Thatched House

Morung Express Editorial Forcing the present healthcare system to deliver services is like flogging a starved mule to work The precarious HIV situation in Nagaland has been in the news. It is a harsh reality that with the resources invested; the situation is still far from satisfactory. But HIV/AIDS situation is not an isolated case. Good healthcare is so difficult to achieve. People visiting healthcare centers across the State know that all is not well. The standard reaction is the pointing of fingers at the government machinery which is responsible for running the services. But things get more complicated when we explore the factors which determine the type of healthcare we receive.  HIV/AIDS happens in the society. When a patient reports at a clinic, it is only the tip of the iceberg which manages to pop out of the water surface so that it becomes visible. So, tackling a medical condition which is mostly hidden in the society is not an easy thing. Many of th...

In an article 'Bitter truth about sugar' (:-)) in The Hindu today, a nutritionist from Fortis Hospital says that daily recommended intake of sugar is 9 teaspoons (7 if you are a woman). 1 teaspoon is about 5 ml.  A can of cold drink contains 7 teaspoons of sugar. So, if you have a can of cold drink, your sugar requirement is done for the day. You can't have tea, sweets, and all those processed foods.  If you cross the limit, you are increasing your chance of dying from heart disease . Excess sugar accumulates to develop obesity, diabetes, impaired immune system, tooth decay, etc.

For tomorrow's newspaper: World Cancer Day Today is World Cancer Day. It is a day for the world to unite in the fight against cancer. This year, it is being observed under the tagline ‘Not beyond us’, which means to say that we should not lose hope but fight cancer positively. It is to highlight that we have the resources and they are within our reach. 8.2 million people die from cancer every year worldwide and 4 million of them die prematurely (aged 30-69 years). The estimated prevalence rate of cancer in Nagaland is 4353 cases in 2013 and 4307 cases in 2012, as per data provided by ICMR. 709 cancer deaths were reported in the State in 2013. It is estimated that 90% of the oral cancers are due to tobacco. Another study in 2009 estimated that 57% of adults in Nagaland are current users of tobacco. According to District Level Household and Facility Survey IV (DLHS IV) which was released recently, 64% of men and 34.5% of women in Nagaland use smokeless tobacco. 35% of men and ...

Before Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the Union Budget for the fiscal year 2014-15; Dipankar Gupta wrote an article in Times of India called ‘get well first, get wealthy next’ . He appealed for Healthcare to be taken as a priority by the new Central Government and be given the status of an Industry.  Soon after, the Union Budget was presented and it evoked mixed response from commentators. The government plans to provide free drugs and free diagnostics. Other key features of the budget include expansion of insurance coverage through FDI; setting up of AIIMS-like institutions, drug testing laboratories, rural health research centres; and increased excise duty on cigarettes. The increase in taxation of tobacco products is a welcome move and so are the new proposals. However, budget allocation did not measure up to the planned initiatives. As per Economic Survey 2013-14, only 1.4% of the GDP is spent on healthcare which is among the lowest in the world. The n...

Malaria is a seasonal disease and the season for malaria is here. Mosquitoes do not breed out of nowhere. There are conditions which favour their breeding which when controlled will reduce the burden of malaria. Malaria is a disease; a medical condition. But seen from a different light, we can also say that malaria is primarily not a medical problem; it is an environmental problem with health consequences. Source Reduction, which is the reducing of breeding habitats for mosquitoes, is the most effective, and eco-friendly way of controlling malaria. Control of mosquito breeding is also an exercise to improve overall sanitation, and therefore it has extra benefits. It not only controls malaria, but also reduces the incidence of Japanese Encephalitis, Dengue, and other water borne diseases like Acute Diarrheal Disease, Typhoid, Cholera, Food Poisoning, etc.    What are the ways in which we can reduce the breeding places of mosquitoes? Some of the ways are listed below:...

What is malaria? What are the types of malaria parasites found in Nagaland Malaria is a disease associated with fever which is transmitted by the bite of infected female anopheles mosquitoes There are two types of malaria parasites found in Nagaland: Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum. Falciparum malaria is the more serious of the two. What are the common signs and symptoms of malaria? 9-14 days after a bite by infected mosquito, the patient may develop the following signs and symptoms: 1.       Fever with chills and rigor, sweating followed by intermittent relief of fever 2.         Headache, vomiting, and other flu-like symptoms 3.       Anemia in severe cases, fits/convulsion and loss of consciousness 4.       Parasite may go to the brain which causes cerebral malaria 5.       Malaria in pregnancy could risk the life of moth...