Blood banks run out of kits

All blood banks supported by National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) are buying HIV ELISA (human immunodeficiency virus enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) kits, which are used to identify HIV-antibodies in the blood, from other sources as the organisation has run out of them. NACO has informed the Maharashtra State Aids Control Society (MSACS) that the supply of the kits would resume only after March 31.
According to documents that are in the possession of The Asian Age, the Sion Hospital blood bank, in an email to the Mumbai Districts AIDS Control Society (MDACS), has stated, “We don’t have HIV kits, so kindly try to as early as possible to mobilise the kits.” In reply to this, Dr Seema P. Todur, quality manager (blood safety), MDACS, provided contacts of NACO-approved suppliers to provide National AIDS Research Institute (NARI) validated kits to all the blood banks.

Blood bank officials discuss speculation on blood tax

In relation to a speculation that the central government may impose a 14.5 per cent tax on blood and blood products delivered from blood banks in the upcoming budget, representatives of such banks were summoned to prepare a resolution that would be submitted to the state health minister.
The meeting was held last Tuesday. However, no official circular or notice on the matter has been released yet.
To discuss this, the Federation of Bombay Blood Banks (FBBB) summoned representatives from 25 blood banks on February 9 at S.L. Raheja Hospital. Confirming the news, Dr Neelam Nijhara, secretary, FBBB, said, “We held a private meeting regarding this but until we get an official statement from the government, we cannot disclose further information.”
According to documents accessed by The Asian Age, the representatives might meet the state health minister on February 23 to discuss the issue. Dr Sunil Rajadhyaksha, head of of the department of transfusion medicine, Tata Memorial Hospital, one of the representatives who were part of the meeting, said, “This has been going around but until something concrete comes out, we can’t say anything. The tax on blood may be a presumption but we have to wait till the budget is declared.”

Maharashtra records fall in polluted water

At a time when much ink is being spilled on deteriorating air and water quality in the state, there is some respite in the knowledge that water-contaminated habitations in the state have plunged by 42 per cent in comparison to last year, according to recently concluded state data.
2015 data shows that there has been an almost 42 per cent fall in number of contaminated habitations in the state. In 2014, over 239,739 habitations had contaminated groundwater whereas in 2015, only 138,056 habitations had contaminated groundwater.

Hospital staff rallies around fired sweeper

Since Tuesday, Class IV staffers from Prince Aly Khan Hospital have been wearing black ribbons in protest of alleged mismanagement on the part of hospital authorities. However, staffers claim that their agitation has proved futile with neither the management nor the police paying any heed to their demands.
Three months ago, a woman sweeper from the hospital named Rama Gignesh Parmer attempted suicide by consuming phenol after being suddenly fired from the job on grounds that “her character was questionable”. A police complaint was filed at Byculla Police Station however no action has been taken so far.

Cop donates deceased wife’s organs

Nandakumar Naik, a constable at Nagpada police station lost his wife Sheela Naik on Thursday when she suddenly succumbed to brain haemorrhage. However, after Sheela’s death, Nandakumar decided to donate her cornea and liver.
Fifty two-year-old Sheela, mother of three, suddenly fell unconscious while cooking in their house. She was admitted at Nanavati Hospital for treatment where she died on Thursday and Nandakumar gave his consent to donate her organs. Her liver has been sent to Fortis Hospital and cornea to Lilavati Hospital for transplantation.

Doctor rues delay in BMC projects

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in its latest budget, allocated Rs 3,700 crore to the department of health and also announced addition of beds, but its long-pending project for a new building at Harilal Bhagwati Hospital with 110 beds is still pending. The authority is uncertain when it would be functional even as the old building was vacated in 2013 for the construction. As per a Right to Information application filed by a doctor, the new building was supposed to start functioning by February 2016.
“We are still preparing the building. All the equipment is being placed so we can’t provide any date till now, but it would take more than three months to start,” said Krishnakumar Ganapat Pimpale, medical superintendent of the hospital who had replied to the RTI.

FIR against doctor for forged documents

An FIR has been filed by the Maharashtra Medical Council against Dhiraj Ramchandra Patil for submitting forged documents to the council for obtaining registration under Foreign Graduate Registration in 2014 from the council.
Patil submitted all the required documents that were duly certified as true copy by headmaster, Balaji Madhyamik Vidyalay, Pune in 2014. Based on the documents, Patil was issued a registration number 2014/02/0459 from the council on February 28, 2014.

51 vacancies, but BMC won’t hire from Tata Memorial Hospital

Sunita Naik, a 24-year-old, was admitted in Nair Hospital after suffering from a leg fracture. She was immediately taken to the hospital where the doctor asked for an X-ray of her leg immediately. But, she had to wait for more than 40 minutes to get her X-ray done thus delaying treatment.
Currently, the hospital that has a capacity for five X-ray technicians is functioning only with two technicians and so X-rays are not done at nights and evening.
Many times, patients have to be referred to JJ or KEM hospitals.

Drunks light up parts of dumping ground ‘for fun’

Though the police has filed an FIR against three unknown people who are allegedly involved in lighting the fire at the Deonar dump yard, the site is still vulnerable to more such incidents due to lack of guards.
Just a day after the Maharashtra chief minister declared an investigation into allegations of sabotage, locals have been found lighting a fire at the site just for ‘fun’. This raises doubts as to whether the police will be able to stop such activities.

Fire worsens Mumbai pollution levels

On Monday the air pollution levels in Mumbai were recorded higher than Delhi which has been in the news due to its high air pollution levels. The information was received from SAFAR and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.
Environmentalists have blamed the worsened conditions on the continuous emission of smoke from the Deonar dumping ground for the past few days.
The city’s air quality index (AQI) on Monday read 320 ug/m3, which again falls under the ‘very poor’ category as per the guideline of World Health Organisation (WHO). However, the pollution level of Delhi, the most polluted city of the world, according to WHO, experienced a sudden decline in the pollution levels. The capital recorded ‘moderate’ air pollution with 180 ug/m3 in AQI on the same day. In fact, Pune also recorded low AQI with 200 ug/m3 AQI. This is the fourth consecutive day that Mumbai has recorded ‘very poor’ air quality.