Latest news with #MinistryofHealthandFamilyWelfare
Indian Express
11 hours ago
- Health
- Indian Express
Diagnostic labs will soon have to follow standards for sample collection, transport: Here's why the Govt move is important
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is in the process of notifying the minimum clinical standards for handling and transport of diagnostic samples, with the policy currently undergoing legal vetting by the legislative department of the Ministry of Law & Justice. It gave this assurance at the Delhi High Court last week. That's because existing guidelines by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on processes for collection, packaging and transport of clinical specimens to maximum containment (Biosafety Level 4) laboratories are rudimentary. The broad framework concerns sample collection such as wearing of PPEs, triple packaging and its supervision, discarding used consumables among others. The norms are no different for Covid-19 sample collection and transport, touching only upon its collection and labelling. In 2018, the government had notified that collection centres should be part of the main laboratories and that the parent laboratories should be held accountable for their compliance of norms. The notification had clarified that collection centres would not be registered separately but as a component of the main laboratory. However, in the absence of clear-cut standards, even adherence to this provision remains scarce, with registration of standalone collection centres in various states. In November 2020, amid Covid-19, the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, a board under Quality Control of India (QCI), had flagged that 'there are mismatches in the declaration (of samples) made by (accredited) lab to NABL and the actual collection centres/facilities/sources of collection which are available on their websites or other documents.' At the time, it had advised labs to declare all sample collection centres/facilities/sources in 30 days. It had further cautioned that 'any sample collection not under the responsibility of the lab and not covered under its (quality) management system is non-compliant with the accreditation norms and liable to action by NABL.' It had further advised all labs to review such arrangements to ensure these are in line with norms for accreditation. In 2019, pathologist Dr Rohit Jain moved the Delhi High Court, challenged the Clinical Establishments (Central Government) Amendment Rules 2018, especially on the aspect of minimum standards for signatory authority in diagnostic laboratories. He sought implementation of a 2017 order of the Supreme Court, which said that a lab report should be counter-signed only by a registered medical practitioner with a post graduate qualification in pathology. At the time, he also sought guidelines on minimum standards for medical diagnostic labs with regard to sample collection centres, sample transport, electronic signatures on pathological reports by authorised signatories, number of pathology labs a pathologist can visit in a day and on daily internal quality control. In February 2020, the Centre notified the Clinical Establishment (Central Government) Amendment Rules 2020, under which, according to Dr Jain, 'unqualified and unregistered non-medical persons viz MSc/PhD were authorised to issue pathology reports without the signature/counter signature of a pathologist.' Apart from challenging these amended rules, Dr Jain also moved court in August 2021, highlighting an RT-PCR testing scam in Kumbh Mela where reportedly about one lakh fake tests were conducted on devotees after intermediaries were given contracts. 'The accused diagnostic labs in Delhi and Haryana were able to collect samples and conduct a huge number of tests where they have no sample collection centres at Uttarakhand. It is clear that a scam of such enormity has only been possible because of the lack of essential minimum standards on the issue of sample collection/sample collection centres and sample transport policy,' Dr Jain had argued in his submission. He had also highlighted that the accused labs were not registered under the Act either. In 2023, the Delhi High Court directed the Centre to consider Dr Jain's plea as a representation and decide within three months. In May 2023, the government held a meeting under the chairmanship of the Additional Director-General of Health Services, New Delhi, where Dr Jain too was invited to make his representation. They decided to constitute four sub-committees of experts — pathology, biochemistry, hematology and microbiology – to define standards of procedure (SOPs) for sample collection, collection centres and sample transport policy. However, these guidelines weren't notified. So a year later, in May 2024, Dr Jain moved the Delhi High Court again, accusing the government of wilful disobedience of the court's order. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has now told the Delhi High Court that it is in the process of notifying the minimum clinical standards for handling and transport of diagnostic samples, with the policy currently undergoing legal vetting by the Legislative Department of Ministry of Law and Justice. It also told the court that currently the guidelines of ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV) are in place, which include rules for collection, packaging and transport of specimens for testing for high-risk viral pathogens, as well as guidelines for collection, packaging and transport for the COVID-19 virus. According to MOHFW, the subject experts held 'detailed internal deliberations for formulating minimum standards for sample collection and sample transport policy,' following which the draft minimum standards were technically finalized and were also technically approved by the Director General of Health Services (DGHS). 'The minimum standards for sample collection centres, as approved by the NCCE, are in the advanced stages of being notified in the Gazette of India. The draft minimum standards for sample collection centres are currently under legal vetting by the Legislative Department of the Ministry of Law and Justice,' the MOHFW said in its submission. The National Council for Clinical Establishments (NNCE), a statutory body under the Clinical Establishments Act, is working with the aim of developing minimum standards and their periodic review. Taking the ministry's submission on record, the court instructed that the standards be notified expeditiously, with a direction that the process 'may be accomplished within the next three months.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bangladesh mourns as toll from jet crash at school hits 27
Families and teachers gathered Tuesday at a Bangladeshi school where a training fighter jet crashed, killing 25 children and two others in the country's deadliest aviation accident in decades. Most of the victims were pupils who had just been let out of class when the Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft slammed into the Milestone School and College on Monday. "So far, 27 people have died. Among them, 25 are children and one is a pilot," said Sayedur Rahman from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, updating an earlier death toll of 20. "Seventy-eight people are being treated in different hospitals," added Rahman, special assistant to the ministry's chief adviser. More than 170 people were injured in the crash, said the military which is investigating the cause. The usually bustling school was eerily quiet on Tuesday morning, with classes cancelled. "Along with the children, the school has lost its life," said teacher Shahadat Hossain, whose son narrowly escaped the crash. "There are two swings in front of the affected building. During lunch breaks and after school, children play there. Even yesterday, around the time the plane crashed, students were on those swings," the 45-year-old told AFP. Around 7,000 pupils are enrolled at the school, including Abul Bashar's sixth-grade son whose best friend was killed. "He came out just two or three minutes before the accident occurred," said Bashar. "He couldn't sleep through the night and forced me to bring him to school this morning," the father added, his son standing in silence. - Children's trauma - School authorities have collected bags, shoes, and identity cards of children from the site. Pahn Chakma, a senior police officer, said that armed forces personnel are still sweeping the area. "They will hand over the place to the police later, and we will then collect evidence, including any human remains or belongings of students and others," Chakma said. Air Force personnel on duty said the remnants of the fighter jet were removed on Monday night, but they are still scouring the site for evidence. "I don't know how long it will take to return to normalcy, to relieve the children from this trauma," teacher Hossain said. On Monday night, school authorities held prayers at the campus. Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus expressed "deep grief and sorrow" over the incident and declared a day of national mourning. "The loss suffered by the Air Force, the students, parents, teachers, and staff of Milestone School and College, as well as others affected by this accident, is irreparable," he said. "This is a moment of profound pain for the nation." The military said the pilot, flight lieutenant Towkir Islam, was on a routine training mission when the jet "reportedly encountered a mechanical failure". He tried to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas but, "despite his best efforts", crashed into the two-storey school building, the military said Monday. sa-mmd/asv/rsc
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
What to wear and not to wear at upcoming JIPMER convocation
The upcoming convocation ceremony for conferment of MBBS and other degrees at Jipmer, will adhere to a stipulated traditional Indian wear dress code for male and female students in place of the flowing black gown and cap. A notice by the Jipmer administration issued a couple of days ago stated that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had approved the following dress code — traditional Indian attire — for the upcoming convocation ceremony. According to the notice, the approved dress for male graduating students is either off-white, half-collar kurta (full sleeves) with pyjama/pajami or off-white shirt (full sleeves) and dhoti. The footwear code stipulates formal shoes (brown/black) and forbids sneakers, slippers, or sandals. For females, the approved wear is either off-white saree with gold border with a blouse in gold or base colour of the saree, or off-white 'Judithar/Salwar Kameez with Gold border (full sleeves)'. Women are allowed to wear sandals but only those 'which should not create noise while walking'. 'Hence, all graduating students who will be receiving their degrees in person during the upcoming Convocation are hereby informed to strictly adhere to the above dress code....'. 'No graduating student will be allowed to attend the Convocation in a dress other than the specified for the Convocation,' the notice stated. By way of offering more clarity on what attire makes the cut, the notice also attached images of the sets of dual option of dresses deemed acceptable for gentlemen and ladies to wear for the convocation ceremony. According to an official source in Jipmer, the institution is only implementing a proposal sent by the Union Ministry, and its role was limited to offering suggestions on culturally appropriate options of attire. The Ministry has now approved what is acceptable for convocation ceremonies in Jipmer, the official added. The Union Health Ministry has, since at least the last year, been pushing Centrally-administered hospitals and medical teaching institutes to do away with the colonial-era vestige at convocations and, instead adopt region-specific Indian traditional dress. Much earlier, in 2015, the University Grants Commission (UGC) had called upon all higher education institutions to adopt traditional attire for their convocation ceremonies Past attempts for revising the dress code for convocations in favour of traditional wear have evoked mixed reactions — those who hail it as another step towards decolonisation and critics who see them as political tools of revivalism. 'Since the notice appeared on our site, reactions have been split on whether this new dress code, totally new for our institution, is actually a good thing or not,' said Mruthalagi SP, a junior resident. While students who have longed to go ethnic are naturally happy, they also find the narrowing of options to just two dress types and specific colours restrictive. The 14th convocation, coming after a delay, will feature a large number of students from various batches. Students had usually been renting out the gown and robe to wear over their costumes, usually carefully chosen for a dream occasion, and get through the few hours of the convocation ceremony. 'Now, with the new stipulation on costume, it remains to be seen whether there is broader acceptance in the fraternity when the convocation day arrives', a student said. Jipmer is yet to finalise the 2025 convocation date, sources said. The institution is learnt to be keen on having the Union Health Minister as chief guest for the ceremony. Earlier, this month, the administration had pushed the 2025 convocation registration deadline to July 7 based on students request. The exact date and timing of the convocation will be published shortly on the Jipmer website. Graduation stoles will be provided on the convocation day, the institution said in a communication to students.
Saba Yemen
3 days ago
- General
- Saba Yemen
Bangladeshi plane crash death toll rises to 27
Dhaka - Saba: Bangladeshi authorities announced on Tuesday that the death toll from a fighter jet crash into a school in the capital, Dhaka, has risen to at least 27. According to the Bangladesh National News Agency, Syedur Rahman, Special Assistant to the Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said, "So far, the death toll is 27, including 25 children and one pilot." A Bangladesh Fire Department official indicated that the people were killed when an Air Force training plane crashed into an educational complex housing a college and school in the capital, Dhaka, on Monday. It is worth noting that this accident came more than a month after an Air India plane crashed into a medical college hostel in the neighboring Indian city of Ahmedabad, killing 241 of the 242 passengers on board and 19 people on the ground, in the world's worst aviation disaster in ten years. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
For women, nutrition is not just about food but a socio-cultural construct
— Rituparna Patgiri Post-independent India has faced a triple crisis of nutrition – undernutrition, overnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. As per the Global Hunger Index (2020), India's position is 94 out of 107 countries. The Global Nutrition Report in 2020 also underlined that India is most likely to miss global nutrition targets by 2025. These findings seem to align with the data released from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2019-21). The survey reported that among children under the age of five, 35.5 per cent are stunted, 19.3 per cent are wasted, and 32.1 per cent are underweight. Although these figures have improved from the last round of survey conducted in NFHS-4 in 2015-16, nutrition still remains a concern. When it comes to women, nutrition is not just about food, but a socio-cultural construct. Let's explore. The nutritional burden also has a gendered dimension. According to the NFHS-5 data, as many as 57 per cent of women aged 15-49 were anaemic in 2019-21, compared to 53 per cent in 2015-16. Nutrition is not just about food, but a socio-cultural construct. It is influenced by structural inequalities, gendered roles, household food distribution and cultural factors. Notably, the prevalence of anaemia (57.2 per cent) was higher in non-pregnant women than in pregnant women (52.2 per cent). It shows that women, especially non-pregnant women, rarely receive special care and nutritious food sources. For instance, anthropological studies – such as Leela Dube's Women and Kinship: Perspectives on Gender in South and South-East Asia (1997) – show that customarily girls are denied milk except in the educated, upper middle-class. Most are entitled to milk only in special circumstances such as lactation, illness and pregnancy. The neglect of menstrual health further leads to worsening rates of anemia, with 59 per cent of adolescent girls (15-19 years) found to be anemic, which poses increased risks during pregnancy and childbirth. Apart from anemia, 33.1 per cent of girls under the age of five are stunted. This is a result of several factors, including anemic and malnourished mothers as well as less care after childbirth because of being born as girls. While wasting and underweight figures are similar for girls and boys, girls receive less health care and nutrition during illness. Moreover, despite being responsible for managing the nutritional needs of their families, women are often the ones who eat less and last. These trends highlight inter-generational nutritional inequality. Children born to thin mothers, whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is less than 18.5 kg/m2 have higher probability of being stunted, wasted, and underweight. Out of 28 states, the prevalence of anemia rose in 21. West Bengal and Gujarat have the highest rates. Assam, Chhattisgarh and Tripura experienced an increase by 15 percentage points, while Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Telangana recorded a rise of less than 5 percentage points. Women from Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities face a higher risk of anemia, indicating a lack of access to healthcare. In comparison, women with higher education levels are less likely to be anemic, suggesting that education improves nutrition knowledge and leads to better dietary practices. It needs to be underlined here that Kerala stands out for its relatively nutritional equity across gender due to high female literacy, late marriage and good reach of the public distribution system. Stunting in children decreases with improvements in mothers' educational and nutritional status. Contrastingly, children born to mothers with no access to schooling and in the lowest wealth percentile are more undernourished. In this context, Sikkim is another notable state as it has focused on improving women's access to education and healthcare facilities. As such, Sikkim fares second best after Mizoram in the North-East with respect to gender and nutrition as per the NFHS-5 data. These numbers indicate the need for good governance and best practices at the local level to improve nutritional status, particularly of women. Another emerging nutritional issue among Indian women is overnutrition. For the first time in the country's recorded history, there are more overnourished than undernourished women in the 15-49 year age group. Currently, 41.3 per cent of women are overweight or obese. This trend is more pronounced in urban areas where 33 per cent of women are overnourished compared to 21 per cent in rural areas. As a result, women face a heightened risk of contracting non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension. Most often, women are the primary caregivers and have limited or no time for self-care, health management, and physical activity. In addition to this, women also have micronutrient deficiency as their diets often lack diversity, with protein intake missing significantly. The cultural norm of eating less and often eating last further impacts women's nutritional well-being. The Indian Constitution recognises the Right to Food – access to adequate food and nutrition for every citizen – under the Right to Life as per Article 21. Article 47 of the Directive Principles of State Policy also places a duty on the state to raise the level of nutrition and public health. India has also committed to end hunger as per Goal 2 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. To address such concerns, the government has launched a number of policies and schemes. These include the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) launched in 1975, the National Nutrition Policy (1993), National Health Policy (2017), the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) (2017) and Poshan 2.0 launched in 2021. While most of the earlier initiatives focused on children, pregnant and lactating women, Poshan 2.0 expanded the lens to adolescent girls. Nutritional status is not determined only during pregnancy and childbirth. Improving nutrition and health requires a longitudinal approach. Poshan 2.0 also advocates for the use of technology, real-time monitoring using a digital tracking app (Poshan tracker) and behavioural change to improve nutrition. While India has a significant number of policies and schemes, their implementation and performance vary across states and districts. Grassroot service providers like the Anganwadi workers are underpaid and overworked. Some studies also noted that at times, they also have to provide supplementary food items and take home ration (THR) packets from their own pockets. These factors demotivate them and affect the adequate delivery of childcare and nutritional services. Nutrition is also connected with issues of social justice and healthcare and requires coordinated actions across multiple sectors and departments. While India has so far focused on undernutrition, there is now an emerging need to address the issue of overnutrition too. Adequately expanding the ambit of policymaking would help combat obesity and non-communicable diseases. State-led initiatives, such as mid-day meals, THR packets, could incorporate more healthy and diverse diets. Promoting nutrition-sensitive agricultural practices and building private-public partnerships to deliver nutritional services would also help expand the reach and quality of nutritional services. Having a multi-disciplinary approach to nutritional policies by involving economists, sociologists, policy makers and nutritionists, and, more importantly, women representatives would also help them become more socially effective. Nutrition is not just about food, but a socio-cultural construct. Comment. The Indian Constitution recognises the Right to Food. How do you see this in the context of the cultural norm of women eating less and often eating last? How does the nutritional status of women affect intergenerational health outcomes, particularly in children under five? Do you think that overnutrition among urban women complicates the policy focus on undernutrition? Why and what could be the possible ways to address this? There are noted variations in state-level performance with regard to women's nutritional status. What does this say about the role of governance and socio-cultural context in improving gendered nutrition outcomes? (Rituparna Patgiri is an Assistant Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati.) Share your thoughts and ideas on UPSC Special articles with Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.
