Sunday, June 26, 2011

ayush and chinese medicine

IIM-A asks AYUSH to follow Chinese medicine example
Dayananda Yumlembam, TNN Jun 25, 2011, 01.49am IST

AHMEDABAD: In a set of recommendations that Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has given the ministry of health and family welfare's department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) recently, the latter has been suggested to learn from the Chinese examples. IIM-A recommended AYUSH introduce farming of medicinal herbs and commence mass scientific validation of medicines like the Chinese did.

After IIM-A was recently entrusted with the task of drawing the recommendations by AYUSH, the institute charted the recommendations by hosting a three-tier set of programmes which were attended by top level managers, professors, doctors, researchers and field workers. With suggestions from the participants, the recommendations were put together by the members of faculty of IIM-A including Anil Gupta, Mukul Dixit, Sanjay Verma, Vijaya Sherry Chand and Asha Kaul.

Gupta said, "At the moment 90% of medicinal herbs for manufacturing AYUSH medicines are procured form the forest. It is time the country introduced farming of these medicinal plants like China is doing. With the current practice of depending on the forest with no conservation policies, the future is bleak."
This ad zapped.

The recommendations also included formation of a 'Medical Plant Corporation of India' and introduce incentives for cultivators of the medicinal plants from the farmers and a buy back policy. Talking about the loopholes in the current scenario Gupta said, "The farmers who cultivate the herbal plants themselves are facing problems while transporting their harvest as they are confused with forest products. This problem should be corrected."

Other suggestions that pointed towards china also included the need of laying keen focus on scientific validation of AYUSH medicines. The recommendation indicated that the Chinese herbal medicines have gained international popularity because of scientific validation and AYUSH also take the process seriously. Gupta said, "At the rate at which the validation of these medicines is going on in this country, which is very slow, it will take more than a century to complete."

Friday, June 24, 2011

Ayush hospitals to come up in North East

Ayush hospitals to come up in N-E
June 24, 2011 12:03:02 AM

Pioneer New Service | New Delhi

To ensure large scale promotion of the Indian traditional medicine system in the North East, the Health Ministry has initiated steps for setting up of 50 bedded/10 bedded integrated Ayush hospitals in each of the States in the region.

The mission steering group (MSG) of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) on Tuesday approved setting up of the 50-bedded hospitals at Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura besides in three hilly States namely Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir.

For the remaining five North East States (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Sikkim and Meghalaya), 10-bedded integrated Ayush hospital have been approved.

“Although, some of the practices of Ayush systems are prevalent in the NE States and above mentioned hilly States, large scale promotion of Ayush systems in these states has remained very limited, mainly on account of existing poor physical infrastructure of this traditional system of medicine,” a senior official from Health Ministry said.

He said that an agreement (MoU) to this effect shall be entered into between Department of AYUSH and the concerned State Government accordingly.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Medical council wants Drugs Act repealed

Medical council wants Drugs Act repealed
TNN | Jun 23, 2011, 12.50am IST
Article
Tamil Nadu State Medical Council|Drugs and Cosmetics Act
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu State Medical Council has asked the government to repeal the amendment to the rule under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, which enabled practitioners of traditional medicine to prescribe allopathic drugs. They have also urged the health department to withdraw the government order issued on June 29, 2010 permitting traditional practitioners to perform surgeries, practise obstetrics-gynaecology, anaesthesiology, ENT and ophthalmology.

Council president Dr K Prakasam met health secretary Girija Vaidhayanathan with a representation on Tuesday. "Will government hospitals allow traditional practitioners to administer anesthesia and do surgeries? If the government doesn't, why should a private hospital be allowed to follow it," said Dr Prakasam. For almost a year, the council and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) have said that by allowing such practitioners to do allopathy the government was legalizing quackery.

On June 2, 2010, IMA submitted a list of 2,000 quacks to the state police, which included names of traditional medical practitioners prescribing allopathic drugs. This was followed by a series of arrests. Traditional medical practitioners argued with the state government that they spent considerable time learning modern pharmacology in colleges and hence should be permitted to prescribe them. Unani specialist Dr Shaikh Shahul Hameed said that since the state medical university prescribed it in the syllabus, they should be allowed to practice.

On June 29, the government issued orders allowing them to practice modern medicine.' The government cited section 17(3) B of the Indian Medicine Central Council Act 1970, which said institutionally qualified practitioners of siddha, ayurveda, unani and homoeopathy are eligible to practise the respective system with modern scientific medicine "including surgery and obstetrics and gynaecology, anaesthesiology and ENT based on the training and teaching." The state government further stepped up its support for government doctors by amending the rules for the Drugs Act by redefining a 'registered medical practitioner'. Practitioners of alternative Indian systems were considered as those 'practising the modern scientific system of medicine' for the purposes of enforcing the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. "The decision was based on detailed investigation and debate. And it has been a landmark one. We ensure students are taught by experts," Dr Hameed said.

But allopathic doctors associations argued that a few hours of study would not match they four-and-a-half training in medicine. The doctors' associations managed to obtain a stay in the court. The medical university has also threatened to withdraw allopathic content from siddha, unani, ayurveda and homeopathy syllabus. "We don't want to endanger lives of human beings. But the order still stays. We want it to be withdrawn," he said.

Mission steering group for NRHM holds 7th meeting

Mission steering group for NRHM holds 7th meeting
ASHAS to home deliver contraceptives
Menstrual hygiene scheme to be taken up in 152 districts
Expanded mandate to VHSC for nutritional issues
The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad today chaired the seventh meeting of the Mission Steering Group (MSG) of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). The MSG is the highest decision making body of NRHM that takes decisions on the policies and programs under the Mission. Sh Vilasrao Deshmukh, Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister of Human Resource Development and Telecom, Mrs. Sayeeda Hameed, Member, Planning Commission, Secretaries of various Departments of Government of India, Health Secretaries of State Governments and eminent public health professionals attended the meeting.

Addressing the meeting Shri Azad noted that NRHM has completed six years and has been instrumental in revitalizing a health system across the country. Upgradation of health infrastructure, additional manpower at health facilities, improved skills of health care providers, better availability of drugs and diagnostics and service delivery through the participation of community have been the hallmark of National Rural Health Mission. “As we prepare for the 12th Five Year Plan, it is time to take stock of the progress made and to review the strength and weaknesses” he added. He informed that during the year 2010-11, the number of beneficiaries under Janani Suraksha Yojana has reached 11.3 million as against 7,40,000 in 2005-06. Talking about new initiatives, the Minister particularly mentioned that the Mother and Child name based tracking system have also picked up in different States. The data base for more than 43 lakh mothers and 17 lakh children has already been created.

The following important decisions were taken in the meeting:

Population stabilization was one of the thrust areas discussed by the MSG. It was decided to utilize ASHAs for delivery of contraceptives at the homes of the beneficiaries and ASHAs are to be allowed to charge Rs. 1.00 for a pack of 3 condoms, Re 1.00 for an Oral Contraceptive Pill (OCP) cycle and Rs. 2.00 for an Emergency Contraceptive Pill (ECP) from the beneficiaries.

Global evidence indicates that home visits for neonatal care by community health workers are associated with reduced neonatal mortality. To make an impact on the Infant Mortality Rate, MSG decided to provide performance linked incentive of Rs. 250/- to ASHAs. The proposed schedule of home visit for institutional delivery is 6 home visits on days 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 42 in order to assess newborn as well as to ensure post partum care of mother. In the case of home delivery, a total of 7 home visits will be required as ASHA should be present at the birth or visit the mother and baby as soon as possible within the first 24 hours and on days 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 42.

It was decided to further improve and streamline the scheme to promote menstrual hygiene amongst the adolescent girls in rural areas. For this the MSG decided to revise the existing scheme with following modification: The scheme would be taken up in 152 districts instead of 150; A price of Rs. 7.50 per pack of 6 sanitary napkins was fixed for procurement for which assistance will be provided by the Government of India. Any amount for procurement over and above this norm will be provided through the State budget; A uniform selling price of Rs. 6 per pack was fixed for all the adolescent girls to be covered under the scheme.

The criteria for financial allocation to the States were discussed in detail. It was decided that an Expert Group be set up to look into the existing weightage formula to bridge the gap in health systems between the States. The MSG also decided that 10% of the total allocation under flexible pools of NRHM be kept apart at the national level which can be released to different States for specific activities based on their performance against the monitorable targets and implementation of specific reform agenda in the health sector.

Under NRHM, funds are placed at the disposal of health facilities across the country to meet the immediate needs in the form of Untied Funds and Rogi Kalyan Samiti Grants. So far the funds are provided to the health facilities on normative basis without taking into consideration the case load. MSG decided to revise the norms for Untied Funds and RKS grants to health facilities based on differential case load and requirement. It has also given power to District Health Society to reallocate upto 15% of the admissible Untied Funds and RKS grants to ensure better and proper utilization of funds.

Malnutrition is one of the important contributors to Infant, child and maternal mortality. It is estimated that 23% of children are born with low birth weight, 42.5% of children under 5 are underweight and 70% suffer from anemia. 55.3% women suffer from Anaemia and 35.6% have a low body mass index. To provide greater focus to the nutritional issues in rural areas, the MSG decided to expand the mandate of Village Health and Sanitation Committee to create awareness about nutritional issues; carry out surveys on nutritional status, inclusion of Nutritional needs in the Village Health Plan, monitoring and supervision of Village Health and Nutrition Day and supervise the functioning of Anganwadi Centre (AWC). In addition the committee will facilitate early detection and ensure referrals of malnourished children to the nearest Nutritional Rehabilitation Centres and act as a grievance redressal forum to the community. The MSG also decided to rename the committee as Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Committee (VHSNC).

MSG also considered the proposal of AYUSH department for Partial modification of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for development of AYUSH Hospitals and Dispensaries for mainstreaming of AYUSH under NRHM and approved the following: For the 3 NE States (Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura) and 3 Hilly States (Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir) a onetime assistance towards non-recurring expenditure up to Rs 45 Crores (i.e. Rs 7.5 crore/state) and Rs. 9 Crores (i.e Rs. 1.50 crore/state) towards recurring expenditure was approved for setting up of AYUSH hospitals shared by the Center and the State on a 85:15 basis; For the remaining 5 NE States(Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Sikkim and Meghalaya), a onetime assistance upto Rs. 12.70 crores (i.e Rs 2.54 crore/state) and recurring assistance of Rs. 2.35 Crores (i.e Rs. 0.47 crore/state) for setting up of 10 bedded integrated AYUSH Hospital on 85:15 centre: state share basis was approved; It was further decided that the funds allocated under Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Development of AYUSH Hospitals and Dispensaries will be utilized for financing the said additional components.

The MSG also approved conduction of District Level Household Survey (DLHS) - 4 in those States where Annual Health Survey (AHS) is presently not being done. IIPS, Mumbai was designated as the Nodal Agency. IIPS will also do the required pooling of data from AHS and DLHS-4 household survey to arrive at National Estimates and prepare the National Report. Further, the Facility Survey will also be conducted in all States.

The MSG while reviewing action taken on its earlier decisions noted that though it had sanctioned Rs. 100 crores to Jammu and Kashmir for setting up 200-bedded maternity hospitals at Jammu and Srinagar respectively, there has not been much progress. Therefore, MSG decided that the Government of India will now get these two hospitals constructed, for which a provision of Rs. 124 crores will be kept during this financial year.

SBS/ls
(Release ID :72805)

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Ayush doctors will not be eligible

Single dauther parents to be honoured to save daughters
Category » Bhopal Posted On Monday, June 20, 2011
By Our Staff Reporter
Bhopal, June 20:
Taking a serious view of social phenomenon discrimination on gender, a statewide awareness campaign will be launched against this social evil with seeking the participation of all religious heads and prominent persons of various castes. As part of this, the parents who have one daughter will be honoured on January 26 and August 15. Besides, a cell will also be established for the strict implementation of PCP & DT Act. A website will be launched to upload online complaints regarding the violation of Act.
All these decisions were taken at a meeting of State Supervisory Committee, chaired by Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Narottam Mishra, held to save the girls. Principal Secretary Medical Education I.S. Dani, Secretary Health S.R. Mohanty, Commissioner Health J.N. Kansotiya, Managing Director National Rural Health Mission Manohar Agnani and Director Woman and Child Development Anupam Rajan were present at the meeting.
Health Minister Dr. Mishra further said that the protection of girls is one of the top priorities of State Government. In order to change the negative mindset of people towards girl child birth, the Chief Minister has launched Ladli Laxmi and Kanyadan Yojna. It is a great challenge to create awareness among the people against social stigma of gender discrimination. Therefore, it needs to seek the participation of all religious heads and dignitaries of various castes to launch the campaign against this social evil in the society.
The Minister said that two yardsticks should be adopted for the elimination of gender discrimination. Firstly, action needed to be taken against the people conducting pre-natal test in order to establish gender by violating relevant Act and secondly, the traditional negativity towards the girls should be eliminated by virtue of social awareness.
It was decided at the meeting that any person who tips off information about illegal pre-natal test will be rewarded with Rs. one lakh amount. This amount will be given in three parts. An amount of Rs. 25 thousand on producing challan while Rs. 25 thousand on found guilty and Rs. 50 thousand on conviction. The training of Sonography machine will be imparted only to medical practitioners for operating machines at government hospitals and institutes. Analysis tests will be banned at private hospitals. The trained doctors will be authorised to conduct tests at only three centres. The outsiders of the State who have a one year certificate will not be entitled to conduct tests. Ayush doctors will not be eligible to conduct tests under M.I.C. rules.
It was decided to table study report of Ladli Laxmi Yojna in next meeting. An effective action plan will be chalked out on the basis of this study report.
Health Minister Dr. Mishra asked all the divisional directors to furnish the names of lawyers who would fight the cases on behalf of Madhya Pradesh government against the cases registered under P.C.P and D.T Act. All these lawyers will be imparted special training about technical points of cases at National Law Academy. Dr. Mishra also instructed the officials to call a meeting of collectors of the districts where discrimination on gender basis is existing. The discussions will be made to chalk out strategy for the effective implementation of law to abolish the prenatal test practice. Dr. Mishra also instructed to impound the sonography mobile vans of other states entering into Madhya Pradesh.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

job for unani and siddha

ADVERTISEMENT



Applications are invited for temporary post (likely to be continued) of 01 (one) Assistant Registrar (Unani) and 01 (one) Assistant Registrar (Siddha) in the PB-3 Rs.15600-39100+5400 Grade Pay +Non Practising Allowance admissible as per Central Government orders amended from time to time.

Essential Qualification:-

i. A degree in Unani/Siddha of recognized University/ Statutory State Board/ Council/Faculty of Indian Medicine or equivalent recognized under the Indian Medicine Central Council Act, 1970 (48 of 1970).

ii. Post Graduate degree in Unani/Siddha from recognised institution included in the Second Schedule to IMCC Act, 1970.

iii. Enrolment on the Central Register of Indian Medicine or State Register.

Age
Not exceeding 40 years

Application form may be obtained from the office of the CCIM in any working day from 10.00 AM to 5.00 PM or from website www.ccimindia.org.

Filled application alongwith Indian Postal Order/D.D. of Rs.100/- in favour of Central Council of Indian Medicine payable at New Delhi and attested copy of relevant documents should be reached to the Secretary, CCIM, 61-65 Institutional Area, Janakpuri, New Delhi by 18th July, 2011 upto 5.00 PM. Application received after the last date shall not be entertained in any case. Government /Autonomous Body employees should apply through their employer.

CCIM has right to reject any or all the applications without mentioning the reason.



Note 1: The crucial date for determining the age limit shall be the closing date for receipt of applications from candidates in India and not the closing date prescribed for those in Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, Ladakh Division of Jammu and Kashmir State, Lahaul and Spiti District and Pangi Sub-Division of Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, Anadaman & Nicobar Islands or Lakshdweep.

Note 2: Closing date for candidates residing in Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, Ladakh Division of Jammu and Kashmir State, Lahaul and Spiti District and Pangi Sub-Division of Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, Anadaman & Nicobar Islands or Lakshdweep will be 25.7.2011.

Sd/-
( PR SHARMA )
SECRETARY, C

Sunday, June 12, 2011

new health plans

Benefit from new health plans
Khyati DharamsiKhyati Dharamsi | Jun 13, 2011, 04.58am IST
Times of India


Renewing a health insurance policy can induce a rare trauma. Ask 68-year-old Sarayu Arvind Parekh. In 1999, Mumbai-based Parekh bought a mediclaim, for which she paid an annual premium of 14,596 till 2007, an uneventful , claimless period. Then, in 2008, she had to undergo a knee surgery and made a claim. The shocker snuck up the same year at the time of renewal, when her premium shot up to 31,833. After last year's eye surgery, it inched up to 41,000. Parekh hasn't quite recovered . Not from the surgery, but the gravitydefying rise of her health premium.

The health insurance sector has been ailing from many such anachronisms, sustained by insurer monopoly and lack of awareness. Besides the rise in premium or even termination of policies during renewal, individual plans do not cover pregnancy or diabetics, doctor consultations are not entitled to an insurance, etc.

Though the sector is rocked from time to time by issues and controversies, the health insurance scape in India is gradually changing. The latest round of changes have been triggered in the past couple of years by the new entrants whose prescience has resulted in improvisations and new products suited to the consumers. ET Wealth takes a look at these new developments and how they can benefit you.

Assured renewals:

Health plans, unlike life insurance , require a renewal of contract every year. Traditionally, this has been a problem area because a heavy claim meant that either your cover was not renewed or the premium was zoomed to tactfully avoid renewal. Now, however , two standalone health insurance companies , Max Bupa Health Insurance and Apollo Munich, are promising lifetime renewals without an unseemly rise in premium or threat of termination. These insurers are estimating the probability of a person falling ill in a lifetime and then calculating the premium for various age groups. So the product may be expensive compared with a mediclaim, but at least your premium will not shoot up 20-30 % during a renewal just because you made a claim. In fact, not content with a simple guarantee of renewal , insurers like Max Bupa are incentivising it. While mediclaim policies typically offer a noclaim bonus for those who do not make a claim in a year, Max Bupa offers a bonus of 10% of the renewal premium in the form of health services and products every time you renew, irrespective of claims.

OPD & dental treatment:

This addition is bound to elicit bigger, brighter smiles as dental treatment is now being covered by insurers. Under the Easy Health Premium Plan, Apollo Munich Health allows a claim of up to 5,000 for treatment , but only after you have completed three policy years. While regular visits and consultation are insured by Max Bupa for a cover of 15-50 lakh, Apollo Munich offers four to eight consultations during a year depending on the number of people insured.

Family floaters:

The Indian joint family is also on the insurance radar. The family floater policy has become more appealing. The insurance has now been extended to cover 13 relationships in a family, along with a posse of benefits. These include an individual cover besides the floating sum, a maternity benefit cover, insurance for a newborn, and health check-ups .

Maternity benefits:

Non-working pregnant women will now have something to look forward to when it comes to maternity expenses and a cover for their newborns. Now, insurers are offering individual policies under which you can avail of maternity benefits after a waiting period of three-four years. Star Health and Allied Insurance's Medi Classic Policy offers a cover of 10% of mother's cover to the newborn.
However, there is a claim limit in most policies , which ranges from 15,000-25 ,000 in case of normal delivery to 25,000-40 ,000 if it is caesarean . Then there are policies that offer the facility at the end of two renewals.

Alternative medicines:

A glaring hiatus in the health insurance scape, insurers are trying to bridge it by offering covers for treatment under the ayurvedic, homoeopathic and unani systems of medicine. This, of course, doesn't mean that your massage and rejuvenation procedures at spas will be covered. Star's Unique Health Insurance covers non-allopathic treatment costs up to 25% of the sum assured or 25,000 per treatment, per year, while New India Assurance covers treatment under ayurvedic, homoeopathic and unani systems to 25% of the cover, but only if taken at a government hospital.

Longer term:

Health plans have so far been one-year contracts, requiring an annual payment of premium. Now, Star Health and Allied Health Insurance has come up with the Star Unique Health Insurance plan for a twoyear period, where even the premium is to be paid in two instalments-at the start of the first year and the second year. The cover limits are applicable for each year and won't be carried forward.

Pre-existing diseases:

A waiting period of threefour years has been normal for pre-existing diseases . But, under Star Unique plan by Star Health and Allied, pre-existing diseases, other than those for which periods are specified, will be covered after 11 months of coverage.

Higher cover limit:

The highest health cover available in the industry so far was 10 lakh. Now you can buy one for 50 lakh, with Max Bupa's Individual Health Insurance plan offering a cover range of 15-50 lakh. As Damien Marmion, chief executive, Max Bupa, says, "It is important to have insurance that can help take care of an entire family. An individual and a family have unique health insurance requirements , so we offer comprehensive plans with covers ranging from 25-50 lakh."

Diabetes and HIV cover:

There are now policies that cater to the people with diabetes, and even HIV, which was not included in health plans earlier. However, this doesn't mean that the treatment of HIV/AIDS is covered. It's only the treatment cost of any disease that an HIV positive patient suffers from that is insured.
While New India Assurance's Mediclaim policy does not cover HIV/AIDS, it includes pre-existing diseases and conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and related complications , after two years of continuous insurance , by paying extra premium.

Adverse changes

Not all improvisations in health insurance are for the better though. Insurers have come up with changes that are likely to increase your financial burden or inconvenience you. Here are some you need to watch out for.

Co-payment :

Insurers have started including a co-payment clause, wherein the patient is asked to pay a percentage of the treatment cost under certain conditions, such as age or treatment outside the preferred network of hospitals. For instance, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance's Health Guard Policy requires a 10% co-payment if the treatment is done outside its hospital network .

Loading:

This is another clause that is likely to add to your financial outgo. All health insurance companies, except Max Bupa and Apollo Munich, are adding the loading clause, according to which they will raise the premium during renewal in case of heavy claims. So, the United India Insurance states that if the claims are 100-125 % of the premium, then the loading will be by 30%, if it is between 126-150 % it is 50%, and for 150-200 %, the loading will be 80%.

Pre-approval :

Insurers have begun to insist that you have to inform the insurer or the third party administrator (TPA) even if you are not using the cashless facility. There is an intimation clause in the policy, wherein you must inform within 24 hours of getting admitted even if you are not taking a reimbursement claim. The National Insurance has a seven-day limit. Notwithstanding these disadvantages, the conveniences and services are a welcome change. However, these come at a higher cost. So, if earlier , you paid a premium of 5,054 for a health plan, the new standalone insurers will charge 3,795-21 ,460 for the same policy. Still, one should not compare on the basis of cost as some covers , such as those for OPD, maternity, dental treatments and annual health check-ups , are not part of regular policies. "We are charging more for a particular policy as that target group is more likely to make claims. The premium is double because the claim pattern will be different," says RS Nayak.

What's new in group plans?

Here are some offerings in group policies that can impact you

If you retire or change jobs

Most advisers suggest an individual health plan along with the employer group cover because you are liable to be left in the lurch after retirement or if you change jobs or the entrepreneurial bug bites you. But insurers are now offering plans that enable seamless transition from a group to an individual cover while continuing with the benefits and without impacting your claim status. So now you can easily transit from the group policy to an individual or a family health insurance policy. Apollo Munich and Max Bupa Health Insurance offer this facility.

If you have senior citizen dependants

Though corporates have not yet put a blanket ban on group covers that include senior citizen dependants, more and more are opting out of such policies or asking for a higher premium to be paid by the employee. So it makes sense to pay a little higher premium and take the dependant cover from your employer because of the benefits it offers.

If you choose a PPN hospital

In case of an individual policy, you can get cashless facility at a number of hospitals, but the employer cover may now restrict you to a lesser number of hospitals. This is because the public sector insurers, which cover 70% of the corporate and retail market, are enticing corporates to buy a plan which covers the preferred partner network (PPN) of hospitals. If the corporate agrees to restrict itself to a network of, say, 650 hospitals, the insurer offers a 10% discount in premium over and above the regular discount. The premium is higher if the corporate insists on all the 3,000 hospitals. This is because they have a negotiated rate with the PPN hospitals and would like to get more business at that cost.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Ayurvedic medicine makers go North

Ayurvedic medicine makers go North
Mahesh Kulkarni / Bangalore June 07, 2011, 0:42 IST

Faced with a shortage of medicinal plants, companies in Karnataka shift their units to Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Bihar

Ayurvedic medicine manufacturers from across the country, who at one time sourced a wide range of medicinal plants from Karnataka, have begun moving their manufacturing units to northern India. They have been forced to do so by the growing scarcity of such plants in the state, caused mainly by rapid urbanisation and deforestation.

The states that have benefitted are Bihar and Uttarakhand, which are closer to the Himalayas and produce a large number of medicinal plants and herbs. Chhattisgarh is also a beneficiary of this trend.

Himalaya Drug Company, headquartered in Bangalore, has set up a new plant in Chhattisgarh. Charak Pharmaceuticals, which had a unit in Maddur near Mysore, has closed this and shifted it to Nagpur in Maharashtra. Dhoot Papeshwar is another Karnataka company that has shifted its manufacturing facility.

Karnataka is home to 179 ayurvedic manufacturers, of which 119 are small and medium enterprises. There are not enough raw materials for all of them, said Laxminarayana Shenoy, state programme officer at the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

“Till about five years ago, we had rich sources of raw materials in Karnataka, like Amalaki (Amla or Indian gooseberry), Ashwagandha, Alalekai, Amrutaballi (Sida Cordifolia), Brahmi and Arjuna plants. But due to deforestation, we are not getting some of these medicinal plants in our state. Although Amla grown in other states is inferior to that grown in Karnataka, our manufacturers are sourcing it from Chhattisgarh because it is available at low prices,” he said.

The Chhattisgarh government provides a subsidy to farmers for growing medicinal plants. It also gives incentives like tax concessions to industries for manufacturing. The cost of labour is also very low there compared to Karnataka. Workers are paid Rs 40-60 per day in Chhattisgarh as against Rs 250 per day in Karnataka.

Some raw materials like Hing (Asafoetida) are sourced from Afghanistan, since it is not available in India. Some companies are even going up to Nepal to procure herbs and plants, Shenoy said.

Kartik Pandit, a manufacturer of ayurvedic medicine in Nanjangud (near Mysore) said, “We were dependent on medicinal plants from the Western Ghats in Karnataka for many decades. But due to forest department restrictions we are going to Nepal, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand. If the farmers come forward to grow the plants, we are ready to buy from them.”

The Karnataka state forest department has imposed restrictions on entry into forests. Some products like Alalekai – a raw material for making medicines to treat gastro-intestinal diseases – are available only in forests. Other states have no restrictions on sourcing medicinal plants from forest areas, Pandit said.

“We have asked the state forest department to allow us to go into the forests to procure this material. The department should form an agency through which it can procure medicinal plants grown only in forest areas and sell them to manufacturers in a legal way,” Shenoy said.

Quoting the World Health Organisation (WHO), which has recognised ayurveda as traditional medicine, he said the industry size is estimated at Rs 8,000 crore (the cosmetics industry is considered part of this and contributes about Rs 5,000 crore). The industry is growing at 15-20 per cent annually. By 2020, the ayurvedic industry is expected to reach a size of Rs 15,000 crore.

In an effort to make available the required medicinal plants, the Karnataka government is embarking on a massive programme to encourage farmers to grow endangered species of medicinal plants. Considering the huge demand for medicinal plants in both India and export markets, the government has also announced programmes to increase cultivation of medicinal plants.

The state forest department’s Agri-forest support scheme will enable ayurvedic and Unani medicine manufacturers to enter into contract farming agreements with farmers to grow some of the plants through scientific methods.

The department is distributing saplings at a subsidised rate of Rs 10. It has identified trees like neem, tamarind, sandalwood and mango, among others.

The Karnataka government has set up the Medicinal Plants Conservation Authority (MPCA), which is developing protected forests for medicinal plants in 13 selected locations in the state.

“About 90 per cent of the raw materials used in the preparation of ayurvedic medicine are sourced from forest areas. Due to huge demand for traditional medicine and the growth of the cosmetics industry there is a need for growing these plants in a systematic way. The Karnataka government is preparing an action plan for the growth of the industry,” Shenoy said.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Medicinal plants to get good quality tag

Medicinal plants to get good quality tag
Kounteya SinhaKounteya Sinha, TNN | Jun 6, 2011, 02.39am IST
Article

World Health Organization|Quality Council of India|National Medicinal Plants Board|National accreditation Board|G J Gyani
Click Here
NEW DELHI: India's wonder plants with medicinal properties will now come with a special "good quality tag" with the government putting in place a voluntary certification scheme for medicinal plant produce based on good agricultural practices and good field collection practices.

This, the government said, will enhance confidence in the quality of India's medicinal plant produce and make available good quality raw material to the ayurvedic and herbal drugs industry.

Under the scheme, launched jointly by the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) and the Quality Council of India (QCI), any producer/collector or group of producers/collectors can obtain certification from a designated certification body (CB) and will be under regular surveillance of the certification body.

An option of getting a lot inspected and certified has also been made in the scheme. It also allows certification of intermediaries like traders who may source certified medicinal plant material and supply further thereafter.

India has 15 agro climatic zones and 18,000 species of flowering plants of which 7,000 are estimated to have medicinal usage in folk and documented systems of medicine, like ayurveda, siddha, unani and homoeopathy. About 960 species of medicinal plants are estimated to be in trade of which 178 species have annual consumption levels in excess of 100 tonnes.

The domestic trade of the AYUSH industry is of the order of Rs 90 billion. Indian medicinal plants and their products also account for exports of around Rs 10 billion.

Experts say there is a global resurgence in traditional and alternative health care systems resulting in growing world herbal trade which stands at $120 billion and is expected to reach $7 trillion by 2050. Indian share in the world trade, at present, however, is quite low.

Dr G J Gyani, secretary general of QCI, said, "The scheme has been designed keeping best international practices in view – the standards are based on WHO documents which were adopted by NMPB and the compliance checking will be done by independent, third party agencies conforming to international standards. The aim is not only to provide medicinal plants producers a means of differentiating themselves based on quality and sustainability but also obtain international acceptance for the scheme in the long run."

According to experts, the voluntary certification scheme will reduce risk of recall/rejection of Indian produce in the international market, increase buyer confidence in Indian herbs.

Labs duly accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) will be used under the scheme.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

ayush patna

'Strengthen ayush stream of medicine'
TNN | Jun 5, 2011, 12.32am IST
Article
Comments
Post a comment
Email this article
Print this article
Save this article
My Saved articles
Login
Register@indiatimes
Reduce font size
Increase font size
Share on Hotklix
Share on Messenger
Share on StumbleUpon
Share on Digg
Share on Reditt
Google Bookmarks Newsvine
Live Bookmarks Technorati
Yahoo Bookmarks Blogmarks
Del.icio.us ApnaCircle
Read more:national president Dr Madan Gopal Vajpayee|Ayush Medical Association
PATNA: Ayush Medical Association ( India) national president Dr Madan Gopal Vajpayee on Saturday lambasted the Union and state governments for neglecting ayush stream of medicine and failure to give due recognition to the ayush practitioners.

He said that under National Health Policy, there was a provision for one ayush doctor at every Primary Health Centre (PHC) and Additional Primary Health Centre (APHC), but this has not been implemented in the country. He further said that while 97 percent of the health budget was allocated to allopathy, ayush stream gets a meagre three percent allocation.

There are 7.50 lakh ayush practitioners countrywide and of them 60,000 are registered in Bihar, Dr Vajpayee said and asked the governments, both at the Centre and the state, to end discrimination against ayush doctors.

Dept of Ayush modifies development of Ayush hospitals

Dept of Ayush modifies development of Ayush hospitals, dispensaries scheme
Suja Nair Shirodkar, Mumbai
Saturday, June 04, 2011, 08:00 Hrs [IST]

With an aim to reform the delivery mechanism of Ayush systems and to make them more patient friendly, the Union ministry of health has modified the scheme dedicated for the development of Ayush institutions. Through this scheme the centre hopes to integrate and mainstream Ayush in health care delivery system including the National Programmes and co-locate Ayush facilities with those of modern medicine hospitals so as to provide choice of treatment to the patient.


Under the modified scheme, financial assistance will be provided to the states and union territories for co-location of Ayush facilities at Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs) and District Hospitals (DHs) along with funds for up-gradation of existing government Ayush hospitals and existing government, panchayat and government aided Ayush dispensaries.


The notification states about supporting facilities such as programme management units at State level, health management information system, Rogi Kalyan Samities and specilaised Ayush facilities in Government tertiary Ayush hospitals with Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode and take up PPP projects in tertiary level hospitals as well. It is understood that these initiatives are undertaken by the Department of Ayush to disseminate the tried and tested concepts and practices of the Indian systems of medicine among the general public and create awareness about the same.


The modified scheme also mentions about providing the supply of essential drugs to Government Ayush hospitals and dispensaries for which the government has set aside Rs.50 lakh per annum for essential drugs of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Rs.25 lakh per annum for essential drugs of homoeopathy.


The Empowered Programme Committee (EPC) and Mission Steering Group (MSG) chaired by the Secretary, Health and Family Welfare and the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, respectively, set up under NRHM will consider and approve changes, as deemed necessary, in this scheme.


According to sources the mainstreaming of Ayush was initiated by the government to ensure widespread use of ayurvedic medicines among the people and to make it more organised with improved level of distribution system so that more and more people get aware about this tradition way of medicine.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

ayush doctor bangalore

AYUSH doctors demand posts
Bangalore, May 31, DHNS:

AYUSH doctors serving in the Health and Family Welfare department have demanded creation of posts for Indian medicine in primary, community and taluk health centres.

The members of Karnataka AYUSH Medical Officers’ Welfare Forum, who staged a protest here on Tuesday urged the government to regularise the services of AYUSH doctors serving at PHCs.

A majority of the 720 AYUSH doctors have been working under the National Rural Health Mission.

urdu translation of science books

Workshop on Urdu translation of science books held at AMU

May 30, 2011
Aligarh: The valedictory session of the First National Workshop on Urdu Translation of Science Books was organized at the Aligarh Muslim University by the Vigyan Prasar, Department of Science and Technology of the Indian government in collaboration with AMU's Centre for Promotion of Science.

Anis Ahmad Ansari, former Advisor at the ministry of Health and Family Welfare and former Dean at AMU's Faculty of Unani Medicine said that science books should be translated at a large scale so that a large number of Urdu knowing people may be able to access science education with ease.

Prof. Ansari was the Chief Guest at the valedictory session of First National Workshop on Urdu Translation of Science. He said that science books in Urdu are found in very small numbers as compared to science literature in other Indian languages.

He opined that education must be imparted in a child's mother tongue. He suggested translators to use simple language while translating, keeping in mind the need of children.

Congratulating the endeavors of resource persons who were being engaged in achieving this target, Prof. Ansari distributed certificates to the participants.

Centre for Promotion of Science Director Dr. Hisamuddin said that the objectives of the Centre were to propagate science education at elementary levels especially in Deeni Madaris and Muslim Managed Educational Institutions.

He said that the Centre from its inception in 1985, has worked for the training of science teachers of Madrasas and regular Muslim managed schools in order to make them able to teach with better results.

He further added that science education among Muslims is a matter of concern and the Centre is working to bring the large chunk of Muslim students getting education in seminaries into the national mainstream.

Dr. Hisamuddin thanked all the resource persons and the participants who were instrumental in making the workshop a success.

Dr. Irfana Begum, Project Coordinator, EDUSAT, Vigyan Prasar presented the complete and comprehensive report of the First Workshop on Urdu Translation of science books and apprised of the accomplishment of the target. She said that six books and thirty popular articles on science were translated from English or Hindi into Urdu.

Earlier, Professor Naheed Banu, former Director of the Centre highlighted the aims and objectives of the Centre for Promotion of Science and its role in the development of science literature in Urdu.

Professor M. Shamim Jairajpuri, former Vice Chancellor, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, highlighted the work of Muslim Scientists in the medieval period who laid down the foundation of modem sciences.

ayush UG , PG & Phd in Srilanka

MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION

INDIAN POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS UNDER AYUSH SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME - 2011


Applications are invited from eligible Sri Lankans for the award of 06 postgraduate scholarships (02 PhDs & 4 Masters) offered by the Government of India under the above scholarship scheme. These scholarships will provide opportunities to Sri Lankan students to pursue advanced courses of study and to undertake research.


02. General eligibility requirements:

(a) Should be a citizen of Sri Lanka.
(b) Applicants must have a BAMS degree recognized by CCIM and for PhD applicants must have a MD (Ayurveda) degree recognized by CCIM.
(c) Applicants should be below 45 years of age on 06.06.2011
(d) Be employed in the Public Sector, University , or a State Corporation
(e) No application will be entertained from a person holding a temporary/ casual/ contractual appointment or a person who is unemployed. Only confirmed employees will be considered for the scholarships.
(f) An employee on probation may apply provided however that his/her confirmation is conditional upon acquiring a specified postgraduate qualification, in such a case a statement to that effect should be included in cage 17 of the application.

(g) Should possess a high proficiency in English including at least a credit pass at G.C.E.(O/L) examination.

03. Terms of Award


Financial Terms and conditions of AYUSH scholarship Scheme Courses Scholarships Rates
(in Rupees)
LIVING ALLOWANCE (STIPEND)
Undergraduate 4,500/-P.M.
MD
• First Year
• Second Year
• Third Year
15,800+DA
16,950+DA
18,080+DA
Ph.D.
a) First Year
b) Second year 18,702+DA
19,323+DA
CONTINGENT GRANT
Under-graduate 4,500/- pa
Ph.D. Course/ MD/ MS 12,000/-pa
HOUSE RENT ALLOWANCE
a) in cities of Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad & Pune 35,00/p.m.
b) In other cities 3,000/ P.M.
Tuition Fee/ Other Compulsory fee As per actual
THESIS AND DISSERTATION EXPENSES
For Ph. D. Scholar 10,000/-
For MD/MS and other courses required submission of project 7,000/-

 To and from airfare is provided to students from BIMSTEC countries only for travel from the capital of their country to the international airport nearest to the Institute in India.

04. Applications:

(a) Every application should conform to the specimen form provided
(b) The words "Ayush Scholarships 2011” should be hand or type written on the top left hand corner of the envelope containing the application.

(c) A non-refundable stamp fee of Rs. 50/= is payable in respect of each application. A stamp to this value should be affixed in the cage provided for this purpose in the application and cancelled by the applicant’s signature.

(d)Each Applicant should submit only one application for single course of study, and should state whether he/she has been nominated for a similar award in the past.


(e) No application from an employee of government sector, University or a state Corporation will be entertained unless channeled through the Head of the Institution concerned. He/She should in forwarding the application appropriately complete the certificate in cage 17 of the application.

(f) No application will be entertained from a person who has entered into an agreement or bond to serve the Government of Sri Lanka, a State Sector Institute unless he/she shall have completed by 06.06.2011, the full period specified in such agreement or bond and shall have discharged fully all the other obligations under such agreement or bond.


Note
However, an application of a University academic who has studied abroad on his/her own expense or on a scholarship received from a source other than through his/her University, can be considered if he/she has completed at least 2 years of his /her mandatory service period as per the agreement provided that the Vice Chancellor recommends his application as per the provisions of the University Establishment Code

(g) Any statement in the application, which is found to be incorrect, will render the applicant liable to disqualification, if the inaccuracy is discovered before selection, and to the withdrawal of award, if discovered after selection.

05. Interview
Candidates will be summoned for an interview after short-listing of applications.
He/she should produce at the interview original certificates of qualifications, Certificate of Birth, National Identity card, and any other documentary evidence in support of his/her candidature as requested. Traveling or other expenses incurred in connection with this interview will not be paid.

06. Nomination for Scholarship:

No candidate should treat his/her nomination for a Scholarship by the authorities of Sri Lanka as his/her acceptance for an award. Acceptance is a matter entirely within the discretion of the respective awarding agency to whom the nomination is made. Selected candidates who decline to accept the award after nomination will not be considered for any other award during the year.

07. (a) Closing date:
Applications will be accepted only up to 4.00 p.m on 06.06.2011

(b) Applications should be sent to the following address by Registered Post or by hand to reach on or before the closing date.

Secretary
Ministry of Higher Education,
No.18, Ward Place,
Colombo 07

(c) Applications which are not sent according to the above requirements or incomplete in any respect or received late will be rejected


Secretary
Ministry of Higher Education,
No.18, Ward Place, Colombo 07



SPECIMEN OF THE APPLICATION


MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION

AYUSH POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS OFFERED BY THE GOVERNMENT INDIA - 2011/2012


(01) (a) Name with initials (Mr./Mrs.Miss.) ……………………………………………….
(in block letters)
(b) Names denoted by initials : ……………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………….

(02 ) Postal Address : …………………………………………………………………….
Telephone No: ………………………………

(03) Date of birth :

Year : …………………. Month : …………………. Date : ……………….

(04) Exact age on 06.06.2011 :

Years : …………………. Months : ………………… Days : …………………

(05) N.I.C Number :………………………

(06) Are you a citizen of Sri Lanka? …………………………………….

(07)Whether Married / Single / Widowed : ……………………………..

(08) Academic / Professional / Technical qualifications :


Name of examination/ certificates
Year & month Institutions Subjects Grade & Pass








(9). Present Employment : Government Semi Government Private


Name of the Institution
Department Designation Date of the 1st appointment







(10). (a) Is your appointment permanent, probationary or temporary? …………….

(b) If permanent, have you been
confirmed in the appointment? ………………………………………………

(c) No. and date of letter of confirmation
and the authority who has issued it : ………………………………………
________________________________________________________________________

(11).(a)Desired course or field of study : ………………………………………….
(b) Whether Masters or PhD: .................................................................
(c) Have you ever been nominated for a scholarship by the Ministry of Higher Education: Yes / No
(d) If yes; Scholarship Programme: .............................................. Year: .....................
________________________________________________________________________

(12). Particulars of any bonds and / or agreements entered into with the Republic of Sri Lanka or with any Government-aided or sponsored institution, with date of discharge of obligations under them ; ……………………………………………………………..


(13). If you have been abroad earlier on a scholarshp, study tour, training etc. state full particulars: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
________________________________________________________________________

(14). Highest examination passed in English :
(a) IELTS/TOEFL………………… Score ……………….. Year ……….............
(b) Other …………………………………………………………………………………..

(15).Particulars of research and publications if any :…………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………..

(16) Any other particulars
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
I hereby certify that the particulars furnished by me in this application are true and accurate, and that I have not suppressed any essential information. I am also aware that if any particulars contained herein are found to be false or incorrect, I am liable to disqualification if the inaccuracy is discovered before selection and withdrawal of the award if discovered after selection.

Date :- ……………………….. Signature of applicant …………………………….


(17). Certificate of the Head of the Institution

(i) I certify that ;

(a) The training provided under this scholarship is essential / not essential for this institution.

(b) Details declared by the applicant in cages 8, 9, 10 & 12 of the application were verified by me with the personal record of the officer and are correct* / should be corrected as indicated here.

(c) The applicant is confirmed in the appointment/* will be confirmed in the appointment on ………………(Date) after obtaining the postgraduate qualifications.

(d) The applicant will*/ will not be released to take up this scholarship if selected.

(e) The applicant will*/ will not be granted leave on full pay/* no pay.

(ii) Full name of the applicant : ……………………………………………………………

(iii) Any other special reasons : ……………………………………………………………..

Name of the Institution : ……………………………………………………


………………………………………
Signature of Head of the Institution
with the official frank

(this certificate should be signed personally by the Head of the Institution)
* Delete words inapplicable.