Vikas Vaidya

By Vikas Vaidya The Information Technology (IT) policy got extension till March. We will listen to the suggestions of top businessmen of IT sector. The meeting regarding this will be held in January 2015 wherein the representatives of the companies like TATA, TCS, Infosys, HCL will participate, informed Maharashtra’s Industry Minister Subhash Desai. Desai was speaking to The Hitavada. “We are trying to incorporate gaming, graphics, animation. If we could be able to concentrate on IT and set up the hubs, it will create more number of jobs. Already Government is planning to make investment of Rs 5 lakh crore. It will generate 20 lakh jobs and with it, State Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will be 28% ,” pointed Desai. “To make atmosphere encouraging for industries we have to remove problems of license. In our state we have over 70 types of licenses which makes it difficult for industrialists to run their units. We will be reducing it to 25. Secondly, people complains that for every sm...

                                                                   Vascular Age Calculator By Vikas Vaidya In India it is estimated that over 220 million people have been diagnosed with one or more forms of Cardiovascular disease (CVD). But 2025 this number is expected to nearly double. CVD is one of the leading causes of death in India. In 2005, 29% of the deaths in India were due to CVD. Can we avoid this or can we know earlier how much damages have been occurred internally so that we could avoid it or take precautions to avoid further damages. Such system has come through which we can know our Cardiovascular age. If suppose your age is 40 years, your ca...

  By Vikas Vaidya MAHARASHTRA’S Higher, Technical, Medical Education Minister Vinod Tawde has clarified that the State would not participate in National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET). With confusion reigning supreme over conducting NEET for admission to MBBS, Tawde’s statement has allowed parents to breathe easy. After discussions on education held in the House for last two days, Tawde presented a road map. He said that a student is backbone of education but unfortunately the present day education is not student-centric and stressed that he wanted to give due importance to students. “There was a lot of confusion on NEET. The litigations were filed in the Supreme Court. We do not want to involve ourselves into these disputes but Maharashtra Government has decided not to participate in NEET,” Tawde said. Medical Council of India had first talked on NEET in the year 2011. Then the confusion went on how the NEET to be introduced. NEET came into being because of Supreme Court’...

By Vikas Vaidya SHE had always wished to donate her organs after death. Never was she aware that death will catch her unexpectedly at a young age. Deepali fell to destiny’s sudden blow but her wish, shared in a casual conversation with her husband Chandrakant, was fulfilled. In death, she gave life to two people. Deepali Zoting, aged 37 a lecturer at Ramdeobaba College of Engineering and Management (RCOEM), suddenly fell ill and became unconscious on last Thursday (November 6). She was brought to Orange City Hospital and Research Institute (OCHRI) and then to the Neuron Hospital at Dhantoli where Dr Chandrashekhar Pakhmode, well-known neurosurgeon checked her. The doctors tried their best but Deepali’s condition kept worsening and after two days she was brain dead. “The blood supply to cerebellum and brains stem had completely stopped. She was brought unconscious to our hospital,” Dr Pakhmode said. He further explained the cause behind this sudden occurrence. “Hyperhomocysteinem...

By Vikas Vaidya A study conducted Lifespan D-MYTH 2014, to map people’s perceptions along with behaviour-related outcomes of diabetes management, revealed that a whopping 50% of diabetics in the country are at risk of developing heart diseases, 63% are at risk of getting microvascular complications and many have an enhanced risk of developing eye problems, especially retinopathy. The study brings to light poor diabetes management amongst Indians which it links to ignorance and to the prevalence of myths. The unique diabetes myths and truths highlighter (Lifespan D-MYTH 2014) study, conducted by LIFESPAN, a thought leader in the management of diabetes and cardiometabolic disorders, made several disconcerting revelations regarding people’s perceptions about the disease, their practices and its effects in terms of mortality and morbidity. The Lifespan D-MYTH 2014 study was conducted among 5065 Indians in 16 cities on a one-to-one basis, and the data collected was compared with cumulat...

           By Chandana Roy In a candid chat with Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, ‘The Hitavada’ got to know the “Mrs CM”. Other than being the CM’s wife, she is a mother and a successful banker - Associate Vice-President of Axis Bank in Nagpur. Excerpts of the interview: Q: How do you and the Chief Minister feel about the grand reception received on Devendra’s arrival to the city? A: It was an overwhelming experience. I realized how much people love Devendra. Their affection was genuine. Happiness was definitely there. Because people have loved and believed in him so much, voted for him, given him this position, even his party senior leaders also… it’s love of people, each BJP activist up to the top senior leaders … so it’s a feeling of responsibility that they have so much faith in him and so many expectations. He has to fulfill them. So, it’s a testing time for him. I have full confidence that Devendra wi...

 By Vikas Vaidya Executive Committee of the Medical Council of India (MCI) has decided to return the application recommending disapproval of the scheme for establishment of new medical colleges at Nandurbar, Chandrapur and Baramati. The proposals of all three colleges were sent by Government of Maharashtra under the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik under Section 10A of the IMC Act, 1956 for the academic year 2014-15. While refusing the permission to Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) at above three places, MCI has pointed out, since there was no provision for keeping the application pending assessment of the physical and the teaching facilities available for establishment of a new medical college. The committee considered the council assessor report and noticed some loopholes. In the same meeting, MCI has given approval to the application of increased intake from 100 to 150 to NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre (NKPSIMS) and Lata Mang...

By Vikas Vaidya The decline in child sex ratio is a cause of concern nation-wide. In Maharashtra also, child sex ratio is declining steadily over the past decades. Among regions, Vidarbha is better placed in sex ratio compared to Marathwada, Western Maharashtra, and Rest of Maharashtra. However, in isolation, child sex ratio in Vidarbha also is on a steady decline over the years. “The main reason behind the decline in child sex ratio is use of Ultra Sonography (USG) for sex determination,” said Dr Prakash Deo, Chief of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Madhya Pradesh. Dr Deo, who hails from Nagpur, was talking to ‘The Hitavada’. He was in the city recently to receive late Dr V N Wankar Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award for his immense contribution to the field of medicine. Indian Medical Association (IMA), Nagpur branch gives the award. An expert, who was involved in a project to improve child sex ratio, Dr Deo said that the decline in child sex ratio first took place...

By Vikas Vaidya Everything about him is sure to make Nagpurians feel proud. He stays in the US, but works for the cause of Indians. He runs on one principle -- if one does not raise his voice, he is never heard. He is a staunch supporter of the Republican Party in America. According to him, this party believes in family values, open society, less government control, and less wastage. And, many of these values can be seen in this man’s persona. He constantly studies, upgrades, and updates himself to compete with the younger generation; is in the know of advances in technology and maintains his utility value. This medical degree holder is the Chief of Staff at St Tammany Parish Hospital and is the President of Board of Trustees of Lakeview Hospital at New Orleans, USA. He is the Assistant Professor of Surgery at Tulane Medical School. He has received the highest award in American healthcare -- Healthcare Heroes, the Dr Frist Award and has been conferred the Medal of Freedom by the R...

By Vikas Vaidya Talking to Dr S S Badrinath, a global guru of Ophthalmology, is an experience that will remain etched in memory forever. His simplicity and modesty defy his fame, and deny people a realisation of his worth. Ever since he became a student of Ophthalmology more than 50 years ago, Dr Badrinath has made the eyeball his lifetime mission. That is why, interaction with this eminent ophthalmologist does not only involve the eye but also the vision -- of life and its expanded circle of excellence. What triggered the quest for excellence in this man of world repute? Dr Badrinath was blessed with an awareness right from Day One that excellence is a never-ending journey, without destination, and without culmination. It was this point that led him to delve ever deeper and rise ever higher in understanding the complex simplicity of human eye. This awareness also led him to go beyond the machines that dominate ophthalmology today and made him rely more on a super-fine human ju...

By Vikas Vaidya : In a sudden move, the deans of some of the Government Medical Colleges in Maharashtra have been transferred. This move has raised an eyebrows as everybody at their places were doing fine work. Medical Education Minister Dr Jeetendra Avhad has taken the stand of shifting those who have completed more than 3 years. The Dean of Nagpur GMC Dr Rajaram Powar has been transferred to Mumbai at the office of Director, Medical Education and Research. He will be taking charge as Joint Director. The Dean of Yavatmal’s late Vasantrao Naik Government Medical College Dr Anand Dongre has been transferred to Solapur GMC. Dr Shinde, Dean of Solapur has been shifted to Latur GMC. Dr Dipti Dongaonkar, Dean of Latur GMC will take charge as Dean at Yavatmal. As a child Dr Powar used to sit beside his shoemaker father on streets, had dreamt of becoming something to serve the society. After attaining medical graduation and becoming lecturer later Dr Powar took charge as Head of Microbiology...

By Vikas Vaidya: Recently a young lady named Kavita (name changed) from Nagpur met with a road accident; she sustained fracture of dorsal spine (comprised of twelve vertebrae and is the longest section of the spinal cord). She walked into Wockhardt hospital with complaints of severe back pain. Her case was handled by noted Neurosurgeon Dr Ajay Kurve. She was discharged within 96 hours from the hospital without any pain after successfully undergoing a surgery with Percutaneous technique at the hospital. This is for the first time that such type of procedure has been performed by any doctor in Central India. Explaining about this case, Dr Kurve said, “She had spine fracture wherein her spine became unstable plus she has severe pain. Under medical line of management,  absolute bedrest for 2-3 months is advised. In such case, patient has very restricted mobility for six months after taking complete bedrest. Patients can  suffer from urinary tract infection, chest infecti...

By Vikas Vaidya: Medical Council of India (MCI) has decided not to recommend  increased intake from 02 to 03 seats to ENT (MS) of in respect of students being trained at Government Medical College, Nagpur. At the same time the MCI has recommended increased quoto to Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Wardha affiliated to Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences, Deemed University in General Medicine, Orthopaedics, Anaesthesiology, Ophthalmology, Psychiatry. The Postgraduate Committee considered the Council assessor’s report and decided to recommend not to recognize MS(ENT) qualification against increased intake from 02 to 03 seats granted by Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik in respect of students being trained at GMC, Nagpur because of the deficiencies that include Unit II has only 2 faculty; hence it cannot be considered as PG Unit. There are no Senior Residents in the department. Average daily operative workload of major operations is only 1-2/day which is inadeq...

By Vikas Vaidya: A 60 year old woman who conceived in 1978, never delivered the baby which was dead. The doctors at Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital had told her that it needed to be removed. She went absconding and the feotus remained in her body. Now, she suddenly suffered some pain and brought to NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences where, during diagnostic tests, the baby skeleton was detected in abdomen, and it was removed by a team of doctors. A 60year old lady from MP,came to surgical Outpatient Department (OPD) of Lata Mangeshkar Hospital, Hingna with a mass in her abdomen since last 2 months. After investigations it was found that she was having a mass containing a matured foetal bones encapsulated in a calcified sac.After obtaining detailed history her brother told that in 1978 she was full term pregnant and had some complications for which she was refered to Mayo or IGGMCH where doctors told that foetus might have died and she has to undergo an ...

By Vikas Vaidya Outbreak is a medical thriller written by Dr. Robin Cook and published in 1987 which deals with an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the United States. Nobody had thought then that the same virus would play havoc in 2014. Now World Health Organisation has declared it as emergency disease. The airports all over the world have been put on alert. Even Maharashtra State hurriedly issued some instructions, surprisingly, the authorities at Nagpur did not get any such. International Health division of the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) Government of India has communicated to Air Port Health Officer (APHO) for necessary vigilance at all international entry points. International Health division has been asked to collect information with the help of APHO of concerned airport about the list of suspected passengers, if any and their relevant details  and transmit the same to the respective State Government(s) immedia...

By Vikas Vaidya Nagpur is fast on way to become medical hub because of its easily accessible location and presence of high level of expertise with matching advanced infrastructure.Almost all the medical facilities available in big metros are available here and that too in fraction of their cost. It needs organised, small to medium-sized dispensaries, hospitals are here. There should be structural development system. A three tier system is proper. Primary, Secondary and Tertiary system should be there. Then services can be streamlined, cost efficacy will increase, research aspect will be well taken care of. Nagpur has become a medical hub.The patienys fron adjoining states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgadh and Andhra Pradesh come to Nagpur for the treatment of medical problems. Patients from Nagpur are no more going to Hyderabad and Mumbai as all diagnostics and treatment modalities like PET scan, Radiotherapy, Cancer surgery, Interventional Radiology, Bypass surgeries , Complex A...

By Vikas Vaidya Chemotherapy, the term is used in case of Cancer patients. Wherever surgery is not applicable in case of cancer patients, Chemotherapy is given to them. In this therapy, drug is injected in the body which kills cancer cells, but unfortunately it kills good cells also causing various problems to the patients. Now after a lot of research in this field, doctors have come out with the Targetted Drug Delivery to remove this side-effect. It actually targets the molecule that is creating problem and hit it. Dr P S Kadam Amare, Head of Cancer Cytogenetics Laboratory, Tata Memorial Hospital said, “This therapy is being applied in case of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML), (CML is a type of cancer that starts in the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow and invades the blood. In CML, leukemia cells tend to build up in the body over time, but many people don’t have any symptoms for at least a few years). It only hit abnormal cell. Genetic marker needs to be identified then...

The other day, Nagpur’s one Minister said that Nagpur was becoming medical hub. Is it really true? May be in the sense of rise in number of hospitals in city, may be in terms of all types of health services including Cancer. Now what not is done in Nagpur? Everything means everything. Nagpur has multispeciality hospitals, specialised hospitals focussing on particular specility. The hospitality of these hospitals is excellent, of course black sheep is always there. Still. The treatments are available at Government Hospitals, but most of them one find in private hospitals. In a way private hospitals are contributing 80 per cent share. This is because of improper policy of Government. We have best of the best Oncologists like Dr Anand Pathak, Oncosurgeons, Neurosugeons, neurologists, orthopaedic surgeons, critical care consultants, Cardiologists, Cardiac Surgeons, ENT specialists, Sexologist, Pathologist, Physicians, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Radiologists, Ophthalmologists, G...