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Indian Express
8 hours ago
- Health
- Indian Express
With more than 3,000 monthly cases, dog bite menace in Chandigarh far from over
The recent death of a state-level kabaddi player from rabies after rescuing a puppy from a drain, and another fatal case in Sirsa where a woman bitten by a stray dog succumbed to the disease, have brought the menace of dog bites and rabies back into sharp focus. In Chandigarh, the fear is palpable. Years ago, a six-year-old from Manimajra died at the PGIMER after a rabid dog bit her on the face. In another case, an 11-year-old was mauled by a stray dog that also attacked several others. A class 2 girl in Sector 13, chased by a pack of dogs, died of a panic attack. Such incidents have forced many, especially senior citizens and children, indoors, too afraid to walk in their sectors, visit markets, or take a stroll in parks, where packs of stray dogs are now a common sight. Fresh data from the UT Health Department reveals that from January to July this year, Chandigarh has recorded 23,198 dog bite cases. July alone saw 4,018 cases, and each month this year has averaged over 3,000 incidents. Meanwhile, neighbouring Panchkula has reported over 3,000 dog bite cases this year. 'Cases of rabies are referred to the PGIMER, while dog bite victims are treated at Sector 19 and Sector 38 dispensaries,' Dr Suman Singh, Director, Health Services, said. Calling for accountability from those who feed stray dogs, Singh added: 'Animal lovers who feed dogs should also take complete responsibility for their vaccination, shelter, and medical needs. Common people cannot be made vulnerable, there has to be safety and security for them.' Others said the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, should neuter stray dogs and provide a designated feeding area in sectors. For Harjit Lakhari, a retired mathematics teacher in Sector 11, the fear is now a part of daily life. 'For the last five years, I have stopped going for walks in my sector or to the Leisure Valley. Packs of stray dogs chase residents. We are scared of falling, breaking our bones, and ending up in the hospital with dog bites. It is unfair that for no fault of ours, we have to be confined to our homes,' the 69-year-old said. Costly treatment While anti-rabies vaccines are available free of cost at government facilities, Human Rabies Immune Globulin — needed for deeper wounds — can cost up to Rs 15,000 in private care. India accounts for over one-third of global rabies deaths, according to The Lancet. National Health Profile data shows 2,863 rabies cases nationwide between 2005 and 2020. Expert advice Experts stress that even after minor exposure — such as licks on intact skin, nibbling of uncovered skin, or small scratches without bleeding — the wound must be washed with mild soap and running water for at least 15 minutes to reduce viral load. 'The victim must rush to the nearest health facility where doctors can begin treatment and vaccination. This must not be ignored,' Singh said.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
Health dept identifies 1,874 people above 80, to start first phase of project to provide better healthcare at their homes & GMSH-16
The Health Department has identified 1,874 people above 80 as part of a recent survey to start a pilot project of providing better healthcare services to the elderly residents of Chandigarh. According to Dr Suman Singh, Director of Health, the Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) have recently completed the survey, and the department is all set to start a pilot project that will focus on the health and wellness of these elderly, some of whom live alone and many with families. 'The effort is to focus on a system where a team of five, which has been approved, comprising doctors, staff nurses, attendants, and an ambulance service, will visit the elderly at their homes regularly, check for various health issues, and also health problems like hypertension, diabetes , etc, and then address these. If need be, those in need would be shifted to GMSH-16 for further treatment, with the provision of services like attendants, a dedicated ambulance service. Apart from focusing on their health needs, the visits and check-ups at their homes will also give them confidence. Initially, the idea was to include all elderly citizens, but this is the first phase of the project, as we start work and then understand the needs of the elderly and slowly and steadily include people in their 70s,' says Dr Singh. The department will also identify and prioritise elderly people who live alone, are disabled, are bedridden and are unable to move on their own. In a recent meeting of the 4th Rogi Kalyaan Samiti (RKS), a decision was taken that a dedicated ambulance service will be started for senior citizens and bedridden patients at GMSH-16. Also, a dedicated help desk for patients and their attendants will be started for OPD, gynaecology and the Emergency Ward. It was also decided that six caretakers/attendants will be hired to help the patients without any accompanying person. 'All these decisions have been finalised and we are working towards implementing these services, and identifying the elderly in their 80s and starting services to improve their health and care for them is the first step in this direction,' adds Singh.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
New, upgraded and high-tech network system at GMSH-16 to reduce footfall, patients' waiting time
With a new, upgraded and high-tech network system, GMSH-16 will now have a new system where all test reports will be sent to the patients' phone numbers or emails, reducing the footfall, waiting time of patients and easing the process. 'The LAN tender is complete, as we need a high-tech system and a robust network system in a hospital like GMSH-16 to go paperless, and within the next three months, this important project of digitisation will be complete. The benefit will largely be for patients, who won't have to stand in long queues to get their diagnostic reports, which will be sent to them on their phones and emails. These will also be accessible to doctors on their computers, ensuring a health record of patients, resulting in ease, and very importantly, reducing the footfall in the hospital,' explains Dr Suman Singh, Director, Health Services, Chandigarh. While some dispensaries have mini-labs, as part of a hub and spoke model, the samples for tests are sent to GMSH-16 daily, and so an increased footfall for getting test reports from the hospital. With the new network in place, the need for a physical card for registration will also be omitted over time, with the registration number and other details of the patient uploaded digitally and available to the doctor on his computer. The pilot project has already been completed in all the 48 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (upgraded Health and Wellness Centres), under the Ayushman Bharat Initiative, with all going paperless in phases. The range of services has been expanded here to include care for non-communicable diseases, oral, eye and ENT care, and free diagnostic services and essential drugs. Here, the E-registration of the patients is in place, with a token system and display of token numbers also planned, so patients don't crowd outside doctors' rooms and can sit and wait for their turn. To improve efficiency, the prescription given by the doctor will also be sent to the pharmacist directly, who will then dispense the medicine and provide the patient with a slip of the same. The OPD in the hospital operates from 8 am to 2 pm , with the daily OPD numbers about 3,500 patients from across the region, plus attendants, with the emergency also witnessing a steady increase, with an average of 400 patients and in the season of dengue, viral fevers, the numbers almost double. The 500-bed district hospital has referral cases from across the region, with the highest of about 350 to 400 in the gynaecology department itself, and the digitisation aims to bring in more efficiency and comfort for patients.
Indian Express
30-07-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Dengue wards with dedicated beds set up at major Chandigarh hospitals, says DHS
With the monsoon being active in Chandigarh, the health department has intensified several activities to control the breeding of mosquitoes and to prevent vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue. So far, two cases of dengue have been reported, and according to Dr Suman Singh, Director, Health Services, Chandigarh, hospitals are well-prepared for any exigency. 'Dengue wards with dedicated beds have been established at major hospitals. Adequate testing kits, necessary drugs /logistics are in place for case management. Blood banks are fully prepared to meet any requirement of blood components,' says Dr Singh. The whole area of UT is daily monitored for field activities by teams from headquarters as well as malaria units. The teams from headquarters are led by the Assistant Director of Malaria, the State Epidemiologist, and two multipurpose health supervisors. These teams supervise the work of health workers, breeding checkers and store teams. Chemical control measures, adds Singh, are being carried out aggressively throughout the entire city in the form of spraying with insecticides, treatment with MLO/Temephos, and fumigation at various locations. 'Fumigation operations are being done jointly by Malaria Wing, and the MC, and this is being done in a roster-wise manner to cover the entire city. The Fumigation operations were started from April, 2025, onwards. Strict implementation of bye-laws is being done by issuing notices, show-cause notices and challans to the defaulters for creating mosquitogenic situations. Biological control measures include the release of larvivorus fish, Gambusia, in water collections,' says Dr Singh. Effective preventive measures such as using mosquito nets, wearing long-sleeved clothing, eliminating standing water around homes, and ensuring timely medical consultation in case of fever, adds Dr Singh, are important. As many as 4,726 notices have been given, with 1,151 show-cause notices and 169 challans. Awareness activities are being done at the community level to make residents aware of the preventive steps for control of vector-borne diseases, with special advisories issued to all educational institutions, residential areas, and public places. Dr Parvinder Chawla, senior consultant, Internal Medicine, Fortis Hospital, Mohali, says dengue is caused by four types of viruses that are spread by infected mosquitoes. Patients with dengue fever exhibit symptoms such as chills, fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, body rash, aches and pains (eye pain, typically behind the eyes, muscle, joint, or bone pain). 'For most infected patients, dengue infection behaves like just another viral infection with fever and body aches improving within a few days without the need for any aggressive medical treatment apart from the fever-lowering medicines and rest. Warning signs include vomiting, pain in the abdomen, severe headache, persistent pain anywhere else in the body, bleeding from any site and inability to continue with good liquid intake. Presence of any of these warning signs means that the patient is in the critical phase and needs to be monitored closely for at least 48-72 hours in a hospital setting.' Talking about monitoring the blood platelet count in patients with dengue, Dr Chawla said, 'Monitoring haemoglobin and hematocrit is more important than even monitoring platelet count in dengue. We should be checking these two values on the second-third day of fever and monitor them closely, especially in a patient who continues to have symptoms. An increase in haemoglobin and hematocrit signifies poor oral intake (and hence the need for hospitalisation), while a falling haemoglobin and hematocrit along with clinical deterioration suggests internal bleeding and hence, requires hospitalisation too. Even if the platelet count is low, platelets need to be transfused only if the count is below ~ 10,000/cmm or there is evidence of active bleeding from any site. For most other patients in the critical phase of the disease, judicious guarded intravenous fluids suffice to tide over the crisis.' In Panchkula, the administration has instructed the MC and Panchkula Municipal Council to accelerate fumigation across the district and ensure better coordination to ensure the prevention of mosquito-borne diseases. Free testing facilities (Dengue NS1/ IgM ELISA) are available at GMSH-16, GMCH-32 and PGI, and a dedicat
Entrepreneur
24-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
iTuring.ai, Pristyn Care, and Olto Raise Funding for Growth
The below brands have announced their latest funding rounds. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Secures USD 5 Mn to Expand AI Platform for BFSI Sector Bengaluru-based enterprise AI firm has raised USD 5 million in a Series A funding round led by Dallas Venture Capital and Mela Ventures. This follows a prior investment of USD 1.19 million in the same round from SenseAI and Pentathlon Ventures, with additional support from Ghosal Ventures. Founded in 2018 by Suman Singh, Amit Kumar, Mohammed Nawas, and Srivalsan Ponnachath, offers a proprietary, zero-code platform tailored to the needs of the banking, financial services and insurance sector. The startup plans to use the funds to accelerate the rollout of this platform, which enables institutions to automate each stage of data science and machine learning processes. "Our vision from day one was to empower financial institutions to automate the full lifecycle of AI model development, deployment, and governance with a transparent, explainable, and audit-ready solution," said Suman Singh, founder and CEO of platform addresses the complex regulatory and operational requirements of the BFSI industry. It integrates automation across data preparation, model development, deployment, and ongoing monitoring within a single, compliant framework. The platform currently serves clients in India, South Africa, and the United States. In the US, it has formed a strategic alliance with a leading global payment platform to support revenue growth and reduce operational costs. Clients in the BFSI sector have reported faster project execution and a notable decrease in manual work, along with measurable improvements in predictive accuracy, according to the company. Pristyn Care Bags USD 4 Mn to Expand Hospital Network Pristyn Care, a healthcare provider focused on surgeries, has raised USD 4 million in a new funding round aimed at expanding its owned hospital network. The investment comes from existing backers Peak XV Partners and Hummingbird Ventures, according to company sources and regulatory documents reviewed by Entrackr. The company's board recently approved the issue of 34,280 Series E1 compulsorily convertible preference shares at a price of INR 10,038.16 each. This share price matches the previous round, indicating that Pristyn Care's valuation remains unchanged. This funding is part of a broader plan, as the company is reportedly in discussions to raise up to USD 100 million from both new and current investors. To support future fundraising and expansion, Pristyn Care has increased its authorised capital. In recent months, the company has opened eight new hospitals, bringing its operational footprint to around 200,000 square feet with approximately 450 beds. The firm plans to double this capacity by December 2025 with more than 10 additional hospitals in the pipeline. For the fiscal year ending March 2024, Pristyn Care reported a 30 percent rise in operating revenue to INR 600 crore. Losses for the period remained stable at INR 381 crore. AI Startup Olto Raises USD 5.1 Mn San Francisco-based AI startup Olto has secured USD 5.1 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Nexus Venture Partners and The General Partnership. The round also drew participation from Afore Capital, Recall Capital, Ligature, FirstHand, and several prominent founders and technology leaders. Olto aims to streamline the B2B sales process by using artificial intelligence to automatically generate context-aware demo environments and interactive product tours. Its platform enables sales teams to deliver tailored experiences across live calls, outbound messages, and inbound leads, eliminating the need for manual setup. The company was founded by former Amazon executives Kintan Brahmbhatt and Jean-Baptiste Chaput, along with founding engineer Pranav Midha. Brahmbhatt, who co-founded Amazon Music and led Amazon's podcasting division, is also known for co-inventing Prime Video's X-Ray feature. "At Amazon, we pioneered just-in-time personalisation to change the way consumers engage with media," said Brahmbhatt, who now serves as Olto's CEO. "With Olto, we're bringing that same magic to B2B software." Olto's AI-native platform integrates directly with customer relationship management systems and live products, enabling teams to create highly personalised demos. According to the company, the platform reduces demo preparation time by up to 80 percent while increasing conversion rates.
