Treatment Archives - InnoHEALTH magazine

Good’s Syndrome, a lesser known Immunodeficiency disorder

Khushi Khandelwal — Tue, 27 May 2025 10:30:00 +0000

Dr. Eshika Dubey

This whole-body FDG-PET scan of a patient reveals diffuse, moderately increased FDG uptake in a well-defined, heterogeneously hypo-enhancing mass with lobulated borders located in the right prevascular region. The mass measures approximately 3 x 5.5 x 7 cm, with slight bulging along the right mediastinal border, suggesting a possible thymic neoplasm. Additionally, there is evidence of high-grade FDG uptake in enlarged, mildly enhancing lymph nodes in the left lower paratracheal (largest node measuring 18 x 14 mm), right tracheobronchial, subcarinal, and left hilar regions, raising the suspicion of a granulomatous etiology in the context of known CVID. The presence of increased metabolic activity in the para-sinus areas also indicates ongoing inflammatory processes.

Differential Diagnosis:

Thymoma
Thymoma-associated hypogammaglobulinemia (Good’s Syndrome)
Neurogenic tumors
Benign cysts
Lymphadenopathy (LAD)
Lymphomas
Thyroid masses

Why might this be Good’s Syndrome, and how is it diagnosed?

Good’s syndrome is a rare adult-onset immunodeficiency disorder characterized by the triad of thymoma, hypogammaglobulinemia, and increased susceptibility to recurrent infections. It typically presents in individuals during their 4th or 5th decade of life, with the average age of diagnosis around 62–65 years. Patients often present with an asymptomatic anterior mediastinal mass, although symptoms such as cough, chest pain, dysphagia, dyspnea, and hoarseness may develop due to thymoma. Additionally, Good’s syndrome can be associated with superior vena cava syndrome, Horner’s syndrome, and neck masses.

Diagnosis is frequently made during investigations for conditions like Myasthenia Gravis, with which Good’s syndrome has a significant association. Immunological findings in Good’s syndrome include hypogammaglobulinemia, a decreased or absent B cell count, abnormal CD4+:CD8+ T cell ratios, CD4+ T cell lymphopenia, and impaired T cell responses, along with reductions in serum IgG, IgA, and IgM levels. The disease shares features with X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) and common variable immunodeficiency (CVID).

Patients with Good’s syndrome may experience recurrent bacterial infections (e.g., urinary tract, skin infections), as well as opportunistic infections, such as cytomegalovirus (CMV) colitis, retinitis, and mucocutaneous candidiasis. It is important to suspect Good’s syndrome in individuals over 40 years of age who have a suspected or confirmed antibody deficiency, especially when they present with such infections and reduced mature B cell counts. This suspicion is further heightened in patients with presumed CVID attending immunology clinics. One of the first diagnostic steps in such cases is to measure serum immunoglobulins. A reduction in immunoglobulins, along with a history of sinopulmonary or opportunistic infections, is crucial in diagnosing Good’s syndrome.

Treatment

The primary treatment for thymoma is surgical removal or debulking of the tumor. For patients with stage 3 or 4 thymomas, radiotherapy and/or combination chemotherapy may be necessary. Immunoglobulin replacement therapy is required to address the antibody deficiency. If the patient has a CMV-negative or unknown CMV serology, CMV-negative blood products should be administered to avoid the risk of iatrogenic CMV infection.

Author’s Biography

Dr. Eshika Dubey, an MBBS doctor currently working in Paediatrics at HBT Cooper Municipal Hospital. She has experience in Nuclear Medicine from HN Reliance Hospital and aspires to specialize in Radiology or Dermatology in the UK. She is a graduate of MGM Medical College and is interested in unique cases, research and writing.

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Guildelines Released for Evaluation of Nanopharmaceuticals

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 10:48:21 +0000

On 24th October 2019 in New Delhi, the Minister for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Health & Family Welfare released the guidelines for evaluation of nanopharmaceuticals, which are emerging as more potent tools for treating various diseases.
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The document, which covers all the aspects of evaluation from the definition and categorization of nanopharmaceuticals to pharmacovigilance of the new set of therapeutics, has been prepared as a joint project by the Department of Biotechnology in the Ministry of Science and Technology, and Indian Council of Medical Research and Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Nano-pharmaceuticals, which are derived by the application of nanotechnology in medical therapeutics, are expected to bring about a revolution in the treatment strategies as they would enable target-specific delivery of drugs and therapeutic molecules and thus offer higher efficacy and lower toxicity in many disease conditions. They are expected to be of great use particularly in cancer treatment.
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Every year, several new nanopharmaceuticals are being developed and marketed across the world. India too has a sizable pool of nanoscientists generating a large number of scientific publications in this domain. However, regulatory approval is the most important factor for translating laboratory research into bedside medicine. The new set of guidelines is designed to facilitate this process.
Noting that the document has been prepared by domain experts in consultation with representatives of the industry, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Hon’ble Minister of Health and Family Welfare expressed confidence that it will give a big boost to innovators and drug manufacturers to optimize their research and come out with medicines that would be safer and more affordable.
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Hon’ble Minister Dr. Vardhan also announced a three-day international conference that was organized by the Department of Biotechnology and Confederation of Indian Industry in New Delhi from November 21-23, 2019 in collaboration with the Association of Biotech-Led Enterprises (ABLE) and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), which is a public sector undertaking under DBT to showcase India’s prowess in the area of biotechnology and help build new partnerships and investment opportunities.
Titled Global Bio-India 2019, the meet deliberated on opportunities and challenges in the areas of bio-agriculture, bio-industry, bio-energy, bio-services, and biopharma sectors. It had several components including policy dialogues, investors’ round tables, a meeting of regulators across the world and an exhibition.

Credits: India Science Wire

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Are you filling the Health Insurance Claim?

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 08:21:32 +0000

5 things to watch out for when filing health insurance claim
The insurance company lives with the lurking fear of being trapped in fraudulent activities. And therefore, they follow the strict evidence checking rule in the claims process. Only when the insurance company is satisfied with all the evidence and proof, they will allow the claimant to get out of the line of fire.
You don’t need to find an escape route as you are not fraudulent instead you need to know how to get out of the line of fire like a hero. To know-how, read the 5 things to watch out for when filing a health insurance claim below:
1. Duly filled claim form
A medical claim form is an application form that every insurance company demands to start the claim process. Generally, the claim form comes with two sections Part A & Part B. Part A includes A to G sections that need to be filled by the claimant and Part B is filled by the hospital. Part A of form informs the insurer about the incident, medical expenses, and details of the policyholder and dependent who needs coverage, details of hospitalization, and a checklist of documents that one needs to submit with the claim form to the insurer. To avoid mistakes, fill the medical reimbursement claim form with the help of the SureClaim expert.
Also Read: Trends which will drive the healthcare industry in 2020
2. Intimation & claim within the time limits
The insurance company expects the insured to intimate the insurance company about the hospitalization 3 days before for planned hospitalization and within 24 hours in emergency hospitalization. Once the intimation is done, you can file a claim within 30 days from the date of hospitalization. On exceeding this time limit, you will have to submit the reason for the delay with your claim, failing which your claim can get delayed.
Also Read: Universal Health: Swachh India, Fit India, New India
3. Whether treatment is covered or not
Having a health insurance policy doesn’t mean that you can claim any medical expenses arising out of any medical conditions. Every health insurance plan comes with certain limitations mentioned in the terms and conditions of the policy. Before filing a claim, you must read the policy wordings which include the exclusion list and all the terms and conditions of your policy. Claim filed for anything that falls under the limitation or exclusion list will be rejected by the insurance company.
Also Read: Your New Year’s Health Resolution for 2020
4. Documents
After filing a claim form, you need to submit the documents as evidence and proof of the incident. The documents should be in the order that it should include the first consultation letter to all the medical bills related to medicine, hospitalization, lab reports and for which you are covered under the policy. The documentation process plays a very crucial role in your claim process as the entire decision of approval depends upon the documents you have submitted to your insurer. When people fail to justify the medical expenses by not submitting the supporting documents, the insurance company raises query which makes the process complex and time taking. It is important to note that all the supporting documents are to be submitted in original to the insurance company.
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5. Submit it to the right address
Now when you are ready with your duly filled claim form and all the supporting documents, it is time to verify the correct address of your insurer to send your claim. This point might sound obvious but let me tell you insurance companies have a specific address to receive the claim and process them. Make sure you find the correct address and send your claim via mail or submit by hand to the right address.
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Insurance companies take somewhere around 5 to 7 weeks to process your claim. Wait, your job is still not complete, you will have to do a regular follow-up of your claim with your insurer. First, you will have to verify if the insurance company has received your claim. Second, you will have to follow up for your claim id, which is usually generated by the insurance company within 3 to 4 days after receiving your claim documents. Third, take regular follow-up with your insurer for your claim status via call or online.

About the author

Anuj Jindal co-founded SureClaim to fix the broken claim experience of insurance customers. He believes technology can play a major role in empowering customers. His understanding is shaped by his decade long stint in healthcare and health-tech companies.

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Study: Awareness about Hypertension Very Low

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Wed, 24 Jul 2019 10:45:05 +0000

Hypertension, high blood pressure or BP, call it by any name; is a common condition which is caused by the force of blood against the artery walls.

A new study has highlighted the need for an intensive effort to improve upon hypertension awareness, care and control in the country especially for those in the most productive age group of 15–49 years, with emphasis on households with lower-income levels and those living in rural areas.

The study, which was based on the data collected under the National Health and Family Survey 2015–16 has found that efforts to tackle hypertension are lacking in all aspects, from screening for the condition and providing a diagnosis to the level of treatment given to the patients.

The data, for instance, showed that only three out of four people, who were found to have hypertension during the survey, had ever been checked for blood pressure earlier and only 45 percent of the hypertensive patients identified during the survey already knew that they suffered from blood pressure problem. Further, less than one in seven (13 percent) reported that they were under hypertensive medication and less than one in 10 (8 percent) had their blood pressure under control.

Significantly, contrary to general expectations, women had better control over their blood pressure than men. The analysis revealed that while 10.9 percent of hypertensive women were taking their medicine and had normal blood pressure; on the contrary, only 5.3 percent of hypertensive men did so.

The National Health and Family Welfare Survey had covered 731,864 individuals from twenty-nine states and seven union territories.

“Detection of hypertension is straightforward, treatments are simple yet effective, and hence hypertension can be easily controlled. However, India does not perform well in any of the measures of detection, treatment and control,” said Dr. Dorairaj Prabhakaran, Vice President, Research and Policy at PHFI and one of the authors of the study. “The new National Health Mission through the health and wellness clinics has the potential to address the issue.”

Dr. Lindsay Jaacks, another member of the research team, said, “we need demand-side interventions to raise awareness in India that hypertension is relatively easy and cheap to treat, and that keeping it under control can have huge benefits in terms of preventing heart attacks and stroke.”

Credits: India Science Wire

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World’s First AI powered Ayurveda Protocol

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 08:24:41 +0000

World’s First AI-powered Ayurveda Protocol launched in India; prospects of its linkage of AYUSH grid brighten up

Boarding a wobbly roadways bus, a dhoti-kurta clad young man, with protuberant vermillion dash on forehead, used to head for mythological twin city of Mathura and Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, clutching tightly his voluminous bag, stuffed with Ayurvedic medicines in tiny folded paper pouches for distribution to patients at ISKON center every weekend in early nineties.

But, recently, sporting a brick colored shirt and creamy Nehru jacket and matching black tight trousers, Ayurveda medicines practitioner Dr. Partap Chauhan unveiled world’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered protocols modeled on the basis of a mind-boggling database of patients and their successful cure.

Moved by the protocols’ apparent efficacy, India’s AYUSH Secretary, Dr. Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, has minced no words for exploration of a possibility to have a link of the protocols with the Ministry’s recently floated grid for the popularization of India’s traditional medicines at international fora.

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The world over, he said, moves are underway to reduce the cost of quality treatment. Recently, Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JP Morgan have announced a company with an Indian American Dr. Atul Gawande as its CEO to work out healthcare of US employees. It might be typical of disrupting the healthcare industry whale cost, a conundrum is raging madly. The new company will be headquartered in Boston and will operate as an independent entity that is free from profit-making incentives and constraints.

Dr. Gawande is a globally-renowned surgeon, writer, and public health innovator. He practices general and endocrine surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and is a Professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School.

“I’m thrilled to be named CEO of this healthcare initiative,” said Dr. Gawande, “I have devoted my public health career to building scalable solutions for better healthcare delivery that are saving lives, reducing suffering, and eliminating wasteful spending both in the US and across the world”. This work will take time but must be done. The system is broken, and better is possible.”

He is the Founding Executive Director of the health systems innovation center, Ariadne Labs. He also is a staff writer for the New Yorker magazine, has written four New York Times bestsellers: Complications, Better, The Checklist Manifesto, and Being Mortal, and has received numerous awards for his contributions to science and healthcare.

“Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming the dangers of childbirth, injury, and disease from harrowing to manageable. But when it comes to the inescapable realities of aging and death, what medicine can do often runs counter to what it should”. Says Dr. Gawande in his book “Being Mortal”.

Dr. Kotecha envisions Indian traditional medicines’ colossal potential in ensuring cheap and best treatment and country’s values, coupled with such medicines, have answers of all these emerging challenges. He spoke briefly about the “Being Mortal” book and the newly formed company.

The AYUSH Secretary was of the view that Indian traditional medicines should be included in ICD -11 as Chinese medicines have entered the classification already. The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is the international “standard diagnostic tool for epidemiology, health management, and clinical purposes.” Its full official name is International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems and is maintained by WHO.

Amid these developments, the protocols have been framed. Dr. Partap Chauhan, Director Jiva Ayurveda, narrated his arduous journey and said India’s traditional medicines efficacy was being recognized the world over, and his protocol would help according to it a scientific explanation on various parameters.

He had started his journey from a small dispensary in a garage in Haryana in 1992, and now a globetrotter is interacting with world-famous universities for deeper scientific researches on country’s 5000 years old traditional medicines.

The personalized treatment syndrome is catching up and researchers are underway on how to promote personalized treatment for more accuracy. He said the World’s first Diagnostic Protocols for Ayurveda would turn this ancient healing tradition into a data-and evidence-driven system of medicine and JIVA Health App.

These protocols, meant to standardize the practice of Ayurveda, have taken four years to develop after analyzing the consultation records of more than two lakh patients; the protocols have been successfully run on 20,000 patients till now, with dramatic results. This system will create a wealth of data and evidence that will go on to validate Ayurveda as a legitimate science of treatment, boosting its acceptability worldwide. The JIVA health app will provide authentic and actionable health and wellness information with content exclusively curated by Dr. Partap Chauhan.

JIVA group President Rishi Pal Chauhan has said the JIVA’s unique protocols are like an operating system for Ayurveda practice that structures the practice of Ayurveda and creates the wealth of data. It is well known that unlike Allopathy, which is focused on symptoms and standardized drug choices, Ayurveda is fundamentally a personalized system of medicine.

Even though thousands of years old, this traditional system of healing, conceptually, is a far more evolved science. For instance, personalized medicine (based on genomics) and the “systems view” of human health is only now beginning to come into fashion in allopathy, when Ayurveda has been built around these very concepts.

The reason is that the scientific community asks for data and evidence – on what basis are the medicines given and how is their effect proven? This data and evidence Ayurveda does not have. The big question is: “How do you standardize a system of medicine that is fundamentally personalized, with patients being given different treatment based on the root cause, even if the symptoms are the same?”

This is the challenge of mapping intuitive Eastern systems of medicine over objective Western frameworks. Data Analysis of Consultation Records of two lakh patients four years ago, Jiva Ayurveda began a huge data analytics project, reviewing the consultation records of two lakh patients that its doctors had treated over the decades.

After analysis, running into thousands of hours using artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computer modeling, the Jiva analysts concluded that while the Ayurveda treatment cannot be standardized for every patient, Ayurveda practice can surely be standardized. In other words, the way Ayurveda practitioners diagnose patients can be standardized by laying down definite protocols. This methodology currently exists only in the mind of the Ayurveda practitioner and each arrives at the diagnosis in his own way. The result of this is that no consistent data can be generated, and the methodology cannot be validated. And so began at JIVA the painstaking process of writing diagnostic protocols around the practice of Ayurveda by scanning the consultation records of lakhs of patients.

India’s first-ever Protocols for Ayurveda: the protocols that have been created over the last four years by Jiva. These protocols, and the decision support system built over them, help Ayurveda practitioners anywhere in the world arrive at the correct diagnosis in a data-driven way. The system also categorizes the diseases in terms of severity, which has a direct bearing on prognosis. As the consultation protocol flows, based on patient answers, the system starts assigning weights to different diagnostic possibilities and makes calculations to arrive at an authoritative diagnosis. It helps avoid judgmental errors and the cost of the wrong diagnosis. It also suggests diagnostic clues that the doctor may have missed which may lead to a possible different line of treatment.

Narrating all these, Dr. Chauhan says these protocols to standardize the practice of Ayurveda, the first-ever to be attempted in India, signal a revolutionary shift. They are akin to Ayurveda’s operating system that is accessible to everybody. This system will create a wealth of data and evidence that will eventually go on to validate Ayurveda as a legitimate science of treatment, boosting its acceptability worldwide. The protocols have been run successfully on 20,000 patients so far, with dramatic results. Three international universities are collaborating with JIVA to validate this data.

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A Neo Diabetic’s Tryst with Destiny

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Fri, 14 Dec 2018 08:32:40 +0000

A Neo Diabetic’s Tryst with Destiny & Birth of Innovative Enterprise to Combat Challenge

Where there’s a will there’s a way. For a young man – Sachin Gaur, a medical urgency that too on an alien land sent things topsy-turvy for a while, but he envisioned latent prospect in the disgusting scenario. Soon after stepping out from the hospital, he summarily stitched an innovative group to combat challenges being faced by millions of diabetic patients globe over.

Astoundingly, strange are the ways of nature to lend you a helping hand in a well-intentioned initiative. On way back home from Hyderabad, Sachin shared the flight coincidentally with one of the key chemists working with MSD for the last 22 years. He is a Harvard alumnus and was part of the team which designed the molecule called Januvia, which is one of the key drugs for diabetes. The whole gambit of diabetes and afflicted persons were discussed threadbare on board.

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It was Sachin Gaur’s tryst with destiny – narration of the sugary tale. “My quest for diabetes cure and management: a health accident that has given me a purpose in life.

Surrounded by healthcare experts, my quest of promoting healthcare innovations could not have been better. Until I was diagnosed with high blood sugar and the week immediately after with a medical emergency, which has no direct link with my diabetic condition, but the treatment is such that I need to have a strict regime of a brisk walk, frequent meals, and schedule of oral drugs and insulin. As I am writing this I have spent 6 days in a hospital bed (which was the first time since I was born) and 14 days out of it. The condition I had, essentially, I felt reborn but this time it seemed with a greater purpose. So, I am writing this article – not as 35 years old but a 20-day infant.

It seems the drugs that I am taking have made me as curious as a child – nothing seems impossible. I was able to synthesize a few lines on the hospital bed, which summarize my state of the mind. For English readers, this poem essentially means that I want to win my diet, in my mind and the exercise that this body can do. I need a resolve, determination, and courage from the almighty combined with the blessings of my elders and love of dear ones to defeat the voices of the world.

With this thought process in my mind, the project “Experiments with Sugar” (www.ExperimentsWithSugar.in) was born. With a team of 11 – from different walks of life: medical experts, researchers, a filmmaker, and more joining every day; we aim to enable 1 million people living with diabetes either cure or better manage their diabetes by the end of September 2021. I will be reporting the progress to you for the next three years via the InnoHEALTH magazine. This is the first social cause project we have undertaken at “InnovatioCuris Foundation for Healthcare and Excellence” (ICFHE), a not-for-profit organization as a mission mode project.

With the support of our experts, I managed to meet with some of the top experts and we are getting a great response. To name a few: Dr. Rakesh Sahay, Head of Department at Osmania Medical College; Joseph Duffy, Executive Director, Head of A Neo Diabetic’s Tryst with Destiny & Birth of Innovative Enterprise to Combat Challenge External Discovery Chemistry – Kenilworth, Merck & Co.

We plan to release a few episodes every month as a web series to provide scientifically correct information but in an accessible way to the common man. So, as a reader do guide us and send good suggestions our way. By the year-end, we also aim to produce a very high-quality report on the unmet needs of the stakeholders involved in the life of a person living with diabetes. This will then feed into the Smart India Hackathon planned in February 2019 as a diabetes track to support innovation in the country. We need suggestions for a planned roundtable in December 2018 in Hyderabad to validate our findings and further record the proceedings on the best scientific knowledge on diabetes.

Please write to me by sending an email with a suggestion and queries at sachin@innovatiocuris.com.

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National Strategic Plan for Elimination of Malaria

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 06:17:45 +0000

National Strategic plan for the elimination of Malaria being implemented vigorously in India

Amid ongoing plans to eliminate malaria, experts have found the incidence of malaria in India is 0.66 cases per one thousand population last year.

Official sources say in the year 2017, reported malaria cases have declined by 23% as compared to 2016 in India.

As per the World Malaria Report 2017 of the World Health Organization (WHO), the estimated malaria cases from India are 87% in South East Asia region.

Malaria is mainly concentrated in the states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Orissa, and Tripura because of the inaccessible terrain – many areas get cut off post-monsoon, the presence of efficient vectors – mosquito that transmits malaria and difficult terrain because of which malaria continues to be high in many pockets.

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Global Technical Strategy (2016-30) announced by WHO and adopted by World Health Assembly in May 2015 calls for malaria elimination by 2030.

According to the Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare) Ashwini Kumar, the Government has unveiled a plan to eliminate Malaria by 2030. The National Framework for Malaria Elimination (NFME) 2016-2030 document launched on 11th February 2016, lays out the vision, mission, broad principles and practices to achieve the target of malaria elimination by 2030 synchronizing with the Global Technical Strategy (GTS).

The Government has drafted National Strategic Plan for malaria elimination (2017-2020) wherein the country has been stratified based on the malaria burden into four categories – category 0 to category 3 and based on this the intervention of malaria control and prevention are being strengthened.

Interventions that are being strengthened are Early diagnosis and complete treatment; Case-based surveillance and rapid response; Integrated vector management; Indoor residual spray (IRS); Long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs)/ Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs); Larval source management (LSM); Epidemic preparedness and early response; Monitoring & Evaluation; Advocacy, coordination and partnerships; Behavior change communication (BCC) and Community mobilization and programme planning & management.

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Ayushman Bharat: Eligibility & Benefits

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 08:44:23 +0000

Ayushman Bharat theme, usually cited as ‘Modicare‘ was formally declared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his national holiday speech. This flagship project was launched on September 25. The project Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM) aims to supply coverage of Rs. 5 Lakh per family annually, benefiting more than 10 crore poor families. Poors and deprived rural families will be targeted under this scheme.

Eligibility and benefits of the scheme:
1. The benefit of cover Rs. 5 lakh per family per year. More than 10 crore families belonging to poor and vulnerable population based on SECC database will be the target beneficiaries of the scheme.
2. The cover will take care of almost all secondary care and most tertiary care procedures.
3. Under this project, the entitlement will be decided on the basis of deprivation criteria in the SECC database. The different categories in rural area include families having only one room with Kucha walls and kucharoof; families having no adult member between age 16 to 59; female-headed households with no adult male member between age 16 to 59; disabled member and no able-bodied adult member in the family; SC/ST households; and landless households deriving major part of their income from manual casual labour, as mentioned on the official website of Ayushman Bharat scheme-abnhpm.gov.in.
4. Automatically included families in rural areas having any one of the following: households without shelter, destitute, living on alms, manual scavenger families, primitive tribal groups, legally released bonded labor, will also come under this scheme. For urban areas, 11 defined occupational categories will be entitled under the scheme.
5. There will be no restriction on family size, age, and gender under ‘Ayushman Bharat’ scheme to ensure that nobody is left out (especially women, children and elderly).
6. Under this scheme, the treatment in case of hospitalization will be free of cost for the family.
7. All pre-existing conditions will be covered from day one of the policy. The benefits cover will include pre and post hospitalization.
8. The beneficiary will be able to go to public or empaneled private hospitals across the country and get free treatment.
9. The beneficiary will only need to carry any prescribed ID to receive treatment at the hospital.
10. According to Dr. Dharminder Nagar, MD, Paras Healthcare, “Government is acting strongly and actively in making ‘Ayushman Bharat’ a reality. PM’s announcement of rolling the policy under ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya’ through a technologically driven transparent platform speaks of government’s vision. We hope that Ayushman Bharat paves way for a concerted effort on improving country’s healthcare facilities.”

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Universal Health Coverage

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 06:06:11 +0000

Partner State Session; Achieving Universal Health Coverage, Insurance Led Innovations, and AYUSH

Recent policy aiming at Universal Health Coverage, the launch of Ayushman Bharat, Ministry of Ayush are some of the key steps of the government of India. Insurance led innovations can come from market and state actors both.

The panel represented industry working in cutting-edge research on Ayurveda, industry leaders, home healthcare expert, leading hospital leader and internet driven insurance marketplace providers.

Dr. James P Kingsland started the session with his keynote by a short presentation of slides about the project on primary healthcare they are doing in India. Talked about Achieving Universal Health Coverage and quoted the following

“There is nothing new except what has been forgotten”

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Deliberated on possible ideas to further strengthen the Indian healthcare system, learning from other markets (NHS), offerings in the insurance sector, new care delivery models such as home healthcare offer and possibilities with alternative medicine and treatment lines. To tie all of this in a goal, which is to improve the quality of care and reduce the cost of care delivery.

Dr.James shared his work from the UK of the quadruple aim of building Healthcare system by mentioning that not only three aims but the fourth also existed and those are :

-Improving the health and wellbeing of the population
-Improving the individual outcomes & experience of care
-Reducing the per capita cost of care
-Fourth and important aim: Improving the experience of providing care

Systems with a strong generalist approach work best for access, equity and cost-effectiveness.

The supply of Primary Care Physicians is associated with improvements in population health inequalities. By contrast, specialist groups make little difference in health inequalities or cost-effective care.

Since a good system to primary care will lead to proper and optimum cost.

Ayushman Bharat is one of the largest schemes in India which will be covering 100 million poor and vulnerable families that acquits up to 500 million people. The panel discussed the key challenges anticipated in the different perspective since there were panelists from the different area of expertise.

Dr. Ganju anticipated the key challenges would be in – decrease financial risk of the population -improve population health, Dr. Gulati added his key points in care perspective that a measure of check and balances of money flow should be implemented in such a big scheme where huge amounts of funds are involved.

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Ramani stated that in a long run the sustainability of the scheme is very important to keep it running to be worthwhile for all the stakeholders involved.

Ganju was hoping good outcomes through AYUSHMAN BHARAT because of the IT structure that we have now can make many things redundant in lowering the administration cost.

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IC InnovatorClub Sixth Meeting

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 09:19:41 +0000

IC InnovatorClub Sixth Meeting: Ignite imaginations encased within: A recent National meet’s takeaway

For many decades, inspiring and juicy narratives, pertaining to iconic first generation entrepreneurs like Apple’s Steve Jobs, Microsoft’s Bill Gates, Truecaller’s Swedish developers, Flipkart’s launchers are being succinctly dished out at publicly to fire imagination of those fancying own start-ups in the contemporary era of out of the box ideas linked innovative business enterprises, and this is what was exactly scripted at a one-day workshop at the famed Shriram Institute for Industrial Research recently.

An inspiring story of a young entrepreneur was narrated as he had designed a multipurpose scissor for operation theatres after quietly peeping through a glass window that a team of surgeons was battling with a bunch of varied sized scissors while operating his close kin at a hospital. Likewise, another speaker delved out an emotional story of currently internationally popular “smart cane” to the benefit of millions of blinds across the globe.

Those present at the workshop were awe struck on such absorbing and motivating narrations that kindled hopes and vindicated the time proven fact that nothing was inaccessible by a fertile and intelligent mind of any diligent individual. The import of a day-long meet was that everyone should ignite imaginations encased within their minds rather than sitting tightly over those.

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A One-Day Workshop on “Technological Innovations for Healthcare Start-ups & 3rd Anniversary celebration of InnovatioCuris (IC)” was jointly organized by SRI-Technology Business Incubator (TBI) & InnovatioCuris on 4th August 2018 at SRI Auditorium, New Delhi. Participants included key members from healthcare start-ups, medical professionals, industrialists, entrepreneurs, medical device manufacturers, plastic industry, officials from govt. institutions and students from various universities.

The event was inaugurated by addressing the distinguished delegates and budding entrepreneurs about the advancement and new innovations in the healthcare sectors. It was a delightful moment to see the positive response from industry stalwarts of the region and Science and Technology start-ups’ keen interest in venturing into new business entities.

Also Read: 5th IC Club Meeting: Fairytales of Nanoparticles from Iceland to Jamia Millia Islamia

Dr. K. M. Chacko, Director, Shriram Institute in his address briefed about the Technology Business Incubation concept. He highlighted the excellent support provided by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) at the Indian Ministry of Science & Technology because of which the Shriram Institute – Technology Business Incubator (SRI-TBI) has been running for past so many years. The center provides services in the fields of healthcare, plastics, rubbers, specialty chemicals, and waste management. Continuing the inaugural session, the address of the Surgeon Rear Admiral & MD, InnovatioCuris Prof. (Dr.) V.K. Singh helped in setting the tone for the workshop. He briefed the national & international status of healthcare sector during his delightful thought.

Chief Guest of the event, Mr. Vijay Kumar, briefed about the support available to the start-ups at the Ministry. He appreciated the efforts made by SRI-TBI team and opined that the multidisciplinary activities of SRI would be useful for promotion of incubator programme. He briefed about the various funding schemes offered by the Ministry to micro, small & medium enterprises which both the existing and the future entrepreneurs can take advantage of. The floor was taken by Dr. Shirshendu Mukherjee who added his appreciation for the joint efforts made by team InnovatioCuris & SRI-TBI. He briefed about the industry-academia interface and implementation of its benefits through a wide range of impact initiatives, be it providing access to risk capital through targeted funding, technology transfer, IP management and handholding schemes that help bring innovation excellence to the biotech firms and make them globally competitive. He added that the supporters of change for building the Indian bio-economy would be biotech start-ups & SMEs & hence our focus is on raising their capabilities.

The inaugural session followed with the launch of a start-up innovative product Nylon Sleeve Anchor Fastener. The product was developed by Mr. Rajendra Gupta, Director, Axel India with the support of SRI-TBI & are in scaling up the process for the healthcare sector. The Inaugural session ended with the vote of thanks by Dr. Ajay Tyagi who mentioned that the efficiency, benefits, barriers, and challenges for healthcare industry are very process-centric and technology use can be mainly attributed to the success of entrepreneurs. This was followed by two technical panel discussions.

The first technical session was on Innovations for Reducing the Burden of NCDs. The panelists stated that the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are reaching epidemic proportions worldwide and present an unprecedented challenge to economic and social development globally. The latest projections from the World Health Organization (WHO) suggest, 57 million deaths occurred globally of which 36 million (63%) were the result of NCDs. Despite the immense burden of disease, NCDs, defined here as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory conditions, and diabetes. It is estimated that 80% of NCDs are preventable with appropriate diet and lifestyle choices and good control of NCDs can have a substantial effect on the incidence of downstream complications. Hence there exists a need for innovations to reduce the burden of NCDs. The panelists also suggested the steps for reducing the burden of NCDs in the present scenario.

The second technical session was on What will take Indian Healthcare sector forward. The panelists discussed various aspects about the current scenario of healthcare sector and suggested several notable points including obtaining proposals from private insurance companies and the government on ways to provide medical insurance coverage to the population at large and execute the strategy; it is healthy to have competition in health care and provide health insurance to the millions who cannot afford it; revise the curriculum in medical, nursing, pharmacy and other schools that train healthcare professionals, so that they too are trained in the new paradigm; the government should appoint a commission which makes recommendations for the healthcare system and monitors its performance; encourage business schools to develop executive training programmes in healthcare, this will effectively reduce the talent gap for leadership in this area; rapidly develop and implement national accreditation of hospitals – those that do not comply would not get paid by insurance companies. However, a performance incentive plan that targets specific treatment parameters would be a useful adjunct.

The programme concluded with a visit to SRI-TBI Prototype Development Facility. The participants were highly excited to see the actual processing of plastics injection molding and blow molding processes and expressed their earnest desire to be incubated in the facility.

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