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Time of India
6 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
Set up superspecialty hospital in DK: DYFI
Mangaluru: The DYFI Dakshina Kannada unit members submitted a memorandum urging chief minister Siddaramaiah to set up a superspecialty hospital, including branches of Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, and Nimhans in Dakshina Kannada district. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Youth leaders submitted a memorandum to the CM through deputy commissioner Darshan HV on Tuesday. DYFI district president BK Imthiyaz said that people are increasingly affected by cancer, heart-related diseases, as well as brain, nerve, and mental illnesses in Dakshina Kannada. To receive better treatment, they are compelled to rely on private hospitals that charge high fees. Due to the lack of proper treatment for serious diseases like cancer and heart-related illnesses in govt hospitals, the poor are being referred to private hospitals under the Ayushman scheme, effectively allowing govt health insurance funds to fill the coffers of private hospitals, he noted. Superspecialty hospitals like Kidwai, Jayadeva, and Nimhans for advanced treatments have not yet been established. Despite decades of demand for a govt medical college in Dakshina Kannada district, only announcements have been made during the govt's budget sessions, without any financial allocation, he lamented. The state govt should take immediate steps to establish units of Kidwai Cancer Hospital, Jayadeva Heart Hospital, and Nimhans in the district, similar to the models initiated in other districts. Imthiyaz urged the govt to expedite the release of funds for establishing a govt medical college in Mangaluru. "There is a need for strengthening govt hospitals by constructing primary, community, and taluk hospitals as per the population requirement and filling all vacant doctor and staff positions," he added.
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Covid may have caused neuro issues: Study
Bengaluru: Covid-19 did not just cause breathing difficulties, but may have also had neurological impact on patients, says a recent study by Nimhans. The study saw participation of 3,200 patients from March to Sept 2020. It pointed out that 120 Covid patients reported neurological disorders. There were 43 cases of stroke, 23 encephalopathy (affects brain's structure or function), 5 cases of meningoencephalitis (inflammation of the brain and its membranes), 5 cases of seizures, 7 of headache and 10 Guillain-Barre Syndrome cases (rare autoimmune condition that causes nerve infllammation), among others. Twenty patients saw their pre-existing neurological conditions worsening. In the study, researcher Dr Netravathi M, professor of neurology at Nimhans, said Covid may be linked to a range of neurological symptoms, affecting both central and peripheral nervous systems. She recommended establishing a multi-centric national or region-wise registry to study the long-term effects of both Covid and its vaccination-associated neurological disturbances. Netravathi said further surveillance is needed.
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Covid may have caused neurological issues in patients: Nimhans study
Bengaluru: Covid did not just cause breathing difficulties, but may have also had neurological impact on patients, says a recent study by Nimhans. The study, which saw participation of 3,200 patients during the Covid time, from March to Sept 2020, pointed out that 120 Covid patients reported neurological disorders when they were evaluated. The neurological conditions reported was 43 cases of stroke, 23 encephalopathy (disease that affects the brain's structure or function), 5 cases of meningoencephalitis (inflammation of the brain and membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord), 5 cases of seizures, 7 with headache and 10 cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (rare autoimmune condition that causes nerve infllammation), among others. The remaining 20 patients had pre-existing neurological illnesses and presented with worsening symptoms of their neurological conditions. In the study, researcher Dr Netravathi M, professor of neurology at Nimhans, observed that Covid may be linked to a range of neurological symptoms, affecting both central and peripheral nervous systems. She recommended establishing a multi-centric nationwide registry (or at least regional-wise) to study the long-term effects of both Covid infection and Covid-vaccination-associated neurological disturbances. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru Talking to TOI, Dr Netravathi said further surveillance was needed as the study was conducted during the pandemic.
Mint
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Are films finally getting the depiction of neurodivergence right?
For far too long now, global cinema has depicted neurodiverse people either as tragic sufferers or as super talents. Take, for instance, The Good Doctor, in which Dr Shaun Murphy, a surgical resident with autism, is known for his near-photographic memory. Then there is Extraordinary Attorney Woo, an acclaimed Korean series, in which a young lawyer on the autism spectrum shines for her brilliant and creative problem-solving abilities. Mugdha Kalra, a mother to a neurodivergent child and co-founder, Not That Different—a platform that builds awareness and pushes for systemic change around autism, invisible disabilities and support systems for families—finds these portrayals problematic. 'These affect the way society or parents are looking at their children. They are either perceived as figures of pity, or parents start looking for super talents in their kids, which is a huge disservice to the child," she says. According to research by consultancy and auditing firm Deloitte, between 10-20% of the global population falls on the neurodivergent spectrum. A recent report by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Nimhans) states that 2 million Indians are neurodivergent. 'When you have lakhs of people on the spectrum, then there are lakhs of possible on-screen characters. No two trait sets are identical. There is great potential to create characters, which are nuanced, varied and layered, and to present them with dignity," adds Kalra. Why not look at real-life examples and make space for everyday realities such as time blindness, OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) loops or fidgety stims? A positive shift which has taken place in the last five years is that neurodivergent characters are being essayed by actors, who themselves are on the spectrum. They bring their lived reality to the roles, adding authenticity to the portrayals. Abuli Mamaji, who has Down Syndrome, played one of the leads in Nikhil Pherwani's Ahaan (2019), a film about a man with OCD finding a sense of camaraderie in a young man on the spectrum. In the UK, an experimental feature, The Stimming Pool (2024), has been co-created by a collective of autistic artists, the Neurocultures Collective, and filmmaker Steven Eastwood, 'who invite you into a neurodiverse world within the undulating logic of neurotypical environments". In an interview to The Guardian in March this year, Georgia Kumari Bradburn, one of the directors, said: 'It was never about us having a duty to explain who we are or what we are doing to other people. This is just the way we exist. It's a different way of existing." And now there is Sitaare Zameen Par, the official remake of the 2018 Spanish film, Champions, which stars 10 lead actors on the spectrum. Inclusion activists don't advocate for adding a protagonist on the spectrum just for tokenism. Rather, they would prefer if the neurodivergence was built into the script in a matterof-fact way, which normalises being on the spectrum. Imagine a hospital drama in which a nurse needs instructions in writing, or a junior lawyer in a courtroom series, who struggles with eye contact.'There are micro traits of neurodiversity, which can be shown as coexisting with neurotypicality. None of these need to be portrayed at a dramatic level. Their presence alone will tell the audience that neurodivergence can exist in all possible situations and not just in special issue episodes," elaborates Kalra. While the depiction of neurodivergence on screen is changing, people hope for a more layered and in-depth depiction of the caregivers as well. And that's where Anu Singh Choudhary's Selfie, Please, stands out. The 22-minute short film presents a vignette from the life of a family comprising a set of neurotypical and neurodivergent siblings—Anjali and Ananya, respectively. There is a particularly poignant scene where Anjali, an Odissi dancer, reminds her father that he owes her a prize for her exceptional performance. He hands her ₹500, while also giving the same amount to her elder sister, Ananya, who has Down Syndrome. As Anjali's face falls—this was to be her accomplishment alone—her mother reminds her of an earlier promise that everything would be split equally between the two sisters. Anjali storms off, and you can sense the seething discontent—she craves for her mother's attention and resents her sister for being the constant recipient of it. The scene also offers you an insight into the life of a mother, (played by Sarika Singh), who is torn between the two sisters day in and day out. In 22 minutes, Anu brings out the family dynamics to the fore, including the conflict between the parents about the manner of caregiving. According to Kalra, such stories are important as the diagnosis of a child being on the spectrum holds significance for the entire family. 'Selfie, Please already begins with a level of understanding—it doesn't explain Down Syndrome nor does it overtly dramatise the sibling rivalry. It just shows an episode from the life of this family," she says. For Anu, who wrote series such as Aarya and Mrs, this film stemmed from personal experiences. 'Ananya, who plays the sibling with Down Syndrome, is my first cousin. I have seen her mother feel conflicted about encouraging her to explore her social space while also being fiercely protective of her. Often that comes at the cost of your sanity and world view. And if you have another child, who is neurotypical, that plight increases," she says. The medium of short film allowed her to choose an ordinary day from someone's life. The moment of conflict shows the choices that families are making on a daily basis. 'Cinematic storytelling will always look for something extraordinary. But storytellers should not take away the mundanity of everyday life. They should strike a balance—something that Sitaare Zameen Par does well," elaborates Anu. Meanwhile, Selfie, Please has been winning awards at festivals such as the Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival, Indian World Film Festival and Bangalore Short Films Festival. The filmmaker is keen that the screenings be followed by focused group discussions as well. For instance, just last week, Selfie, Please was screened at the Veda Kunba Auditorium, Mumbai, as part of the event, Neuro Unity: Lights Camera Inclusion, organised by Kalra. This included a discussion with Anu and Divy Nidhi Sharma, writer, Sitaare Zameen Par, about ways of authentically portraying neurodivergent characters in cinema and television. 'There is a need to create understanding not just about people on the spectrum but those around them as well. It is not just about a film but what you can take away from that to expand your worldview," adds Anu .
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Sholay to Suraksha: A quiet revolution in suicide prevention starts in Karnataka's Ramanagara
Ramanagara: On a tranquil two-acre stretch of land in Ramanagara — once the cinematic backdrop for Sholay and Amitabh Bachchan's months-long shoot — a mental health initiative that could shape suicide prevention strategies across India and Asia is unfolding. Project Suraksha — short for surveillance system to track suicide and self-harm — is a community-based suicide prevention model, led by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Nimhans) in collaboration with Karnataka govt and funded by Himalaya Wellness Company. The ancestral land of psychiatrist Dr CR Chandrashekar has been converted into a rural outreach centre, operational since Feb 2023. From this base, a multi-tiered response is being piloted in Channapatna across all 32 panchayats. The process of rolling it out across Ramanagara district has already begun. An official district-level centre operates at the zilla panchayat building about 3km away. Thirty residents per panchayat have been trained to form community surveillance teams. "They're the shoulder people cry on, the ones who notice distress before it becomes a tragedy," said Anish V Cherian, project lead and principal investigator. These teams include teachers, anganwadi workers, and autorickshaw drivers trained to intervene in emergencies. Agricultural shopkeepers are being asked to limit the sale of excess fertilisers, which are sometimes used in self-harm. Schools and health centres have identified gatekeepers to monitor distress. Newspapers are analysed for responsible suicide reporting, and families of those who died by suicide are offered grief counselling and support through mourning rituals. At the district-level coordination centre in the ZP office, a six-member team rotates duties to respond to emergencies. On Thursday, Suraksha received approval from the police department to access suicide data directly from station-level reports — bypassing delays associated with NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) data that typically emerges a year late. "This gives us timely data. Now we can respond while the window for intervention is still open," said Cherian. Ramanagara superintendent of police Srinivas Gowda acknowledged the initiative's novelty: "Data usually stays with hospitals or police, but this model actually uses trained mental health professionals to act." Data will be integrated with information from 68 primary health centres, urban PHCs, and community health centres, where ASHAs and medical officers help identify cases in a "self-harm registry". Anganwadi workers from various districts underwent training this week. "In village setups, no one wants to go to police. We're learning to respond within the community," said Pushpalatha, a worker from Channapatna. Anmol Jain, CEO of the zilla panchayat, told trainees: "Mental health isn't just for people who are 'mad'. Many suffer silently. We must help them." Arya Thirumeni, programme manager at Suraksha, outlined their interventions: Safety planning cards listing personal warning signs, coping methods, and emergency contacts; follow-ups over two years for those who attempted to die by suicide; and secure storage of lethal means such as pesticides or medication.
