Page 7 - Healthcare

US weekly flu hospitalisations hit record high since 2010: CDC data

Five flu-associated paediatric deaths were reported in the week ending November 19, which increased the overall number to 12, according to the CDC

'Make healthcare affordable...,' Karnataka CM Bommai urges doctors

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai on Monday urged the scientists to throw efforts and conduct research to produce inexpensive drugs and provide affordable treatment as many people, especially those in rural areas, were unable to access medical care owing to overpriced drugs and interventions.Karnataka CM was speaking at the inaugural address at Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, Mysuru.The Chief Minister inaugurated the students' hostels, skill lab and other facilities at Mysore Medical College and Research Institute.Bommai said he would allocate funds in the coming budget for setting up an R & D Centre at the Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMCRI) - Karnataka's first medical college which is celebrating its centenary in 2024. The State's top 10-15 medical colleges could also take up research for making affordable drugs and providing affordable treatment, he suggested."Every year around 5,000 students enter the medical profession but still there ..

British PM Rishi Sunak injects 113 mn pound into new healthcare taskforce

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday announced GBP 113 million funding to use the country's successful COVID Vaccine Taskforce model as a "blueprint" for the success of four "healthcare missions" of cancer, obesity, mental health and addiction. The UK government said the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) is set to benefit from cutting-edge new treatments and technologies as the vaccines model is used to tackle the other major public health challenges. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the new investment is aimed at unlocking the next generation of medicines and diagnostics to save lives, transform patient care and ensure UK patients are the first to benefit from medical breakthroughs. "The NHS faces real pressures, which is why we are investing over GBP 100 million in the technologies and medicines of the future to address some of the biggest public health challenges facing our country, said Sunak. "It is hugely welcome too that the highly ...

ICMR new guidelines warn against use of antibiotics for low-grade fever

The Indian Council of Medical Research has issued guidelines warning against the use of antibiotics for conditions such as low-grade fever and viral bronchitis while advising doctors to follow a timeline while prescribing them. The ICMR guidelines stated that antibiotics should be prescribed for a duration of five days for skin and soft tissue infections, five days in case of community-acquired pneumonia and eight days for hospital-acquired pneumonia. "A clinical diagnosis most often helps us predict causative pathogens fitting into a clinical syndrome which would tailor the correct antibiotic rather than blindly relying on fever, procalcitonin levels, WBC counts, cultures or radiology to make a diagnosis of infection," the guidelines said. It stated limiting empiric antibiotic therapy to seriously ill patients. Generally, empiric antibiotic therapy is only recommended for a select group of patients suffering from severe sepsis and septic shock, community-acquired pneumonia, ...

Data story: India records 343 new Covid cases; death toll at 530,612

India has added 2,547 cases in the past 7 days

NextG Apex plans to increase its employee count to 5,360 by FY25

Business consulting firm NextG Apex on Friday said it is planning to increase its manpower to 5,361 by FY25 to support its expansion into several verticals, including FMCG and health. At present, NextG Apex has a headcount of 543 employees that they want to raise to 902 by end of FY23 and 5,361 by 2024-25, the company said in a statement. This hiring is mainly in line with the company's plans for expanding business operations across verticals like FMCG, health and beauty and F&B over the next 2-3 years, it added. The recruitment will mainly be in cities that contribute over 80 per cent of the business, and going forward 40-50 per cent of the hiring will shift to tier II and III cities, it said. "Our hiring plans are majorly focussed on field operations and thus 70 per cent of the total hiring will add to our feet-on-street fleet. There's another 20 per cent requirement for mid-level supervisory people, 5 per cent for managerial talent, 3 per cent for back-end positions and 2 per ..

'India prioritises implementation of Action Plan for AMR containment'

MoS Health elucidated that India's example of prioritising the development and implementation of State Action Plans for Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance to ensure effective containment of AMR

Australia reports an uptick in Covid cases as it nears peak of current wave

According to the Department data, there were an average of 11,953 new cases recorded daily in the week to Friday, reports Xinhua news agency

Efforts being made to overcome shortage of doctors: Uttarakhand Health Secy

There is a shortage of doctors and nursing staff in Uttarakhand and efforts are being made to overcome it, the state's Health Secretary Dr R Rajesh Kumar said

Gene that can naturally protect people against Covid-19 discovered

This gene belongs to the "mucin" family and is associated with the production of mucus, which lubricates and protects the airways

Mumbai reports 24 fresh measles cases and one suspected death: BMC

Mumbai on Monday reported 24 new confirmed cases of measles, while a one-year girl from suburban Govandi is suspected to have died of the viral infection, the city civic body said. The tally of measles cases in the city since January 1 this year has risen to 208, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. The death toll due to measles since the beginning of this year remained unchanged at eight, while the death in Govandi is being probed. Six confirmed cases were reported from the M-East ward (which covers Govandi and Deonar) followed by five in Kurla. "24 confirmed measles cases were added on Monday," the BMC report said. The number of suspected patients who have reported symptoms like fever and rash increased to 3,208, the civic body added. "All cases of fever with rash are administered two doses of Vitamin-A and the second dose of measles vaccine after 24 hours," a BMC release said. With the admission of 23 patients and the discharge of 22, the number of hospitalized

Chris Hemsworth to take break from acting, at risk of getting Alzheimer's

Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth says he will take "time off" from acting after learning he has a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's disease. The Australian actor, who is currently promoting his Disney+ docu-series "Limitless", told the Vanity Fair magazine that after doing an episode on death and mortality, he realised the importance of spending time with his family. "I want to sit and be in this space with a greater sense of stillness and gratitude. And then you start talking about kids and family and going, 'Oh my God, they're getting older, they're growing up, and I keep slapping another movie on top of another movie.' "Before you know it, they're 18, and they've moved out of the house, and I missed the window. It really triggered something in me to want to take some time off. And since we finished the show, I've been completing the things I was already contracted to do," Hemsworth said. The 39-year-old actor shares daughter India, 10, and eight-year-old twin sons Tristan and

Honey can lower risk of cardiometabolic disorder, researchers reveal

Researchers from the University of Toronto have discovered that honey can improve critical cardiometabolic health indicators including blood sugar and cholesterol levels

Do you still need to wear a mask? Here's what doctors have to say

Doctors say that most people have some form of immunity against the virus already

A narrow window of opportunity

Thailand and China are at risk of growing old before they grow rich; India must grow its GDP at 8-9 per cent or more to avoid that fate

India' health sector got $1.5-billion investment so far this year

Investment activity in the health care space has not slowed down due to the Covid-19 pandemic

Are sugar alternatives actually healthy? Here's what experts suggest

On World Diabetes Day, Business Standard spoke with experts to demystify sugar substitutes that have found a way into our diet

Manipal Hospitals partners with Google Cloud to improve patient service

Healthcare company will use Google Cloud's technology for virtual care and other services

INSACOG finds new ways for Covid-19 sampling amid a low case count

Plans afoot to expand INSACOG to South Asian countries

EvolutionX Debt Capital makes maiden investment in PharmEasy parent firm

Debt financing platform's investment amount was not revealed; it will make equity infusion later