
State govt to tighten blood safety protocols after transfusion death
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Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar convened an emergency meeting on Monday with superintendents of hospitals affiliated with SMS Medical College and other medical education department officials to address the incident and implement new safety measures.
"The life of every patient admitted to the hospital is invaluable and negligence at any level of treatment cannot be tolerated," Khimsar said during the meeting.
The health minister said that under the Rajasthan Digital Health Mission, several key changes will be implemented, including mandatory inclusion of blood group information in patients' Ayushman Bharat Health Account ID (ABHA ID). This digital integration aims to ensure accuracy and swift access to critical information during emergencies.
The minister ordered strict adherence to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in ICUs and critical care wards across govt medical institutions. New guidelines mandate the constant presence of senior doctors and residents in these wards, along with deployment of only trained nursing and paramedical staff. Hospital administrators will be required to conduct regular inspections of ward conditions and blood bank operations, with instructions to address any deficiencies immediately.
The minister emphasised that strict action would be taken against staff found negligent in their duties.
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Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
National Centre for Disease Control issues SoPs to check water contamination, prevent diseases
New Delhi: Identifying water quality hotspots at the block level, regular testing at both source and household levels and community sensitisation on water-borne diseases are among the guidelines issued by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to combat illnesses arising out of water contamination . Issued recently, the guidelines outline standard operating procedures ( SoPs ) for joint action between ministries of health and jal shakti for timely detection, prevention, management, and control of water-related diseases due to biological and chemical contaminants, and their related health impacts through timely response. The NCDC said that water contamination and poor sanitation are directly linked to water-borne diseases like acute diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A, and water-washed diseases such as scabies and other skin and eye diseases that are often reported as outbreaks. Sometimes water sources may have geogenic contaminants such as iron, fluoride, arsenic, nitrates, chlorides, phosphates, etc, which pose a major health risk to individuals and communities, leading to acute and chronic diseases. Water also hosts many human parasites, and incorrect water storage where supplies are inadequate, results in the breeding of vectors that spread diseases such as dengue etc, the SoP document said. The objective of the SoPs is to enable joint monitoring of water quality and water-borne disease surveillance for early response, control, and prevention of outbreaks, to leverage the network of strategically located laboratories to support and validate water quality testing. The aim is also to integrate routine awareness activities on water quality and its impact on health and enable community engagement and to identify and address the existing and emerging health issues related to water quality. The SoPs call for setting up a water and health committee with representation from MoJS, MoHFW, and other ministries, at the national level, that meets once a quarter to support the formulation of policies and guidelines from time-to-time and for providing necessary financial support to states and Union Territories through existing and or emerging mechanisms. At the state level, it calls for designing joint IEC campaigns for water and water-related health issues by the state health department and having a State Rapid Response Team, officials of which will undertake testing of water sources and take subsequent corrective actions as required and issuance of advisories for awareness and preparedness before summer, during floods, other extreme weather events (drought, cyclone, and saltwater intrusion due to sea-level rise), and during water scarcity and quality issues. At the district level, there should be regular water quality testing of healthcare facilities and sharing results with the health team. Besides, officials should undertake visits to water-borne disease hotspots, regularly test water quality at both source and household levels and ensure availability of disinfectants, and undertake corrective measures when required. Besides, additional frequency of testing during floods, droughts, cyclones and in coastal areas and ensuring monitoring of treated water discharge from ETP/STP from healthcare facilities have been recommended. At the block level, the SoPs outline identification of water quality hotspots, water-related disease outbreaks and remedial action, community sensitisation on water-borne diseases and preventive steps to be taken and to mitigate the water contamination and promoting community participation for safe water and preventive health action. At the community level, water is to be periodically tested from schools, anganwadi centres, primary health care centres and health and wellness centres (HWCs) and the records of sanitary survey and water quality testing should be shared and the results should be displayed in the village. According to the SoPs, community-level health care workers for water quality surveillance should be additionally trained on water quality testing, monitoring, cleaning, and disinfection and provided with field-testing kits. Besides, community-level healthcare workers and women can be identified for water quality surveillance and additionally trained on water-related health issues and disinfection practices (PHC medical officer), the guidelines said. To improve health outcomes, it is essential to be informed of water quality and coordinate action plans in times of distress. Further, water quality monitoring should inform the preparedness to prevent water-related illnesses and support in maintaining good public health. Taking this initiative forward, the Drinking Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance Framework has been established under the Jal Jeevan Mission, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) with the vision to facilitate the provision of clean tap water supply to every rural home and public institution, ensuring testing and monitoring of drinking water supply and regular water quality surveillance by the community, to have confidence in consuming water directly from the tap. It establishes a tiered institutional framework for joint action on water supply and quality from state to village levels. This SOP document is developed to translate the vision into actions and establish convergence between the DDWS, MoJS, and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), the document said.


Indian Express
05-08-2025
- Indian Express
Gujarat to prepare SOPs to stop duplicate, fake medicines from entering state
The Gujarat government, in a statement on Tuesday, said it is in the process of formulating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to enhance detection and seizures of duplicate and fake medicines from entering the state. 'Recently, it came to the notice of the state government that fake medicines are entering (Gujarat). They are being sourced from outside the state and sold in some places inside the state. Gujarat's Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) has also taken action by conducting on-site inspections. To make this more stringent and strict, the government will prepare an SOP for the inspection of medicines coming from outside the state into Gujarat,' Health Minister Rushikesh Patel was quoted as saying. The SOPs would make registration of imported medicines mandatory, require registration of transporters carrying medicines and cancellation of licenses of chemists or wholesalers who are caught in such dealing with fake medicines. The SOPs will also require people to strictly follow the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Besides, expensive and 'fast-moving' medicines will be closely monitored. The state government will also start three new testing labs in addition to the existing NABL-certified laboratory in Vadodara. To intensify on-site testing, 10 sets of state-of-the-art hand-held devices (Raman Spectrometer with Advanced Technology) will be purchased. Further, a flying squad will be formed. Patel added that with the implementation of these SOPs, Gujarat will become the first state in the country to adopt 'zero-tolerance' towards duplicate and fake medicines. 'The government will take intensive action to prevent fake/spurious/counterfeit medicines from outside the state in Gujarat. In the last 4 years, raids were conducted to prevent counterfeit medicines/cosmetics in the state and more than Rs 6 crore (worth of) medicines/cosmetics were seized…about 75 persons/firms were found involved and action was taken against them,' a statement read. Speaking about the type of activities unearthed so far, the statement said, 'In most of these cases, persons who do not have a valid license for buying, selling and storing medicines are involved and investigation has also revealed that in most of the cases, counterfeit medicines come from outside the state.'


Indian Express
01-08-2025
- Indian Express
Maharashtra issues SOPs to strengthen midday-meal safety in schools
People involved in preparing midday meals for school children must undergo regular medical check-ups, states the new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the Maharashtra school education department on Friday. The SOPs also state that the prepared food must first be tasted by an adult—such as the server, a teacher, a parent, or another school staff member—on a rotational basis before being served to students. The primary objective of the SOPs is to prevent instances of food poisoning or other health issues among children who are provided nutritious meals in government schools as part of the midday meal scheme. In addition to educating stakeholders on potential causes of food contamination, the SOPs outline specific responsibilities for all persons involved in midday-meal scheme implementation, including School Management Committees (SMCs), school principals, teachers, cooks and helpers, and local education officers. SMCs are responsible for ensuring that cooks and helpers undergo medical check-ups every six months. They are also tasked with overseeing the safe storage of raw ingredients, proper cleaning of utensils and plates, and maintaining hand-washing facilities in schools to ensure students wash their hands before meals. For contractors supplying raw ingredients for the midday meals, local education inspectors are directed to inspect storage facilities monthly. If a facility is found unclean, the contractor will be fined Rs50,000, which can increase to Rs 1 lakh if the premises remain unhygienic during a second inspection. While these SOPs aim to tighten oversight and prevent mishaps, teachers point out that effective implementation is a challenge, especially in rural parts. 'If anything goes wrong, the school is held responsible. These SOPs now also hold education officers accountable, which is welcome, but what we need is effective implementation,' said a school principal from Palghar.