Health awareness and check-up at Lower Dzongu

MANGAN, 29 Sept: A daylong NABARD sponsored awareness cum general health camp (under WADI Project) was organized here at Gor Secondary School Ground on 27 September for Lum/ Gor/ Sangtok and Hee-Gyathang GPUs of Lower Dzongu, North Sikkim. The camp was held in co-ordination with District Hospital Mangan.
The programme started with the welcome address, introduction and a brief description about the programme by Tshering Norbu Bhutia [Asst Project Officer]. Thereafter, awareness session started with a presentation on MDR Tuberculosis by Dr. CS Rai [STNM Hospital] where it was stated that a large number of people are falling prey to the disease. This disease will not stop unless people are more aware, he said and urged people not to hide the disease but consult with doctors.
Panchayat Secretary [Lum/ Gor/ Sangtok] Tshering Gyatso Lepcha highlighted that a lot of people from the GPU suffer from MDR Tuberculosis and requested the Health Department to focus on the issue. He also urged all the villagers to know more about the disease.
Project Co-ordinator, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) North, Tshering Thendup Bhutia highlighted about the programme and WADI Project.
The chief guest Zilla Adhakshya North, Anguli Lepcha while addressing the function appreciated the effort of KVK North and doctors for organizing such a public welfare camp. She also urged the people educate themselves on the various diseases and to visit the nearest health centre in time.
After the awareness session, a medical team comprising of seven doctors and paramedical staff from STNM and District Hospital Mangan examined the patients for multiple ailments related to Hypertension, Diabetes, Cardiac, Gynae, Pediatrics etc. and prescribed suitable medicines to more than 490 patients who had turned up at the medical camp today. Free medicines were distributed to the patients.
Also during the function, 11 schools from both GPUs were provided with water filters by the KVK and different vegetable seeds were provided to farmers.
A large number of people comprising of women, children, senior citizens, teachers, students of different schools of Lower Dzongu attended the programme.

Sikkim proposition convinces Centre to establish minimum clinical standards for hospitals

GANGTOK, 19 Jan: Sikkim, along with 3 other hilly states of the country, will have to adhere to a set of minimum clinical standards in health care prescribed by the Central government. The central government is all set to make mandatory for all hospitals and clinics to adhere to these minimum standards after Sikkim approached the central government in this regard, media reports inform.
Although health is a state subject, the central government can intervene if states approach it, as Sikkim has done. The Centre has framed this legislation at the behest of four states - Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram. Accordingly, the law will apply only to these states. The health ministry wants to extend it to others though it has clarified to other state health ministries that the Act is “not intrusive”, but moved in public interest.
This means that if a hospital provides a particular service, say, a bypass surgery, then it will have to ensure it has the minimum stipulated equipment, manpower and infrastructure.
Although the law will be limited to some states, it will be the first time that there will be a specified national law for standards of treatment that could also result in penalty for errant healthcare service providers.
The Health Ministry plans to notify the Clinical Establishments Act 2010 by March, a senior health ministry official was quoted in media reports coming from New Delhi as stating.
While Rajasthan has agreed to adopt the legislation, Bihar and Orissa have also indicated a willingness to do so.
Indian healthcare, projected to touch $75 billion this year, is highly fragmented and unregulated. Most patients prefer to go to private hospitals and clinics, which follow varying standards of treatment and pricing of services. Industry bodies Indian Medical Association have opposed the proposed regulation, saying that this would take the industry back to the licence raj.
Once the Act is notified, all clinical establishments in the above mentioned four states will have to voluntarily declare details of infrastructure, manpower and services to be registered provisionally. With the database, the government will notify the final rules and allow only abiding hospitals to be registered.

CATCH marches on strong, wins accolades as Sikkim inches closer to becoming healthier state

GANGTOK, 12 Jan: Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Annual and Total Check-Up for Healthy Sikkim [CATCH] programme has been highly appreciated by other states and even by the National Planning Commission, informs Additional Director [NCD Cell], Dr PM Pradhan, while adding that states like Gujurat and Himachal Pradesh have appreciated the programme and showed interest in adopting it for their states. Even the National Planning Commission has stressed that other states should follow this programme, he adds.
Addressing a press conference today, Dr Pradhan informed that since the launch of the programme by the Chief Minister on 26 August 2010, 92,600 persons have received the total check-up and that blood investigation has been done for more than 1.5 lakh people so far.
He informed that after receiving directions from the CM, the Department carried out the programme on a pilot basis by adopting 20 wards in East Sikkim in the early months of 2010. Five thousand people were covered and once the feasibility and benefits of the programme were established, the CATCH programme was extended to the entire State.
Dr Pradhan informed that taking the programme to a new area, it was discussed with the community and detailed background and information of the area, families and people residing there collated in a prescribed format.
He informed that the programme is now underway full swing and the department in the process of issuing health cards to the people and even the central government has issued directions to carry out compulsory tests for blood sugar of every person above 30 years of age and all pregnant women.
“So we have decided to cover East and South Sikkim within February with the CATCH programme, blood sugar test and also complete Ward Files, Family Folders and Individual Case Sheets,” he informed.
The Ward File will include information of the area [like common causes of death in the area, common ailments and such medical data], while the Family Folder will include these details family-wise and Individual Case Sheets, as the name suggests, will be for the individuals.
The process began for Gangtok on 06 January and is being carried out by 13 teams. These teams will fill up all three forms and then provide basic check-up with blood sugar tests and if some problems are identified, then the patient will referred be to the hospital.
He informed that the preparation and distribution of Health Cards will be taken up on a war-footing once all districts have been covered.
Dr. Pradhan stated that this health check-up is just the starting and not the end of the CATC programme as  continuous follow-up will be provided with service packages and referred to concerned health experts. He further added that the programme also includes initiatives for community mobilization to change unhealthy lifestyles.
About the findings, he informed that it was found that North Sikkim has more cases [on average] of hypertension and West Sikkim more cases of Malnutrition. He informed that East and South Sikkim will be covered with basic health check-up within this financial year.

Health awareness through cultural performances begins in East and North Sikkim

GANGTOK, 03 Jan: The public awareness campaign through cultural programmes on the National Rural Health Mission, started from 02 Jan at different places in East and North Sikkim. The campaign is a combined effort of the Song and Drama Division, Government of India and Health Division of Sikkim Government under the guidance of Chief Medical Officer East and North Sikkim.

VHAS trains VHSC, PRIs and AWWs on better networking

RONGLI, 14 Nov: Voluntary Health Association of Sikkim (VHAS) Gangtok conducted a training on ‘Enhancement of Para Medicals and PRIs (Panchayat Raj Institutions), VHSC (Village Health & Sanitation Committee), AWW (Agan Wadi Workers), Civil Societies on Health & Development’ at Sudunglakha Gram Prashasan Kendra supported by the Youth Development Society of Sikkim (YODESS) Rongli.

Health Exhibition for schools

GANGTOK, 06 Nov: State IEC Bureau under Department of Health Care & Human Service organized a Health exhibition on different subjects with a view to create awareness among students and teachers on 04 November at Ranka Senior Secondary School.

Puppet show on health education organised at Singtam

GANGTOK, 02 Nov: A public awareness programme on Health Mission jointly organized by the Dance and Drama Division under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the State National Rural Health Mission was inaugurated today here at Singtam, East Sikkim.

Free corrective plastic surgery camp begins in Gangtok

GANGTOK, 16 Sept [IPR]: Sikkim Viklang Sahayata Samiti, a voluntary organisation, is organising a free plastic surgery camp for cleft lip, palate and burn cases from 16 to 22 Sept at Central Referral Hospital, 5th Mile Tadong.  The camp is being organized in collaboration with Smile Train India, Agra, along with support of Health Care, Human Services and Family Welfare Department, Central Referral Hospital and NHPC Teesta Stage V. 
Minister for Human Resource Development, NK Pradhan was present at the inaugural session as the chief guest. In his address, he said that Sikkim Viklang Sahayata Samiti is doing a tremendous job by trying to solve the problems of the physically challenged people of Sikkim and such camps will help benefit the whole society. The Minister thus urged the patients to make optimum use of this free camp.

Health Minister inspects Mangan Hospital

GANGTOK, 10 July: A surprise visit to the Mangan District Hospital was paid by Health Minister, DN Takarpa, on Saturday. The Minister was also accompanied by the Health Secretary, Dr Kumar Bhandari, and Principal Director, Dr RL Sharma along with a team of engineers led by the Divisional Engineer of the department.
During the visit, the Minister, who was accompanied by the area MLA, Tshering Wangdi Lepcha, carried out a thorough inspection. He also visited the in-patient and out-patient departments, kitchen, toilets, medical stores and other departments of the hospital.

Mission Hospital opens ‘virtual OPD’ in Gangtok

GANGTOK, 24 April: The Mission Hospital of Durgapur, West Bengal, opened a Telemedicine and Information Centre here at the Somani Building, MG Marg today. The centre was inaugurated by Dr K Bhandari, Director General, Health Services.
Speaking to media persons, Dr Bhandari informed that Mission Hospital was one of the 14 hospitals across the country empanelled with the Government of Sikkim.