Telangana to begin sending COVID-19 samples for genome sequencing
The meeting, attended by senior scientists and officials from institutes such as the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), and AIIMS Bibinagar, was convened to streamline inter-institutional coordination for public health.
'While there is no significant threat from COVID-19 at present, it is essential to maintain vigilance through continued surveillance,' the Minister said. He instructed the Director of Public Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Ravinder B. Nayak, to begin sending samples for genome sequencing to monitor any emerging variants.
CCMB Director Dr. Vinay Kumar Nandicoori assured that despite fluctuating global case numbers and a rise in hospitalisations in some countries, the situation in Telangana remains under control. 'Thanks to herd immunity, most people in the state and across India are not experiencing severe symptoms,' he said. Dr. Abhishek Jagdishchander Arora, Head of Radiodiagnosis at AIIMS Bibinagar, added that no fresh advisory has been issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
As the state braces for the monsoon season, which typically sees a spike in vector-borne and respiratory illnesses, the Health Minister directed officials to strengthen early prevention mechanisms. He urged routine surveillance of Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) and Influenza-Like Illness (ILI), and directed coordination with institutions like CCMB, CDFD, NIMS, and AIIMS Bibinagar.
Rapid response teams will be established in all districts, alongside grassroots-level awareness campaigns in collaboration with the Panchayati Raj and Municipal Departments. The Minister stressed leveraging social media to disseminate accurate health information quickly and widely.
Officials have also been asked to identify dengue and malaria hotspots and deploy special teams for public awareness and sanitation drives. With outpatient and inpatient numbers expected to rise during the rainy season, hospitals have been directed to maintain an adequate stock of medicines, diagnostic kits, and medical supplies and ensure patient nutrition and hygiene.
Issuing a warning to private hospitals, the Minister said that any attempt to overcharge patients for dengue treatment would invite strict action.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Supreme Court issues guidelines to address student suicides and mental health in educational institutions
New Delhi: Outlining the rise in suicides and mental health issues among students in educational institutions, the Supreme Court on Friday issued pan-India guidelines to combat the problem. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said there remained a "legislative and regulatory vacuum" in the country with respect to a unified, enforceable framework for suicide prevention of students in educational institutions, coaching centres, and student-centric environments. While issuing 15 guidelines, the bench said the measures should remain in force and binding, until such time as appropriate legislation or regulatory frameworks were enacted by the competent authority. All educational institutions were directed to adopt and implement a uniform mental health policy, drawing cues from the "Ummeed" draft guidelines, the "Manodarpan" initiative, and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy. "This policy shall be reviewed and updated annually and made publicly accessible on institutional websites and notice boards of the institutes," the bench said. The top court highlighted Centre's preventive steps to mitigate the situation, with "Ummeed" (understand, motivate, manage, empathise, empower, and develop) draft guidelines -- meant to prevent school student suicides -- released by the Ministry of Education in 2023. For a broader reach, the court said, the Ministry of Education launched "Manodarpan", mental health and well-being of students during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The verdict came on an appeal against an order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, rejecting the plea to transfer the investigation over the unnatural death of a 17-year-old National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test aspirant, preparing in Vishakhapatnam, to the CBI. Passing a slew of guidelines, the bench said all educational institutions with 100 or more enrolled students should either appoint or engage at least one qualified counsellor, psychologist, or social worker with demonstrable training in child and adolescent mental health. "Institutions with fewer students shall establish formal referral linkages with external mental health professionals," the verdict said. The bench continued, "All residential-based institutions shall install tamper-proof ceiling fans or equivalent safety devices, and shall restrict access to rooftops, balconies, and other high-risk areas, in order to deter impulsive acts of self-harm." All educational institutions, particularly coaching institutes or centres, were asked to refrain from segregating students' batches on the basis of academic performance, public shaming, or assignment of academic targets disproportionate to their capacities. "All educational institutions shall establish robust, confidential, and accessible mechanisms for the reporting, redressal, and prevention of incidents involving sexual assault, harassment, ragging, and bullying on the basis of caste, class, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or ethnicity," the order said. The bench stressed on the need for zero tolerance when it came to retaliatory actions against complainants or whistle-blowers. In all such cases, immediate referral to trained mental health professionals must be ensured, and the student's safety, physical and psychological, should be prioritised, it said. "Failure to take timely or adequate action in such cases, especially where such neglect contributes to a student's self-harm or suicide, shall be treated as institutional culpability, making the administration liable to regulatory and legal consequences," the bench added. All coaching hubs, including Jaipur, Kota, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai, were directed to implement heightened mental health protection and preventive measures. The guidelines would apply to all educational institutions, including public and private schools, colleges, universities, training centres, coaching institutes, residential academies and hostels, irrespective of their affiliation. The top court in a separate case took cognisance of suicides in educational institutions and directed the constitution of a National Task Force on mental health concerns of students and prevention of suicides in higher educational institutions. "We may clarify that these guidelines are not in supersession but in parallel to the ongoing work of the National Task Force on mental health concerns of students and are being issued to provide an interim protective architecture in the interregnum," the bench clarified. All states and union territories, as far as practicable, were directed to notify rules within two months mandating registration, student protection norms, and grievance redressal mechanisms for all private coaching centres. The bench directed the Centre to file a compliance affidavit before it within 90 days detailing the steps taken to implement these guidelines and the monitoring systems put in place. It posted the matter for October 27 for receiving the compliance report. Dealing with the unnatural death case, the bench directed that the investigation shall be transferred to the CBI. The CBI director was ordered to ensure immediate registration of case and the investigation being assigned to a team under the supervision of jurisdictional CBI superintendent. PTI Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: Khanna civil hospital gynaec suspended for ‘negligence' after newborn's death
Punjab health and family welfare minister Dr Balbir Singh today ordered immediate suspension of a gynaecologist at the Khanna civil hospital for 'negligence' in connection with a newborn's death. The minister warned that the doctor's medical licence could be revoked and legal action may follow pending further investigation. Punjab health and family welfare minister Dr Balbir Singh addressing mediapersons at Khanna hospital. (HT Photo) The patient, Manpreet Kaur, a pregnant woman, was brought to the hospital around 8 pm on July 21 by her family. Despite undergoing regular treatment at the facility for nine months, she was referred to another hospital during delivery hours. The attending emergency doctor, Dr Amardeep, allegedly consulted gynecologist Dr Kavita Sharma over phone who suggested referring the patient to Patiala, instead of arriving at the hospital to assess her condition. Senior medical officer (SMO) Dr Maninder Singh Bhasin rushed to the hospital at around 10 pm, called in a pediatrician and anesthetist, and proceeded to conduct an emergency C-section himself. The surgery was successfully performed, stabilising the mother's condition. However, the newborn, who had ingested meconium in the womb, was in a critical state. Despite efforts to resuscitate the infant, she was referred first to Patiala, where a lack of ventilator facilities prompted a second referral to PGIMER in Chandigarh. The family alleged that the ambulance ferrying the newborn ran out of oxygen midway, causing further distress. 'By the time a second ambulance was arranged, her body had turned blue,' said Raj Lakhia, baby's uncle. The infant was declared dead on arrival at PGIMER. 'Any negligence in patient care is unacceptable and will face strict consequences,' said the minister. Following the incident, a three-member committee, comprising an SMO and two specialists, was constituted to investigate. The committee's report found the gynaecologist's failure to address the case with due seriousness. In a message to health staff, Dr Singh urged them to perform their duties with utmost honesty, dedication and diligence, warning of severe repercussions for lapses. He commended the health department's workforce, highlighting that 98% of its doctors risked their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic to save countless lives. 'Plans afoot to hire medics' In response to queries about the shortage of doctors in Doraha and Payal hospitals, Dr Singh noted that the state has recruited approximately 3,000 healthcare workers recently, with plans to onboard 1,000 additional doctors soon. He outlined plans to ensure 24-hour maternal and child care, emergency services and initial treatment for heart attacks and neurological conditions at district-level and highway-adjacent government hospitals. Additionally, he stated that the government would establish 10-12 advanced hospitals across Punjab for specialised treatments, including heart surgeries, organ transplants and orthopedic care. He also highlighted that government hospitals in Khanna, Tarn Taran, Dasuya, Tanda and Chamkaur Sahib were already providing initial care for heart attack patients, with referrals to larger facilities for advanced treatment. He also announced that Punjab is set to become the first state in India to offer free health insurance (worth up to ₹10 lakh) to its entire population of 3 crore. Dr Balbir Singh also conducted house-to-house inspections to check larvae in various parts of Khanna. He urged the community to prevent mosquito breeding by ensuring water does not accumulate in containers, rooftops, or courtyards. He stated that the health department is fully committed to curbing dengue's spread, emphasising that the campaign's primary goal is to protect lives from this potentially fatal disease. He called on residents to maintain cleanliness, prevent water stagnation, and ensure proper drainage in their surroundings.
Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Indian Express
Why minimum standards for handling diagnostic samples are important
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) last week assured the Delhi High Court that it will soon notify minimum clinical standards for collection, handling, and transport of diagnostic samples. The MoHFW said that subject experts held 'detailed internal deliberations for formulating minimum standards' following which the draft minimum standards were finalised. The policy is currently being vetted by the legislative department of the Ministry of Law & Justice, the MoHFW told the court. Existing Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines on collection and handling of clinical samples are rudimentary and piecemeal. For instance, the Pune-based ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV) has specific 'Guidelines for collection, packaging and transport of specimens for testing for high risk viral pathogens', which include guidelines for handling samples containing Covid-19 virus. These guidelines, however, are not comprehensive: they only relate to handling of specific 'high risk' viruses. These are also not uniformly enforced owing to gaps in the law governing labs and sample collection centres, as well as its enforcement. Medical professionals have long been calling for reform; the MoHFW's soon-to-be-notified policy seeks to answer this call. Beyond lack of comprehensive clinical guidelines, experts have pointed to a couple of significant loopholes vis-à-vis the medical testing ecosystem. 🔴 First is the continued existence of standalone collection centres. In 2018, the Centre had notified that sample collection centres should be part of the main laboratories, and that the parent laboratories should be held accountable for their compliance of norms. But in the absence of clear-cut standards, standalone collection centres continue to be registered in various states, posing a fundamental problem when it comes to ensuring compliance with clinical standards. In November 2020, the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) had flagged that 'there are mismatches in the declaration (of samples) made by (accredited) lab to NABL and the actual collection centres/facilities/sources of collection which are available on their websites or other documents'. At the time, it advised labs to declare all sample collection centres within 30 days, and cautioned that 'any sample collection not under the responsibility of the lab and not covered under its (quality) management system is non-compliant with the accreditation norms and liable to action by NABL.' The MoHFW's new policy will likely address this issue. 🔴 Experts have also called for revisiting current laws guiding 'who' can collect samples and issue reports. In 2019, pathologist Dr Rohit Jain moved the Delhi High Court, challenging the Clinical Establishments (Central Government) Amendment Rules 2018, specifically on minimum requirements for signatory authorities in diagnostic laboratories. He sought implementation of a 2017 order of the Supreme Court, which said that a lab report should be counter-signed only by a registered medical practitioner with a post graduate qualification in pathology. At the time, he also sought guidelines on minimum standards for medical diagnostic labs with regard to sample collection centres, sample transport, electronic signatures on pathological reports by authorised signatories, number of pathology labs a pathologist can visit in a day and on daily internal quality control. But the Centre's Clinical Establishment (Central Government) Amendment Rules 2020 did not address the issue, allowing 'unqualified and unregistered non-medical persons viz MSc/PhD were authorised to issue pathology reports without the signature/counter signature of a pathologist,' according to Jain. Jain challenged these amended rules, and in August 2021, also moved court highlighting an RT-PCR testing 'scam' during the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar that year where one lakh fake tests were reportedly conducted on devotees by unqualified intermediaries. 'The accused diagnostic labs in Delhi and Haryana were able to collect samples and conduct a huge number of tests where they have no sample collection centres at Uttarakhand. It is clear that a scam of such enormity has only been possible because of the lack of essential minimum standards on the issue of sample collection/sample collection centres and sample transport policy,' Jain had argued in his submission. In 2023, the Delhi High Court directed the Centre to consider Jain's plea as a representation and decide a solution in three months. In May 2023, the government held a meeting under the chairmanship of the Additional Director-General of Health Services, New Delhi, where Jain too was invited to make his representation. After the meeting, the government decided to constitute four sub-committees of experts — pathology, biochemistry, hematology and microbiology — to define standards of procedure (SOPs) for sample collection, collection centres and sample transport policy. When these guidelines were not notified even a year later, Jain in May 2024 moved the Delhi High Court again, accusing the government of wilful disobedience of the court's order. It is in this matter that the MoHFW has now assured the court that a policy will be notified at the earliest. Taking the ministry's submission on record, the court instructed that the standards be notified expeditiously, with a direction that the process 'may be accomplished within the next three months'.
