This commentary highlights the potential consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for India’s rural population. The rural health care system in India is not adequate or prepared to contain COVID-19 ...transmission, especially in many densely populated northern Indian States because of the shortage of doctors, hospital beds, and equipment. The COVID-19 pandemic creates a special challenge due to the paucity of testing services, weak surveillance system and above all poor medical care. The impacts of this pandemic, and especially the lockdown strategy, are multi-dimensional. The authors argue for the need to take immediate steps to control the spread and its aftereffects and to use this opportunity to strengthen and improve its primary health care system in rural India.
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a serious question over preparedness to deal with mass fatality. The current trend shows that there would be more bodies than the capacity and resources to handle ...them. The international agencies have alerted governments that the number of deaths may overwhelm the local capacity to handle dead bodies properly. Mass fatality management and planning are important to respecting the dignity of the deceased and surviving family. Inadequate capacity to deal with dead bodies may affect the psychological well-being of survivors which may result in distress to families and community.
Abstract Gender-affirming medical care is the provision of transition-related medical services that support a transgender person’s own gender identity. Gender transitioning is a process that requires ...not only social support but also psychological and medical support, This paper attempts to document the challenges faced by transgender individuals (TG) especially in the context of gender affirming medical care in the Kerala context. The transition process is extremely complex as the preference for such process is varied. Some transgender individuals preferred social transition and/or medical transition to align their gender expression with their gender identity, while others chose to have a gender expression or identity outside the traditional gender binary. In Kerala, despite proactive policy and positive legal support, transgender individuals face many challenges in gender-affirming medical care which include lack of family support and equity-related issues with respect to a number of social support institutions including health services. A few possible interventions are suggested such as changes in medical curriculum, more active State support and sensitization of the society including health workers.
Debate: COVID‐19 and children in India Kumar, Anant; Nayar, K. Rajasekharan; Bhat, Lekha D.
Child and adolescent mental health,
September 2020, Letnik:
25, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The COVID‐19 pandemic impact on children is a growing concern. The United Nations and its agencies (the World Health Organization and UNICEF), Indian Association For Child and Adolescent Mental ...Health and National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience in India warn about the broader impacts on children and call for urgent action to support the world’s children amidst the pandemic which may have lasting consequences. The COVID‐19 pandemic and unprecedented control measures to prevent its spread have disrupted nearly every aspect of children’s lives – their health, development, learning, behaviour and their families’ economic security, including protection from violence and abuse. Given this background, there is an urgent need for action through screening to minimize the mental health issues of children in India who constitute a substantial proportion of the population.
India has the third-highest COVID-19 burden. Hosting the Sabarimala pilgrimage of an estimated 25 million can compromise the near-mitigated but fragile COVID-19 status of the host State of Kerala, ...accelerate the ongoing outbreaks in other states of India, and potentially in multiple countries with emigrants from Kerala.
Background
India has a dual burden of tuberculosis (TB) and diabetes mellitus (DM). Integrated care for TB/DM is still in the early phase in the country and can be considerably enhanced by ...understanding and addressing the challenges identified from stakeholders’ perspectives. This study explored the challenges and opportunities at individual, health system and policy level for integrated care of TB/DM comorbidities in India.
Methods
We used an outlier case study approach and conducted stakeholder interviews and focus group discussions with relevant program personnel including field staff and program managers of TB and DM control programs as well as officials of partners in Indian states, Kerala and Bihar.
Results
The integrated management requires strengthening the laboratory diagnosis and drug management components of the two individual programs for TB and DM. Focused training and sensitization of healthcare workers in public and private sector across all levels is essential. A district level management unit that coordinates the two vertical programs with a horizontal integration at the primary care level is the way forward. Substantial improvement in data infrastructure is essential to improve decision-making process.
Conclusion
Bi-directional screening and management of TB/DM comorbidities in India requires substantial investment in human resources, infrastructure, drug availability, and data infrastructure.
India needs a resilient cancer program Pilakkadavath, Zarin; Rao, Arathi; Nayar, K ...
Journal of family medicine and primary care,
08/2021, Letnik:
10, Številka:
8
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Background: We analyzed the trends for two important cancers affecting females, breast cancer and cervical cancer, using the Indian cancer registry data and correlated the findings with selected ...relevant sociodemographic and behavioral indicators. Methods: We examined National Family Health Survey data for the respective states in which registries are located, on relevant indicators like multiparity, early childbearing, cervical examination, multiple sexual partners/high-risk sexual behavior, and HIV prevalence (for cervical cancer), multiparity, early childbearing, duration of breastfeeding, overweight, alcohol use, and clinical breast examination (for breast cancer). We used Global Adult Tobacco Survey smoking data. Results: The top four positions in cancer cervix were all in registries from northeast India with a higher proportion of multiparous women (≥3 births; around 40%), whereas three major metros in the south and the national capital of Delhi, all with a relatively low proportion of multiparous women (11-25%) topped the chart for breast cancer. Overweight/obesity was higher in states with a higher incidence of breast cancer (23.3-31%) compared to states with a lower incidence (12.2-16%). No clear patterns emerged with regard to alcohol consumption, duration of breastfeeding or clinical breast examination. Conclusion: The shift in the childbearing age group explains the increasing breast cancer rates in urban areas, whereas the persisting higher rate of multiparity explains higher cervical cancer rates especially in underserved states in the northeast. India needs to invest in transforming its cancer control program to be a more resilient one with a focus on screening and prevention.
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