marvel, best tonic for the old and the young, beacon of hope, blessing from the heaven, natural ally in the pursuit of rest, fortress of solitude, and super herb — this is how the awarded student entries describe ashwagandha (withania somnifera) in the Ashwagandha: Through the reflections of children, a collection of essays, paintings, posters and slogans brought out by the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB). The booklet is the result of an ashwagandha awareness drive which the NMPB launched in the Tricity in September last year with a three-pronged strategy of 'learning, inspiring and planting'. Concluded in April this year, the drive involved schools, colleges, and urban institutions through awareness programmes, plant distribution, and expert sessions. 'The success of the ashwagandha campaign lies in its ability to bridge tradition and innovation. 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So far, he claims, over two lakh ashwagandha plants have been distributed among farmers, educational institutions, wellness practitioners, and households in the Tricity. 'Post-Covid, ashwagandha is being used in pizza toppings, burgers, cold drinks and ice cream in the foreign countries. This is high time we became aware of the medicinal properties of this plant. Hence, this awareness drive,' says Dr Chandan. For students, there was an added advantage of cash prizes. 'We held essay-writing, painting and poster-making competitions. We distributed cash prizes of Rs 50,000 in different categories,' says Avika Subba of NMPB. Dimple Sharma, a Class 8 student of Ryan International School, Sector 49-B, Chandigarh, won first prize of Rs 5,000 in the painting competition. 'I have saved the money for future use and planted ashwagandha at home. Now I take care of it,' she says. 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We distributed them all among our students and staff. This is something new. We hope to see a new plant next time,' she says. All the plants were given free of cost, says Meenakshi Thakur of NMPB. 'Also, we held training programmes for teachers and honoured the teachers who did extremely well.' Baljinder Kaur, lecturer in Chemistry, GMSSS-46-D, was honoured with a memento for 'her support in the campaign'. 'There was a lot of enthusiasm in the campaign. There should be more such initiatives,' she says. The campaign generated interest beyond schools too. Malkit Singh, a resident of Sector 65, Mohali, planted ashwagandha in his fields measuring six acres at Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. 'I'll see how this experiment works out. If the results are good, I'll go for a complete Ayurveda package. I mean I'll take more medicinal plants,' says the former general manager of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. 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MEDISEP govt insurance scheme to continue in present form till new deal
MEDISEP govt insurance scheme to continue in present form till new deal

New Indian Express

time3 hours ago

  • New Indian Express

MEDISEP govt insurance scheme to continue in present form till new deal

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The MEDISEP insurance scheme for government employees and pensioners will continue in its current format for the time being. The government's agreement with Oriental Insurance, which ends on June 30, 2025, has been extended until a new arrangement is finalised. Recently, an expert committee submitted major recommendations to make the scheme more attractive. At present, Oriental Insurance is the service provider and the annual premium for a beneficiary is Rs 5,664 including 18% GST. The government makes advance payment of the premium amount to the insurance company in four installments a year. This amount will be recovered from the salary or pension of beneficiaries in 12 installments. The agreement with the insurance company is from July 2022 to June 30, 2025. It is learnt that the expert committee has recommended to hike the monthly premium amount from Rs 500 to Rs 750 and to enhance the coverage to Rs 5 lakh. Another recommendation is to collect premiums from only one person in a family having more than one government employee. Employees should be given the option to stay away from the scheme. The package should be revised to attract more private hospitals, especially speciality hospitals, to join the scheme, it said. At present, the scheme is mandatory for employees and pensioners. The government has directed Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) K R Jyothilal to take further steps on the report. The health secretary will also be asked to submit recommendations. New scheme to offer better packages, says minister Finance Minister K N Balagopal said the MEDISEP's second edition will be more attractive. 'We want more hospitals, especially major private institutions, to join the scheme. The treatment packages will be revised for this,' he told TNIE. On whether the premium would see an increase, he said: 'The present rates were fixed some three years ago. A decision on increasing the premium would be taken after consultations with stakeholders.' The minister said the insurance provider for the next edition will be selected through a fair and transparent bidding process. At a glance Claims approved (From Jan 1, 2025 to June 6) Total claims: 10.18 lakh Amount: Rs 1,863.22 crore Private hospitals Claims: 9.43 lakh Amount: Rs 1,745.36 crore Government hospitals Claims: 74,000 Amount: Rs 117.86 crore Total beneficiaries covered Employees and pensioners: 11.44 lakh Dependents: 19.49 lakh

Private hospitals fleecing patients left, right and centre
Private hospitals fleecing patients left, right and centre

Hans India

time5 hours ago

  • Hans India

Private hospitals fleecing patients left, right and centre

Hyderabad: Taking K Chandrashekarundue advantage of the lack of qualified doctors who could be engaged in regulatory oversight, most of the private and corporate hospitals, including those in the city, are flouting all the norms prescribed by the State Government in line with the centrally enacted Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 and collecting exorbitant charges for various procedures and treatments for in-patients with various health complications. According to healthcare experts, most of the hospitals in the city are violating even the elementary rule requiring mandatory display of the costs of surgical treatments prominently in their hospitals. Majority of the corporate healthcare centres fleece patients admitted for surgeries or with other health complications requiring long-term hospitalisation. Instead of going by the largely standardised charges for various procedures, their charges vary from person to person depending on the condition of the patient and whether he is insured. As soon as a patient is admitted, the hospitals make discreet enquiries about whether he or she is insured. If the patient is insured, they begin with a battery of diagnostic tests, not all of which may be required for the patient. If say a neuro patient is admitted, regardless of the protocol required in the particular case, they immediately go for X-ray, CT scan, MRI, 2dEcho, DSA and more before zeroing on the probable cause of the neuro issue. This is so even if the patient has a history of TIAs (transient ischaemic attacks). The trend these days is to advise the patient to go for a stent, which can cost from Rs 36,000, going up to lakhs and still leave the patient almost in a vegetative state if things go wrong. For most families, the battery of tests alone cost between Rs 30,000 and Rs 50,000. This amount is usually collected in cash as advance amount. Later, the consumables, operation theater expenses etc. for the procedure are charged as per the whims and fancies of the hospital in disregard of standardised rates. Thus, even 'insured' patients have to shell out a lot of money, be they middle class or lower middle class. As per a research conducted in India on the 'Out of Pocket expenditure' (OOPE), which is the expenditure people incur on their own for accessing healthcare, about 2.2 per cent of the population is pushed into poverty every year due to the amount of money they spend on healthcare. It is not that hospitals are left to their own devices. Hospitals across the country are required to display the charges for their services and procedures in a conspicuous place in English and in the local language, as per the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010. Non-compliance can result in monetary penalties, and in severe cases, the hospital's registration can also be cancelled. Healthcare experts point out that while the government alone cannot cope with the massive demand for procedures and services, private entities are encouraged. This should not be done without regulatory oversight. That is, there should be clear limits on pricing for various procedures. The Telangana Medical Council (TGMC), which has been active in cracking the whip on quacks and imposters offering medical services, has done very little when it comes to restricting exorbitant pricing in hospitals. The TGMC Vice Chairman Dr G Srinivas conceded that many hospitals do not follow the rules. However, he said that the State government would have to act against errant hospitals as per the Clinical Establishment Act. 'We also get complaints for excessive charging and we report it to the state government for further action,' said Dr Srinivas. The administration is plagued with lack of staff to take up regular inspection of the hospitals suspected to be flouting rules. It may be mentioned here that the State Government adopted the Clinical Establishment Act enacted by the Centre in 2023 and all the rules prescribed in the Act should be automatically followed by the State government. Sources said that with the start of the recruitment drive by the government, the question of scarcity of doctors can be addressed and inspections taken up. The Director of Public Health, Dr B Ravinder Nayak, told The Hans India that as per the rules, hospitals needs to display the price list and inform the patients in advance. When asked about any remedial action to help those who have been wronged, the Director said that if any patient feels the pricing has been exorbitant, they can approach the District Registration Authority (DRA), which is headed by the District Collector. The DRA would be forwarding the cases to the DMHO. He further clarified that the Centre as per the Act has been trying for uniformity of the pricing and it would take some time, but it will be implemented for sure.

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