Category health

By Dr Sunil Kumar Prabhu, Consultant Dermatologist and Aesthetic Physician, Aster RV Hospital

The cuticle is a layer of clear skin located along the bottom edge of your finger or toe. This area is known as the nail bed. The cuticle function is to protect new nails from bacteria when they grow out from the nail root. The area around the cuticle is delicate. It can get dry, damaged, and infected. It’s important to care for the entire nail area and keep it clean so that your nails stay healthy.

It’s important to keep your cuticles clean at home. This prevents infection. The easiest way to care for them is to soak your hand or foot in soapy, warm water for around 10 minutes once every 2-3 times a week. This helps soften the cuticle and keeps your nails clean. You can also apply cuticle oil and a massage cream. Moisturize your cuticles regularly to prevent dryness and cracking.

Cuticles protect both your nails and the skin surrounding them from infection. After cutting the cuticle, it’s easier for bacteria and germs to get inside. This can lead to an infection. Most nail salons continue to cut cuticles, despite these guidelines. They argue that it helps polish go on better and stay on longer. Instead of having them cut at your next manicure, better to ask your technician to just push back the cuticle and trim loose skin and hangnails.

How can you prevent cuticle damage?

Avoid picking at your cuticle. If you have a hangnail, carefully remove it with tweezers or clippers, instead of ripping it out or biting it off. Since cuticle is a delicate part of nail damaging it may lead to paronychia infection and inflammation around the nail bed.

Also, limit your use of harsh nail polishes and removers. Use an acetone-free formula for a nail polish remover.

Self-treatment

Unless you have diabetes or another medical condition that places you at special risk, you may be able to successfully treat an infected fingernail at home. The steps are simple.

•  Apply warm compresses or soak the finger in warm, soapy water for 10 to 20 minutes, at least twice a day.
•  Apply antibiotic or antifungal cream.
•  Keep the infected area covered with a sterile bandage.

Tips for getting a manicure

• When visiting a nail salon, keep these tips in mind
•  Only visit salons that are licensed and have trained professionals
•  Work only with technicians who are trained to what to do
•  Make sure all tools are sterilized and look clean before getting your nails done
•  If you are concerned about the quality of equipment, you can bring your own. Most nail files, clippers, and cuticle sticks can be purchased relatively inexpensively at offline and online stores

Mumbai- Every year 1st July is celebrated as Doctor’s Day i.e. National Doctor’s Day. On this day all people, whose lives are connected with one or the other doctor, thank the doctor. Apex Group of Hospital, Borivali is celebrating the “Thank You Week” & “Gratitude Week” from July 1 to July 7 as a day to thank the doctors for their efforts in bringing him into this world and keeping him healthy.

Giving more information about this, Dr. Tanvi Shah, Director of Apex Group of Hospitals said, ” Practicing medicine is considered as one of the noblest professions in the world, so in this initiative, a large canvas was placed in five hospitals of the Apex Hospital Group to write messages of gratitude. More than 200 patients and their relatives have also expressed gratitude for it. This included the patients and their relatives who were treated during the Corona pandemic. We celebrate Doctor’s Day every year but this year we decided to celebrate this day for a whole week and this initiative got a great response from the patients and their relatives. It is only when a patient falls ill that he visits a doctor in a clinic or hospital. Once the patient recovers and goes home, his communication with the doctor ends. It is necessary to increase communication between doctors and patients to explain the health problems of your family. In the same spirit, we have implemented this different activity on the occasion of Doctor’s Day to increase the relationship between the patient and the doctor. We conducted a gratitude meeting between doctors and patients in this activity. On this occasion Homage was paid to the doctors who lost their lives in the fight against COVID during the pandemic in the country.”

National Doctor’s Day serves as a reminder of the immense dedication and selflessness that doctors bring to their noble profession is the key message of this event added by Dr. Tanvi Shah from Apex group of Hospitals. Apex Group of Hospitals is a chain of Hospitals managed and run by expert Medical Professionals with experience of 25 years. Currently Apex group of Hospitals manages more than 350+ beds and provides qualitative healthcare services to the people of Mumbai and surrounding areas. Apex Hospitals is located in Borivali, Kandivali & Mulund.

Bangalore,6th July 2023: Healthium Medtech, a global player in medical devices, focused on products in surgical, post-surgical and chronic care, has announced the appointment of Dr. Vivek S. Iyer, a seasoned professional in the medical education space, as their new General Manager for Professional Education & Market Growth Strategy. Dr. Vivek joins Healthium after a stint at Ethicon, Johnson & Johnson.

As Healthium expands its presence in India and beyond, Dr. Vivek S. Iyer will focus on medical upskilling, digital training initiatives, strategic growth projects and implementation of customer-centric solutions. With over 12+ years of experience in medical devices, Dr. Iyer will continue to partner with healthcare professionals to identify and deliver strong skill programs for surgeons, nurses and paramedics.

The Union Cabinet’s approval of the Medical Devices Policy in 2023 calls out the need for sustained emphasis on medical training and ensuring a skilled workforce for futuristic medical technologies. The appointment is critical to reinforcing Healthium’s expertise in medical training, leadership growth, medical microbiology, infection prevention segments and customer-centric solutions.

Commenting on the appointment, Anish Bafna, CEO and MD, Healthium Medtech, said, “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Vivek S. Iyer into our team at Healthium. His expertise in medical upskilling, internal training, organisational learning and medical microbiology will add great value to our business and L&D culture. Dr. Iyer’s inclusion will be vital as we continue our ambitious growth plans and expand the range of solutions offered to the clinical and patient communities. We look forward to working with him to strengthen our ambition to create access for high quality precision-based medical devices globally.”

A seasoned professional and a microbiologist, Dr. Vivek S. Iyer holds a master’s degree in business administration from SP Jain School of Global Management. He brings more than 12 years of experience and has an excellent track record in leading education initiatives, HCP training in Gynaecology and Cardiovascular surgeries, medical affairs through various positions across microbiology, laboratory testing, advanced sterilization, infection prevention and allied healthcare services. Previously, Dr. Iyer has been associated with companies like Ethicon, Johnson & Johnson, BD India and Godrej Hospitals.

Speaking on his appointment, Dr. Vivek S. Iyer, GM, Professional Education & Market Growth Strategy, Healthium Medtech added, “I am honoured to join Healthium and looking forward to supporting Anish and the entire leadership team to seize the growth opportunities ahead and deliver strong returns to our stakeholders. My role will be focused on accelerating growth, identifying the opportunities and skill gaps in the medical education ecosystem, and implementing the key learnings to assist patients and physicians globally.”

Healthium Medtech has a diverse portfolio of medical devices and consumables, which includes surgical sutures, needles, a patented arthroscopy portfolio, a patented wound care portfolio, hernia meshes, hemostats, ligation clips, surgical staplers and other wound closure devices. Currently, the company has 7 manufacturing facilities across India and holds 64 plus patents across US, Europe and India (including pending applications).

Bengaluru 5 July 2023– This small 4-year-old boy from West Bengal was born with a malformation in brain & spine (lipomyelomeningocele with chiari malformation). There was visible swelling in the lower spine region at birth, which was painful for the mother to see and the family to accept the child. Mother had not undergone proper antenatal checkups. The child had undergone three surgeries (one after the other) at the age of 2 in a charitable hospital but there was no reprieve for the family as the problem persisted. This child was refused treatment at many centres and the child was in severe agony with headache.

One midnight, HOSMAT Neurosurgeon Dr S R Patil got a call from a known person with a request to manage this case. The patient came in extreme pain at the stroke of midnight. After seeing the scans & reports Dr Patil re-evaluated the child with MRI and saw previous problems recurred and persisted. But he took it as a challenge to set right past mistakes by other doctors. As already three surgeries had been performed on the child & again operating on 4-year-old, was not that easy by any means. Child had a risk of losing power in both legs. (paralysis). The family was counselled in detail and help in financial aspects was sought from HOSMAT management.

After careful consideration & deliberations three operations were to be performed to address the headache & spine issues which were done with many challenges with advanced gadgets and intensive monitoring of the child.

Today at HOSMAT we are glad that the child is normal & doesn’t complain of headache & spine pain also. Child is walking, running and playing.

Moral & learnings:

1) Such issues can be avoided if Prenatal diagnosis is done right
2) postnatal correction of such issues is very challenging but can be done provided family understands complexity
3) managing such a complex case needs good team work and armamentarium support from the Institute.

Mumbai, 5th July 2023: Hariharan Subramanian (49) has been named as the Managing Director of Siemens Healthcare Private Limited (SHPL), India, effective July 1, 2023. SHPL is the wholly owned subsidiary company of the global MedTech company, Siemens Healthineers AG (listed in Frankfurt, Germany: SHL).

He leads the business for Siemens Healthineers India including, manufacturing, sales, and distribution, strategy for “Zone India”, comprising neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Maldives.

During his association of over 25 years with Siemens, he has held leadership positions in Finance, Business Administration, Enterprise Services, and Sales functions across Software engineering, IT Consulting, and Healthcare business. Before assuming responsibilities of Zone India in May 2023, he was the Head of Sales for the Diagnostic Imaging and Advanced Therapy businesses in India.

He has been leading the team in Zone India towards the common goal of pioneering breakthroughs in healthcare, for everyone, everywhere, so that therapy becomes more precise and affordable, value is at the heart of care delivery, patients are treated as consumers, healthcare becomes digital and in turn, we improve access to care.

Siemens Healthineers AG (listed in Frankfurt, Germany: SHL) pioneers breakthroughs in healthcare. For everyone. Everywhere. As a leading medical technology company headquartered in Erlangen, Germany, Siemens Healthineers and its regional companies are continuously developing their product and service portfolio, with AI-supported applications and digital offerings that play an increasingly important role in the next generation of medical technology. These new applications will enhance the company’s foundation in in-vitro diagnostics, image-guided therapy, in-vivo diagnostics, and innovative cancer care. Siemens Healthineers also provides a range of services and solutions to enhance healthcare providers’ ability to provide high-quality, efficient care. In fiscal 2022, which ended on September 30, 2022, Siemens Healthineers, which has approximately 69,500 employees worldwide, generated revenue of around €21.7 billion and adjusted EBIT of almost €3.7 billion. Further information is available at www.siemens-healthineers.com.

Siemens Healthineers in India has a countrywide sales network and round-the-clock service set-up, two manufacturing facilities at Vadodara for Diagnostics and at Bengaluru for Medical Imaging Products, backed by a state-of-the-art R&D center as well as a global software development center at Bengaluru. With over 3,900 employees across the nation, we are playing a significant role in transforming care delivery in India and supporting healthcare providers across the entire range of patient care – from prevention and early detection to diagnosis and on to treatment and aftercare. Further information is available at www.siemens-healthineers.co.in

Mumbai, 5th July 2023: Nutra Prep, a new startup in the Sports Nutrition space, and Nutrabolt, a globally recognized leader in the active health and wellness industry, have signed a strategic deal for India manufacture and distribution of Nutrabolt’s ‘C4’ and ‘Xtend’ brand products.

Nutra Prep is a new start up in the Health and Wellness space founded by industry veteran Amit Dhirwani. As part of the partnership, Nutra Prep will be the exclusive manufacturing and marketing company for ‘C4’ and ‘Xtend’ brands in India. C4 is one of the leading manufacturers of smart energy drinks and pre-workout supplements, while Xtend market leader in muscle recovery electrolytes and hydration drinks.

Nutra Prep has signed up with Bright Performance Nutrition for the exclusive omni-channel distribution of ‘C4’ and ‘Xtend’ products in India. This partnership provides easy access for fitness enthusiasts to purchase authentic, category-leading, and international-quality nutritional supplements at affordable prices.

Amit Dhirwani, Managing Director, Nutra Prep said, “We are excited to partner with C4 and Xtend, two of the most respected brands in the nutritional supplement industry. With this strategic alliance, we can now bring the same product range, quality, innovation, and efficacy that our customers have come to expect from these brands, but now at affordable prices, because it is manufactured locally in India.”

The strategic alliance involves sharing the original recipes and the technology transfer to Nutra Prep by Nutrabolt. It aims to facilitate the expansion of the Indian supplement market while offering customers premium international products at affordable prices. The shift towards domestic manufacturing also aligns with the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, fostering economic growth and generating employment opportunities within the local market.

“We are thrilled to partner with Nutra Prep to bring our brands to the Indian market,” said Justin Becker, VP Global Sales, Nutrabolt. “We believe that the partnership will help us reach new audiences and provide them with high-quality nutritional supplements.”

The development marks a significant milestone for the growing sports nutrition industry in India and demonstrates the commitment of Nutra Prep and Nutrabolt to provide the best possible products to customers.

Mumbai,3rd July 2023: Dr. Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh, the Minister of Health and Welfare for Meghalaya, graced the 6th edition of The Economic Times’ Best Healthcare Brands 2023. Dr. Lyngdoh delivered the Chief Guest’s address, based on her role in spearheading initiatives that ensure accessibility and affordability of healthcare facilities at the grassroot level. The award ceremony was also attended by Shri Vishal Chauhan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, Dr. K. Madan Gopal, National Health Systems Resource Centre, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, and several prominent figures from the healthcare industry.

Expressing her joy in addressing the esteemed congregation, the Minister of Health and Welfare Dr. Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh said, “I commend ET Edge for organising the 6th edition of the Doctors Day Conclave. The networks that brought us here today will help us collaborate and share insights, demonstrate expertise, innovation, and compassion on a unique platform that is striving to shape the future of healthcare. Our healthcare sector has demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability, and the leaders in these sectors have recognised the importance of building robust and inclusive healthcare for everyone. The real change lies in our collective and collaborative strength. I am honored to witness this gathering of brilliant minds and dedicated professionals who are at the forefront of revolutionising healthcare in our country.”

Dr. Lyngdoh further added, “The state of Meghalaya has adopted a positive healthcare model that addresses the technical problems and the socio-economic determinants of its citizens. Our three-dimensional approach focuses on building not only the curative aspects of healthcare but more importantly the preventive and educational aspects. Through the Meghalaya Health and Insurance Scheme, our state is aiming to provide easy access to all segments of society to effective healthcare solutions. Meghalaya is one of the few states in India, that has a dedicated Early Childhood Development Mission, launched in 2021, aimed at enabling the state’s children to achieve their full potential by providing good healthcare, nutrition, and cognitive development opportunities during early childhood. Meghalaya is a young 51-year-old state and we will learn crucial lessons in these knowledge-sharing platforms.”

Highlighting the extraordinary efforts of healthcare workers, Dr. Lyngdoh expressed her admiration for their unwavering commitment. The Minister took the opportunity to acknowledge doctors’ relentless dedication and sacrifices, as well as their families’ unwavering support. Further reflecting on the pandemic’s impact, Dr. Lyngdoh emphasized the bravery and resilience displayed by healthcare professionals.

The award ceremony also included a thought-provoking panel discussion on the topic of achieving wellness through value-based care, with an emphasis on key elements like innovation, technology, and therapeutics, better and less expensive treatments, utilizing data and AI for improvement and optimization, and challenges and barriers to implementing value-based care, such as data privacy concerns, financial constraints, and resistance to change.

Nagpur(S.N)-Aortic valve of a 67-year-old patient had failed and this was developing cardiac complications. Open heart surgery was the option before him to replace the valve. However, now all state-of-the-art medical facilities are available in Nagpur too, ‘Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement’ (TAVI) is an option to replace the valve without surgery. At Wockhardt Hospitals Internationally renowned cardiologist Dr. Anmol Sonawane completed this process on patient. Dr. Anmol Sonawane was assisted by cardiologists Dr. Nitin Tiwari, Dr. Amey Beedkar, Cardiovascular Surgeon Dr. Sumit Pathak, Anesthetist Dr. Pankaj’s team .

Open heart surgery was a risk for the patient , as the patient had comorbidities like hypertension, kidney problems. In such cases ‘Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement’ is the only option. If the aortic valve fails, the patient’s quality of life may be less than that of cancer patients and the risk of sudden cardiac arrest increases. The patient also took a decision to undergo a valve replacement procedure without delay. Now the condition of the patient is good and the blood supply is normal.

In Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, just like angiography and angioplasty, a tube (catheter) is passed from the arm through a blood vessel to the heart. With help of a pacemaker the heart beats are increased up to 250 beats per minute. Once the heart is stabilized, a valve is opened in the heart, guided by an artificial catheter. Once the patient stabilizes over time, the catheter is removed. What is special about this is that patient does not need anesthesia to perform this surgery. This procedure can be done while the patient is conscious. There is no risk of bleeding as there is no need to make an incision. The patient is discharged from the hospital in three-four days.

For patients who are at risk of open heart surgery, this treatment is effective. Wockhardt Hospital has all specialist doctors and a well-equipped intensive care unit to enable this procedure. Such procedures are now possible in Nagpur, the patient do not have to go to other places for treatment. Apart from this, it is observed that patients from outside are flocking to Nagpur to undergo this procedure. Hence, Nagpur is being called as a medical hub.

26th June 2023: JK Organisation, with 138 years of heritage a renowned Indian industrial group, held “Blood Donation Camps” to mark the 90th birth anniversary of Late Shri Hari Shankar Singhania, the former President of the group. The camps were arranged at the various offices and manufacturing facilities owned by the group. Padma Bhushan recipient Late Shri Hari Shankar Singhania actively contributed to the expansion and unification of the JK Organisation by setting up several new ventures along with acquiring and integrating a number of businesses into the group.

The blood donation drive was specifically organized on this day in honour of the former leader, who was always ready to do more for the community in addition to the group’s various social initiatives.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Bharat Hari Singhania, Chairman, JK Organisation mentioned that, “JK Organisation has stood strong for more than a century now committed to enhancing the quality of life for everybody, with the founders’ belief in giving back to society ingrained in the company’s spirit. On the occasion of the late Shri Hari Shankar Singhania’s birth anniversary, the JKO Group companies organised a blood donation drive as an initiative towards contributing to wellbeing of the larger population.”

A total of 5712 JK Organisation employees donated blood for this humanitarian cause. Before donating blood, all of the donors underwent blood pressure, haemoglobin, weight check, and other tests at the camps. A certificate of appreciation for contributions was presented to each donor.

All of JK Organization’s group companies, including JK Tyre, JK Paper, JK Lakshmi Cement, Udaipur Cement Works Ltd, JK Agri Genetics, JK Fenner, JK Foods, Delopt, CliniRx, JK Insurance, Indica Travels, PSRI Hospital, and JK Lakshmipat University, took part in the drive.

CREDAI NCR has undertaken a health check-up camp and Eye check-up camp for National Capital Region (NCR) construction workers. It is part of its proactive Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The health camp was held in Sikka Kaamya Greens, Greater Noida West. More than 200 attended the camp where free medicine was also distributed.

The construction workers underwent thorough examination by a physician including blood pressure, sugar, height-weight check-ups etc. Construction Workers consulted certain routine problems which were duly responded by the physician. Similarly, Eyes were tested in Eye check-up camp. CREDAI NCR has partnered with Felix Hospital, a leading healthcare service provider, for this purpose.

“At CREDAI NCR, we firmly believe in making a meaningful impact on people’s lives and strive to foster sustainable growth in the real estate sector while ensuring the well-being of all stakeholders. This is an ongoing effort on our part. Recently, we donated oxygen cylinders to leading charitable hospitals. This healthcare initiative for construction workers aligns with our core values and demonstrates our commitment to their well-being,” Manoj Gaur, President of CREDAI NCR, stated.

CREDAI NCR has consistently been at the forefront of corporate initiatives to impact society positively. By extending support to the healthcare needs of construction workers, the organization aims to enhance the overall quality of life and ensure the welfare of the community it serves.