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Morning MEDtalks with Dr KK Aggarwal
New Delhi, November 19, 2018:
68% of Ayushman beneficiaries get treatment in pvt hospitals: NEW DELHI: In encouraging news for the Ayushman Bharat programme, around 68% of the some 2.3 lakh beneficiaries to be admitted to hospitals under the scheme received treatment in private hospitals with Gujarat, along with TN, Maharashtra and West Bengal, topping the list. Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana — the secondary and tertiary care arm of the government-funded health insurance scheme — 2,32,592 beneficiaries received hospitalisation under in less than two months of its rollout on Sept 23, according to data compiled by the National Health Agency (NHA). The data show that oral and maxillofacial surgery, general surgery, ophthalmology and gynaecology were among the most sought-after treatments during hospitalisation.
The data shows NHA has so far received 55,482 applications for hospital empanelment. Out of this, nearly 15,000 hospitals have either been empanelled or are in the pipeline following approvals. Around 8,000 empanelled hospitals are from the private sector. “Costing issues are primarily in Delhi and in other metro cities where the cost of services and human resources is high. Otherwise, the response in tier 2 and 3 cities in states like Haryana, UP, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh is tremendous,” says Dinesh Arora, deputy chief executive of Ayushman Bharat… (TOI, Nov. 18, 2018)
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims: “Roads have stories”. Yesterday was the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims; it is held on the third Sunday of November each year; the slogan “Roads have Stories” is linked to the 2nd pillar of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020: Safer Roads & Mobility. It highlights that roads are more than just physical connections from point A to point B − they tell stories, some of them tragic that are worth remembering.
“Do I Have Prediabetes” This successful initiative that has already helped more than two million Americans learn their risk of developing type 2 diabetes was relaunched on World Diabetes Day by the American Medical Association (AMA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Ad Council. It uses humorous scenarios to show viewers the many people in their lives who may have prediabetes and urges them to take an easy online risk test to find out where they stand. Humorous scenarios show the viewer, the person in their own life who may have prediabetes – “it could be you, your boss, or your boss’ boss.” Viewers are then encouraged to visit DoIHavePrediabetes.org
A new PAHO manual to guide management of antimicrobial resistance in the Americas: Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University (FIU) have launched a new manual “Recommendations for Implementing Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs in Latin America and the Caribbean: Manual for Public Health Decision-Makers”, which aims to provide practical guidelines for health authorities, and recommendations for hospital managers and health workers on cost-effective interventions that tackle antimicrobial resistance.
A new drug to treat travelers’ diarrhea: Aemcolo (rifamycin), an antibacterial drug indicated for the treatment of adult patients with travelers’ diarrhea caused by noninvasive strains of Escherichia coli (E. coli), not complicated by fever or blood in the stool has been approved by US FDA.
Is arthritis a sign of prediabetes? The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, published November 9, 2018, seems to suggest so. Arthritis was seen in nearly one-third of adults with prediabetes, and more than half of such patients are obese and not engaged in regular physical activity, in an analysis of combined data from the 2009–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). The unadjusted prevalence of arthritis among adults with prediabetes was 32.0%. The unadjusted prevalences of physical inactivity and obesity among adults with these conditions were 56.5% and 50.1%, respectively… (CDC)
“If they’re going to ban one flavor they should ban them all.” — Pediatrician Rachel Boykan, MD, of Stony Brook Children’s Hospital in New York, on the FDA’s decision to ban candy and fruity e-cigarette flavors but allow mint and menthol for now
Different types of physical activity offer varying protection against heart disease. New research, presented at the ACC Latin America Conference 2018 in Lima, Peru, found that while all physical activity is beneficial, static activities—such as strength training—were more strongly associated with reducing heart disease risks than dynamic activities like walking and cycling. Patients who did both types of physical activity had better outcomes than patients who simply increased the level of one type of activity.
Video to watch: TEDx Video: Doctor-patient relationship www.youtube(dot)com/ watch?v=i9ml1vKK2DQ
Dr KK Aggarwal
Padma Shri Awardee
President Elect CMAAO
President Heart Care Foundation of India
