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Hans India
a day ago
- Health
- Hans India
Man tested positive for COVID-19 dies in Karnataka
Bengaluru: In a second similar incident in Karnataka, an elderly man tested positive for COVID-19 has died at a hospital in Belagavi district, a senior official in health department said. Harsh Gupta, Principal Secretary, Karnataka's Health and Family Welfare Department confirmed the death. According to health department sources, the 70-year-old patient, a resident of Benakanahalli village in Belagavi, died late Wednesday night, after being tested positive for Covid-19 in the morning. He was allegedly suffering from age-related diseases and was admitted to Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences District Hospital for treatment. When the Covid test was positive, he was immediately shifted to the Covid ward, added the sources. On May 17, an 84-year-old-man with severe comorbidities died at a private hospital in Whitefield, Bengaluru and his Covid-19 test results came positive after his death. The health department bulletin pegged active Covid-19 cases at 126 in Karnataka as of May 28, with 40 new cases being reported on that day. According to a health department source, all district and tertiary hospitals in Karnataka are prepared to handle Covid-19 cases with necessary equipment.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Rise in C-section deliveries: Audit finds lack of confidence among specialists and sub-optimal capacity of labour room staff main contributing factors
An audit of caesarean section (C-section) deliveries in Karnataka by a team of experts from the Health Department has found lack of confidence among specialists to take trials in moderate cases for fear of newborn morbidity and mortality and sub-optimal capacity of the labour room doctors and nurses to be the main contributing factors for a rise in the surgical deliveries. In Karnataka, nearly one in every three deliveries is conducted through a C-section. Over the past 15 years, the C-section rate has doubled, indicating a significant shift in obstetric practices. While cesarean delivery is a lifesaving intervention when medically indicated, excessively high rates are associated with increased surgical risks, higher healthcare costs, and unnecessary strain on the health system. Review by committee To address this growing concern and to bring down C-section rates, the Health Department initiated a comprehensive review of C-section practices and an audit of such deliveries at the Tumkuru district hospital, where the rate is the highest in the State. The findings of the review and audit — conducted by a multi-stakeholder committee in January 2025 — were reviewed by the State Technical Committee on June 17, 2025. According to the committee's report, every second cesarean was a repeat C-section, without trial for vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). Besides, non-standardised induction practices leading to poor labour progression, high referrals from taluk hospitals to the district hospital and a demand by patients and their relatives have contributed to higher C-section rates. Harsh Gupta, principal secretary, Health and Family Welfare, told The Hindu on Thursday that regular audits of C-section cases in randomly selected public facilities will henceforth be done by the State Technical Committee.. Corrective measures 'While this audit is for Tumkuru district hospital, the contributing factors are by and large the same in all districts. Based on the findings, we have initiated corrective measures and are conducting orientation programmes for obstetricians and gynaecologists on the safety and feasibility of VBAC. Of late, C-section has become a trend with many women themselves opting for it,' he said. 'While optimisation of quality antenatal care (ANC) checks is being taken up by introducing newer tools such as 'Gestosis scoring' used to assess the risk of preeclampsia and 'Pregnancy wheels' used to calculate gestational age and estimated delivery date, the consent form for the C-section has been revised by incorporating side effects of procedure,' Mr. Gupta said. To encourage vaginal births under the Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka (AB-ArK) scheme, the department is considering a proposal for inclusion of incentives for normal delivery services at primary and secondary health care facilities. 'Apart from this, a proposal for withdrawal of team-based incentives for conducting C-sections to discourage unnecessary procedures is also under consideration,' he said. Recommendations To ensure evidence-based practices and reduce unnecessary cesarean sections, the committee has recommended development of State-specific guidelines for labour induction. 'Strengthening the taluk hospitals by rationalisation of posting specialists to provide assured comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care services round-the-clock; refresher trainings on evidence-based labour management for obstetric care teams and regular online capacity building of skills required for labour room process have also been recommended,' he said. 'Capacity building of the nursing teams incorporating the principles of midwifery initiatives such as alternative birthing positions, exercise in the antenatal period, respectful maternity care involving counselling on the labour process has also been recommended. Besides, early identification of risk factors such as anemia, uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes, Urinary tract infections in the pregnant women and early intervention and community-level awareness campaigns on the risks of unnecessary C-sections and the benefits of vaginal birth are among the other recommendations,' Mr. Gupta added.
The Hindu
18-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Free treatment under Vay Vandana scheme for senior citizens aged 70 and above still elusive in Karnataka
Free treatment for senior citizens aged 70 and above, under the Ayushman Bharat Vay Vandana (ABVV) scheme, is still elusive in Karnataka. This is because the State's Finance Department has not agreed to the Centre's assurance that the modalities for release of grants for the scheme will be finalised soon. Responding to the State's letter seeking adequate support to implement the Vay Vandana scheme, which is an extended part of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), the Centre has requested Karnataka to start providing the services and that the payment modalities for additional cost will be worked out soon. Sharing ratio Expressing the State's inability to start the Vay Vandana scheme without any clarity on the fund release, Karnataka's Principal Secretary (Health) Harsh Gupta had written to the Union Health Secretary pointing out that the State is entitled to get ₹36.58 crore from the Centre for the scheme as per the 60:40 sharing ratio of Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka (AB-ArK) scheme. 'Although the sharing ratio for the health scheme between the Centre and State should be 60:40, it is actually 25:75 as the State bears expenditure for around 1.12 crore families while the Centre is only funding the expenses of 69 lakh families as listed under the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data,' he said in the letter. Of the total AB-ArK beneficiaries, the State has around 15.12 lakh families with senior citizens as members. Of these, 9.22 lakh are SECC-identified families (tagged families), and the remaining are over and above the SECC-identified families (untagged families). 'The Centre will provide the State with additional support at the rate of a mere ₹75.7 per family per annum for tagged families and ₹1,052 per family per annum for the untagged families. However, additional support to the untagged families will be provided only after the 69 lakh families out of 1.12 crore total families are tagged,' the letter stated. NHA's letter In response to this, L.S. Changsan, Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Authority (NHA) that is the implementing agency for AB PM-JAY, said the additional premium for existing beneficiary families determined at ₹75.7 per family per annum covers the additional top-up wallet of ₹5 lakh, which is utilised only after the primary wallet of the family is exhausted. For new beneficiary families, the annual premium of ₹1,052 per family aligns with the existing premium structure under AB PM-JAY, the NHA CEO's letter stated. 'Based on the consultations with States in July 2024 and the inputs received subsequently, the principles for tagging are being finalised. The identification of existing families and new families will be done based on these principles. However, the State may start providing the services to the Ayushman Vay Vandana card holders and tagging activity will be completed before fund release proposals for the ABVV are due,' the letter said. No definitive mechanism However, Karnataka's Finance Department has not agreed to this. 'In the absence of any definite mechanism to link the AB-ArK beneficiaries with the actual SECC data, as per the next best approximation worked out by the State Health Department, Karnataka will require a total of ₹68.98 crore per annum for the senior citizens scheme. As the Centre has to provide 60% of this amount to the State, Karnataka is entitled to get ₹36.58 crore from the Centre. We are now planning to place this issue before the State Cabinet for further discussion,' Mr. Harsh Gupta told The Hindu.
Indian Express
03-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Chandigarh's Harsh Gupta commands Indian Naval Academy's passing out parade
After undergoing four years of intensive training and academic excellence, Harsh Gupta has brought pride to Chandigarh and the nation as he commanded the prestigious Passing Out Parade of graduating cadets from the Indian Naval Academy. A resident of Sector 44-B, Chandigarh and an alumnus of the prestigious Sainik School, Kunjpura in Karnal, Harsh was selected for the Indian Naval Academy after clearing the highly competitive NDA/NA examination. His outstanding leadership was recognised in a historic moment as he was chosen to command the prestigious Passing Out Parade — a rare honour bestowed on only the most exemplary cadets. In recognition of his all-round excellence, Harsh was also awarded the Chief of Naval Staff Medal, one of the highest accolades for cadets at the academy. Harsh's father, Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, serves as an Assistant Audit Officer in the Office of the Principal Accountant General (Audit), Punjab, while his mother, Monika Gupta, is a homemaker.
Hindustan Times
30-05-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Karnataka reports second COVID-19 death in a week as elderly patient dies in Belagavi
Karnataka reported its second COVID-19 fatality in just over a week, after a 70-year-old man from Benakanahalli village in Belagavi district succumbed to the virus late on Wednesday night, health officials confirmed. The patient, who had multiple pre-existing health conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, and ischemic heart disease (IHD), was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Belagavi when he died due to acute cardiorespiratory arrest with encephalopathy and seizures, the state's health department said in a press release. Also Read - 'No apology, no release': Karnataka stands united against Kamal Haasan's Kannada comment Principal Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department, Harsh Gupta, confirmed the death to PTI earlier in the day. The health department detailed that the man had experienced a seizure and lost consciousness on May 26, following which he was admitted to a private hospital. A neurologist attending to him diagnosed focal seizures with encephalopathy, in addition to severe anaemia and low platelet count (thrombocytopenia). With his oxygen saturation measured at 88%, a throat swab was taken for COVID-19 testing, which returned positive. Despite advice from doctors, the family moved the patient to Belagavi Medical College and Hospital on May 28. There, he was admitted to the Department of Respiratory Medicine and treated as per COVID-19 protocol. Also Read - AP CM Chandrababu Naidu clarifies stance after HAL relocation pitch sparks row with Karnataka leaders "Despite best efforts, his condition deteriorated and he passed away on the same day," the official release stated. This marks the second COVID-19 related death in Karnataka within a span of 11 days. On May 17, an 84-year-old man with serious comorbidities had died at a private hospital in Whitefield, Bengaluru. His COVID-19 test returned positive posthumously. Meanwhile, Karnataka's COVID-19 bulletin on May 29 reported 148 active cases across the state. A total of 42 new cases were added on Thursday, with 513 tests conducted (including 463 RT-PCR and 50 RAT). The day's positivity rate was recorded at 8.18%, while the fatality rate stood at 2.3%. Health authorities have urged the public, especially the elderly and those with comorbidities, to remain vigilant as sporadic COVID cases continue to emerge across the state.
