Dr Harsh Vardhan retiring from politics and going back to his roots- ENT

New Delhi: After a long political career of 30 years, the former Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has announced his decision to quit electoral politics.

In an X post, Dr Harsh Vardhan mentioned that he has promises to keep and announced his decision to go back to his ENT Clinic at Krishna Nagar. He further mentioned that he would continue to pursue his work against tobacco and substance abuse, against climate change as well as teaching simple and sustainable lifestyles.

The former Minister’s announcement comes after the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Saturday announced its first list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and MP Dr Harsh Vardhan’s name did not figure from his Chandni Chowk constituency for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Choosing new faces in Delhi, the party dropped four sitting MPs- Dr Harsh Vardhan, Parvesh Verma, Ramesh Bidhuri, and Meenakashi Lekhi, adds ANI. Following this, on Sunday, Dr. Harsh Vardhan announced bowing out of active politics.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Dr Vardhan mentioned that he will return to his roots after over 30 years of a “glorious electoral career”. “After over thirty years of a glorious electoral career, during which I won all the five assembly and two parliamentary elections that I fought with exemplary margins, and held a multitude of prestigious positions in the party organisation and the governments at the state and centre I finally bow out to return to my roots,” he mentioned in his post.

The former Health Minister mentioned that “service to mankind” was his motto when he joined MBBS in GSVM Medical College, Kanpur fifty years back “with a desire to help the poor and needy.”

“A swayamsewak at heart, I have always been an ardent admirer of Deen Dayal Upadhyay ji’s Antodaya philosophy of striving to serve the last man in the queue. It was at the insistence of the then RSS leadership that I jumped into the electoral fray. They could convince me only because for me politics meant opportunity to fight our three main enemies – poverty, disease and ignorance,” he mentioned.

Looking back at his political career, he added that “Without remorse, I must say that it has been a marvelous innings during which my passion to serve the common man was quenched. I served as Delhi Health Minister as well as twice Union Health Minister, a subject close to my heart. I had the rare opportunity bestowed upon me to be able to first work towards creating a Polio free Bharat and then to take care of the health of millions of our countrymen grappling with the dreaded COVID-19 during its first and second phases.”

“In the long history of mankind, only a few have been granted the privilege to defend their people in hours of gravest danger! And I can proudly claim that I didn’t shirk responsibility, but welcomed it. My gratitude to Ma Bharati, my reverence to my fellow citizens and my obeisance to the values enshrined in our Constitution. And yes, that was the biggest privilege that Bhagwan Shri Ram bestowed upon me, the privilege of being able to save human lives !!” he further added.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan acknowledged and thanked all the party karyakartas, fans, supporters amongst the common citizens, party leaders. He also acknowledged his “great privilege to have worked closely with the most dynamic Prime Minister in India’s history, Shri Narendra Modi ji”. “The country wishes him a heroic return to power again,” he added.

“I shall continue to pursue my work against tobacco and substance abuse, against climate change and teaching simple and sustainable lifestyles. A big shout out for all those who stood by me like a rock while I clocked many firsts and led a fulfilled political life,” he added.

Announcing his decision to go back to his ENT clinic and re-join his duties as a doctor, he further mentioned in the X post, “I move on, I really can’t wait. I have promises to keep .. and miles to go before I sleep !! I have a dream .. and I know your blessings shall always remain with me . My ENT clinic at Krishna Nagar too awaits my return”

In 2014, Dr Vardhan had defeated Kapil Sibal, then with the Congress, to win the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha seat while in the 2019 polls, he trounced Congress’ Jai Prakash Agarwal.

Dr Harsh Vardhan led the country’s health system throughout this unprecedented COVID-19 crisis and termed the doctors along with all the healthcare workers of India as COVID warriors for their selfless service and sacrifice during the pandemic. In 2020, he announced a new category called ‘Wards of COVID Warriors’ in the guidelines for selection and nomination of candidates against Central Pool MBBS seats for the academic Year 2020-21.

An ENT surgeon by profession, and a BJP stalwart, Dr Harsh Vardhan was appointed the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare in the year 2019 for the cabinet appointment of the Modi Government 2.0. He was additionally been given the charge of two more ministries including the Ministry of Science and Technology; and the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Dr Harshvashdhan pursued his MBBS and MS (ENT) from GVSM Medical College in Kanpur. In 1992, he was elected as a member of the Delhi Assembly representing Krishna Nagar after which he served as the Health Minister for the Delhi State. He holds to his credit the successful implementation of the pilot project of the Pulse Polio Programme which involved the mass immunisation of 1 million children up to the age of 3 in Delhi. The programme was soon launched nationwide leading to 88 million children being immunised.

In the first list of 195 candidates declared by the BJP, Praveen Khandelwal has been fielded from Chandni Chowk, a seat which Vardhan holds at present, adds PTI.

Also Read: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan resigns, Mansukh Mandaviya takes charge

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Artificial Intelligence will always be a slave to us, we will remain the masters: AIIMS Director

New Delhi: Artificial Intelligence is always going to be artificial and the humans will remain the masters, Director AIIMS Delhi, Dr M Srinivas said on Thursday while outlining how the premier medical institute in the national capital is harnessing AI for the benefit of patients, including in cancer treatment.

Participating in ‘ANI Dialogues – Navigating India’s Health Sector’ here, Dr Srinivas said AI complements and supplements efforts and allows scalability and filtering at a faster pace. 

Also Read:AIIMS Delhi plan to beautify campus for community well-being

”Artificial Intelligence always is going to be artificial. At the end of the day, who creates it. They will always be a slave to us…we will remain the masters,” Dr Srinivas said answering a query.

“(AI) will complement and supplement, you can do something on a larger scale, such as triaging system, filtering system, reach out to masses. It will enhance the comfort. It will enhance the spectrum, numbers and volume. We can reach out to more and more people and catch them young and early and then help them out so that the outcomes will be better and we remain masters at the end,” he added. 

The senior doctor outlined the work being carried out by AIIMS using AI. 

“AIIMS is into the artificial intelligence… In breast cancer, the research project is going on where we have a triad system. We don’t want to wait for the large number of things to be done where they will go through the mammography, and then it will tell us where we need to look… The second thing is in oral cancers… We have a technology wherein we can look into things and say that the lesion is malignant or benign… And the moment it’s flagged, we can reach out to them…In cancer, early detection is important,” he said.

“That makes a lot of difference between a successful treatment and a cost-effective treatment… In ophthalmology, the technology is there where you can look into the eyes and say that somebody was remotely monitoring that, and or take the images and say that this is retinopathy, which is going to go to blindness, flag them, bring them and then filter those people who need the specialist care, and then bring them to the places where a particular retina surgery or management can be done so that the blindness can be prevented,” he added.

Dr Srinivas said they are partnering with many technology institutions like the IIT Delhi, because today, the medicine and engineering should not be separated.

“We are partnering with technology institutions so that more technology is put into patient services, artificial intelligence, and the triad system,” he said.

Asked if AI could be useful in drug discovery, Dr Srinivas said referred to the experience during the COVID pandemic. He said millions of drugs were tested at the laboratories during the pandemic.

“The living example is we have seen during the Covid. Millions and millions of the drugs were tested in the laboratories, where various architectures were looked into and the drug discovery was done. All that were done in a short period of time, unlike years it used to take for us to the way we used to go for drug discovery,” he said.

“Today it is possible due to various simulations that are available…Today, we are in a position to come out in a very fast mode…let’s say in a few weeks or months, thousands and thousands and millions of drugs are being tested,” he added.

Dr Srinivas was taking part in discussion on the topic ‘Technology divide, role of digital, Artificial Intelligence in health sector’.

Dr Harsh Mahajan, founder and director of Mahajan Imaging, who was part of the panel discussion is also of the same view that A is going to be transformative for mass healthcare.

“AI and technology is going to be transformative and the only way that we can provide quality healthcare to the masses of the country, is going to be through the use of technology,” Mahajan said.

Lauding the Modi government, he said it has been proactive to not just in augmenting number of specialist doctors, but to create digital capacity to reach the last mile.

“Quality healthcare down the line and at an affordable prices, that is where technology and Artificial Intelligence and algorithms and telemedicine is going to play a role,” he said.

He asserted that in the future all the healthcare activities may not be in hospitals and noted that some healthcare services may have to be provided out of hospitals.

“They may be at their homes, wellness clinics. The focus is on preventive health, predictive health and precision health and AI is going play a role,” Dr Mahajan said.

On possibility of AI replacing doctors, he view was little different. “Doctors using AI may replace doctors who are reluctant to use AI or adopt AI,” he argued.

Dr Dhiraj Vohra, Senior Dentist, during the discussion, referred to the aspects of ethics, compliance, and data breach and said they are critical for the overall healthcare space.

Malika Bajaj, Director, Ballistic Learning and former WHO Searo Digital Lead spoke about the importance of technology in the transforming healthcare sector in the country.

This was the inaugural session of ANI Dialogues and was held on the health sector. 

Also Read:Virtual autopsy at Delhi AIIMS now a nodal centre for other such institutes

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3 GMC Haldwani medicos, 1 nursing student, junior researcher penalised, suspended for ragging MBBS student

Nainital: Allegations of ragging are once again troubling the Government Medical College in Haldwani, where a junior MBBS student was allegedly beaten by his seniors over an altercation during a farewell party.

According to TOI, based on the complaint by the junior student, who was allegedly slapped, the anti-ragging committee took cognisance of the issue immediately and the panel has identified five people involved in the matter, including two interns, one final-year medico, one nursing student and one junior researcher.

Also Read: Ragging at GMC Haldwani: 10 MBBS students expelled from hostel for 6 months, barred from attending classes, fined Rs 25k each

Already disciplinary action has been imposed on the accused students. College officials informed the Times of India, the main culprit has been imposed with a monetary fine of Rs 30,000, an academic fine extending internship period of 15 days and the expulsion from the hostel for the remaining period of his internship.

The second intern, who was involved in the incident, faced similar punishment along with a fine of Rs 25,000. The nursing student, who is a day scholar, has been asked to pay a fine of Rs 25,000 along with a 15-day suspension from classes. He has also been asked to submit an affidavit from his parents.

Meanwhile, the junior researcher has been imposed with a Rs 25,000 fine and has been expelled from the hostel for 15 days. However, since he is providing his services to the hospital, he will not be removed from his job. However, he has also been asked to submit an affidavit from his parents.

TOI adds that after the medicos returned to the hostel around 1.30 am on Thursday night, after returning from the farewell party, the alleged incident of ragging took place. The matter was reported to the college administration by a junior student.

Also Read: 44 MBBS students from GMC Haldwani fined Rs 11 lakh for ragging juniors

According to the information shared by the anti-ragging committee, the main accused admitted to slapping the junior student and provided a written statement. However, it was clarified that the altercation was not related to seniority or juniority but it took place because the one who got slapped allegedly misbehaved with a girl during the farewell party.

This is not the first time that GMC Haldwani has come to the light with allegations of ragging. Medical Dialogues had reported back in 2022 when the instances of ragging came to light after a suspected ragging video, showing students with tonsured heads walking in queue with hands behind their backs shocked the social media.

At that time, along with the investigation by the authorities, a division bench of Uttarakhand High Court had also ordered a probe and directed the police to complete the inquiry within two weeks and register it as a criminal case.

While considering the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in connection of the alleged incident of ragging at Haldwani Medical College, the Uttarakhand High Court had also formed a committee to probe the matter.

Later in the same year, the college again faced ragging complaints and altogether 44 medical students belonging to the institute were facing action for ragging their juniors.

Last year, three senior MBBS students of 2021 batch had been expelled from the college for 6 months and fined Rs 25,000 after reports of alleged ragging on junior students came to the fore. In late 2023, 10 MBBS students were expelled from the hostel for 6 months and were barred from attending classes for a week for allegedly ragging junior students.

Also Read: HC Committee to probe allegations of ragging at Haldwani Medical College

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Understanding Vaccination in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients – Dr Anil Kumar B T

Vaccines
in CKD

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD),
particularly those undergoing dialysis or having a kidney transplant, are at
high risk of morbidity and death due to infection. After cardiovascular
illness, it is the second most common cause of death. Patients with CKD are susceptible
to infections because their immune responses to fight against infections is
reduced.

This is especially more in patients with advanced stages of CKD,
Dialysis and Kidney transplant. Vaccination
is used to prevent numerous infectious diseases that might be fatal, and it can
produce cellular and humoral immunity against particular pathogens. However,
vaccination efficacy is diminished in patients with CKD compared with general
population.

How vaccines work?

Immunisations imitate an
infection, which helps shield against some diseases. They protect you by helping your body’s immune system
“prepare” for a real infection. Vaccines use components of a weakened or dead
germ to do this. Your body creates antibodies after the injection, which aid in
the body’s ability to identify and eliminate germs that are harmful.

These
antibodies will defend you in the event that you come into contact with the
actual germ. To ensure that your body produces enough antibodies for some
vaccines, you may need to receive a booster dose. For this reason, certain
vaccines may require a single dose, while others may require many shots.

To ensure there are sufficient antibodies for
protection, a blood test may be performed in certain circumstances. Since it
often takes a few weeks for the body to mount a complete defence against an
infection. An individual may contract an illness and have symptoms either just
before or shortly after receiving a vaccination.


Effectiveness

As
a whole, vaccinations are a very beneficial method of maintaining public
health. Vaccinations might not be able to prevent your body from contracting a
particular infection, such as COVID-19 or influenza.

Vaccines, on the other
hand, help your body prepare in case the germ enters your body and prevent you
from becoming severely ill. This suggests that vaccinations do not guarantee
against contracting the illness. Increasing your chances of rapidly overcoming
that infection is the aim.

Recommended vaccines for CKD patients in India:

The common vaccines recommended in patients with CKD are:

  • Hepatitis B vaccine
  • Pneumococcal vaccine
  • Influenza vaccine

Other optional vaccines are:

  • Hepatitis A
  • MMR
  • Varicella
  • Diphtheria and Tetanus toxoids

Side effects

There
is a chance that vaccines will have negative effects, just like any drug. A
slight rash, pain, or discomfort on the skin where the vaccination was
administered may occur in certain individuals. Headache, fatigue, or a mild
fever are some other adverse effects of vaccinations. These minor side effects
are very common and shouldn’t be concerning.

More severe adverse effects
include immune system reactions known as Guillain-Barré syndrome (tingling and
weakness in the feet, legs, arms, or face, shortness of breath, choking on
saliva), seizures, or allergic reactions (e.g., hives, swelling of the face and
throat, fast heartbeat, dizziness, or weakness). These side effects are
extremely rare.

Conclusion

The safest method of preventing serious illnesses and guarding against
specific diseases is through vaccination. The protection that vaccinations
offer is not as likely to prevent serious and deadly complications from natural
illnesses.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are of the author and not of Medical Dialogues. The Editorial/Content team of Medical Dialogues has not contributed to the writing/editing/packaging of this article.

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Arunachal Pradesh Govt to fill 39 faculty posts in Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences

Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Saturday approved the proposal for the creation of 39 posts of faculties in the state’s lone medical college, Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS), Naharlagun because of the upgradation of its intake capacity of MBBS students from existing 50 to 100. 

Chief Minister’s office sources said the proposal for the creation of one post of Professor, Associate Professor, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Cardiology in TRIHMS also got the nod from the Cabinet. It also approved the proposal for the creation of one post of Deputy Drugs Controller under the Directorate of Health Services.

Further, the Cabinet approved notifying 23 local languages and dialects of constitutionally notified tribes of Arunachal Pradesh as the third language in the state. This step is being taken to preserve and promote the state’s indigenous languages and dialects, it said.

Also Read:Doctors at Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences perform rare heart surgery on 30-year-old patient

The proposal for Amendment of syllabi for the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Combined Competitive Examination Rule-2019 which includes topics related to Arunachal Pradesh in both Preliminary and Mains examinations was approved by the Cabinet.

Meanwhile, in a major boost to strengthen the Frontier Highway, the Cabinet approved the proposal for the creation of 2 Highway Circles at Itanagar and Jairampur and 2 Highway Divisions at Koloriang and Rupa, along with 20 regular posts and 20 outsourced contractual posts. The Cabinet also approved the proposal for the creation of 1 post of Chief Architect under the Arunachal Pradesh Public Works Department.

The Council of Ministers also discussed in length the importance of the Gaon Burah (GB) institution before approving the proposal for the creation of 42 posts, including 36 GB and six Head GB (HGB) posts, in various districts.

The Cabinet also gave its approval for the creation of 19 different posts including 11 contingency (skilled/ unskilled) posts under the Department of Indigenous Affairs.

The Cabinet accorded its approval to rename at least nine different Government institutions after influential personalities who contributed immensely towards the socio-economic development of their areas.

The cabinet also approved the framing of recruitment rules for the posts of joint Director of Nursing, senior Public Health Nursing Officers, District Public Health Nursing officer and Laboratory Assistant, Laboratory Technician, and senior Laboratory Technician.

Also Read:Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences gets first cath lab

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USFDA nod to JnJ for Rybrevant, Chemotherapy combo for lung cancer treatment

Johnson & Johnson has announced that following a priority review, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved RYBREVANT (amivantamab-vmjw) in combination with chemotherapy (carboplatin-pemetrexed) for the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 20 insertion mutations as detected by an FDA-approved test.

This FDA action converts the May 2021 accelerated approval of RYBREVANT to a full approval based on the confirmatory Phase 3 PAPILLON study.

For more information click on the link below:

Johnson And Johnson Gets USFDA Approval For Rybrevant, Chemotherapy Combo For Lung Cancer Treatment

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Doctors private practice, health sector reforms in J&K to be reviewed by Govt committee

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has established a high-level advisory committee to address private practice by government doctors and propose healthcare reforms. Led by Dr. Ajit Nagpal, the committee includes experts like Dr. Atul Kotwal and Dr. Yashpal. Its key objective is to regulate private practice while optimizing service conditions for doctors. This practice has sparked debate, with concerns about its impact on healthcare quality.

Drawing from global best practices, the committee aims to provide tailored recommendations for Jammu and Kashmir. These efforts seek to enhance healthcare accessibility, affordability, and quality across the region.

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Health Bulletin 04/ March/ 2024

Here the top health news for the day :

Lady hardinge medical college to introduce new DNB and FNB courses soon

Bringing good news to the postgraduate medical aspirants, new DNB and FNB courses are going to commence at Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC).

Confirming this, the Director of the institute Subhas Giri informed that the institute aims to start DNB course in emergency medicine and FNB course in reproductive and foetal medicine.

For more information click on the link below:

Soon: New DNB, FNB Courses, And Depts To Come Up At Lady Hardinge Medical College

FDA grants approval to J&J’s combination therapy for specific lung cancer type

Johnson & Johnson has announced that following a priority review, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved RYBREVANT (amivantamab-vmjw) in combination with chemotherapy (carboplatin-pemetrexed) for the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 20 insertion mutations as detected by an FDA-approved test.

This FDA action converts the May 2021 accelerated approval of RYBREVANT to a full approval based on the confirmatory Phase 3 PAPILLON study.

For more information click on the link below:

Johnson And Johnson Gets USFDA Approval For Rybrevant, Chemotherapy Combo For Lung Cancer Treatment

Government committee to review doctors’ private practice and health sector reforms in J&K

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has established a high-level advisory committee to address private practice by government doctors and propose healthcare reforms. Led by Dr. Ajit Nagpal, the committee includes experts like Dr. Atul Kotwal and Dr. Yashpal. Its key objective is to regulate private practice while optimizing service conditions for doctors. This practice has sparked debate, with concerns about its impact on healthcare quality.

Drawing from global best practices, the committee aims to provide tailored recommendations for Jammu and Kashmir. These efforts seek to enhance healthcare accessibility, affordability, and quality across the region.

Fortis hospital and gastroenterologist ordered to pay Rs 5 Lakh compensation for negligence in choledocholithiasis treatment
Holding Fortis Hospital and its gastroenterologist guilty of gross negligence, dereliction of duty and deficiency of service while providing treatment for choledocholithiasis, the district consumer disputes redressal commission (DCDRC), Kangra recently directed them to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation to the patient.
“The complainant, who had gone to Fortis Hospital during Covid-19 period for the treatment of Choledocholithiasis, was not treated properly and was subjected to another ERCP procedure in the month of August, 2021. Thus, the opposite parties are liable to pay a hefty compensation to the complainant for act of dereliction,” opined the District Consumer Court.

For more information click on the link below:

Negligence, Deficiency In Service During Choledocholithiasis Treatment: Fortis Hospital, Gastroenterologist Slapped Rs 5 Lakh Compensation

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Lady Hardinge Medical College to begin new DNB, FNB courses, and Depts

Bringing good news to the postgraduate medical aspirants, new DNB and FNB courses are going to commence at Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC).

Confirming this, the Director of the institute Subhas Giri informed that the institute aims to start DNB course in Emergency Medicine and FNB course in Reproductive and Foetal Medicine.

For more information, click on the link below:

Soon: New DNB, FNB Courses, And Depts To Come Up At Lady Hardinge Medical College

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NEET 2024: Key changes introduced this year

 The application form for NEET UG 2024 was released by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on 9 February 2024 and the registration process will continue till March 9 2024. This year, significant changes have been introduced in the NEET UG application procedure and new features have also been included in the exam pattern.

Here are some key changes that aspirants should know before applying and appearing for the NEET UG 2024.

For more details, check ou the full story on the link below:

NEET 2024: Know All Key Changes Introduced This Year

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