Monday, February 23, 2009
Mumbai Union Health Minister inaugurates city’s first ever cardiac emergency helpline.The Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss is mulling introducing compulsory health education for students of standard VIII and above. With a view to educate children on subjects like HIV, population control, harmful effects of smoking, alcohol consumption etc, the minister will be planning various initiatives.
Launching the city’s first cardiac helpline at the Mumbai’s Asian Heart Institute on Monday, Dr Ramadoss said, “The age of consuming alcohol had earlier fallen from 28 years to 19 years and has now fallen further to 13-and-a-half-years.”
According to a World Health Organization’s study, 41 .1 per cent of children between 13 -15 years of age are exposed to tobacco products in India. “We are planning to introduce health as a subject in schools for students in standard VIII and above. This will include information on various subjects like HIV, ill-effects of alcohol consumption and other health problems, which are preventive. Talks are on with the Human Resource Development Ministry,” said Dr Ramadoss.
On various initiatives to create awareness, Dr Ramadoss said that India has the dubious distinction of being diabetes capital, second largest in housing patients with cardiovascular diseases and obesity. “Instead of spending huge funds for treating patients with cardiac problems, the government is now working on its prevention,” he said.
As part of the preventive programmes, first in line was the anti-smoking law that came into effect from October 1,2008. “I congratulate Mumbai for successfully implementing the smoking ban ahead of World Congress on Tobacco or Health to be held in March. We are honoured to host such a large event. This will spread a positive message that India is committed to the fight against tobacco,” said Dr Ramadoss.
The government is also planning to extend compulsory health checkups in both private and public schools in the country. This will cover eye, ear checkups, diabetes, cardiac problems, anemia, and many other lifestyle diseases.
Also, a notification making it mandatory to mention nutritional value of the packaged food articles will come into force from March 19. The Ministry is also formulating ‘national alcohol policy’ to abstain youngsters from taking on to alcohol besides other programmes.
Meanwhile at Asian Heart Hospital (AHI), Dr Ramadoss along with the Governor of Maharashtra S C Jamir inaugurated the ‘Asian Heart helpline 126- 126’ and launched an air ambulance (cost Rs 85,000) to cater patients outside Mumbai.
Ambulance service to patients admitted to government hospitals would be provided free of cost whereas to those who opt for private hospitals will be charged a nominal rate of Rs 1,500.
“The helpline will help cardiac patients in emergency as well as in routine management of cardiac problems,” said Dr Ramakant Panda, vice-chairman, and Chief Cardio vascular thoracic surgeon of the institute. The institute also introduced a website http://www.hearthelpline.org/
The hospital has also tied up with State Bank of India for a tailor made medical loan called ‘SBI Heart Helpline Scheme’ that will provide spot loan upto Rs 50,000 which can be payable in one shot by the end of six months or in installments in the same period.
How the helpline works?
Person seeking medical advice can dial '126-126' directly from all networks. The hospital's call centre has set up a benchmark of two rings. The call centre employees will answer the calls and they will take down patient's name and address. Then the call will be directed to the doctors who will guide the patients over phone. In the meantime, the call centre will send a message to avail of the ambulance service. The ambulance will reach the destination within 30 minutes during day time and 15 minutes in the night.
AD syringes a must for all health centres : RamadossUnion Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss on Monday announced that by the end of April it would become mandatory for all the state health centres to use auto disable (AD) syringes. Ramadoss announced it in the backdrop of reports that outbreak of hepatitis was possibly due to use of contaminated syringes.
“All the central hospitals are using AD syringes, however, many state hospitals and sub centers are not using them as is in the case of Modasa in Gujarat where hepatitis B infection has killed several people,” said Dr Ramadoss on the sidelines of the launch of Asian Heart Institute’s helpline for people suffering from heart problems here.
Scientists from both National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) and National Institute of Virology and a team of doctors from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) are working on the problem, he said.
“The scientists and doctors are monitoring the situation and also working to find the real source (root cause) of the spread of the disease in that area. But it could be due to reuse of syringes as all the dead patients were administered injections in the last two to six months,” said Dr Ramadoss, adding that in the next two years all private hospitals will use AD syringes.
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