In an interaction with InnoHEALTH magazine, the Minister asserts that the government would herald a new era of healthcare and the plan announced in the Union Budget would be implemented with full sincerity. It will take a few months to roll out all nitty-gritty’s of implementation. He dismisses apprehensions of those sceptical of the plan in wake of massive funds required for the implementation of the world’s largest healthcare plan. There would be no laxity in the successful implementation of the scheme and it had nothing to do with elections but it is a well-thought-out plan to ensure holistic healthcare to common people. Massive machinery has started churning out plans to bring the scheme to the ground reality. Informatively, a plan to provide health coverage to 50 crore people has been proposed in the current budget 2018-19 and is being viewed as a precursor to the UHC.

WHO’s definition of UHC — one of the goals of sustainable development — includes financial risk protection (against medical expenses), access to quality essential health care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.

The National Health Policy 2017 approved last year envisages the attainment of the highest possible level of health without anyone having to face financial hardship as a consequence. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) has taken concrete steps to reduce the Out of Pocket Expenditure (OOPE).

Mission Indradhanush launched in 2014 which was one of the largest global public health initiatives. In its four phases till date, Mass Immunisation (MI) has successfully reached over 25 million children in over 528 Districts. The focus is also on increasing the basket of vaccines. Since 2014, Rotavirus vaccine, Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV), and the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine, and also the JE vaccine for adults have been launched.

Under Pradhan Mantri Dialysis Program (PMDP) 1.43 lakh patients have availed free services from 1,069 Dialysis Units and also under Free Drugs and Diagnostics Program; Affordable Medicine and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) outlets nearly 47 lakh patients have benefitted and through the purchase of subsidized medicines from AMRIT Pharmacies.

To provide comprehensive primary care, the Government has announced of transforming 1.5 lakh sub-health centres to Health and Wellness centres i.e. MoHFW is now moving towards the provision of comprehensive primary care through the Health and Wellness Centres.

The MoHFW has initiated universal screening of common Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension and common cancers at the sub-centre and Primary Health Centre (PHC), which will enable the strengthening of preventive and promotive health, improve patient referral and access to secondary care.

Excerpts

Q. Please share some major highlights of 2017 in promoting health initiatives?

I am proud to say that there have been several achievements. Few on top of my mind are—Release of the new National Health Policy 2017 after a gap of 15 years, the Passing of HIV & AIDS (Prevention & Control) Act, 2017, the Cabinet approves the Mental Healthcare Act 2017, and the most recent National Medical Commission Bill, 2017.

Besides these policy and legislature decisions, the MoHFW launched some major health initiatives. Starting with the most recent National Nutrition Mission 2017 with Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD), the intensified Mission Indradhanush. After the success of MI, the annual rate of increase of full immunisation coverage has increased from 1% to 6.7 % during the two rounds. We increased the basket of Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) with the introduction of new vaccines i.e. Rotavirus vaccine, MR vaccine and the PCV.

The PMSMA (Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan) has helped detect more than 5 lakh high-risk pregnancies. Similarly, MoHFWs Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) has screened 11.7 crore children, 43.4 lakh children were referred to secondary tertiary facilities, 27.8 lakh children availed services in secondary tertiary facilities. The MoHFW also launched the Mission Parivar Vikas (MPV) in 146 Districts of 7 states for substantially increasing the access to contraceptives and family planning services in Districts with Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 3 and above.

The MoHFW announced transformation of sub-health centres to Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) to expand the basket of services of primary care to make it comprehensive. The HWCs are expected to provide preventive, promotive, rehabilitative and curative care for a package of services related to reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (RMNCH+A), communicable diseases, non- communicable diseases, ophthalmology, ENT, dental, mental, geriatric care, treatment for acute simple medical conditions and emergency and trauma services. In addition, the recently launched population-based Screening of Diabetes, Hypertension and Common Cancers (Oral, Breast & Cervical) represents a massive step in identifying and addressing the risk factors at the community level itself. More than 150 Districts are taking up in 2017-18.

There are global achievements in terms of India being declared Infective Trachoma free. The MoHFW has also signed MoUs with Italy, Morocco and Cuba.

Q. What challenges did you aim to achieve next year?

Provisioning UHC and to restrict the growing burden of Non – Communicable Diseases. We have initiatives in place to manage both.

Q. How to address the fund crunch issue?

There is no fund crunch. In 2017-18 Union Budget, the health allocation was increased by 27.7%. The MoHFW is committed to 2.5% of GDP to healthcare in a phased manner under the National Health Policy 2017. So I don’t foresee any fund crunch.

Q. Your comments on private sector role in healthcare? Is their contribution satisfies you?

Private sector engagement is a part of new National Health Policy 2017 for a reason. They have a very significant and important contribution to the country’s health services landscape. In terms of real-time support, we are satisfied with their contribution to the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) and provisioning dialysis services through PPP under the Pradhan Mantri Dialysis Program.

Q. Please throw light on Universal Health Coverage initiatives?
There are several, however, I can list a few:-

• In 2017-18, the MoHFW announced transformation of subhealth Centres to Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) to expand the basket of services of primary care to make it comprehensive. The HWCs are expected to provide Preventive, Promotive, Rehabilitative and Curative Care for a package of services related to RMNCH+A, Communicable diseases, Non-Communicable Diseases, Ophthalmology, ENT, Dental, Mental, Geriatric Care, treatment for acute simple medical conditions and emergency and trauma services. The indicative package of services envisaged is

a. Care in pregnancy and childbirth
b. Neonatal and infant health care services
c. Childhood and adolescent health care services
d. Family planning, contraceptive services and other Reproductive Healthcare services
e. Management of Communicable diseases: National Health Programmes
f. Management of Common Communicable Diseases and General Out-Patient care for acute simple illnesses and minor ailments
g. Screening and management of Non-Communicable diseases
h. Screening and basic management of mental health ailments
i. Care for common Ophthalmic and ENT problems
j. Provision of basic dental health care
k. Geriatric and palliative health care services
l. Trauma Care and Emergency Medical Services

The Health and Wellness Centre (H&WC) will deliver comprehensive primary healthcare using a team-based approach and would be led by a mid-level service provider with a primary healthcare team including ANMs, ASHAs, and AWWs, of the sub-centre area. Altogether, 4000 sub-centres are targeted to be transformed to HWCs by March 2018 and 1.25 lakh HWCs by March 2022. So far approval has given for 3871 HWCs.

• National Programme for Prevention & Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS)— -In order to prevent and control major NCDs, the MoHFW is implementing the NPCDCS in all states across the country with the focus on strengthening infrastructure, human resource development, health promotion, early diagnosis, management and referral. As on date, the programme is under implementation in total 436 Districts, with setting up of NCD clinics in 435 District Hospitals, and 2145 Community Health Centres. Cardiac Care Units have been set up in total 138 Districts and Day Care Centres for Cancer Chemotherapy have been set up in 84 Districts. Provision has been made under the programme to provide free diagnostic facilities and free drugs for NCD patients attending the clinics at the District and CHC levels.

• Population-based screening for Diabetes, Hypertension and Common Cancer (Oral, Breast & Cervical)—The recently launched Population-based Screening of Diabetes, Hypertension and Common Cancers represents a massive step in identifying and addressing the risk factors at the community level itself.

More than 150 Districts are being taken up during 2017-18. As of September 2017, approvals given for about 170 Districts in 16309 sub-centres and screening has been initiated in about 60 Districts, 12 states, 2 UTs and 20,15,474 people have been screened.

Q. How the Ministry ensures safe pregnancy in rural/remote and tribal areas where access to hospitals is not that easy?
The issue focuses on our entire Reproductive Child Health (RCH) programme and National Health Mission To list a few viz.-
a. Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY)
b. Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK)
c. HBNC/HBIC (Home-Based Neonatal Care/Infant Care)
d. National Ambulance Service (108/104)
e. Tribal Birthing/Waiting Homes
f. Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA)

Q. What message do you want to share with the community in their fight against dengue and chikungunya?

I want to focus solely on prevention viz. preventing water logging around the house. And other measures which we keep reiterating through our regular Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) campaigns. This requires community partnership and ownership.

Q.8. What has been the status of constructing of new AIIMS across the country?

The Government has been at the forefront to strengthen the tertiary care. As such six new AIIMS are functioning and six will come up in due course.

Q. Pl throw light on MoU signed with Morocco. What will be the major gains?
The main areas of cooperation include the following:
a. Non-communicable diseases, including child cardiovascular diseases and cancer
b. Drug Regulation and Pharmaceutical quality control
c. Communicable Diseases
d. Maternal, child and neonatal health
e. Hospital twinning for the exchange of good practices
f. Training in administration and management of health services and Hospitals
Q. Generic medicines: How to address availability issue?

The MoHFW recently issued a draft gazette notification making it mandatory for Pharma companies to carry the generic name of drugs on packs that are at least two fonts larger than the brand name. This clause will be a legal provision as a rule under the existing Drugs and Cosmetics Act. And any violation will be punishable under the provisions of the law. The Ministry has sought public comments on the draft, after which it is likely to become part of the drug law.

Also, issued orders to the Medical Council of India (MCI), state governments and all central government hospitals asking them to ensure that doctors write prescriptions with generic names of medicines in legible handwriting.

In last three years, the government has capped prices of around 700 essential medicines. It has also capped prices of stents and is working to make drugs for critical diseases like cancer and heart disorders available through various schemes. It has also launched several programmes to make free drugs and diagnostics available under the National Health Mission.

Also, our AMRIT stores provision generic drugs. 19 states have set 105 pharmacies for providing medicines for Diabetes, CVD, Cancer and other diseases at discounted prices to the patients. A total of more than 5000 drugs and other consumables are selling at up to 50% discounts.

As of 15th November 2017, 44.54 lakh patients benefitted from AMRIT pharmacies. The value of drug dispensed at MRP is Rs 417.73 crore and savings of Rs. 231.34 crore from AMRIT stores thereby reducing theirs out of pocket expenditure.

Q. Doctors’ shortage: What measures should be put in place to address the concern?

• The MoHFW has granted permission for the establishment of 83 new medical colleges in the last 3 years including 31 in the government sector. The country has today 479 medical colleges with more than 67,000 MBBS seats.

• The Ministry has taken various measures to facilitate the setting up of new colleges viz.

a. norms for medical colleges rationalized
b. urban areas have dispensed with the minimum area of land within notified
c. Companies have to allowed to set up medical colleges.

• The MoHFW is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely “Establishment of new medical colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals”

• Under this Scheme, 58 Districts in 20 States/UT has identified to establish new Medical Colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals. Out of these, 56 have been approved to date.

• Out of 56 approved medical colleges, 8 are functional and 29 have applied for MCI’s permission to start new medical colleges from the academic year 2018-19.

• The increase of PG seats:

• In January 2017 the teacher-student ratio was revised in government medical colleges in clinical subjects and consequently around 3,000 PG seats added as a one-time measure.

• In the normal course of permission under IMC Act added 700 seats. Combined with the increase of DNB seats, the ministry could achieve an increase of nearly 5800 PG seats in 2017.

• The country has today around 38,000 PG seats including Diplomate of National Board (DNB).

Q. Please throw light on Mental Healthcare Act, 2016. What steps the did government plan to create awareness on this?

• The Act adopts a rights-based statutory framework for mental health in India and strengthens equality and equity in the provision of mental healthcare services in order to protect the rights of people with the mental health problem to ensure that they are able to receive optimum care and are able to live a life of dignity and respect.

• Mental Healthcare Act strengthens the institutional mechanisms for improving access quality and appropriate mental health care services.

• The Act increases accountability of both government and private sectors in the delivery of mental health care with the representation of persons with the mental health problem and their caregivers in statutory authorities such as Central and State Mental Health Authority.

• The most progressive features of the Act are the provision of advance directive, nominated a representative, special clause for women and children related to admission, treatment, sanitation and personal hygiene; restriction on the use of Electro-Convulsive Therapy and Psychosurgery.

• Decriminalization of suicide is another significant facet of the Act, which will ensure proper management of severe stress as a precursor for suicide attempts.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley recently has announced two major initiatives in the health sector, as part of Ayushman Bharat programme. This is aimed at making path-breaking interventions to address health holistically in primary, secondary and tertiary care systems, covering both prevention and health promotion.

THE INITIATIVES ARE AS FOLLOWS:-

(i) Health and Wellness Centre:- The National Health Policy, 2017 has envisioned Health and Wellness Centres as the foundation of India’s health system. Under this 1.5 lakh centres will bring healthcare system closer to the homes of people. These centres will provide comprehensive healthcare, including for non-communicable diseases and maternal and child health services.

These centres will also provide free essential drugs and diagnostic services. The Budget has allocated Rs. 1200 crore for this flagship programme. In adopting these centres is also envisages the contribution of the private sector through CSR and philanthropic institutions.

(ii) National Health Protection Scheme:- The second flagship programme under Ayushman Bharat is National Health Protection Scheme, which will cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) providing coverage up to 5 lakh rupees per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization. This will be the world’s largest government-funded healthcare programme. Adequate funds will be provided for smooth implementation of this programme.

In order to further enhance the accessibility of quality medical education and healthcare, 24 new Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals will be set up, . This would ensure that there is at least 1 Medical College for every 3 Parliamentary Constituencies and at least 1 Government Medical College in each state of the country.

Want to write for InnoHEALTH? send us your article at magazine@innovatiocuris.com

Quadio launches the first ever revolutionary hearing app for android and iOS in India

Hearing loss is the second largest disability in the country that affects more than 120 million lives with majority sufferers over the age of 60. There are less than 2000 practicing audiologists in India and therefore most people have never actually received treatment until their hearing has degraded severely with age. Keeping this in mind Quadio Devices Pvt Ltd, a leading hearing care provider of India, introduced for the first time their path breaking Q+ hearing app in Mumbai on android and iOS platforms. The app promises to be a holistic mobile-based hearing solution complete with all the features of a conventional hearing tool. The Q+ app is a first of its kind free application that is ultra-advanced besides being affordable, accessible, controllable and customizable. Quadio uses the latest internet and mobile technology to push the boundaries of telemedicine and hearing care and merge the worlds of healthcare and technology. The Q+ app harnesses the processing power of your smart phone to enable it to be used as a complete and fully-functional hearing mechanism. It is designed to maximize the listening experience based on the results of a simple interactive hearing test. The app also gives you the ability to control and customize sound quality by intelligently enhancing hearing sounds and speech. With the Q+ app you can easily follow conversations using the phone headset in both quiet and noisy environments, and control the sound quality to customize it to your preference. The inbuilt hearing test in Q+ is calibrated for accuracy as per ANSI standards for audiometry.

Now, a magnet (Magnamosis) that may make surgical stitches history

A magnetic doughnut-shaped device has been developed that could be the end of stitches and staples. It’s being tested in a trial in the U.S. after results from animal studies suggested it could be highly effective as reported by the Daily Mail. Researchers leading the California trial say the device could be suitable for tens of thousands of procedures and will “revolutionise this area.”

The new device holds the two ends with a strong magnetic bond that researchers believe leads to a more secure anastomosis and faster healing and it is safer than standard techniques, as it can be done using less invasive surgery, meaning a lower risk of complications such as leaks. It’s also said to be cheaper.

The new device, the Magnamosis, is a method of connecting the pieces using the attraction between two magnets, rather than staples or stitches. It consists of two ring magnets, each 23mm in diameter, which have concave or convex surfaces so that they fit snugly against each other.

So far, this process has been shown to take less than a week using the magnet. It then automatically loosens its magnetic hold and is naturally removed from the body.

A series of animal studies have shown that it is reliable and effective, and it is now being used in a clinical trial with patients for the first time.

Essilor Launches Varilux 3.0, the Latest Generation Progressive Spectacle Lens in India

Essilor, the world leader in ophthalmic lenses, has introduced in India Varilux 3.0 series which is designed to provide the smoothest and sharpest vision to people above 40 years of age who are dealing with visual deficit across multiple ranges of vision. Varilux progressive lenses enable the wearer transition his vision smoothly between different distances from near to far, so that he can perform multiple eye functions simultaneously from checking his smartphone to watching the television without any unease or jerk of vision. Varilux 3.0 lenses comprise three ranges – Varilux, Physio, Varilux Comfort and Varilux Liberty.

The Varilux 3.0 range incorporates highly innovative patented technologies including Binocular Booster lens technology, W.A.V.E 2.0 technology and Path Optimizer technology.

VariluxPhysio lenses use the highly innovative Binocular Booster lens technology that simultaneously analyses the prescriptions of both eyes, taking into consideration that a person’s vision is at its best when both eyes are working together in sync.

The W.A.V.E 2.0 lens technology used in both VariluxPhysio and Varilux Comfort delivers sharper vision even in low light conditions. The lenses are intelligently designed to better adapt to the pupil size and beam of light passing through in order to deliver vision with the best resolution in a more accurate and realistic manner.

The Path Optimizer technology used in Varilux Liberty takes into account the wearer’s characteristics to generate a precise and optimal viewing path, from far to near and everything in between so that each and every part of the viewing path matches wearer’s eyesight. Varilux progressive lenses are tried and tested on real wearer’s and therefore guarantees optimal vision at any distance and allows the eye to transit smoothly and effortlessly from near-mid to far vision; this makes instant focus achievable for wearers simultaneously in different vision zones.

MiraCradle – Neonate Cooler, receives the CE and ISO 13485 certification

MiraCradle – Neonate Cooler, an affordable cooling device developed by Pluss in collaboration with CMC Vellore, receives the prestigious CE certification and ISO 13485. UL, a premier global independent safety science company is the accredited body that certified MiraCradle. MiraCradle – Neonate Cooler is an affordable passive cooling device which uses the advanced save Phase Change Material (PCM) technology to cool newborns suffering from birth asphyxia. Birth asphyxia is the second largest cause of neonatal deaths in India and across the world. It is easy to use, safe, lightweight and portable and gives the precise temperature control of 33-34°C for a period of 72 hours with minimal manual supervision and no requirement of constant electricity supply. MiraCradle costs less than 1/8th of the present electronic devices available in the market.

Pluss, with global ambitions in mind, collaborated with UL in October 2014 to obtain the CE and ISO 13485 certification. After a rigorous process of audits, Pluss obtained the ISO 13485 certification in August 2015 and CE certification in May 2016. With the certifications in place, Pluss is now poised to expand the influence of MiraCradle across geographies (Middle East, Africa, South America and South East Asia).

To ensure precise temperature control, MiraCradle- Neonate Cooler uses a cascaded system of PCMs. Cascaded system is a patented technology that employs use of two or more form stabilized PCM mattresses with melt/freeze at different temperatures. By engineering the melting points, thicknesses, conductivities and placement of the involved layers, a “quasi-automated” cooling system is created, which, while being completely passive, behaves like a servo-automated cooling device.

AddressHealth raises US$1.5 million in series a funding

Primary healthcare network, Address Health has raised $1.5 million in Series A funding led by Gray Matters Capital with participation from existing investor, Unitus Seed Fund.

The Bengaluru-based company, which runs school-based neighbourhood clinics and school health programs, will use the investment to expand the model to other schools in Bangalore.

Started in 2010 by doctors Anand Lakshman and Anoop Radhakrishnan, Address Health has reached more than 1 lakh children through on-site services and screening programs to identify health issues and provided early intervention to prevent them from suffering as young adults.

The funding will allow them to expand the reach of their unique model of healthcare, which leverages schools, to deliver comprehensive primary healthcare to children proactively, at a low cost.

Lifespan India introduces unique, non invasive screening test for Diabetes, Cardiometabolic complication

Lifespan, India’s largest chain of diabetes and cardiometabolic clinics introduces the R.I.S.C. test – a unique, non invasive, screening test for risk assessment. It screens an individual for risk of developing diabetes by calculating Insulin resistance. It also assesses one’s cardio metabolic risk score and autonomic neuropathy risk score. It tells about one’s body fat composition, heart functioning and the functioning of the autonomic nervous system, and pseudomotor nerves.

The test assesses 30 vital health indicators which give an idea regarding one’s risk of developing neuropathies and heart related complications. This test does not require any blood sample, only demands a 3 hour fasting. The test helps to

• Identify how diabetes is affecting your organs and what diabetic complications you may have developed and also are at risk of developing.

• Detect cardio metabolic related problems, cardiac autonomic neuropathy, diabetic autonomic neuropathy, arterial stiffness and sudomotor abnormalities.

• Analyzes a person’s present health status- the test checks for markers of underlying abnormal health condition by detecting small physiological changes.

HPE Bags Most Innovative Solution of the Year at Indian ISV Awards 2016

HPE’s eHC solution that provides access, availability & affordability of quality healthcare in remote locations, was judged the most innovative solution of the year at Indian ISV awards 2016, held in Bangalore on July 19th by Techplus Media. This disruptive innovation combines the best of Health & IT domains and provides underserved populations with access to quality, affordable healthcare thereby playing a critical role in contributing to healthy, vibrant communities and spurring economic growth.

The Visitor’s Choice Award was awarded toPolmon Instruments PvtLtdto for the launch of innovative MP98 Automated Melting Point Apparatus. MP98 is a specifically designed apparatus that automatically identifies the melting points and melting ranges of three test samples simultaneously. With the advantage of the colour touch screen to display all melting operations, the apparatus can be independently operated without the need of an external PC or keyboard.

The Jury’s Choice Award was given toBiopharmax Group Ltd for introducing the Biopharmax: The Next Generation of Pharmaceutical Pre-treatment Water Systems. The Pre-treatment process ensures an environment friendly, clean, reliable and effective way of supplying chemical-free and hardness-reduced water for use as RO feed water, without the need of any additional treatment.

SRL Diagnostics introduces technique to diagnose alcoholic liver

SRL Diagnostics, the leading diagnostic chain in India, for the first time has introduced a blood test to diagnose fibrosis in alcoholic liver. Introduced at a price of Rs. 3,900, this non –invasive test has high degree of accuracy in diagnosing liver damage due to alcohol. It is an innovative blood based test to diagnose the stage of damage to liver due to alcohol consumption. Alcoholic liver disease is the most common cause of liver damage in India.

In this test, few milliliters of blood are collected and multiple tests are performed on the same. The results of the tests are fed into a mathematical algorithm, which gives out the stage of liver damage.

According to the World Health Organization, 4.5 per cent of Indian men and 0.6 per cent of Indian women aged 15 years or more suffer from alcohol use disorders. Also, 395 men and 196 women out of every million population in India die of liver cirrhosis every year. According to estimates by SRL, alcoholic Liver Disease is a spectrum of disorders starting with fatty liver, which progresses to hepatitis and if alcohol consumption is unabated, it progresses to cirrhosis in 20 per cent of cases. Approximately, two-thirds of such deaths amongst men and one-thirds amongst women are attributable to alcohol related diseases.

Such a blood based test would be available through the vast network of SRL Laboratories and could prove to be of great value in assessing liver damage due to chronic alcohol consumption.

The Paediatric Network Partners With Josh Software To Create A Collaborative Platform in the Paediatric Eco-system;

Dr. Atish Laddad, a prominent paediatrician in Maharashtra, joined hands with Ruby on Rails Experts, Josh Software, to create a solution for providing an end to end solution, not only for the paediatricians, but also for the parents and their children. The Paediatrics Network, a brainchild of Dr. Laddad, simplifies and streamlines the process, makes it paperless and reduces the time of consultation significantly. This solution allows automation of prescriptions, patients’ historical records, appointments,vaccination records and capturing child’s milestones. This information gets stored on cloud and can be accessed from anywhere and anytime by both doctors and parents. It allows login for doctors, nurses, receptionists and parents.

Josh Software developed The Paediatric Network using Rails APIs and Angular framework. They have also created a mobile application for The Paediatric Network, which will enable parents to access the portal while on the go and take a confirmed appointment with the regular paediatrician in less than a minute. The mobile application has been developed in ionic framework and work on both Android and iOS platform.

It helps in bridging the gap between parents, their kids and paediatricians. By enrolling into TPN, a child will be more closely monitored by medical professionals. This program will help parents, especially working parents, to be at ease as challenges in the changing health patterns of their kid will be observed at initial stages and necessary actions can be taken well in time.

The solution was opened to beta users in July 2016, and currently, a total of 12 paediatricians have registered on the platform and are providing their services to the parents. There has been great interest from the entire community for this platform, and the adoption looks to increase exponentially in the coming months.

AMRIT will reduce the burden of out-of-pocket expenses on patients in India

With the aim to reduce the expenditure incurred by common patients on treatment of cancer and heart diseases, the Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Shri J P Nadda inaugurated the Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) outlet at Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi. The AMRIT retail outlets will sell drugs at highly discounted rates. These outlets have a very comprehensive list of medicines that are available across range of products. Nine AMRIT Pharmacies have been set up and Safdarjung Hospital is the 10th of this kind.More than 195 drugs for treatment of Cancer and 186 drugs for treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases are being sold through AMRIT with a discount of more than 90% are available to patients. More than 1.77 lakhs patients have been benefitted till date. This has resulted in saving of around Rs.13.00 crores out of pocket expenditure to the patients which translates into an average discount of 69% on MRP. The Government is planning to open 300 new outlets in the country. The project has been floated in a tie-up with government-owned HLL Lifecare Ltd (HLL) which is mandated to establish and run the AMRIT chain of pharmacies across the country. HLL has informed that the value of drugs dispensed (till 30th May) from seven outlets is around Rs. 7.00 crores while the MRP for the same was Rs.20.00 crores.

Indian Government launches patients’ feedback initiative ‘MeraAspataal’

Union minister of health and family welfare launched the “MeraAspataal ” initiative at the third National Summit on Good and Replicable Practices and Innovations in public health facilities at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. The initiative is an ICT-based Patient Satisfaction System (PSS) named “MeraAspataal / My Hospital” for implementation in public and empanelled private hospitals and is envisaged to empower the patient by seeking his / her views on quality of experience in a public healthcare facility. A multi-channel approach will be used to collect patients’ feedback i.e. web portal, mobile application, Short Message Service (SMS), Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS).

3M India, CII Young Innovators Challenge Award 2016

• Microbutor developed by Ganesh Bhere of Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai along with Ashwini Gaikwad of S.S Jondhale College of Engineering, Dombivali and Ashwin Pawade of IIT, Bombay is electricity free, handy and low cost equipment which can be easily used to detect microbial contamination of water. They were the winners in the technical category.

• The runner up under the technical category was for Samay-Sancharak, Braille enabled wearable wrist watch and cell-phone for blind people. The device was developed by RohitBharatkumar Singh of Thakur Institute of Management Studies & Research along with HitarthNarsi Patel of K.J. Somaiya College of Engineering &TanmayVinayShinde of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). The innovation displayed the integration of mobile phones with wearable watch design that can act as an interface for the blind to manage their calls and texts effectively.

• In the Social Category, the winner was ‘Saathi’, the first fully biodegradable and ecofriendly sanitary pads made from waste banana tree fiber for women across India.

Cochlear launches first off-the-ear hearing device- KANSO

Cochlear Limited, the world leader in implantable hearing solutions, released its newest innovation – Kanso. It is a sound processor combining the most advanced sound processing technology with a discreet design. Kanso is the smallest and lightest off-the-ear sound processor in the market providing the wearer with both discretion as well as enhanced comfort. The new technology is simple, discreet and smart as it has the ability to automatically adjust to different hearing environments providing a seamless experience from visiting a restaurant, to going to the movies.

Kanso includes state-of-the-art Cochlear True Wireless technology, which helps people use the phone, hear over distance and in noisy situations. The True Wireless range of accessories allows the wearer to stream conversation, phone calls, music and television programs directly to their sound processor.

It has dual microphones, SmartSoundiQ with SCAN and True Wireless technology which all enable the wearer to hear better in difficult listening situations. Kanso provides wearers with best-in-class hearing performance in the real world.

In Kanso clinical trials, 88% of people rated their overall hearing performance with Kanso to be the same or better than with their behind-the-ear sound processor. Most hearing impaired participants rated Kanso better than their own behind-the-ear sound processor on measures of comfort, look and feel and ease of use, with 93% of users rating listening to music with Kanso to be the same or better as with their behind-the-ear processor.

Dr. Reddy’s announces Purple Health, a unique patient-centric platformthat takes care beyond the pill

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd announced the launch of Purple Health, a unique platform designed to inspire patient-centric innovation and deliver solutions that address unmet needs of patients. Built around four pillars of awareness, access, adherence and experience of therapy for patients, Purple Health is another affirmative step forward by Dr. Reddy’s to institutionalize patient-centricity across the organization, stemming from its core belief ‘Good Heath Can’t Wait’. As the first major initiative under Purple Health, the company launched a new range of innovative, patient-centric packaging that aims to enhance the therapy experience for over 20 million patients each year. The entire packaging initiative spanned a period of 24 months from research to concept development to implementation. Starting with the India market, the new packaging will be rolled-out in phased manner over the next six months for 25 of its focus brands. Dr. Reddy’s identified medicine packaging as underserved area to innovate, as it has traditionally been designed only to meet technical and regulatory requirements, with little to ensure patient convenience. The Company partnered with global design and innovation consulting firm IDEO, and applied ‘Human-Centred Design’ approach to finding solutions during the design phase of the project. The team met a cross-section of patients, doctors and pharmacists across the country, conducting in-depth interviews and observational studies to understand patient’s needs. Based on the insights, the company redesigned its blister packs and syrup bottles to address the pain-points.

As a part of Purple Health, the company has also commenced a structured mechanism to assess its brand offerings on delivering care beyond the pill. Based on assessments by an eminent external jury, five of its brands have been certified as “Purple Star” brands for their patient centricity innovations. The five brands cater to needs of patients across various disease areas ranging from diarrhoea to oncology, with the assessment process underway for its other brands.

Innovations Abroad

TALKSPACE is an online mental health counseling service which brings a fresh sense of professionalism to the field, with a systematic approach customized to user needs and has over 300 licensed therapists in its network. New users can take a free assessment and work with Talkspace to get matched to the right provider, starting a long-term mental health journey on the right foot.

How it’s changing healthcare: The people who can most benefit from talk therapy have often found it hardest to come by due to financial difficulties, geographic isolation, and other factors. Talkspace has the potential to change all that, especially after a $9.5M funding round in 2015.

Captain T Cell: Start-up from the MDC wins OneStart competition in London

For the first time, a German team has won the world’s biggest life-science start-up competition. Captain T Cell, founded by Dr. Felix and several colleagues at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), beat 400 international start-ups to win prize money totalling GBP 100,000. The team will use the funds to further develop their innovative approach to cancer immunotherapy. Their goal is to create a platform for the production of personalized, cancer-specific T cell receptors. With the help of these receptors, the body’s own T cells, so called ‘killer cells’, are able to find and specifically destroy cancer cells in the patient’s body.Captain T Cell is supported by the MDC’s own Technology Transfer Office and by the SPARK Berlin program — a mentoring network from the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) and the Stiftung Charité that promotes application-oriented projects in biomedicine both financially and through consultation and training programs.

InBrace

An orthodontics company, InBrace won the Americas stream for the first time. InBrace is the first truly frictionless, self-contained, self-activating, and self-limiting orthodontic device delivering treatment that is faster, more comfortable, and more effective while requiring fewer and quicker appointments.

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