Ancient roman's healthcare

The Romans became practised at draining marshes to rid areas of malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Julius Caesar drained the Codetan Swamp and planted a forest in its place.

The Romans paid especial attention to the Healthcare of their soldiers as without these soldiers, the Roman Empire could collapse. Great emphasis was placed on soldiers having access to clean water and being able to keep fit. Commanders ordered their junior officers not to set up a camp too near a swamp and the drinking of swamp water was especially discouraged. Soldiers were moved around as it was believed that if they stayed too long in one place, they would start to suffer from the illnesses that might have existed in that area.

Clean water was very important to the Romans.Cities, towns and forts were built near springs. However, as Roman cities and towns grew, they needed to bring in water from further afield. As the population grew, so did the need for clean water. Trying to shift large volumes of water underground in pipes was not possible as lead pipes would be too weak and bronze pipes would be too expensive. The Romans could not make cast iron pipes as the techniques for doing this were not known to them. If water could not be brought via pipes, the Romans decided to bring it overland in what were conduits. When the water got to the city, it was fed off into smaller bronze or ceramic pipes. To get the water to flow at an even (and slow) pace, conduits were built on a slight slope. Valleys were crossed by using aqueducts. One of the most famous of these is the Pont du Gard aqueduct at Nimes in southern France. Where possible, the Romans did take water through tunnels but the hills needed to be relatively small for this to be successful.

The Romans were great believers in a healthy mind equalling a healthy body. There was a belief that if you kept fit, you would be more able to combat an illness. Rather than spend money on a doctor, many Romans spent money on keeping fit.

The Romans did believe that illnesses had a natural cause and that bad health could be caused by bad water and sewage. Hence their desire to improve the public health system in the Roman Empire so that everyone in their empire benefited. – not just the rich. Those who worked for the Romans needed good health as did their soldiers. In this sense, the Romans were the first civilisation to introduce a programme of public healthcare for everyone regardless of wealth.

Roman cities, villas and forts were built in what were considered healthy places.

Heart Disease

The term heart disease actually applies to a number of illnesses that affect the circulatory system, which consists of heart and blood vessels. It is intended to deal here only with the condition commonly called "Heart Attack" and the factors, which lead to such condition.

Heart attack is the popular term for sudden pain in chest with breathing difficulty arising out of certain heart conditions. Heart attacks can be suddenly fatal, but the great majority- an estimated 85 percent are not. The patient recovers under proper treatment and goes on to live many useful years.

Like all muscles and organs of the body, the heart also needs nourishment and food which it gets thorough its own arterial system. The arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle, may lead to impairment of its function. The sudden narrowing of the artery may result in the sudden stoppage of blood supply to the heart muscle. Such attacks of narrowing of arteries are called angina. If the damage takes place it is called infarction.

Infarction can also occur because of a blood clot, big enough to interfere with blood supply, is formed in the coronary artery. This formation of blood clot is called trombosis and the clot itself is known a thrombus. The term coronary heart disease is usually applied to diseases of the heart secondary to defective or interrupted supply of blood to the heart muscles through the coronary arteries.

Besides the sudden narrowing of coronary arteries such as in anginal attacks or thrombosis the blood supply to heart muscle could also be impaired by certain long term and (chronic) conditions like arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis.

Arteriosclerosis is a condition when certain arteries (may be all) start losing their elasticity and their walls, due to some unknown factors, become thickened and hardened. When this happens. Blood pressure inside the arteries tends to become high and which in its wake puts more stress and strain on heart.

Recent researches in connection with heart diseases have demonstrated a high correlation between fats in the diet, cholesterol level and atherosclerosis. Cholesterol is fat like substance found in animal fats, oils and some tissues of the human body.

Heart Attack Signs
It has been said by healthcare specialists earlier that any disturbance in the supply of blood to heart muscle leads to its functional impairment. There are also other heart attack symptoms which need to be observed on time to take required measures for heart attack prevention.

It will be useful to discuss for healthcare that symptoms of heart attacks, which may lead to disturbances in the supply of blood to heart muscles. Certain conditions increase the strains on the heart. Among these are lack of rest, over exertion or prolonged hard labor which create an excessive body demand for oxygen that the heart, muscle must supply through pumping more blood. If the blood vessels are inelastic on account of arteriosclerosis fibrous thickening or narrowing of passage (atherosclerosis) additional work on the part of the heart will be needed to push blood through these vessels. Other indirect factors that may result in causing disturbance in blood supply are indigestion of food, anger and other emotional excitements.

There are some early heart attack symptoms, which may be important to watch for. Their appearance calls for a visit to the doctor for a check up. The heart attack symptoms are:

• Dizzy spell or fainting fits
• Discomfort following meals, especially if long continued.
• Shortness of breath, after slight exertion.
• Fatigue with out otherwise explained origin.
• Pain or tightness in the chest a common sign of coronary insufficiency is usually constrictive in nature and is located behind the chest bone with radiation into the arms or a sense of numbness or a severe pain in the center of the chest
• Palpitation

These symptoms of heart attack should be observed minuetly and should be taken care of as and when required.

Cancer Treatment in India Attracting Patients from Overseas

Medical advancement in cancer treatment in India has developed to such an extent that it has attracted over a million patients in past few years. The success rates of high end cancer surgeries in select Indian hospitals are far better than the success rates of the same surgeries in other parts of the globe.

Most cancer surgeons in Indian hospitals are certified and have more than a decade of experience. Also the medical staff is well trained professionally. The doctors and cancer surgeons in India at these hospitals are adept in dealing with most complicated cases. The advanced and cutting edge medical facilities available at Cervical cancer surgery hospitals in India makes them a reliable global destination for patients who are seeking a suitable and less cost option for recovery from Cervical cancer.

Head and neck reconstruction after cancer surgery. Breast and nipple reconstruction after cancer surgery. Skull base cancer surgery and reconstruction.

Indian wins US cash grant for cancer treatment device

Cytotron, a therapeutic device to treat cancer , has been awarded a cash grant of a quarter million dollars by the US government.

The device known as Cytotron, developed by Indian scientist Dr Rajah Vijay Kumar, received the funding under the US Government’s Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project, which targets activities to treat cancer and improve drug targeting and delivery.

The device helps a protein called p53 to kill the potential cancer-causing cells at the right time and no side effects has been found in conventional treatments for cancer.

“Cancer is like a terrorist. Earlier , they were normal cells, which go haywire. All cells are programmed to die after some period . And when this doesn’t happen , we call it Cancer,” Dr Rajah Vijay Kumar, chief scientific officer at Scalene Cybernetics, an Indian Technology company, said.

Mr Kumar said that Cytotron can not only treat cancer, but also has the potential to treat diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. “Currently, there is no stand alone, whole body, multi-organ suitable therapeutic device in the market,” he said.

The device is also registered with ClinicalTrials.gov for a clinical trial of multiple Sclerosis. The clinical trials for Cancer and Osteoarthritis have been successfully completed at the Centre for Advanced Research and Development (CARD), the research and development wing of Scalene Cybernetics.

“The commercialisation potential of this technology which I have got patented runs into millions of dollars in markets such as the Europe and America,” said Mr Kumar, who started to work on Cytotron in 1987, but had to slow down due to lack of resources.

Kidney racketeers made a fool-proof case

The kidney racketeers who got a transplant operation done in a city hospital apparently presented a fool-proof case to the hospital authorisation committee.

TOI had disclosed on Sunday how an unrelated donor had given his kidney to a Delhi-based patient for Rs 2 lakh and operation was performed in city.

The racketeers presented the donor as brother of the patient while in reality he was a criminal. They even got "an English-speaking woman" to pose as donor's wife. These people were interviewed on video and passed muster with the committee.

Still, the disclosure of the racket has rattled the medical fraternity of the city--specially nephrologists and urologists--who say the episode would be a setback to kidney transplant programme in city.

One section of practitioners feels for no fault of theirs the doctors who did the transplant in Nagpur have been linked to the racket. Another section does not rule out the possibilities of involvement of hospital administration and doctors.

Dr Raju Deshmukh, director of Suretech Hospital where the transplant was done, says he and his hospital were cheated by Sunil Deshmukh, its former hospital administration officer and one of the accused.

Food majors go for image makeover to stay healthy

This may not be walking the talk, but food companies, including McDonald’s, KFC, Nestle, Hindustan Unilever, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are increasing the use of social and health-related messages in their advertising and packaging.

Facing heightened pressure from weight gain and anti-obesity campaigns, health activists and nutritionists for selling products that aid weight gain, these companies are trying hard to create a healthy image.

Burger and fries chain McDonald’s India plans to introduce its global ‘balanced active lifestyles’ programme in the country over the next few quarters and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is evaluating associating with cricket to ‘promote healthy lifestyles’, while world’s largest foods company Nestle’s advertising for its Milkybar white chocolate brand shows mothers urging kids to ‘go out and play’ (with the tagline “dum hai to bahar nikal”).

“Our balanced active lifestyles programme underscores the interplay between eating right and staying active,” said a McDonald’s India (North & East) spokesman.

The restaurant chain has already started providing nutritional information about its food items. The other two aspects of the initiative — offering wider menu choices and promoting physical activity — are being studied for future rollout, he said.

The Indian arms of Unilever, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have their tasks cut out in line with global commitments.
Unilever is working on a global salt reduction strategy covering 22,000 products by 2010-end. The consumer goods giant says it will reduce salt in its products to target a dietary intake of 6 g of salt per day and take it further to 5 g per day by 2015-end.

Beverage and snacks maker PepsiCo says it will remove sugary drinks from schools by 2012 — a move it hopes will spruce up its image as a beverage company that does not aid unhealthy diet habits.

Rival Coca-Cola is working on plans to put nutritional information of product front packs by 2011-end. It’s not easy to buy credibility though.

Last week, for example, beverage and snacks foods major PepsiCo’s plans to pay for blogging on nutrition on science-based blog ScienceBlogs.com were rejected, and within two days of announcement the partnership was called off.

But then, these initiatives may be the only way forward for these firms, as they are facing a backlash not only from nutritionists but are also under the regulator’s lens, in India as well as the rest of the world.

The upcoming integrated food law under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is putting in place a series of mandatory guidelines for companies against promoting ‘unhealthy’ food habits.

The new guidelines will put under scanner claims about ingredients used in foods or ‘health benefits’, foods marketed as substitutes for meals, portion sizes, communication aimed at children and labelling on food packs.

“The authority has restricting and penalising powers for unfair claims made by foods companies. All foods, for example, have to comply with nutritional stipulations and recommended portion sizes,” FSSAI chairperson PI Suvrathan had recently told ET.

According to Unnat Varma, director marketing, KFC, upcoming sports-related associations with the chain will directly promote healthy lifestyles. In many global markets, KFC is a sponsor of NBA and ICC.

“Plans to associate with these sports are under evaluation though a definite timeline has not yet been set. But we have started declaring the nutritional value of products through leaflets across KFC stores — consumers are free to make informed choices,” he said ITC Foods, which prints nutritional labelling on front packs of its Bingo chips, says the move is a key differentiator between packaged branded and unbranded foods. Said ITC Foods division’s GM (marketing & exports) VL Rajesh: “Declaration of detailed nutritional information upfront is the primary medium of interaction with the consumer and we are there.”

Hindustan Unilever (HUL) too has been printing a ‘Healthy Choice’ logo on its Knorr and Bru products. But not all such moves work, as has been the case with PepsiCo’s blogging experiment.

BASF and Monsanto broad alliance of plant biotechnology

BASF SE and Monsanto want to expand their cooperation in biotechnology increase yields of crops and invest in expansion of cooperation in addition, more than 1 billion USD.

The common plant biotechnology pipeline, to be developed on the basis of yielding and stress tolerant crops would be supplemented by wheat, shared the two companies on Wednesday. The Ludwigshafen-basedBASF and Monsanto Mutual Group , based in St. Louis , United States justified the project with the successfully identified genes and the commercial earnings expectations.
BASF and Monsanto have been working together in 2007 on corn , soybeans , cotton and canola. Originally, the joint budget that includes about 1.5 billion USD.

The cooperation between the plant biotechnology company BASF Plant Science and Monsanto to the further particulars that may continue under the original conditions. Each company is working on to independent programs to discover novel genetic characteristics known as traits. These programs are called genes , are processed by the most promising candidates further. The projects are jointly funded in each development and then marketing the products of Monsanto. The net income is 60 % Monsanto and BASF holds a 40 %.

In wheat , the partners will first focus on the development of biotechnological products for the North American and Australian market. The first yielding wheat is expected to come from 2020 to the market. Wheat after maize is as the world’s most important crop, with rising demand.
The first joint product, a drought-tolerant corn will , subject to any outstanding permits are introduced on the market in 2012 .

Fortis Healthcare eyes 30 pc jump in medical tourist arrivals

Banking on the country's rapidly-growing medical tourism segment, Fortis Hospitals -- a division of Fortis Healthcare -- expects a 30% jump in patient inflow to over 5,000.

Arrival of patients from countries with advanced medical systems gives credence to the fact that India has good infrastructure and talent. India witnessed around three lakh arrivals last year owing to its unique low-cost, high-value, best expertise and good infrastructure model.

According to a report from management consulting firm McKinsey and Co, medical tourism in India will grow to USD 2 billion by 2012.

As a precautionary measure, several multinational firms have also decided to give an off on Monday and ask their employees to compensate by working on a Saturday.

The nationwide shutdown has been called by the leading opposition parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is the ruling party in this southern state for the first time, the Janata Dal-United and the Left parties.

Underage Drinking Sends More Teens to Hospital on Fourth of July

Underage drinking during the Fourth of July Holiday weekend sent more teens to hospital administration's emergency department, according to a government report released on July 1.

The study of data collected in 2008 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) found daily hospital emergency department visits due to underage drinking nearly doubled during the holiday weekend compared to that on any average day in July.

Underage drinking during the Fourth of July weekend sent 87% more teenagers on days of the Fourth of July weekend to hospital than on any other average day in July.

The daily hospital administration's emergency department visits for the three day Fourth of July weekend were 938 compared to 502 on an average day in July.

Underage drinking is not a harmless right of passage. It has far-reaching consequences. In addition to emergency department visits, injuries, arrests and embarrassment, 5,000 deaths in people under age 21 are linked to alcohol each year. Parents are a leading influence in their children’s decision to avoid alcohol.

The legal drinking age in the United States is 21. Prior to the effective date of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, the legal drinking age varies from state to state. Drinking is harmful. The National Toxicology Program has classified alcoholic beverages as cancer-causing agents.

Medical tourism in India is increasing hugely in international patients for Sleeve gastrectomy treatment

These days, Medical tourism is offering Sleeve gastrectomy in India with the best team of best obesity surgeons, modern surgery techniques and using latest technology. Lot of tourists from different countries are coming to India for their obesity treatment.

Medical tourism is offering Sleeve gastrectomy in India with the best team of best obesity surgeons and modern surgery techniques are using latest technology. India is offering World Class Medical Facilities, comparable with any of the western countries. India has state of the art Hospitals and the best qualified doctors. With the best infrastructure, the best possible

Medical facilities, accompanied with the most competitive prices, you can get the Sleeve gastrectomy done in India at the lowest charges.

Health care centers of Chennai and Mumbai has best surgeons for Sleeve gastrectomy in India. A combination of many factors has lead to the recent increase in popularity of medical tourism. Exorbitant cost of healthcare and medical facilities in advanced countries are easing and affordability of international travel, favorable currency exchange rates in the global economy, rapidly improving technology and high standards of medical care in the developing countries has all contributed their share to this rapid development of medical tourism.

Under NIPS, govt will stress on patient safety at all hospitals across the country

Government is now taking strict actions for the patient safety at all hospitals across the country. With the help of National Initiative for Patient Safety (NIPS) promoted by Department of Hospital Administration, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), efforts are being made to pinpoint the prevailing infection control processes being followed across the medical colleges and hospitals.

In order to assess the shortfall of patient safety and assist hospitals to take preventive steps, different steps are being taken. Different systems are getting used to sensitize hospital administration on medication management and surgical safety and patient communication.

Currently, there is no uniform data from across the country on patient safety. So, under the NIPS initiative, both private and public sector healthcare facilities to promote the culture of patient safety is being mobilised. This would also empower some of the participating healthcare institutions in becoming Centres of Excellence on patient safety.

According to World Health Organization estimates, 10% of patients suffer from poor safe practices followed in hospitals in the developed nations which have excellent facilities. Also, annually, millions of patients globally suffer disabling injuries or death due to unsafe medical care and Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI).

The magnitude of such harm is unknown in developing countries like India, mainly due to the limitations of surveillance mechanisms, infrastructure, technology and resources. So, BD is focusing on the elimination of Healthcare Associated Infections. In this regard, it is assisting healthcare organizations adopt infection control processes. It is already engaged in end-to-end infection control assessments for private sector healthcare facilities.

Neuralstem, Inc is advancing in Clinical Trials Reports for Stem Cell Treatment for Lou Gehrig's Disease

Neuralstem Inc. has recently updated, progress of its ongoing Phase I human clinical trial for treating ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease) at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The Safety Monitoring Board has approved moving to the next cohort and transplantation of the fourth patient. The first cohort of patients have received five injections of the company's spinal cord stem cells on one side of the spinal cord. The second cohort of three patients will receive ten injections, five on each side of the cord.

FDA has approved Phase I clinical trial to evaluate the safety of Neuralstem's spinal cord stem cells in the treatment of ALS has been underway since January of this year. This trial will ultimately consist of up to 18 ALS patients, who will be examined at regular intervals post-surgery, with final review of the data to come six months after the last patient is treated.

Weight Gain Tips

Have you been asking yourself the question like "why can't I gain weight," repeatedly? Well, you're not alone. I have asked that same question dozens and dozen times. There are thousands more out there! Perhaps it is because you have a very fast metabolism? That is one factor or could be that, you don't have the appetite for food and eat little instead, most skinny people are like. Take it from someone who knows or maybe your weight gaining routine is incorrectly executed.

Gaining weight is something that involves a difficult and tiring process. I should know and It could be frustrating and really exhausting. Some may think that it's a lot easier to achieve than losing weight. Well, hell no! It was equally as tough. Hopefully these weight gain tips will help you to achieve your goals.

Just a simple reminder though, one of the best weight gain tips to remember is to do everything in sizes around BIG! That means- "to get big you need to eat big and lift big." Keep on saying that repeatedly your head up until you are able to internalise it. A lot of us think that weightlifting is the row towards gaining weight. Well, no doubt it is because; weightlifting plays a significant part. However, in gaining weight, you need to look beyond the act of weight lifting! You should also know that diet is as significant when it comes to weight gain as well as discipline and determination.

Follow these tips and surely one day you'll wake up in awe to see your hard rock and eye popping body.

Start Counting...

You have to count the amount of calories you consume on a normal daily basis. However, it doesn't mean you have to alter or change your usual eating habits - just eat as you would and to take note of the calories you have consumed. This is really something of importance so try to be as accurate as you can. And then of course, you also have to count your scales or in other words weighing. see the changes, you'll be inspired regardless of how little you've changed. It entails success that is why.

Be cautious of your meal diet...

Eating is the most significant thing you'll need when you want to gain weight. This means that you will need to be eating more caloric food than you'll burn. However, it doesn't exactly mean that it is all right to eat anything within your reach.You need to be cautious of what you eat. You have to include foods that will help you gain mass and not bad unhealthy fats in your weight gaining diet menu. 6 meals per day is a good start. Cool huh! Aside from breakfast, lunch, dinner you also have three other small meals that should be taken throughout the day. Set your clock that you will be eating at least every 3 hours. There is a cardinal rule in weight gain diet that is - when you eat big, you get big. Quiet simple? You bet!

Foods like steak, chicken,vegetables and fruits and milk or dairy products like cheese and assorted types of nuts are the kind of foods to healthily feast on. Yummy! Make it a point to eat 4 to 6 pieces of fresh fruits per day and at least four glasses of milk including at night before bed. But make sure the milk you drink has low fat. Low fat milk is a great source of calcium and a cheaper source protein. On the other hand, simple snacks like a glass of milk, apples and peanuts may surprisingly work wonders.

Remember also to plan your meals carefully, ahead of time and you have to stick to the plan because, what you eat on the process is the most significant ingredient for the success weight gain goal. Do some Lifting... Right discipline to eating is of importance in gaining weight, but you have to do both, that is eating with weightlifting otherwise all that weight you've gained will be fat and not muscle.

When you try to gain weight, make sure you're working out at least 3 to 4 times per week. Be sure you are weight lifts are done correctly! After lifting hard, rest and then recover for the next workouts. You must focus on the huge exercises. The ones like squats, bench press, bent over rows, dead lifts and chin-ups and some military press works fine as well. These are amongst the may exercises you can choose from, that will transform the extra calories in your consumption into muscle and later then you will gain weight.

You should also remember that you can not gain weight simply by doing exercises such as step-ups in your workouts. Various joint lifts is something you'll need and that will shock your whole system and awaken your body into growth. Later in the process try adding a small amount of weight, bit by bit each time you workout. This will help strengthen your muscles. Why? Because, if you concentrate on your strength then size will follow. You need to be stronger and be bigger. You've been through a gym right? Try to look around and you will notice that the strongest of guys there are also the huge ones. I bet you've observed that.

Constant Weighing...

Weigh yourself at least every end of the week. You will notice you are gaining a relative amount of weight after a short period of time. However, don't expect miracles. Nobody can put on 10-15lbs for that short period. You can't rush, gaining weight anymore than 1 to 2 pounds in just a week is not really healthy which means that you're putting on fats instead of muscles. As the saying goes- "Patience is a virtue."

Later you will be stopping in gaining weight. Now, when that happens you should focus on eating more and more. If when you stop from gaining weight for lets say about 2 weeks then start on eating an extra amount of at least 250 calories per day. When do you do that. Take notice, each time you see that you have not gained weight after 2 weeks then that's the time you add an extra 250 calories in your diet.

Say NO to Bad Fats...

Yes, I know you want to gain weight but, you don't want to be gaining weight when you know that it is all just fat right? Of course! So, cut out the bad fats like chips and candies. No more hello's to you're fave McDonalds and clear out of anything that is fried. Instead, turn on high protein and foods that are low fat like tuna fish, sea foods, chicken breast, lean meats, turkey, fruits and vegetables. These are the really good and clean kind of foods you should eat.

Drink a lot...

Sorry, but I mean water only! Drink around 8 to 10 glasses of water a day or even more if you can.That would be better. That's a lot of water! But, you know what? believe it or not, water is what you'll need for the energy that you'll need in gaining weight. Quiet amazing! Dehydration is not good because it can lead to various health problems, promote less stamina.

Get Lots of Sleep...

Sleeping is the easiest tip in weight gain yet, it is often times the most neglected. Minimum amount of sleep is at least 8 hours at night. Our body needs sleep to function properly.

Following these get it tips, you might be asking yourself how much will I gain?

Our body responds in different ways, so the progress may vary. Meaning, if you do eat well, do some weight lifts hard, add it up with some muscle building supplements then expect to gain about 10lbs or more within 6 to 8 weeks in period. Wow, that's quiet a lot!

Lastly, you might be confused why add supplement when you've already done all the natural ways that says it's the way to weight gain. Well, here's the thing- Think of supplements as the finishing touch! It is not exactly saying that you need it. Supplements will help you gain the weight a lot faster. I bet you would want that?! That's what they are for, just a supplement to a good diet and training.

So, always remember- eat big and lift big to get big and for the finishing touch- just add a little supplement to it!

Medical Tourism in India - Cost Savings With Free Holiday Abroad

Medical Tourism in India, or Health Tourism in India, is a fast developing concept, whereby, patients from the world over visit the country for medical, surgical, and dental care. State of the art infrastructure, advanced technological support, high end equipment, and superior quality of health care and amenities makes India a preferred and favourable medical tourism destination.

What's more, the cost of having the surgeries is a fraction of the cost that is charged in the US, UK, and Europe, while not compromising on quality in any way. India boasts of some of the best hospitals and health care centers in the world. Being one of the preferred tourist destinations, Medical Tourism India helps combine health care with holiday. India is a beautiful country, bordered by the world's highest mountain chain in the north, lush green tropical rain forests in the east, sandy deserts in the west, and palm fringed beaches to the south.

As medical care costs mushroom, patients look overseas for medical and surgical treatment. India Medical Tourism is capitalising on low costs and highly skilled physicians and surgeons to attract medical tourists.

Best Medical Expertise in India

Indian hospitals, within the network of medical tourism corporation, are, all JCI accredited proffering superior quality of healthcare. At the Wockhardt Hospitals, the medical team consists of exceedingly proficient and highly experienced physicians and doctors, in all the major specialties. There is a strong support system of advanced equipments and superior facilities to guarantee, to each patient the best medical care, round the clock. The hospitals are dedicated to providing excellent and outstanding health care services.

The Fortis Hospital, Mohali has quickly emerged as a central point of health care for a large number of foreign patients, providing unmatched medical services. The surgeons and physicians at the hospital are some of the very best names in the medical profession, having extensive experience and unlimited research to their credit.

Dental Treatment in India also needs a special mention. A range of dental treatments, such as smile designing, dental implants, porcelain metal bridge, porcelain metal crowns, root canal treatment, teeth whitening, etc is available at unparalleled quality and affordable costs, making Dental Tourism India a million dollar business.

India specialises in a host of comprehensive medical and surgical treatments, ranging from: cardio - thoracic - vascular surgery, critical care, dental care, gynaecology and obstetrics (Surrogacy in India needs a noteworthy mention), ophthalmology, cancer management, organ transplant surgery, to cosmetic and re-constructive surgery.

Health care tourism, India, offers several benefits to overseas patients.

• Superior quality, top-notch medical and surgical care
• Treatments are done at hospitals that are JCI accredited
• Doctors, surgeons, and the medical team are skilled, deft, and vastly experienced
• Inexpensive and affordable costs of the treatments. Indian Medical Tourism promises real cost savings of up to 75% off the US rates.
• Use of superlative, advanced, and safe implants and consumables
• Use of high end technological expertise
• No wait time
• Hospital staff that speaks English fluently

The health care sector in India has witnessed a dramatic upsurge, there has also been a massive growth in the infrastructure of the country, and Medical Travel India is a flourishing industry, drawing millions of patients from the overseas.

The Life of a Hospital Administrator

A hospital is a big place where a lot of work has to be done: helping people get along with each other, making sure the rules and regulations are doing their job, keeping a sharp eye on the expenses, and plainly getting things done smoothly and without a hitch. The hospital then needs someone to step in and make sure things are organised; allowing the doctors and nurses to do their jobs effectively and without worrying about the little things.

A hospital needs an administrator to do just that:

Management is one of the basic functions in hospital administration, making sure everything is working the way it should. A properly managed hospital allows the different members of the hospital (i.e. doctors, nurses, pharmacists, specialists etc.) to work in unison. This then allows for a system to take root and guide the regular and routine procedures of all the staff in a hospital.

Employment concerns like screening and promotions are yet another issue that a hospital administrator has to deal with. An administrator must learn to be able to identify who would be most qualified to be in a certain position, and a good administrator has to have a fundamental understanding of both the person being considered and the position he or she is gunning for.

Finance is one of the major responsibilities a hospital administrator has to have a hand in. Though the bulk of the computing for profit and expenses is left up to an accountant, a hospital administrator would make the decisions on financial solutions that will either make or break a hospital's survival.

Policies may be considered an offshoot of an administrator's role in management, but it is unique in its own right: drafting policies is like laying the path for the staff to follow. Drafting up good policies that will work for the betterment of the hospital and its staff requires intimate knowledge of everything that goes around in a hospital. This involves the implementation of the policies as well - making sure that they are followed to protect both the hospital staff and the patients being cared for.

These four aspects of administration are just the general duties of an administrator. The little things and the specific tasks vary according to the level of an administrator, as well as the nature of the hospital he or she will be working in. But there is one more aspect that has to be taken into consideration, even if it is not strictly a requirement that will be listed in a hospital administrator's job description.

That aspect would be leadership. It is above all else one of the most vital functions of a hospital administrator. Even if he or she pins down all the right moves in managing, employment, finance and policies, it takes a measure of leadership for a hospital administrator to actually get the willing cooperation of the staff to get things done properly.

A question in mind, how can a hospital ever manage to thrive without a hospital administrator? It simply is impossible.

Clinical Trial Fraud - How to Identify and Steps to Handle If Found

You are a CRA, CRC, a member of the clinical trial team, CRO, pharma, sponsor, or otherwise - when you become aware of fraudulent data and clinical practices in a clinical trial - what do you do? Immediately report your suspicion and findings to FDA. FDA will direct the "for cause" call to the appropriate divisions at FDA - Divisions of Scientific and Criminal investigations. From here, if fraud is proven, any individual or organisation participating in fraudulent activities will be held to the full extent of the law governing such in the judicial court system.

Clinical trial fraud is on the rise again. Major areas riddled with fraudulent clinical trial behaviour:

• over enrolment of patients
• faking patient informed consent form
• faking patient CRFs
• faking visits
• faking lab data
• under reporting of adverse events
• no reporting of "early patient withdrawals"
• no reporting of "lost to follow-up" patient visits.

If fraud is proven, clinical investigators and anyone involved in the fraud will be given heavy fines as well as prison sentences. Who is at fault? Principle and co-investigators, clinical team members and organisations. It is difficult to prevent the intention of fraud, but it is not difficult to identify fraud. Lack of clinical trial and quality control monitoring allows for the occurrence of fraud.

What does clinical research misconduct, fraud mean? FDA provides a definition that is clear in message and severity. Clinical research misconduct means falsification of data in proposing, processing, designing, performing, recording, supervising, reviewing, analyzing, collecting clinical research or reporting clinical research results, outcomes and endpoints. The manipulation of data and reporting for a self-serving purpose, usually monetary! Simple!

The FDA uses fraud and misconduct interchangeably and includes acts of omission and commission, consciously not revealing all data and consciously altering or fabricating data. Fraud does not include honest error or honest difference in opinion. Deliberate or repeated non compliance with the protocol and GCP is considered fraud, second to falsification of data which is more severe in penalty and justice and resolve.

Let us review again who commits fraud?

• Investigators
• Study nurses
• Study Coordinators
• Data managers
• CRAs
• Sponsors
• Lab personnel
• IRB staff
• Subjects.

Yes, it is true. Clinical trial subjects have been accused and found guilty of fraud. The reasons are interesting and the content of another blog.

Average breakdown in % of blame:

• CRC - 39
• Study Nurse - 17
• Hospital - 9
• Sponsor - 9
• Self - 9
• Office Staff - 9
• PI or Co-PI - 4
• CRA - 4.

Monitor and adhere to GCP. Review and monitor repeatedly. Report fraud.

Healthcare in India - A Forming Trend of What People Want

Healthcare has been a hot topic all over the world, especially with the current healthcare bill recently passing in the United States. The U.S. however is not the only country that is undergoing a change in healthcare. India has been making a few changes to their healthcare system as well, only in a completely different manner. Fortis Healthcare Ltd. has been expanding their private hospital change so that the people of India can receive better care. There are a few large issues with the current public healthcare system in India that include:

• Public healthcare centers are low on funds or have no funds at all.
• Due to the lack of funds, the clinics are often dirty and dingy.
• Also due to the lack of funds, the clinics are understaffed, making citizens wait an extreme amount of time to receive their care.
• Even with the increase of private hospitals, the patient to doctor ratio is very high. There are only .06 doctors for every 1,000 patients.

Another big problem in India's healthcare system is that currently, only 12% of the citizens have health insurance that allows them to afford private care, such as that offered by Fortis. Luckily, that looks like it is changing, as the number of people who have health insurance is increasing 40% every single year. This means that over the next several years, more people will be able to stop going to public clinics and will be able to receive their healthcare in the private sector.

One of the main reasons why there aren't enough doctors in India is because there is a lack of medical schools to train future doctors. Many citizens who are hopeful of becoming a doctor end up going to school in another country and then end up staying there. With more private hospitals popping up, it does look like the changes that are being made are positive changes.