Latest news with #KiranMadhala
Hans India
26-05-2025
- Health
- Hans India
From epidemic to endemic, Covid era has ended, says health expert
Hyderabad: Has the COVID-19 era ended? A health expert from the city and Indian Medical Association (IMA) Scientific Committee Convener Dr Kiran Madhala on Sunday said that with the JN.1 variant, this is the end of COVID-19 era from Alpha to JN.1 from a period of 2019 to 2025. According to Dr Kiran Madhala, COVID-19 has effectively transitioned into an endemic phase, as clearly reflected in the evolving pattern of SARS-CoV-2 variants across different countries. Up until the emergence of JN.1, there was a relatively uniform global pattern in variant circulation. However, post-JN.1, this trend has shifted, with each country now demonstrating distinct evolutionary trajectories. Dr Kiran said that India has shown progression toward the XEG lineage, emerging via JF.7. Singapore, on the other hand, has evolved towards NB.1.8.1, a descendant of XDV. Notably, although India reported its first NB.1.8.1 case in April 2025, the variant has not gained significant prevalence within the country. This divergence marks a clear departure from the previously observed global uniformity, indicating that COVID-19 variant evolution has become geographically localised, a hallmark of an endemic infection, said Dr Kiran Madhala. Dr Kiran said that the XFG variant, derived from LF.7 and LP.8.1.2, harbours four key spike protein mutations including H445R, N487D, Q493E, and T572I. It has demonstrated a rapid global dissemination since its initial detection in Canada. LF.7.9 and XFG exhibit significantly reduced RBD-ACE2 binding affinity, primarily due to the A475V (in LF.7.9) and N487D (in XFG) mutations. These mutations contribute to lower receptor engagement efficiency. The XFG variant shows high immune evasion potential, raising concerns about vaccine and antibody efficacy. XFG and LF.7 have evolved from the Omicron lineage, following the trajectory- Omicron BA.2 → BA.2.86 → JN.1 → JN.1.16.1 → LF.7 → XFG. LF7 and XFG are likely to be designated as variants under monitoring with low grade infection, said Dr Kiran.
New Indian Express
26-04-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Government medical faculty in Telangana complain over poor pay, staff crunch
HYDERABAD: Government doctors across Telangana, particularly those in medical colleges, have voiced dissatisfaction over the continued neglect of long-pending issues, despite a change in government and administration. Doctors said they had hoped for improved working conditions, but now feel overlooked, demotivated, and undervalued. Their key concerns include excessive interference and micromanagement by district authorities, unequal pay structures, inadequate infrastructure, and severe staff shortages in government medical colleges. A senior faculty member stated that many doctors are losing motivation due to mistreatment by political figures and higher authorities, which is not only demeaning but also affecting patient care and academics. Dr Kiran Madhala, secretary general of the Telangana Teaching Government Doctors Association, told TNIE, 'There is a growing sense of disillusionment among teaching faculty. Many of us joined with a sense of purpose, but years of neglect have left us demotivated. Despite repeated appeals, no concrete action has been taken.' He added that while the number of medical colleges has increased, most remain severely understaffed, with the burden falling on existing faculty — something the administration continues to ignore. Doctors also highlighted other critical issues such as no incentives or promotions for those serving in under-resourced districts, no DME-level promotions despite repeated requests, leading to career stagnation, lack of a transparent or responsive mechanism to communicate with DME or health secretariat and decline in academic standards at top institutions like Osmania, Gandhi and Kakatiya medical colleges due to years of neglect. Adding to their concerns, the state health department's plan to introduce geo-tagged, face-based Aadhaar authentication for faculty attendance has sparked outrage. While the National Medical Commission has mandated face-based Aadhaar authentication for faculty attendance from May 1, doctors argue that geo-tagging infringes on privacy. Dr Kiran Bollepaka, TTGDA president, noted that while face-based systems are similar to existing biometric attendance, 'geo-tagging is a breach of privacy. There are better ways to ensure accountability without excessive scrutiny,' he said. Aadhaar-based face authentication soon All government health centres will soon implement face-based Aadhaar authentication to ensure staff regularity and accountability. DoPH Ravinder Naik stated that PHCs, UPHCs and basti dawakhanas will adopt the system soon
