At The Hindu: How to add humanity to health care
April 10, 2009 at 1:16 am | In Chennai, Chennai. The Hindu, Meenakshi Medical University, health, internship diary, medicine, profession | Leave a CommentCHENNAI: The human touch and sincerity of doctors that makes health care in India unique is also what needs to continue to expand, according to Vice-Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University K. Meer Mustafa Hussain.
Addressing the convocation of Meenakshi Medical College and Research Institute, Enathur, on Wednesday, he said that there is tremendous need in the nursing, physiotherapy, and dental surgery fields, and these are areas which call for the most contact with patients.
“It’s the nurses who spend 24 hours with the patient, not the medical officers,” he said, adding that patients overcome their inhibitions to ask nurses and therapists questions they would not have asked doctors.
Globally, he said there is a shortage of 10 lakh nurses and 2 lakh dental surgeons, but gradually, awareness among Indians about the importance of dental hygiene is helping the case of the latter in India.
Furthermore, the notoriety associated with self-financed colleges 25 years ago hindered their proliferation, he said. Such colleges were thought to be set up along the business ethic, that is, merely for “swelling the pockets” of the private administrators who had financed their development; but today it is agreed that self-financed medical colleges have contributed to society and its growth. Dr. Hussain said policy makers wish to see a doubling in the number of medical colleges, to provide more postgraduate seats.
“Think globally, act locally,” Dr. Hussain advised the graduates. He urged them not to stop their educational pursuits or research after graduating from medical school. “Only if you completely research, you can compete with others,” he said.
Vice-Chancellor of Meenakshi University T. Gunasagaran explained that currently, 30,000 students pass out in India every year, but there are only 10,000 postgraduate seats available in the approximately 160 medical colleges in the country.
That means the remaining 20,000 Indian health professionals should qualify themselves further in other countries, especially now that India has started recognizing some international qualifications.
He felt this is “a welcome step,” in the right direction, so Indians who complete their studies abroad can come back to fill teaching positions here.
A total of 196 received their degrees at the convocation.
At the Hindu: Endometriosis an enigma
April 7, 2009 at 12:56 am | In Chennai. The Hindu, endometriosis, health, internship diary, womens health | Leave a CommentCHENNAI: Doctors call the increase in the incidence of endometriosis an “enigma,” because its exact cause continues to be unknown, but they attribute its rise to the trend of women marrying and conceiving at a later age.
Endometriosis, the presence of endometrial (uterine) tissue or cells outside the uterus, is a problem that affects 10 per cent of the reproductive population. Delivering the Prof. Dr. R. Nanjunda Rao Endowment lecture at the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University here recently, V. Madhini, former Director and Superintendent of the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Chennai, said that over the years the occurrence of this condition has probably escalated, because couples now get married at an older age, and are thus older at the time their first child is conceived, compared to earlier generations.
“Women with a family history of endometriosis are six to seven times more likely to get it, and it might be avoidable if they get married around the age of 21 or 22,” she said.
That is why endometriosis is more prevalent in the urban, upper class populations, she said. Women in the rural areas, who may not pursue higher education, tend to get married at an earlier age and have children sooner. Avoiding alcohol and caffeine, regularly exercising, and even opting for the oral contraceptive pill in some cases, may also help decrease the likelihood of being affected.
Although 25-30 per cent of patients are asymptomatic, Dr. Madhini said that symptoms for the other 70 per cent include pelvic pains, infertility, and irregular menstrual cycle. Once diagnosed via ultrasound, MRI or laparoscopy (minimally invasive surgery using telescopic lens and video camera), patients have quite a few treatments to choose from, depending on the severity and location of the endometrial abnormalities. However, Dr. Madhini added that, as a rule, women should expect some continued pain and the chance of recurrence if they opt for these conservative treatments. Only hysterectomy, the surgical removal of the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries, can completely thwart the risk of recurrence, but she said that this “radical” procedure is not as common because the removal of the ovaries eliminates the chances for reproduction and the ovaries’ other hormonal functions. In such cases, she advises that patients be put on a low-dose hormone replacement.
“Endometriosis is a progressive and debilitating disease,” Dr. Madhini said, adding that “although the treatment range is wide, there is no optimum approach.”
At The Hindu: A dip in water can increase physical development
April 4, 2009 at 1:01 am | In Chennai. The Hindu, cerebral palsy, health, hydrotherapy, internship diary, mental health, physical development, therapy, treatment | Leave a CommentCHENNAI: Physical therapists from across India are taking a dip this week, as part of a coaching workshop to learn the use of hydrotherapy in facilitating physical development.
Hydrotherapy (aquatic therapy), the submerging of physically limited individuals in a pool to rehabilitate their weakened muscles, is one way to mobilize children with disabilities such as cerebral palsy or autism, according to Physical Therapist Karthik Ranganatha Rao.
He was speaking at a workshop held by the Spastics Society of Tamil Nadu (SPASTN), an organization that promotes the empowerment of people with disabilities through vocational training. This workshop features a session in which the physical therapists will learn development techniques while immersed in a shallow pool.
Mr. Rao says that physically handicapped children have difficulty moving due to lesions in parts of the brain that are responsible for muscle control. But if the muscles remain unused, they will become weak, the limbs will shorten, and the joints will stiffen, soon making it virtually impossible for the child to use the limbs at all.
“We cannot do much with the primary problem that stems from the brain lesions, but we can prevent the secondary problem,” he added.
The workshop began with Mr. Rao instructing the therapists on the unique properties of water and how aquatic exercise can be used to teach physically disabled children to use their muscles. Thanks to water’s natural buoyancy, these children, who may not be able to position themselves properly on land, can resist the force of gravity and practice using their muscles. Plus, he says most children enjoy water activities, so it is a fun experience for them as well.
SPASTN Director Madhumati Achuthan says the pool is heated for the children’s comfort and to loosen the muscles. Mr. Rao notes that water also provides resistance, and that is what builds muscle endurance. But he warns that this is only a therapy and not a cure.
“The water is only a medium by which we strengthen the child to make him/her independent on land.” Therapists must also practice with the child on land for optimum results.
SPASTN has been utilizing hydrotherapy for ten years, but this is the first time the society has held such a workshop.
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