Category health

New Delhi, March 27, 2023: 143 meritorious students from underprivileged communities across 21 states and 130+ cities were awarded the ’Sensodyne IDA Shining Star Scholarship’ to pursue a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) today at the Oral Health Innovation Conclave (OHIC) in Delhi.

OHIC is a first-of-its-kind national event organised by Indian Dental Association (IDA) focusing on innovations, entrepreneurship, and research in oral healthcare. The event was graced by dignitaries such as Dr L. Swasticharan (Additional Deputy Director General of Health Services) as the Guest of Honour, Lt. Gen. Satish R Iyer (Director General Dental Services), Dr Puneet Girdhar (President IDA), Dr Ashok Dhoble (Hon Sec General IDA), Dr. Meera Verma (Chairperson for DDS), and Dr Vandana Agarwal (Organizing Secretary DDS), Mr Navneet Saluja, MD – India Sub-Continent, Haleon India and Ms Anurita Chopra, Head of Marketing, India Sub-continent, Haleon India.

This scholarship programme for BDS students is a CSR initiative by Haleon India (erstwhile GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare) which is in line with the company’s purpose “to deliver better everyday health with humanity”.

An amount of more than INR 6 crores will be disbursed under this programme amongst these 143 students to support their academic and living expenses incurred during their 4-year BDS programme. Each of these students will be provided with the financial assistance of INR 1,05,000 per year for 4 years of their BDS course.

With the mission to facilitate underprivileged and exceptional dental students to bring their dreams to life, Haleon India launched this programme in partnership with IDA and Buddy4Study (B42), NGO in July 2022. It is a step to address the disparities around the dentist–population ratio. 2000+ applicants had registered, after which IDA and B4S initiated the selection process to shortlist the 143 deserving students.

Speaking on the celebratory occasion, Ms. Shanu Saksena, CSR Head, Haleon India (GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare) said, “We are elated to announce the well-deserving winners of this scholarship and many congratulations to them. We would like to thank Indian Dental Association for being our trusted knowledge partner and sharing their knowledge and support throughout this endeavour. Together, we are proud to provide an opportunity to these aspiring dental students to achieve their dreams and make a difference in the world. This initiative is a true representation of Haleon’s purpose “to deliver better health with humanity”, and we are excited to play this pivotal role in their professional and educational journey.”

Dr. Ashok Dhoble, Hon. Secretary General, Indian Dental Association said, “First of all, a huge congratulations to the 143 students who have been awarded the Sensodyne IDA Shining Star Scholarship to pursue Bachelor’s in Dental Surgery through government dental colleges. The Indian Dental Association (IDA) has always been in the forefront to support dental college students and has been their friend, advocate and guide. As the knowledge partner to the Sensodyne IDA Shining tar Scholarship Programme, IDA wholeheartedly supports this initiative by Haleon India. IDA believes that this project would not only touch the lives of the financially less privileged, meritorious students but also fulfil their family’s dreams. IDA is committed to handhold every student until their goals are achieved.”

Every year Mr. Lakhan Ghanghoriya, a Member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly carries out a medical camp in Jabalpur, and this time he wanted to take it to the next level through telemedicine. The camp was facilitated by Tattvan E-Clinics in association with its partner hospital- Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, Jaipur, Rajasthan. A dedicated team of MD Medicine Doctors made sure to attend to each & every patient tirelessly throughout the event. The use of high-broadband further accelerated the process & turned out to be an efficient session overall. The ground team of tattva made sure to align all the operations in a smooth & timely manner. The motive behind this arrangement was to create maximum awareness about teleconsultation in the region. There was a huge turnout of people, possibly the biggest in the country for a one-day telemedicine camp ever.

Mr. Lakhan Ghanghoriya, MLA, was also present at the event as a chief guest. During the event, he addressed the people & shared his views on this Camp saying “innovation and technology in healthcare is the future for developing and strengthening the rural healthcare infrastructure, the initiative by Tattvan E Clinics has allowed hundreds of patients to avail the benefit of specialist consultation from the comfort of their hometowns hope to see more efforts from Tattvan in Madhya Pradesh so that the people here have regular accessibility to the specialist doctor”.

Mr. Shrichand Batheja, Tattvan Franchise Owner, played a major role in organizing the camp. “The aim was to provide the best healthcare services in the area so that patients do not have to travel long distances. The team of doctors from Mahatma Gandhi was very cooperative and gave each patient their due time and attention. I am very sure this is just the beginning for telemedicine in Jabalpur, very soon we will be holding another camp with Tattvan.”

The event took place on the 1st of March 2023 at Ramleela Manch, Jabalpur. A whopping number of 500+ patients turned out for this event in a single day & got their consultations smoothly by specialist doctors. The patients not only benefited from the free consultations but also the free medicines provided at the camp.

Mr. Ayush Mishra, CEO, of Tattvan E Clinics, quoted “This camp has happened at a very crucial time when the entire country is seeing the transition happening in the healthcare sector. I would like to congratulate our franchise partner Mr. Shrichand Batheja for trusting us with his vision and Shri Lakhan Ghanghoriya for giving us this opportunity. This event will go very long in our memory as Tattvan’s journey for taking healthcare services to the last mile.

These camps by Tattvan ensure the quality of services & affordability for the people of rural India. They aim to reach every little village & town in India to provide these services & save the lives of people who have low access to premium healthcare services.

Dr. V Keshavan  Senior Consultant Pulmonologist,  Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad.

World TB Day, falling on March 24th each year is organized to increase awareness among the general public that Tuberculosis continues to be a significant public health problem in much of the world today.

It commemorates the day in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced in Berlin that he had discovered the cause of tuberculosis, the TB bacillus. At that time, TB was rampant in Europe and the Americas, causing the death of one in every seven individuals.

The Stop TB Partnership, an entity of the United Nations and The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the theme for this year’s World TB Day: “Yes! We Can End TB”.

Even in recent times, TB continues to be a public health scourge globally. In 2021, an estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with TB around the world. This was an increase of 4.5% as compared to 2020. Eight countries accounted for two-thirds of the total global burden of the disease, with India accounting for more than a quarter of the global burden. The other seven countries (in decreasing order of prevalence) are China, Indonesia, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and South Africa. To put things in perspective: India has less than 20 percent of the world’s population but has more than 25 percent of the total TB patients in the world. Worldwide, India has the highest burden of Drug Resistant TB also.

The ‘National TB Prevalence’ survey (2019- 2021) in India, conducted by the Union government is a three-year survey that was the first of its kind nationwide in the last 55 years and is only the second national survey aimed at determining the actual disease burden of tuberculosis in the country.

The survey revealed that the prevalence of tuberculosis among Indians aged above 15 years is 312 cases per 1 lakh population, as compared to the global average of 134 cases per 1 lakh population. Delhi, with 747 cases per 1 lakh population, has the highest prevalence of TB. Gujarat has the lowest prevalence with 137 cases per 1 lakh population. The survey has estimated the National Prevalence to Notification Ratio as 2.84. (this means that for every case that is notified, the actual prevalence of cases in the community is 2.84). The study has also estimated that in over 60% of cases, the patients did not seek medical care for their symptoms, the most common reasons for this being that either the symptoms were ignored by the patients, the symptoms were not recognized by the patients as being indicative of an underlying disease or due to financial constraints in seeking medical care.

John Bunyan once referred to “Consumption” as the “Captain of the Men of Death” and indeed, for many years, and in many parts of the world, TB was the leading infectious cause of death. In 2021, there were an estimated 1.3 million deaths due to TB globally, with over 400,000 deaths occurring in India.

India has had a National TB Program (NTP) since 1962. Since then, it has been reorganized twice: first into the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) in 1997 and then into the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP) in 2020.

TB control efforts initially got organized with the National TB program (NTP) primarily focusing on BCG vaccinations as a preventive measure.

In order to strengthen the NTP, the Government decided to give a new thrust to TB control activities, with assistance from international agencies, and the emphasis was shifted to a treatment-based strategy. The Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP), adopted the internationally recommended Directly Observed Treatment Short course (DOTS) strategy, as the most systematic and cost-effective approach for the Indian scenario.

Under DOTS, political and administrative commitment were some of its core strategies, to ensure the provision of organized and comprehensive TB control services. The adoption of smear microscopy for reliable and early diagnosis was introduced in general health services. The supply chain of drugs was also strengthened to provide an assured supply of drugs to meet the requirements.

Large-scale implementation of the RNTCP began in late 1998 and subsequently, India achieved country-wide coverage under RNTCP in 2006.

This was followed up with RNTCP Phase II, from 2006 onwards. The second phase aimed at at least 70% case detection rate of new smear-positive cases as well as a cure rate of at least 85%, in order to achieve the TB- related targets set by the United Nations among the “Millenium Development Goals”. In terms of the treatment of patients, RNTCP was recognized as the largest and fastest-expanding TB control program in the world.

Consolidating the advancements in RNTCP, it was renamed as the NTEP and this change came into effect from 1 January 2020.

“Ni-Kshay” (Ni- End, Kshay- TB), a web-based patient management system for TB control has been another notable achievement and has enabled the capture and transfer of individual patient data from the remotest health institutions of the country.

The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu launched the “Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan” on September 9, 2022. According to the United Nations “Sustainable Development Goals”, all nations have set the goal of eradicating TB by the year 2030. But the Government of India has set the target of eradicating TB by the year 2025 and efforts are being made at every level to fulfill this resolution. The “Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan” has been envisioned to bring together all stakeholders to support those on TB treatment and accelerate the country’s progress towards TB elimination. Under this program, any individual, NGO, cooperative society or corporate organization can take the pledge to help persons with TB and can join as “Ni-Kshay Mitra”. “Ni-Akshay 2.0” is a digital platform for community support of patients with TB. There is also a dedicated “Ni-Kshay” helpline for this purpose: 1800-11-6666.

New Delhi, 22 March 2023: MGM Healthcare, a multi-specialty quaternary care hospital in the heart of Chennai, successfully performed a complex brain surgery on a new born, saving the day-old child with a huge blood clot in the brain. Dr. L.S. Harishchandra, Consultant Neuro Surgeon, Specialist in Pediatric, Epilepsy and Movement Disorder Surgery at MGM Healthcare, with support from Neonatal Intensive care unit headed by Dr Binu Ninan, performed the timely intricate two-step surgical procedure on the brain of the newborn to remove the blood clot and rescue the child.

A day-old infant was brought to MGM Healthcare’s Neonatal Intensive care unit from an outside hospital with drowsiness and was refusing any feed from the mother. After in-depth examination and an MRI, it was identified that the child had a huge blood clot compressing the brain stem and obstructing the normal flow of fluid in the brain.

Vital functions like breathing, heartbeat, and maintaining a conscious state are controlled by the brain stem. When this part of the brain is compressed, it affects all these functions. The immediate solution for this is to remove the clot.

Speaking about the complexities in the surgery, Dr. Harishchandra said, “Performing any surgery on newborns is loaded with challenges. It’s a tightrope walk between being meticulous and also being as quick as possible. The surgery took about 5 hours. The baby was under the excellent care of our Neonatal team during her post-operative period. Timely intervention and meticulous neonatal post op care was key in saving the life of the child. It’s been few months since we performed this procedure. The baby is doing fine and is keeping up her developmental milestones.

There have been hardly 100 such newborn cases reported worldwide. With very strong support from our Neonatal intensive care unit and advanced infrastructure, we at MGM Healthcare are able to perform such complex surgeries. “

Telangana, March 21, 2023: Procter and Gamble India (P&G India) today recognized and awarded ‘P&G Shiksha Betiyan Scholarships’ to 29 girls pursuing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) courses at Haritha Ecological Private Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Paloncha, Khammam District, Telangana. Dignitaries present at the event handed over the scholarships to the students.

During the event, the students at the ITI engaged in a workshop on career opportunities for women in STEM and used art and craft to creatively showcase their vision of a dream career in STEM. Further, the students also participated in a group discussion to deliberate on women’s representation in STEM fields, barriers and myths that contribute to underrepresentation, and ways of countering it to enhance the representation of women in STEM.

This marks the first year of the P&G Shiksha Betiyan Scholarship Program in Telangana, where 80+ girls pursuing STEM courses at ITIs and Engineering Colleges across the state have been awarded the scholarship. These girls qualified for the scholarship basis merit along with financial challenges.

Shubhrangsu Dutta, Plant Head – Hyderabad Manufacturing Site, P&G India said, “At P&G, our ambition is to create an inclusive world where access to equal opportunities to learn, grow, succeed, and thrive are available to everyone. Data indicates the underrepresentation of women in the STEM curriculum, which further translates into underrepresentation in manufacturing, engineering, and technology roles in the workforce. With P&G Shiksha Betiyan Scholarship, our endeavor is to increase female representation in STEM roles, by paving the way for change and facilitating equal access to education, busting barriers, and shattering myths that perpetuate a glass ceiling for women in STEM.”

The ceremony is part of the first-of-its-kind ‘Women In STEM Caravan’ – a multi-city roadshow organized by P&G India together with the Centre For Civil Society – that aims to advocate for women’s participation in STEM roles. The roadshow, officially recognized as a part of the G20 events, commenced in New Delhi on February 11, on International Day for Women and Girls in Science, with a high-powered ‘Women in STEM: Policy, Practice & Interventions’ roundtable conference focused on policy provisions, ground realities, the role of corporates and direct interventions for advancing women’s representation in STEM opportunities. It then moved to Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh, where 60 girls pursuing STEM courses were recognized and awarded with the P&G Shiksha Betiyan Scholarship. The roadshow will now move to its concluding destination in Maharashtra.

P&G India in partnership with Centre For Civil Society launched the ‘P&G Shiksha Betiyan Scholarship’ program last year, as part of its flagship CSR initiative P&G Shiksha, to enable STEM careers for girls. Under this program, P&G India is providing financial aid and mentorship to girls aspiring to pursue STEM education. The program has so far supported hundreds of women with the aim of breaking barriers and enabling the entry of skilled women professionals into manufacturing, technology, engineering, and other STEM-related jobs.

Further, the Company’s skincare brand Olay is working to shrink the gender gap in STEM careers with its ‘STEMTheGap’ initiative, by spotlighting the biases and stereotypes that hold back progress and enabling young girls to get interested and excited by STEM subjects. P&G India also has a long-standing partnership with NITIE and hosts the annual ‘P&G-NITIE Equality Summit’ to spark conversations on issues that perpetuate a glass ceiling for women, uncover deep-rooted stereotypes that still exist, and motivate change specifically linked to equal representation of women STEM and Supply Chain.

Worldwide, 3.5 billion people suffer from oral diseases, affecting 3 out of 4 individuals with tooth decay, gum diseases, or tooth loss. This prevalence continues to increase due to factors such as the availability of affordable high-sugar content food and beverages, inadequate exposure to fluoride, and poor access to oral health care services (WHO Global Oral Health Report 2022).

On this ‘World Oral Health Day’, it is prudent to remember that the global burden of oral diseases is constantly on the rise and not getting the attention it deserves, especially in developing countries. Moreover, the scientific literature is constantly bringing to light new connections between oral health and general health which is a matter of concern to healthcare providers. On this day, it will be imperative to draw the attention of the Government, the regulatory bodies, and other Dental Associations to work cohesively towards finalizing and implementing the much-awaited ‘National Oral Health Policy’, which can focus on the consequences of poor oral health of the masses and plan to provide affordable healthcare at all echelons.

Clove Dental, the largest network of dental clinics in India, has been committed to elevating Oral Health since its inception in 2011. With more than 350 clinics, at 26 cities in the country, Clove Dental has conducted over 1.5 million treatments in the last twelve years. The company’s commitment to quality treatments is evident in its rigorous compliance with safety and hygiene protocols, including quality checks on sterilization, radiation control, and spore testing in every clinic. Clove Dental’s focus on patient care and ethical treatments has made them pioneers in the Indian dentistry landscape. Employing the largest number of dentists in the country and with expansion plans to hire another 1000+ dentists in the next 3 years; Clove Dental will be one of the largest Oral healthcare providers in the world. With state-of-art materials, equipment, technologies, and superspecialists; Clove Dental is redefining Oral Health. Dental Surgeons at Clove Dental are being inculcated with the value system of ‘primum non-nocere’ (no over-treatments) and a clear focus on exceptional patient service, adhering to the highest principles of commitment, professional conduct, and ethical values.

Clove Dental employs the largest number of dentists from the best dental colleges and brings them together through the common thread of ‘focus on patient care and ethical treatments. Further, the regular quality audits of the clinics and the treatments, help maintain professionalism.

With a robust team of reputed senior specialists providing multi-specialty treatments, and in-house training in Clove culture of ‘Patient first’; the company has earned a great name in handling complex clinical cases. Advanced specialty treatments like adult incognito Orthodontics, guided template Implantology, and smile designing with emphasis on cosmetic treatment, forms the backbone of the professional setup in every Clove clinic.

Clove Dental celebrating their 12th anniversary is reinforcing their commitment towards #SpreadingSmiles and promote oral hygiene across the geographies. The commitment to expand to 1000 clinics in the coming five years and at the same time organizing 750 camps every month with a view to creating awareness is one of the most positive steps towards this goal.

As compared to developed countries, the awareness level in India towards Oral Health is woefully inadequate. Only 4-6% population seek opinion or treatment for dental diseases as compared to 24-40% in other countries. “Let my countrymen seek dental check-ups once every year and let my medical colleagues emphasize the importance of this to their patients so that they enjoy great Overall Health”, says Lt General Dr. Vimal Arora the Chief Clinical Officer of Clove Dental. General Arora, who is the former Director General of the Dental Services of the Army Dental Corps, acknowledges that “while a lot has been done towards improving the oral health of the masses, however, there is still a long way to go to communicate the right message across the country and emphasizes the need to inculcate good oral health habits in the daily routine of every individual for enjoying best Health”.

NOIDA, March 21, 2023. CYK Hospitalities, a leading end-to-end F&B consultancy, recently executed a project and helped open a brand-new European theme-based cafe, Ndori, in Sector 104, NOIDA, Uttar Pradesh. The company has rendered its services from ideation to execution in bringing out this café. This is 4th project that the consultancy has completed in NOIDA.

As part of its services to Ndori, CYK Hospitalities provided conceptualization, menu engineering, chef trials, chef hiring, plating, business plan, recipe curation, and beverage menu curation. Various exquisite international cuisines are served at the café, as well as an innovative and never-before-seen mocktail menu that provides a whole new dining experience. The mocktails made here by mixologists are fresh and artisanal, exciting consumers’ taste buds. Among the best innovations offered by the cafe are Jalebi Chat, Lemon Classic Ice Tea, Garden Pesto Pizza, Mango Habanero Spiced Cottage Cheese Pizza, Tropical Bounty Shake, Fungi Cheese Pizza, Okinawa Cold Coffee, Paneer Tikka Lasagna, Spaghetti Bolognese, Irish Coconut Cold Coffee, and Macchiato. A wide range of menu items can cater to various tastes and palates, including plates of pasta and burgers.

The European-styled café offers mouthwatering dishes and gives a feeling of eating on the beautiful streets of a European city. Simranjeet Singh, Director of CYK Hospitalities, said, “We studied the Noida market for the
proprietors of Ndori and saw a void in the distinctive cuisine they wished to provide with the highest quality standards and flavor. As a result, our team of specialists skillfully created the cafe’s menu and designed the special European theme café. We worked closely with the owners from project conception to completion.”

“The owners of Ndori were clear in their thought right from the beginning to recreate the European style café and to offer the best dishes with a hint of twist to the menu. The execution of the entire café went smooth as we exactly knew what the owners wanted”, adds Pulkit Arora, Director, CYK Hospitalities. 

On the opening of a brand-new European theme-based cafe, Ndori, Rishabh Gupta and Prateek Nagar, Partners in Ndori, said, “It’s been a great journey working with CYK Team, together with them we curated an outstanding restaurant, with their guidance and impromptu availability. It has been easy in managing difficulties in operations, will positively want to endure this amalgamation of efforts for our further ventures.”

With expertise in ‘Brand Building’ for FnB brands, CYK Hospitalities serves various clients, including restaurants, hotels, and cafes, providing consultation and ongoing support. Additionally, they assist with location mapping and leasing, networking, hiring, and training. CYK is currently engaged in several additional F&B projects in India. The company has worked with well-known brands and food juggernauts, including Starbucks, Burger King, Twisting
Scoops, House of Candy, The Belgian Fries, Fat Tiger, Made in Punjab, Giani’s, Baskin Robbins, Urban Deck, House of Wok, Pandan, Theobroma and several more, to support the development of their brands and the marketing of their goods.

Hyderabad, March 20, 2023: CII-Southern Region organized its Annual Regional Meeting for the year 2022-23 and a conference on South India@100 with the theme “GOING BEYOND BOUNDARIES” today in Hyderabad

During the Session on ‘Creating a Healthier World in 2047 – Role of India’

Ms Shobana Kamineni, Past President, CII & Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd while moderating the session mentioned about how India has emerged as a leader in life sciences sector in the recent years specially during the pandemic times. Ayushman Bharat scheme is bringing a strong positive change across the country. We have witnessed solidarity in global action while fighting the pandemic and we need better co-ordination in future she said.

Dr Roger Glass, Director, Fogarty International Center, National Institute of Health, USA said that there is a need to improve the human health through compassion and service. He mentioned that there is a need to be strengthen primary healthcare and scale up the healthcare reach which could create massive positive impact.

Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Former Chief Scientist, WHO & Chairperson, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation said that healthcare sector contributes about 5% global CO2 emissions and all healthcare providers should commit to go green. All possible measures should be taken to become Net zero within a stipulated time period. India as a country need to work on disease prevention and health preparedness Pandemic has taught us this lesson. There is a huge inequity in diagnostics and patients need to be treated for the right disease. There is a need for Global Alliance in this area and we need to work on a mission mode in PPP model. India has proved that scale could be achieved in a short span and we need simpler short term treatments. As responsible leaders, we need to have better strategies to channelize credible communication with all stakeholders.

Hyderabad, March 2023: Indian Dental Association (IDA), Deccan branch; is hosting a free dental and medical camp, in collaboration with Our Lady of Good Health Church, on Sunday 19th March 2023, from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm at Roch Memorial High School and Church, AC Guards, Hyderabad, to mark the World Oral Health Day on March 20th, 2023. As part of the camp free doctors’ consultations for dental and general medicine, along with basic diagnostic services, will be extended. Interested persons can walk in for the check-up

Hyderabad, March 16th, 2023: The iconic Osmania Medical College, launched the first of its kind ‘Skill Lab’ in Telangana; at its campus in Koti, today. Chief Guest Dr. K Ramesh Reddy, Director of Medical Education, Telangana; inaugurated the Skill Lab, a much-awaited milestone in the history of the institute. Dr. P Shashikala Reddy, Principal, of Osmania Medical College; presided over the function. Dr. Anuradha Medoju, Regional Director (MofH & FW), and Dr. Pandu Naik, Nodal Officer, Skill lab; graced the occasion. Skill Lab is a prototype demo and learning facility for healthcare professionals to fine-tune their clinical skills, prior to real-life application.

The Skill Lab is funded by the Department of Human Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India under National Emergency Life Support. It will cater to nearly 500 undergraduates and postgraduates and several hundred para-medical technicians every year. The Lab is a valuable platform for medical professionals to practice procedural skills like Trauma management, Basic life support, Paediatric emergency, Obstetrics emergency, and acute cardiac management.

Dr. K Ramesh Reddy speaking on the occasion said, in our training programs the hands-on skills which we need to tackle emergency cases are really lacking in many of our colleagues, it is something that is very important. When we were students these types of labs were not available and literally we used to get trained in the casualty. It was a different attitude at that time. The education of the younger generation has shifted from skill learning to bookish learning, they are more dependent on volumes of literature available to them. They are not showing interest in the treatment of the patients, which will make a lot of difference in the days to come in the overall medical management. We need to take this very seriously and all the departments, especially the clinical departments should ensure proper training of the students in emergency skills. This is one area that is dynamic and a few minutes could make or break the situation. One has to be very active and try to tackle so that we will be able to save a life and give a quality life which is equally important. If it is delayed, the individual goes into a vegetative state, imagine the torture for the family. Here the skill labs will make a lot of difference. As per our university program, all the House Surgeons are trained in Basic Life support. But it’s a very short structured program, how many are concentrating on it and moreover, this course is conducted at the end of the course, because it becomes mandatory, it needs a certificate. That shouldn’t be the way, what I suggest is this training should be done at the time when they finish their final year and are ready to go for an internship. Because the internship is the real training ground for all of us and that is where especially management of trauma, the critical care skills, need to be structured in such a manner that respective departments train the students so that they will be able to put their skills to proper use. The Government of Telangana is very serious about mass training of CPR. You would have seen our Hon’ble ministers Harish Rao garu and KTR garu, conduct the inaugural program for CPR at different levels. The genesis of these skill labs was to not only train the doctors, paramedics, and Asha workers involved in the medical system but also police and sanitary workers should be trained in these skills. The state government is procuring mannequins so that programs can be done in different sections. For that this training is very important because if you don’t have proper trainers this program will be a total waste. We need to have properly trained trainers available in good numbers in every nook and corner of the state, so that even the mass CPR program can be done for common masses too on regular basis. Off late, we are seeing young people dying, they are just collapsing and dying, and some of them could benefit from a proper CPR at the right time. A similar Skill Lab facility will be shortly made available at Gandhi, Kakatiya Medical College, Nizamabad, and Siddipet, also shortly will seek sanction for all the 17 medical colleges in the government sector in Telangana. Government of India has given a structured training program, without any deviation from that, a proper training program has to be held. Even the upgradation of Training the trainer’s program should be done at regular intervals, which is also important. Ensure that initially, we cover all the areas which have no established medical colleges, all the medical professionals and workers from the neighborhood areas can be brought and trained there. The training programs should be for small groups so that proper skills can be imparted, such training will go a long way. The level of training should also differ, with a higher level of training for doctors and simpler training for medical workers. This particular center In Osmania will be a role model for other centers in the days to come.

Speaking on this occasion, the Principal, of Osmania Medical College Dr. P Shashikala Reddy said, Our students will now be able to proficiently manage surgical, cardiac, and obstetric emergencies with greater efficiency and skill. Those undergoing training will be awarded a nationally recognized training Certificate from this facility, which is mandatory for every Indian Medical Graduate. With this facility, Osmania students will be one of the best in dealing with emergencies.

A five-day Training of Trainers is being hosted for the first time in Telangana; from 13th to 17th March 2023; for Medical, Surgical, Paediatric, Anaesthetic and Obstetrics specialty doctors from Govt Medical College, Nizamabad; Gandhi Medical College, Guntur Medical College, and Kakatiya Medical College.