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Global Update Indian Pediatrics 2000;37: 693-694 |
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News in Brief |
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Santra vs the State: The era of litigation is upon us and the today’s patient is more aware and less tolerant of errors on the part of health care providers. In a Haryana government hospital, some 16 years ago, a laborer named Santra with 7 children, underwent a sterilization operation. When she subsequently conceived and delivered a baby girl, she sued the State for Rs. 2 lakh. She was awarded Rs. 54000/- in damages but the state government challenged this order and defended the doctor. However, the Supreme Court has ruled that negligence on the part of the doctor has sabotaged a programme of national importance and said that "damages for the birth of an unwanted child may not be of value for those who are already living in affluent conditions, but those who live below the poverty line.... cannot be denied the claim for damages on account of medical negligence. (The Times of India 28 April 2000). Policy Banking on blood: With the AIDS epidemic ravaging the globe, it seems appropriate that safe blood is what the WHO is focusing on this year. What are the problems which beleaguer our blood banks? Chronic shortages and safety of the blood being used. Southeast Asia with a fourth of the worlds population has only 8% of the worlds blood supply. Systematic campaigns to encourage voluntary blood donations need to be stengthened. Intelligent use of the blood by encouraging component therapy production and use will reduce blood transfusions by 30% but in India 80-85% of blood transfused is whole blood according to sources in the WHO. Though the Supreme Court has banned donations by professional donors, they continue to account for a third of the donations in India. Another worrisome fact is that though the sero-prevalence of Hepatitis C in India is 1.2-3% most blood banks do not screen for it. The situation is even gloomier in Pakistan and Bangladesh which do not have a national blood policy. As blood transfusion facilities become available in smaller and smaller set ups who have no qualms in overlooking safety norms, the repercussions will have to be faced slowly but surely (BMJ 15 April 2000). Phony business: As a general rule the dangers of environmental hazards are seen earlier and more intensely by children since their organs are growing and developing. The most recent health warning is about use of mobile phones in children. The report published in May by the Independent Expert Committee on Mobile Phones in the UK, after studying all available data related to mobile phones feels that though there is currently not enough data to suggest any actual damage by mobile phone use or residence near their transmitter masts, in view of the non thermal effects of radiation emitted by mobile phones it would be sensible not to allow children to use it since their skull bones are softer and their brains are developing. In 1998, Tattersall showed that radiation levels similar to those emitted by mobile phones could alter signals from brain cells in slices of rat brain and other workers have shown that radiation such as seen from microwave ovens can increase response rates in subjects. So happily, atleast for parents, it’s hands off from mobile phones for children (New Scientist 13 May 2000). Technology Gene-ius: Though gene therapy seemed so obviously the answer for so many incurable ailments, it has had few successes so far. Now Necker Hospital in Paris has hit the limelight with the successful use of gene therapy in 2 infants with severe combined immuno-deficiency (SCID). In the past these children were raised in air tight sterile areas till bone marrow transplantation was attempted but nearly a year after gene therapy the recipients are now living normal lives. SCID is an X linked disorder where the receptors which transmit information for activation and proliferation of T and NK cells are defective. Fischer and his group in Paris transferred the missing gene via a retro virus to the stem cells of the patients. Close monitoring showed the development of cells with the normal copy of the gene in a few weeks. The children will however be monitored life long to watch for long term problems (Science 2000; 288: 627-9, 669-72). Telemedicine: While the Ministry of Infor-mation Technology has initiated a Technology Development Programme for Telemedicine using both ISDN and dial-up telephone lines and is still planning a pilot project to study the feasibility and cost effectiveness of telemedicine in areas around Delhi, Chandigarh and Lucknow; the private sector has already seized the initiative in Andhra Pradesh quite certain of it’s profitability. On April 13, the Apollo Hospitals Group has opened a telemedicine center in Aragonda in Andhra Pradesh which has an operating theater, CT scan, and laboratory which can collate and transmit data to centers in Chennai and Hyderabad. It will be used as a facility for post acute care, second opinions and health education. The next plan is to extend services to 125 primary-health centers, 25 district hospitals, and three tertiary centers in five states. The answer to our countries health problems lies probably in a happy blend of the therapy and initiative of the private sector with the vast infrastructure of the public sector (The Lancet Interactive 29 April 2000). Gouri Rao Passi,
International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh - http://www.icddrb. org.sg. This center is one of the pioneers in research on diarrhea and cholera in the World. The fundamental mission of the Center is to develop and disseminate solutions to major health and population problems facing the world, with emphasis on simple and cost-effective methods of prevention and manage-ment. Development of ORS is one of their achievement. This well designed site gives information about the center, its activities, ongoing research and publications. Reuters Health - http://www.reutershealth. com/. This is the health news section of Reuters news agency. The latest and most authentic health news stories and summaries of the latest articles from most international journals including various pediatric journals are posted in this site. The latest and last 10 days news can be accessed free. Subscribers can access the complete archive. A searchable drug database is another feature that is accessible from this site. Free Medical Journals.com - www.free medicaljournals.com. This new site offers links to free full-text journals and is dedicated to the promotion of free access to medical journal over the internet. This site has been launched by Amedeo.com, of vaccine weekly fame. As on date links to around twenty journals that provide free full text access are available. These links are classified according to speciality. American Journal of Perinatology - www.thieme.com/onGILJMAEEEGDH/display/755. The abstracts and table of contents of this peer reviewed journal are accessible free of charge. A common registration grants access to all journals by their publisher - the Thieme group. An email table of contents delivery facility is also available. Atlas of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy - www.mindspring.com/~atlsouthgastro/atlas_1.html. If you fancy an endoscopic tour of the gut then look no further than the Atlas of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. This site has a good selection of pathologies with helpful commentaries and is easy to navigate around. Being laden with graphics, its download times can be slow, but the collection is worth the wait. C. Vidyashanker, Note : These websites have been verified on April 2, 2000. In case of any difficulty in accessing the URLs, readers are requested to check the electronic version of the journal or contact the author.
In the May 2000 issue, the two histopathology photographs on pages 546 and 550 have been interchanged. |
