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Time of India
4 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
60% of health sub-centres can't deal with basic issues: Survey
NEW DELHI: How well-equipped are India's sub-centres (SCs) - the state's support system that people facing health issues first reach out to - especially those in rural India, to manage basic medical conditions such as hypertension, or high blood pressure, and diabetes? A survey carried out for the purpose in 19 districts of seven states by a team of researchers from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and World Health Organisation (WHO), among others, did not paint a very flattering picture. According to the survey results published in the latest issue of Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR), only about 4 in 10 sub-centres are in a position to treat hypertension and diabetes, with several of the rest not even having basic medicines to manage the conditions. Out of 105 SCs assessed, nearly one-third had stock-outs of tablet metformin (anti-diabetes medication), and nearly half (45%) reported stock-outs of tablet amlodipine, used to manage high blood pressure. The median duration of stock-outs for the medicines ranged from one to seven months. "These medicines were better available at govt medical colleges compared to any other levels of public health facilities," the IJMR report stated. The survey also revealed a shortage of specialists at the Community Health Centre (CHC) level - this was also highlighted in the rural health statistics report of 2020-21, which showed a shortfall of physicians (82%) and surgeons (83%) at CHCs. "(The) ICMR-India Diabetes Study (ICMR-INDIAB) reports evidence of a non-communicable diseases epidemic spreading to rural areas in India in addition to the urban areas due to changes in lifestyle. Therefore, improving the preparedness of SCs will further enhance the primary care services closer to the homes of the people," the researchers pointed out in the study. They added: "Govt of India has already accelerated its efforts towards strengthening Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) for achieving Universal Health Care by committing resources and efforts through the Prime Minister's flagship Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness programme". India has the second highest number of adults (20-79 yrs) with diabetes in the world, and approximately 3% of the total deaths in India in 2019 were attributed to the disease. The number of people suffering from hypertension is also on the rise. Experts say easy access to medicines to manage the two conditions at early stages can help prevent serious complications and slash the risk of negative individual, social and economic outcomes.
The Hindu
01-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
11 health and wellness centres that were closed for want of doctors set to be revived in Tiruchi
Eleven urban health and wellness centres in Tiruchi, which had remained non-functional for over two years, are all set to open their doors to the public. Considering the surge in urban population and the growing patronage of the 18 Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs), the Corporation, under the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM), constructed 36 health and wellness centres (HWC), each at an estimated cost of ₹25 lakh utilising the funds sanctioned by the 15th Finance Commission. These centres will function from 8 a.m. to noon and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Each UPHC will be attached to two wellness centres and the Chief Medical Officer of the UPHC will supervise the HWCs. The initiative is aimed at enabling patients to get first-level emergency and trauma care in addition to alternative medicinal therapies and yoga. Of the 36 centres, 25 are functioning, but the remaining 11 centres have remained closed for over two years because of the unavailability of doctors, and medical staff. However, the Health department has now appointed a doctor, a staff nurse, a health inspector, and an attendant for each of these centres. 'They are undergoing training at the UPHCs about existing schemes, filing reports, availability of medicines, infant immunisation, anti-rabies vaccinations, antenatal care, and other services at the HWCs. The facilities will become functional within two weeks,' said a senior official. The centres are located at Sangiliandapuram, Amman Nagar, Mela Pandamangalam, Solarajapuram, Kamaraj Nagar, Vasanth Nagar, Sanjivi Nagar, Karumandapam, Thennur Babu Cetti Road, Ambedkar Nagar, and Ammaiyapa Nagar. Meanwhile, the 25 health and wellness centres have become popular among residents and continue to register significant footfall since its launch. At present, free cancer screening camps to screen people for breast cancer, cervical cancer, and oral cancer are being held at these centres.
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Noida issues a heatwave advisory
Noida: With temperatures in NCR continuing to climb, the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) of Noida has issued a public advisory urging residents to take strict precautions against the ongoing heatwave and hot winds, or loo. "Awareness programmes are being carried out in schools and factories to ensure community preparedness," said district magistrate Manish Kumar Verma. "Citizens are advised to stay indoors between 12pm and 3pm, wear light cotton clothing, keep hydrated, and use home remedies like ORS, lemon water, and raw mango drinks to prevent dehydration." It cautions against consumption of alcohol, tea, and coffee, which may worsen dehydration. It also urges residents to carry water, and use umbrellas, caps, or sunglasses when stepping outdoors. Additionally, DDMA emphasised the importance of caring for animals, advising residents to keep pets in shaded areas with access to clean drinking water. Safety measures include avoiding stale or high-protein food, not staying on the top floors of buildings during peak heat hours and not leaving children or pets in parked vehicles. The public has also been encouraged to stay informed through local weather updates and seek immediate medical help if any symptoms of heatstroke — such as dizziness, nausea, or high fever appear. The advisory was issued under the direction of DM Manish Kumar Verma, and supervision of ADM (Finance & Revenue) Atul Kumar. Meanwhile, a health department team on Tuesday conducted inspections across hospitals, Community Health Centers (CHCs), and Primary Health Centers (PHCs) in the city to ensure heatwave preparedness. According to the CMO, all facilities were found ready to handle heat-related emergencies.
Hans India
28-04-2025
- Health
- Hans India
Facial attendance system for med. staff from May 1
Hyderabad: The Telangana government is set to introduce Aadhaar based facial attendance system for the medical staff including the personnel in PHCs, UPHCs, Basti Dawakhanas and medical colleges in the State from May 1. The medical and health department personnel who do not follow the discipline will have to face loss of pay. The government has mandated that the staff from the Primary Health Centres, Urban Primary Health Centres and Basti Dawakhanas should be in the duty from 9 am to 4 pm. The doctors and teaching doctors who do not follow the time discipline will have to face pay cuts. Director of Public Health B Ravinder Nayak said that there are 638 PHCs, 248 UPHCs and 468 Basti Davakhanas in the State. The aim of the government is to provide better treatment to the poor and middle class sections. The doctors should come to the hospitals in time and register the facial based biometric attendance. The para-medical staff and other personnel should also be in their duties on time. They should be available on time for giving services to provide better treatment, said Dr Ravinder Nayak, adding salaries will be decided based on the attendance. The decision comes after the National Medical Council (NMC) directed the government to implement the app based facial attendance in hospitals and medical colleges. Recently, the Health Minister C Damodar Raja Narsimha had visited the Gandhi Hospital and was unhappy with many doctors not seen in the hospital. He had asked the superintendent to issue show cause notice to the doctors who were absent. The Minister wanted the officials to ensure a system in place to check the attendance of the staff. The doctors would have to enrol their name, institution name, district name and Aadhaar details in the mobile application. There would be regular monitoring of the attendance with surprise inspections. There are 34 government medical colleges and 28 private medical colleges in the State and the rule would be for all. Besides facial recognition, there would be geo tagging to check the moments of the doctors and faculty in the institutions, the officials said.
Mint
22-04-2025
- Health
- Mint
ESIC considering to open 10 new medical colleges across India
New Delhi, Apr 22 (PTI) Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) is considering setting up 10 new medical colleges across the country to provide services to its subscribers in unserved or under-served areas. The 10 new medical colleges have been proposed at Pune, Manesar, Kollam, Surat, Vishakhapatnam, Bhubaneshwar, Asansol, Nagpur, Pandunagar and Margaon, Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told reporters here. He also stated that these ten medical colleges will be set in addition to already approved ones in Andheri, Basaidarapur, Guwahati-Beltola, Indore, Jaipur, Ludhiana, Naroda - Bapunagar, Noida, Varanasi and Ranchi. The ESIC in its 194th meeting has approved in-principle the establishment of 10 new medical colleges. The minister further informed that ESIC is also working on converging with Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to offer comprehensive, cashless medical care to over 14.4 crore beneficiaries. The ESIC beneficiaries will be able to get their treatment done at PMJAY empanelled hospitals. For ESIC beneficiaries, there will not be any cap on expenditure, he stated. The ESIC is also formulating a policy to extend medical care through Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs) in non-implemented and partially implemented districts, ensuring access to ESIC benefits for deemed beneficiaries in these regions. In 2014, the minister stated that the scheme was implemented in 393 districts and is now extended to 691 districts (as on April 21, 2025). Among these 691 districts, 592 are fully notified while 99 are partially notified. As many as 87 districts are yet to be notified by the ESIC. The minister noted that recently the scheme is notified in 8 districts of Nagaland and 15 districts of Uttar Pradesh, which will provide Social Security to 76,274 additional number of IPs (insured persons) and their families. Further proposal for notification of one district each of Odisha & Uttar Pradesh, two districts of Maharashtra, six districts of Bihar is under process. First Published: 22 Apr 2025, 07:17 PM IST
