First and foremost, are they prepared to accept this full acceptance and capitalise on this chance once their profession has truly reaped all the rewards and profits they have accrued over the past 2.5 years? Or is it engaging enough to attract the young people of the next generation, ensuring that this is the career that will allow them to develop, grow, and have a great life ahead, or is it actually well-ingrained in our policies, institutions, and educational system, ensuring that we actually nurture the values in the generation to be carried forward.

Next, Captain Sandhya introduced Dr. Raminder Kalra, the first panellist, who is a renowned academician in the nursing community and eminently known for bridging the gap between service and academics. She then introduced the second panellist, Capt. Indira Rani, a highly qualified nurse with an M.Phil. who decided to work in the hospital and had become an expert in nursing operations. Afterwards, Captain Sandhya introduced Dr. Vinod K, the director of nursing at Medanta, the medical facility, as the third panellist. Vinod is the first Indian nurse to graduate and enrol in an advanced management degree program at Indian School of Business. Last but not the least, Captain Sandhya introduced Kajal Gupta, who is in the process of developing into a qualified nurse.

Capt. Sandhya then introduced herself. She is currently in charge of the nursing services for the hospitals in the Fortis healthcare network. She also oversees the state of Delhi and NCR for the Association of Nurse Executive of India. Capt. Sandhya began the session with her questionnaire. The first query she asked to the panel was ‘What does professionalism in nursing mean to you, and do you believe it to be important?’

Capt. Indira expressed her appreciation for the invitation to participate on the panel for the question on the distinction between professionalism and profession. According to Captain Indira, professionalism is always found in knowledge, skills, and competence and is protected by ethics. Professionalism in nursing also entails exhibiting a steadfast dedication to the field and a determination to consistently provide the greatest standard of care to patients while respecting the principles of accountability, respect, and integrity.

In response to the question of why professionalism is important, she said that it is a symbol of commitment, dependability, and responsibility. It also embodies the organization’s ideals and makes a strong impression. Additionally, it promotes cooperative connections and open lines of communication while assisting in ensuring and protecting the health as well as wellbeing of patients. The environment and effectiveness of healthcare institutions are positively impacted by professionalism. Do you believe that nurses at different levels in hospitals display proper behaviour consistent with being a professional nurse? 

The next question Captain Sandhya posed to Mr. Vinod said that nurses in hospitals at various levels do indeed behave appropriately as professionals. He asserted that, in his opinion, there is no use in complaining because, in order to ensure that your nurses meet your expectations, something must be created. He continued by saying that the most important aspect of professionalism is for nurses to prioritise their patients. Communication is the second area that may need improvement. Effective communication can solve 99 percent of healthcare problems. The following step is to work together. Collaboration between departments within your own organisation, or teams made up of departments that care for patients. The final item is adopting a positive outlook.

Do you believe that we are instilling the appropriate elements when we are growing and moulding the nurses of the next generation? Capt. Sandhya then asked Dr. Raminder. The basic requisition according to Dr. Raminder, is a thorough curriculum updated in accordance with NEP, appropriate infrastructure, a wealth of clinical experience, faculty serving as role models, a faculty preceptor student model, mentor-mentee and counselling services, and strong leadership. This is leading to some issues, so areas of worry include unfilled faculty posts that result in a lack of clinical supervision, non-attendance at colleges, a dearth of clinical experience offered, and exorbitant clinical experience fees.

As the discussion continued, Capt. Sandhya inquired Capt. Indira the following question: Whether they hire the correct kind of nurses, and if not, then what difficulties do they run into when deciding whether or not to hire them? She excitedly said that her move from boardroom to behind nurse had been a really fulfilling one. The six traits of today’s next-generation nurses, she continued, are: champions of consistency; proponents of value; care equalisers; “tuned in” to the medicine crisis; naturally tech savvy; and the patient’s advocate. In conclusion, nurses of the new or future generation are empowered and involved. They investigate the priorities of nurses who have been in practise for 10 years or less. They are adaptable, self-assured, and prepared for change. Additionally, they desire something unique and difficult, and they advance swiftly in their careers. The difficulties in attracting younger generations, shrinking finances, the rise of nursing specialties, a lack of communication amongst recruiters, the need for night shift leaders, and problematic relationships were only a few of the difficulties noted by Capt. Indira.

The difficulties in hiring and keeping employees come from their desire for flexible schedules, a sense of appreciation, and engagement. Only then will we be able to strike a balance if the entire nursing generation updates themselves to match this nursing generation.

Capt. Sandhya asked Mr. Vinod once more, “Can you give me any examples from your day-to-day situations where you have been concerned about the missing links?” In response to the above question Mr. Vinod gave the following responses that always put the patient first. For instance, if I don’t want to sponge bathe the patient, let’s take him or her to the bathroom. 

Effective communication is the second factor. For a nurse, passing over is the most crucial role. A patient’s life could be lost if the patient is not appropriately turned over to the next staff member. The third factor is teamwork and mentoring. For instance, veteran nurses must appropriately train new nurses without disparaging them. The collaboration is based on the idea that everyone has an equal role to perform. The fourth crucial factor is having a positive attitude. For instance, if you begin your shift with a bad mood, mistakes may be made that endanger the life of a patient. The second is to stay current with your information. Through social media and other means, you can stay informed. Be honest and accountable for your work, for instance, by checking and monitoring vital signs and recording the medications you have administered. The most crucial factor in ensuring that patient care is safe in hospitals is ethical behaviours.

After that, Capt. Sandhya asked Ms. Kajal Gupta, trainee nurse, if she was happy with the way she had been trained in her institute, how she was being mentored, and what advice she would provide to her coworkers who wanted to become successful nurses. Kajal responded that she can say she is satisfied for three key reasons. The first is that she is extremely happy and grateful to be a student at Holy Family College of Nursing, one of the top nursing schools in the nation. The second is exposure to practical work, or clinical experience, which you obtain in hospitals. The institution’s additional efforts and investment come in third. She continued by elaborating on each of the three topics, such as the necessity of clinical experience for students in order for them to get exposure and confidence. Additionally, the college has made particular efforts to boost the students’ confidence. Various mentors are assigned, and special mentoring programmes are offered. . Finally, she wants to convey to her coworkers that it is crucial to develop physical fitness and stamina early on because a career in nursing requires it. So it’s crucial to keep healthy habits. The second step is to learn all that is being taught to you.

Capt. Sandhya concluded the meeting by thanking the panellists. For vote of thanks she further extended it to Mr. Sachin Gaur, Director of Operations at the InnovatioCuris Foundation of Healthcare & Excellence. He concluded with the notion that a strong foundation of healthcare delivery is nursing. The nursing community is a capable keeper. It mostly controls the emotional impact of receiving medical care. He gave a heartfelt respect to the nursing profession and the sacrifices made by the healthcare industry. 

Compiled by: “Clarion Smith Kodamanchili”

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By now, chances are you’ve heard all about the new surround-yourself technology known as the “metaverse”, the purported next big online thing conceived by Mark Zuckerberg. For those unaware,  the metaverse is sort of the internet brought to life, or at least rendered in 3D. Meta CEO Zuckerberg has described it as a “virtual environment” you can go inside of, instead of just looking at on a screen. People can meet, work and play, using virtual reality headsets, augmented reality glasses, smartphone apps or other devices.

Hyderabad-based Yashoda Hospitals Group has acquired space on Decentraland — a metaverse platform where users can buy and sell property and engage in other life-like activities — in order to set up a virtual clinic. As per The Print, The ‘land’ acquired by the group measuring 16 x 16 ‘metres’ is a virtual experience centre where users can learn more about the chain of hospitals, the services it provides, and the doctors on its panel.

By next year, the space will be ready to as a virtual clinic where the avatars of patients will be able to seek expert consultations from doctors, according to the group — for a fee that will depend on the doctor and may eventually be on par with that of physical consultations, as per the report.

“Since the beginning, we have aimed to be progressive as a group, we have many firsts to our accolade, including clinical excellence, infrastructure, and innovation. We have been early adopters of digital technology that adds value to our ecosystem, from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 and now Web 3.0. We believe the future will be driven by core technologies like the blockchain and Web 3.0, moving from a centralized to a decentralized ecosystem.” Dr Abhinav Gorukanti, director of Yashoda Hospitals said in a statement, as per Financial Express.

“Setting up our presence on decentraland is the first step towards our efforts and acceptance of decentralized tech, we will continue to upgrade and invest in making our digital infrastructure future-ready,” he added. Gorukanti told The Print that buying space on Decentraland marks the group’s plunge into the metaverse, adding that they are working on “evolving the experience” by placing a receptionist to take things forward.

“There are, of course, a lot of limitations to the metaverse; emergency services will have to be physical. However, lifestyle, mental health, and nutrition, these are things that can be on this platform,” he added.

In February, The Apollo Group of Hospitals announced a tie-up with 8chili Hint VR (Virtual Reality) platform. As per The Indian Express, the announcement was made by Dr Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals who said the move was done to allow both patients and doctors to engage in virtual reality as that was the future.

“The main focus of VR in patient care would be for pre-post operative counselling, increasing patient outcomes by bringing in relaxing narratives that induce control over one’s psychological responses. The VR will also help in a personalised approach to every patient,” Reddy said.

“People learn best by doing, which is why healthcare is a natural fit for immersive VR training. Findings support the equivalence and superiority of VR training, the time to skill mastery and the economic savings in this platform as compared to traditional methods,” said Dr Sangita Reddy. She further explained that the virtual reality platform will help take VR immersive training at scale and efficiencies.

According to the hospital, California-based 8chili Hint VR is an end-to-end platform to manage metaverse strategy helping in original 3D content creation, metaverse customisation and also delivery of this content across various metaverse real estate. Speaking about the entire new venture, Dr Prathap C Reddy said, “Virtual Reality will change how we enrich the healthcare community and also improve patient experiences. Apollo Hospitals is excited to work with Hint VR to find solutions into our care continuum.”

Source: https://www.firstpost.com/india/explained-into-the-metaverse-hyderabads-yashoda-hospitals-becomes-first-indian-healthcare-group-on-platform-10828881.html

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Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) announced recently that it is partnering with global research-driven biopharmaceutical leader, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund Limited (BIVF) in a strategic co-incubation collaboration to promote and nurture startups in research and development for infectious diseases and immunology.

According to reports, HKSTP is dedicated to collaborating with sector leaders in building the strongest I&T eco-system to help startups via business development, mentorship, and investment initiatives.

Reportedly, this partnership between HKSTP and BIVF marks a key milestone to drive Hong Kong’s biomedical technology development. Moreover, both local and global qualified startups in infectious diseases and immunology can apply to the incubation programme to access the full capabilities of the HKSTP ecosystem and BIVF’s extensive biotech funding network. Additionally, incubatees can access one-on-one coaching and assessment to track key research milestones, while receiving expert guidance from HKSTP on commercialisation, manufacturing, scaling-up and marketing strategy to ensure successful innovation, plus vital funding opportunities and investment insight from BI.

“Hong Kong is now Asia’s largest and the world’s second largest fundraising hub for biotech. As HKSTP marks our 20th year of propelling success and innovation, our mission is to drive the growth of biotech to another level with world class leaders like BIVF. We will maximise the GBA growth opportunities for high-potential tech talents and early-stage startups to ensure the region emerges as a global I&T powerhouse,” Albert Wong, CEO of HKSTP, said in a statement.

“Our partnership with BIVF, provides early-stage startups and promising university spinoffs with vital support at the most critical stage of their long and challenging biotech innovation journey. Incubatees will have access to our Incu-Bio Programme, with total incubatees doubling up in the last five years. The startups can also access funding support of up to HK$6 million, with financial subsidies and upfront grants to cover regulatory activities such as clinical trials,” Dr. Grace Lau, Head of Institute for Translational Research of HKSTP, stated.

“The world has faced growing public health challenges in recent years. As Boehringer Ingelheim’s strategic investment arm, BIVF focuses on the development of new science in areas with huge unmet medical needs such as infectious diseases and immunology. The co-incubation program jointly initiated by HKSTP and BIVF will enable us to identify more breakthrough technologies in the early stage of development. With the funding and infrastructure support offered by HKSTP and BI‘s expertise and experiences in the successful development of breakthrough mediactions for patients, we foster the startup companies and bridge the gap between science and industry for the local ecosystem. We look forward to developing together with HKSTP next-generation therapies in the fields of infectious diseases and immunology with long term partnerships,” said Dr. Frank Kalkbrenner, Global Head of the BIVF.

“The innovation competency of biopharmaceuticals in Asia is rising quickly. To grab the opportunities in this market, Boehringer Ingelheim has set up the External Innovation Hub in China which brings our Research Beyond Borders, Business Development & Licensing and Venture Fund groups under one umbrella. Now we’re thrilled to see that the biopharmaceutical industry is picking up rapidly in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau Greater Bay Area, it’s a great opportunity for us to partner with HKSTP to develop the local ecosystem, and further enhance China’s dual-circulation scheme. We hope to offer our continuous support to more home-grown innovations to be recognized on the global market and eventually benefit the patients worldwide.” said Mr. Felix Gutsche, President & CEO, Boehringer Ingelheim China.

According to reports, programme incubatees will also benefit from HKSTP’s rapidly-growing biotech R&D capabilities including the HKSTP Institute for Translational Research (ITR). This will enable biomedical startups to turn their innovative biomedical technologies to life-changing impact on patients and society.

Source: www.financialexpress.com

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Centre for Brain Research (CBR) which is situated in the premises of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The Prime Minister also participated in the stone-laying ceremony of Bagchi-Parthasarathy Hospital.

The CBR has been created at a cost of Rs 280 core and it will carry out vital research in rural Karnataka to provide appropriate, evidence-based public health interventions to delay the onset of dementia and slow its progress. The 832-bed not-for-profit Bagchi-Parthasarathy Hospital will be built at a cost of Rs 425 crore. This will integrate science,engineering and medicine on a single campus, taking full advantage of the century-old excellence of IISc in science and engineering.

Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Union Minister for Coal, Mining and Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi were present on the occasion. Donors for the Bagchi-Parthasarathy Hospital, Chris Gopalakrishnan couple, Bagchi and Parthasarathy family members were also in attendance.

Earlier, while on the way to lISc, Prime Minister Modi stopped his car and waved at thousands of party workers at Mekhri Circle. The crowd chanted slogans and were overjoyed as PM stepped out to wave at them PM Modi also put out a tweet in Kannada explaining the programmes he is participating in the state.

Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/pm-inaugurates-centre-for-brain-research-at-iisc-in-bengaluru/92336401

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Standard Chartered Bank, India and Seva Foundation have partnered to create critical access to eye care for four million people in underserved communities in India through a new initiative – Envision. The two organisations along with partner hospitals will establish 65 new vision centres across nine states in India – Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and West Bengal.

Under Envision, vision centres will be established in areas that do not have access to eye care, extending the country’s ability to deliver universal eye health coverage. These new vision centres will be set up by 15 leading eye care providers by December 2024 and will collectively provide 400,000 eye exams, 67,000 glasses, and conduct 16,000 eye surgeries.

Vision centres are local, permanent establishments that provide access to eye care services to underserved communities, including women and children. They are equipped to meet 80% of all eye care needs and can refer patients to nearby hospitals for complex cases. The staff at these centres is recruited and trained locally, thereby generating employment opportunities.

Karuna Bhatia, Head – Sustainability, India, Standard Chartered Bank said, “With our collaboration with Seva Foundation we endeavour to provide critical eye care to people who would not have easy access and not be able to afford this treatment. Through Envision, we will establish infrastructure and systems to help us in realising our vision under the Bank’s ‘Seeing is Believing’ initiative of tackling avoidable blindness and making eye health facilities accessible to more communities across the country. So far under our Seeing is Believing programme, the Bank has reached 14 million people in India, conducted 2.58 million cataract surgeries through our existing network of 265 vision centres across 22 states.”

Kuldeep Singh, Programs Manager for India & Bangladesh at Seva Foundation said, “This initiative highlights the Seva Foundation’s commitment to build and strengthen the primary care delivery model at grassroots level in the country. India has an estimated 270 million people with vision loss and 80% of them can be treated at primary eye care vision centres. Poor eye health imposes a non-trivial recurring cost to the Indian economy equivalent to 0.57% of GDP (INR 1,158 billion), a substantial constraint on the country’s growth aspirations.”

Source: www.indiaeducationdiary.in

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