HIV+ women get newborn hope

 Living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is not easy, and it is even harder on couples who dream of becoming parents but fear passing on the virus to their children. But thanks to a new treatment scheme, these couples now have better than 90% chances of giving birth to a perfectly healthy, HIV-negative baby.
Titled ‘Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT)’, the scheme was launched in 2014, when the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) committed to ambitious testing and treatment targets to combat the AIDS epidemic.
The international organisation launched the 90-90-90 scheme in the same year, aiming for 90% early diagnosis, 90% patients on treatment and 90% suppression of virus by the year 2020.

After losing wife to dengue, man takes on mosquitoes

Jeetendra Lodha has dedicated himself to spreading awareness about dengue. The diamond trader lost his wife Rekha to the disease in September, after BMC officials allegedly ignored several warnings to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds in their locality.
Lodha led an awareness rally in Borivli yesterday to pay tribute to Rekha, whose birthday was on October 11. Around 100 people from the surrounding areas participated. Several women and girls from the Terapanth Mahila Mandal participated in the rally to spread awareness about dengue and malaria. “My wife is no more and I cannot do anything to bring her back. So, to pay a tribute to her, I arranged a rally along with the Mahila Mandal to spread awareness about the disease,” said Lodha.
Rekha was admitted to the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on September 6 with symptoms of dengue. But, she succumbed to the virus on September 12 after it affected her brain and vital organs. She and Jeetendra have a son, who is in college and a daughter who is in Std IX. Before Rekha contracted the disease, BMC officials were told about the mosquito breeding grounds in the locality, however, they allegedly did not do anything to remove them.

Passing the buck
“I don’t want anyone to die like my wife did due to bureaucratic apathy. We have to take the responsibility on our shoulders. BMC keeps passing the buck. There is a huge breeding ground near a building in Yogi Nagar but they aren’t doing anything about it. So, through rallies, we want to spread awareness among people,” said Lodha. After the rally, he has also met with BMC officials to discuss more measures to spread awareness and remove mosquito breeding grounds in Yogi Nagar.

BMC says
When mid-day reached out to BMC’s Insecticide Officer Rajan Naringrekar, he said that like every year during the monsoon, they had conducted an inspection of the breeding grounds in the area. “We have done our part by spreading awareness among people. It is false claim that we are not doing anything. We have also sent notices to buildings in the areas where such grounds have been found,” he said.
102
Confirmed dengue cases in Mumbai till Oct 12
1,813
Probable dengue cases in Mumbai till Oct 12

'Harassment forced me into pre-term labour'

Cama hospital, the biggest government-run maternity hospital in the city, has found itself in a soup after a pregnant assistant professor alleged that the medical superintendent harassed her, and that this resulted in her getting pre-term labour pain, forcing her to leave her job. However, the college and Grant Medical College (GMC) have refuted these claims. 
Dr Priyanka Pohekar joined Cama and Albless Hospital on October 1, 2015, as an assistant professor in the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, where, she claimed, medical superintendent Dr Rajshree Katke humiliated her frequently, which took a toll on her, leading to extreme mental and emotional stress. This then allegedly caused complications in her pregnancy, and to save her unborn child, she was forced to quit from the job. 
On August 31, she filed a complaint with the head of the department and dean of GMC. A copy of the complaint is with mid-day. 

Dengue casts shadow on pregnant women

While director of major hospitals claims situation is under control, medicos say changes in immunity make expectant mothers more vulnerable to virus.
Dahisar resident Reena Mishra (27) fought death in pregnancy after being diagnosed with dengue in the eighth month and developing health complications due to it. Today, she’s a happy and doting mother, after undergoing a C-section on August 9 that saved her as well as her child.
She, however, isn’t the only pregnant woman in the city who contracted the illness. Hospitals have reported more than 100 such cases.
Cause and effect
“There are some pregnant women undergoing treatment for dengue and dengue-like symptoms. But the situation is under control. They just need to be more careful,” said Dr Avinash Supe, Director of Medical Education and major BMC hospitals.

50% JJ doctors ducked rural service

The state government spends Rs 5 lakh on every medical student by providing basic facilities free of cost and charging minimum fees. But despite this, many medical students refuse to serve rural Maharashtra. Nearly 50 per cent of the under and post-graduate students, after passing out from one of the biggest government-run colleges, Grant Medical College, Mumbai, have opted out of a one-year bond to serve in rural Maharashtra, in the past five years.

Grant Medical College and JJ group of hospitals, are among top medical institutions in the country, but mid-day, through an RTI query, has found that out of 645 students from the under-graduate and post-graduate courses there, 354 students opted out of the bond from 2011 to 2015.
In 2013, the Bombay High Court instructed the state to ensure that all doctors, after their MBBS and PG courses, serve in rural hospitals.

This is how BMC blood banks are cheating you

Even as 2014 GR reduced cost of blood from Rs 1,050 to Rs 850, civic hospitals continue to follow the old rate card; say BMC has not sent an official circular.
In gross violation of a state government resolution, several needy patients approaching BMC-run blood banks have been forced to shell out extra for blood, owing to bureaucratic apathy on the part of the civic body.
In 2014, the state government had passed a resolution, reducing the cost of blood by R200 — from Rs 1,050 to Rs 850 — at all government and civic hospitals. However, two years on, many BMC-run hospitals are still following the old rate card. The reason: They haven't been given the go-ahead by the BMC yet.
"We are following the old rate as we haven't received an official letter from the BMC about the new rate. When we get it, we will follow it," said a BMC officer, working at one of the blood banks. The information was revealed in an RTI query. It was learnt that leading civic hospitals like Sion Hospital, Bhabha Hospital, VN Desai Hospital and Cooper Hospital have been charging Rs 200 extra from private hospital patients, who require blood on an emergency basis. Civic hospitals provide free blood to patients admitted to their hospitals.
Earlier this week, Abhijit Shinde, a resident of Sion, had admitted his wife to a private hospital after she had to be operated on for a tumour in her uterus. Doctors had recommended that he procure two units of blood from Sion Hospital. But, unaware of the cap imposed on the price of blood, Shinde, on Saturday, bought the blood for Rs 1,050. Like him, families of at least 40 patients who approached these four blood banks, ended up paying Rs 200 more.

Slimming pills cause nothing but health issues, claims FDA

As hundreds fall prey to false advertising for slimming pills, FDA jumps into action with state-wide raid on stores peddling the harmful drugs.
Thinking of popping a pill to shed all that excess weight quickly and easily?
A fat lot of good that’ll do – many of these so-called slimming and quick weight-loss pills do nothing but cause health problems like nausea, irregular heartbeats and insomnia.
Alarmed by the rate at which unsuspecting customers are falling prey to this money-spinning industry, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now launched a state-wide raid on pharmacies peddling the products, most of which are easily available over the counter at pharmacies across the state.