Centralised blood bank awaits funds

Even as medical experts insist that blood banks be made centralised, the Rs 340 crore central project, Centre of Excellence in Transfusion Medicine (COE) at Sion Hospital, has hit a roadblock. The project was proposed in 2009 and had been approved by the Brihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation (BMC) in 2011.

However, the proposed state-of-the-art Metro Blood Bank is in the lurch as National AIDS Control Organisation (Naco) failed to provide money, a Right to Information query has revealed. Suresh Shetty, who had initiated the project during his tenure as health minister, said, “The project had hit roadblocks initially because of opposition by hospital staff over the approval of land but we resolved the issue and also got approval from the BMC.

34 per cent kids of HIV moms are not tested till 18 months

A National AIDS Control Organisation (Naco) report has revealed that only 66 per cent of children of HIV positive mothers are tested till 18 months while 23 per cent of such vulnerable babies become untraceable and the remaining 11 per cent die before attaining 18 months of age. The report was published after Naco officials in Maharashtra studied around 11,000 HIV positive mothers along with their newborn babies.
As per Naco, it is mandatory to do all necessary tests till 18 months to find out if the baby of an HIV positive mother is HIV positive or not. According to experts, delay in providing treatment may lead to deterioration in health of the child which can lead to its death.

Childhood bullying can lead to depression in adults

Almost one in every 10 child faces bullying, but its impact can linger on into adulthood. According to doctors in the city, childhood bullying can lead to depression later on in life.
Sumir Khanna*, a 35-year-old businessman from Ghatkopar, was on the verge of depression, which was not only affecting his career but also his family life.
Helpless, Rita*, his wife — left with no option— took him to GT Hospital to see a psychiatrist. No one would have suspected that his depression was related to traumatic events that had happened 20 years earlier.

Boost for production of plasma drugs

The Union health ministry in a circular issued last week has permitted blood banks with component separation facility to exchange their surplus plasma with indigenous fractionators in return for plasma-derived products. Fractionation involves separation of blood into its components so that protein components in plasma can be turned into useful medicines.

‘HIV testing is primary, horoscope matching secondary’

Anita Mishra (name changed), a 27-year-old resident of Nagpur married a 30-year-old IT professional Ramesh Mishtra (name changed) last year and settled down in Thane. The couple had settled in perfectly until a blood test report changed their lives forever.

Patients feel the crunch in hospital-staff standoff

Patients at Prince Aly Khan Hospital have been getting their meals late for the past six months due to shortage of cooking staff members. Though the hospital has a sanctioned strength of eight employees for the kitchen department, only five are employed, forcing them to work 12-hour shifts, in violation of labour laws.

Fight to ban lewd videos continues

Based on a petition filed by a 24-year-old from Pune, YouTube was, on Thursday, forced to remove a child-abusing channel. The petitioner Tejeswani Naik has also written to other channels that are also broadcasting the offensive videos where students, in open schools, are forced to learn statements like “Your waifu is shit” and “Mani, is a lesbion fag”.

Hospital class 4 employee in suicide bid

A 32-year-old woman, a class 4 employee of Prince Aly Khan Hospital tried to commit suicide on Wednesday, because she was allegedly fired from work for withdrawing a sexual harassment case against a hospital union member.
There are reportedly two unions in the hospital that represent class 4 employees and technicians. However, since the formation of the second union, there had been a continuous clash to override each other.

Blue dot to help India’s diabetics

In a positive development for diabetics, menu cards at Indian restaurants and food packets might soon carry blue dots to represent diabetes-friendly food items.
Currently, only two dots are in use — red and green, signifying non-vegetarian and vegetarian food respectively. Blue has been selected as the colour to represent food that is favourable for consumption by diabetics as the World Health Organisation (WHO) uses a blue circle in the ‘World Diabetes Day’ emblem.

Blood communities thrive on social media

On November 4 ‘Blood For Needy’ tweeted about the urgent need of a donation of AB positive blood group for a kidney patient admitted to Breach Candy Hospital. She needed the blood for her kidney transplant that was due after two days. Soon, the tweet got several retweets and within a few hours, the requirement was fulfilled.

Drug-resistant bacteria worries doctors

Ankit Dholakiya, a 12-year-old boy from Nerul was suffering from a seasonal flu. Instead of taking him to a paediatrician, his parents gave him an over-the-counter drug from a medical shop. When his condition did not improve, they took him to a general physician who administered another dose of antibiotic medicine.

Post-Diwali, city air is still ‘poor’

Diwali may have ended, but its effects are still looming over the city. Though air quality has improved by few points, according to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), on Saturday Mumbai recorded a ‘poor’ air quality level with an air quality index (AQI) of around 240, which is categorised as ‘Increasing likelihood of respiratory symptoms in sensitive individuals especially children and the elderly.’

Vashi student turns saviour, helps 79 birds during Diwali

Even as his family and friends were busy celebrating Diwali, a 23-year-old Vashi resident was busy attending to his feathered friends. In the last three days, Nikhil Kolekar, an MBA student, has rescued 79 birds that were taken ill caused from pollution by firecrackers.
Mr Kolekar had started a bird rescue helpline in 2008 despite opposition from his family.
“I have rescued 79 birds this Diwali. Most of the injured birds were pigeons and woodpeckers. Unlike eagles or cows, these birds have weak hearts. So, the pollution created from fire crackers affects their breathing system and they fall down,” said Mr Kolekar.

Non-obese teens are falling prey to Type 2 diabetes

In the past five years, the number of teenagers falling prey to Type 2 diabetes has increased by 25 per cent due to changing lifestyle and environmental factors. Also, according to the doctors, non-obese children below the age of 15 have also been consulting them for treatment of diabetes.
Sonia Thakkar, a 14-year-old from Vashi, was leading a normal life until she met with an accident while playing at the school ground. Though not grievously wounded, despite immediate and continuous medication, her injury did not show much improvement. This made her parents doubtful and they took her to a hospital. It was only then they got to know that Sonia had Type 2 diabetes.
Previously, Type 2 was mainly diagnosed among patients above 50 years of age. But there has been a shift in the trend and more number of teenagers are getting diagnosed with the condition.

Maharashtra ignores WHO guideline

Despite World Health Organisation’s (WHO) new guideline to provide antiretroviral therapy for everyone diagnosed with HIV regardless of CD4 cell count, state ART centers are ignoring it, a move that can lead to more deaths.
Anita Mehta, 32-year-old, resident of Thane succumbed to HIV infection last month after struggling for a year. She would have survived for a few more years had she started the treatment at an earlier stage. Like her, hundreds of HIV-infected patients die due to delay in treatment. To address this issue, WHO had on October 1, released a new guideline calling for universal antiretroviral treatment to all patients irrespective of the CD4 counts.

City airport a hub for gold smuggling

The city’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport has recorded the highest number of gold smuggling cases in India with a record 1,150 cases in 2014. A Right to Information (RTI) query revealed that the anti-smuggling department at the city airport in the same period had seized around 1,000 kg of gold.
The RTI has revealed that gold smuggling in the city airport has increased drastically in the past three years. In Mumbai airport, a total of 534 cases were detected in 2012 and after dropping to 448 cases in 2013, it again surged to 1,150 cases in 2014 recording a 115 per cent rise in gold smuggling.
The Mumbai airport has recorded the highest number of gold smuggling cases in India followed by Chennai (970), New Delhi (401) and Kolkata (233) in 2014. The RTI application was filed by The Asian Age to the anti-smuggling unit, department of revenue, New Delhi.
The RTI reply also said there had been a change in the trend of crime with more number of insiders getting involved in the smuggling. However, as per the RTI, only six ground staff members, airline staffers have been arrested in connection with gold smuggling in the city airport in 2014. Whereas, no airport or airline staff members were arrested in 2013 and 2012.
Additional commissioner of Air Intelligence Unit Milind Lanjewar said, “It is mandatory for all the ground staff and cabin crew members to go through customs checking while arriving from an international route.”
Most of the yellow metals are smuggled from Saudi Arabia where the price of gold is lower than in India. After the recent series of gold seizures from the airline crews, the customs department has sent a notice to all the airlines asking them to ensure their crews do not evade customs clearing.
Mumbai also serves as a gateway for gold smuggling to neighbouring states such as Gujarat, where 40 per cent of the seized gold from the city get transported. On October 10, 3 kg of gold worth Rs 80 lakh was seized from a Mumbai resident from the Ahmedabad airport. The gold was concealed in an audio amplifier in his bag.
“Most of the smugglers carry the gold through international airlines and land at Mumbai. Then they smuggle the gold to Ahmedabad. Of late, smugglers are using newly-wed couples to get gold into the city,” said A.K. Sharma, director of the Ahmedabad airport.

Only 60 per cent kids got free glasses under scheme

The state health department has fallen short of its target to provide free spectacles to more than 84,000 schoolchildren under the National Blindness Control Programme (NBCP) with only 60 per cent of the estimated children getting the benefit so far.
Under National Blindness Control Programme (NBCP), the state health department was supposed to provide free spectacles to more than 84,000 school children, but the benefit has only been provided to 60 per cent of the targeted children. According to data procured by The Asian Age, only 51,736 school children studying in government schools have been provided with free spectacles while 32,544 children were left out.

THIS HELPLINE IS AN EYEWASH

The helpline number of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital's eye bank, biggest in the state,is lying non-functional for the past few days. This makes it difficult for a deceased person's family members to contact the bank and make donations in time

A dead helpline number threatens to throw a spanner in the works for Gujarat that recorded the second highest number of eye donations in 2014-15.On Sunday, an 80-year-old man passed away in his Paldi home on Sunday following brain haemorrhage.Nagindas Mulchand had pledged his eyes before his death as his last wish was to help a blind person see the world. His grandson Kaushik dialled Civil Hospital eye bank's number ­ 079-22681010 ­ to find out the procedure to donate his grandad's eyes, but nobody picked up the phone.Finally, after much running around, he got in touch with an NGO that helped him donate his grandfather's eyes to Nagri Eye Hospital.

Cuckolded hubby posts wife's naughty pics

Ranip man accused ofviolation of privacy after he clicks wife's photograph with alleged lover,uploads it on FB

Revenge is a dish best served on the social media network seems to be the latest mantra for partners out to expose their adulterous spouses.Fuelled by the need to reveal the extramarital affair of his wife, a 32-year-old resident of Ranip recently uploaded her photograph on Facebook -the photograph had been clicked on the sly when she was in a compromising state with her lover. According to Crime Branch officials, where the wife registered a complaint, the husband was acting after his family members refused to believe his claims that his wife was two-timing him.

Women thrashed for not giving chanda

On the 4th day of Navratri, while the revel ers across city were busy upping thefes tive spirit, a group of goons at Vadaj was busy displaying their strengthto collect chanda (donation) by bashing two women. The women -Asha Dayama (32)and Sarla Kishori Tavar (40) -were beaten up by local goons for denying to payRs-5,000 as Navratri chanda.

At around 12.30pm on Friday, Kashinath Patel, a goon running bootlegging business, went to the duo's house along with 10 others to collect chanda. On refusal to pay, they allegedly began hitting them. However, Tavar claimed, “Despite paying chanda twice, they demanded Rs-5,000 for Navratri. When I refused, they started arguing and began trashing me. When I fell down, they started kicking me in my stomach. For help, I dialed 100, and afraid of cops they fled away.“

Gujaratis are largest skin donors

Gujaratis save lives of several burns patients by providing 80% of skin donations inIndia, according to National Burn Centre data.

Skin transplant is still in its infancy in India but it can save the lives of patients with severe burns. And, Gujaratis play a crucial role in saving lives of hundreds of such patients in India. According to the National Burn Centre. Of around 650 donations in the past five years, more than 500 donations were made by Gujaratis.

‘35,000 child labourers in city’s e-waste sites’

In Ahmedabad alone, about 35,000 childrenin the age group of 10-14 years eke a living from the hazardous e-waste sector.They are part of over 4.5 lakh children across the country who work in theinformal e-waste recycling industry, reveals a study by Assocham. The study also reveals that these kids, who are employed in various harmful activities, have to work without any adequate protection.

“According to our nationwide study, over 35,000 children are working in e-waste sector in Ahmedabad,” said DS Rawat, secretary general at Assocham, a business body that had recently conducted a survey on ‘Child labours engage in e-waste activities in India’ under their Social Development Foundation. The study was conducted in cities like Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune and Dehradun.

Eating sindoor puts man's life at risk

A 35-yr-old Mehsana resident wasdiagnosed with kidney failure after suffering from lead poisoning due toconsuming sindoor for 11 yrs

Sindoor is an integral part of the Hindu ritual used in mar riages and for religious pur poses. But did you ever hear of people eating sindoor? A 35year-old Mehsana resident visited Civil Kidney Hospital two months ago with complaints of acute abdominal ailments, vomiting and facial puffiness.

Shortage of medicine hits asthma, diabetes patients

Asthma patients and diabetics sufferwithout doxophylline and insulin as Ahmedabad Civil Hospital did not floattender on time, leading to delay in supply of medicines

Mohammad Qureshi, a farmer from Devli in rural Ahmedabad, was exhausted: physically and financially. He had been running around the whole day trying to arrange for money to get anti-asthmatic medicine for his daughter. Though his 14year-old should have been given the medicines by authorities at Civil Hospital where she is admitted, Qureshi had to face a tough time because the hospital had not floated its tender in time causing shortage of insulin and anti-asthmatic medicines.

Qureshi, 37, said, “My daughter has acute breathing problem. Her condition deteriorated after it rained in our village. We rushed her to Civil Hospital for treatment. She got better following primary treatment. Then, the doctors refused to administer the prescribed antiasthmatic medicine, doxophylline. After repeated pleas, a nurse informed me that the medicine was not available in the hospital. They asked me to get it from outside.“

The farmer spent more than Rs 2,000 ­ an amount he could

Suicides in city goes up by 32 per cent

Whereas, all the four metropolitan cities recorded a fall in the number of people killing themselves

A 19-year-old girl hanged herselfat her Chandkheda residence on Sunday after the man she was in re lationshiprefused to marry her.» A 21-year-old medicine aspirant, committed suicide whenher name did not appear in the admis sion merit list on July 3. Her body wasdiscovered by her parents from her house.

Gujarat has much to worry about on people valuing their lives as Ahmedabad recorded 32.6 per cent rise in the number of suicides in 2014 over the figures for the previous year.

Incidentally, all metropolitan cities -Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata -recorded a fall whereas the number of people killing themselves in the city increased from 671 in 2013 to 890 in 2014. The data was published in `Accident deaths and suicides in India -2014', by the National Crime Records Bureau on Saturday.

Guj IMA objects to portrayal of pvt docs in NCERT textbook

IMA asks Gujarat chapter to participate in fight against NCERT over derogatory description of docs in Class VII SS textbook

Taking forward the fight against discrimination of private doc tors in the syllabus of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), Indian Medical Association (IMA) has sent a notice to Gujarat branch of IMA to join in.

A comic strip published on pages 22-23 of Class 7 social sciences textbook by NCERT shows private doctors as fleecing patients. The private doctor is shown as prescribing many medicines, while a government doctor just hands out a pill for a viral infection. The private doctor's bill is Rs 3,500, while the government doctor charges Rs 150.

A portion of chapter 2 on `Role of Government in health' says, “In order to earn more money, these private services encourage practices that are incorrect. At times cheaper methods, though available, are not used. For example, it is common to find doctors prescribing unnecessary medicines, injections or saline bottles when tablets or simple medicines can suffice.“

IMA has demanded that the chapter should either be deleted or re-written. “All branches of IMA across the country will join hands to fulfill the demand. We will conduct a meeting and organise a press conference to make people aware of the issue,“ said Dr Chetan Patel, president of Gujarat IMA.

Brain dead woman's final act of kindness

Following the 63-year-old schoolteacher's last wish, her family donated her kidneys, eyes and liver to spreadawareness, help improve other people's lives

School teacher Minakshi R Shete has given a new lease of life to five people. Respecting the last wish of the 63-yearold, who was brain dead, her family members donated her kidneys, eyes and liver.

“My mother taught at a municipal school. She was quite aware of the importance of organ donation.We are proud that she donated her body to help others lead a better life,“ said her son Ronak Shete, who works with a private farm.

City's biggest Durga puja goes eco-friendly

Artisansbrought in by Bengal Cultural Association A' bad plan to decorate pandal withproducts made of sholapit

Come October and the city dolls up for nine nights of revellery while the Bengali community in Ahmedabad gears up for the much awaited Durga puja.And even as craftsmen in South Kolkata are busy sculpting the tallest idol of Maa Durga in the world, artisans brought in by the Bengal Cultural Association Ahmedabad, are giving an eco-friendly twist to decorations at the oldest puja in town, with decorations made with sholapit. An essential part of the Bengali culture, sholapit is made of a plant that grows in marshland.

Elaborating on the attempt to decorate the massive pandal at Ahmedabad Education Society ground with this plant product, SN Chakraborty, president of Bengal Cultural Association Ahmedabad, said, “From the time of its inception 78 years ago, this will be the first time we will use shola to decorate the pandal. An essential part of the community, shola is used to make products used in religious ceremonies.“

`Heart troubles' up by 14% for women in city

Data from 108 services revealed by Union Health Ministry says cardiac ailments among women have surged due to sedentary lifestyle, work-related stress

» All seemed normal with Ravita Sharma, a 32-year-old call centre employee at Navrangpura, till one night when she experienced chest pains. Used to working night shifts, Ravita was at work when she started sweating profusely and had chest pains.

DEAD BODY

More than 80 per cent cases of negligence and malpractice registered with Gujarat Medical Council have been pending foryears; GMC cries manpower crunch
The Gujarat Medical Council (GMC), a statutory body which is authorised to handle cases related to medical malpractice and negligence, has been twiddling its thumbs for a long time now -more than 80 per cent of the cases registered with the body have been pending for years.

In the past 10 years, more than 1,300 cases have been recorded with the council from various parts of Gujarat. However, only in 223 cases, justice has been delivered.