New Delhi Mar 25 PTI Indian students pursuing medical studies abroad who could not complete their internship due to compelling situations such as war and the Covid pandemic will now be able to finish their remaining internship in the country the government said on FridayThis will however be subject to the condition that such candidates must have cleared FMGE screening test which is mandatory for Indian students with foreign medical qualification to practice medicine in India Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said in a written reply in Lok SabhaShe was responding to a question on whether the government proposes to frame a scheme for admission of students who have returned from China and those evacuated from Ukraine to medical colleges in the country and also to allow them to do their internship herePawar in her written reply said section 14 of the NMC Act 2019 prescribes conducting of a uniform entrance examination namely National Eligibility cum Entrance Test NEET to all medical educational institutions at undergraduate and post-graduate level Also Clause 8 iv of Eligibility Requirement for Taking Admission in an Undergraduate Medical Course in a Foreign Medical Institution Regulation 2002 provides for that any Indian citizensOverseas citizen of India intending to obtain primary medical qualification from any medical institution outside India on or after May 2018 shall have to mandatorily qualify the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test NEET for Admission to MBBS courseThe result of the NEET shall deem to be treated as the Eligibility Certificate for such persons and no separate permission required from NMC Pawar saidTherefore data of students going abroad to pursue MBBS is not maintained centrallyThe NMC for the betterment of Indian student pursuing medical studies abroad vide circular dated 04032022 has allowed foreign medical graduates with incomplete internship due to such compelling situation which is beyond their control such as war and COVID-19 pandemic etc to complete their remaining part of internship in India subject to the condition that such candidates must have cleared FMGE Screening Test which is mandatory for Indian students with foreign medical qualification to practice medicine in India she said PTI PLB ZMN

New Delhi Jan 27 PTI Ninety five per cent of Indias eligible adult population has been administered the first dose of Covid vaccine while 74 per cent are fully inoculated the Union health ministry said on Thursday as the total vaccine doses administered has crossed 16435 crore Tll 7 pm 4969805 vaccine doses have been administeredAs many as 10304847 precaution doses have been administered to healthcare and frontline workers and those aged 60 and above with comorbiditiesAlso44281254 adolescents in the 15-18 years age group have been given the first dose of COVID-19 vaccineThe daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late tonight Meanwhile Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated the nation for the remarkable achievementIn a tweet he said that India has achieved the record of administering the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to more than 95 per cent of its eligible population Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi hard work of health workers and public participation the country is continuously moving forward in this campaign he saidThe countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 last year with healthcare workers getting inoculated in the first phase India began administering precaution dose of COVID-19 vaccine to healthcare workers frontline workers including personnel deployed for election duty and those aged 60 and above with comorbidities from January 10amid the country witnessing a spike in coronavirus infections fuelled by Omicron variant of the virus PTI PLB ZMN

New Delhi Jan 21 PTI The Union health ministry Friday asserted that no data has leaked from the Co-WIN portal and the entire information of people is safe and secure as this digital platform does not collect either the address of a person nor the RT-PCR test results for Covid vaccinationThere have been several media reports claiming that the data stored in Co-WIN portal has been leaked onlineIt is clarified that no data has leaked from Co-WIN portal and the entire data of residents is safe and secure on this digital platform the ministry said in a statementIt is also clarified that while Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will enquire into the substance of the news prima facie the assertion is not correct as Co-WIN collects neither the address of the person nor the RT-PCR test results for COVID-19 vaccination the statement said PTI PLB ZMN

New Delhi Jan 19 PTI An expert panel of Indias central drug authority on Wednesday recommended granting regular market approval to Covid vaccines Covishield and Covaxin for use in adult population subject to certain conditions official sources saidPharma companies Serum Institute of India SII and Bharat Biotech had submitted applications to the Drugs Controller General of India DCGI seeking regular market authorisation for their respective COVID-19 vaccines Covishield and Covaxin which are currently only authorised for emergency use in the countryPrakash Kumar Singh director government and regulatory affairs at SII had submitted an application to the DCGI on October 25 on this matterOn that DCGI had sought more data and documents from the Pune-based company following which Singh recently had submitted a response along with more data and informationIn addition to the successful completion of phase 23 clinical study in India till now more than 100 crore doses of Covishield vaccine have been administered to the people in this country and worldwide Singh is learnt to have stated in the responseSuch a large-scale vaccination with Covishield and containment of COVID-19 infection is in itself a testimony of the safety and efficacy of the vaccine he had saidIn an application sent to the DCGI a couple of weeks ago V Krishna Mohan whole-time director at the Hyderabad-based company submitted complete information regarding chemistry manufacturing and controls along with the pre-clinical and clinical data while seeking regular market authorisation for CovaxinBharat Biotech International Limited BBIL took up the challenge to develop produce and clinically evaluate a vaccine Covaxin from the SARS-CoV-2 strains isolated from COVID-19 patients in India Mohan had said in the applicationCovaxin and Covishield were granted Emergency Use Authorisation EUA on January 3The Subject Expert Committee SEC on COVID-19 of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation CDSCO which reviewed SII and Bharat Biotechs application for the second time on Wednesday has recommended granting regular market approval to Covishield and Covaxin subject to certain conditions an official source saidThe recommendations will be sent to DCGI for final approvalLater in a tweet CDSCO said SEC of CDSCO has recommended for upgrade of covishield and covaxin status from restricted use in emergency situations to grant of new drug permission with conditions in adult population DCGI will evaluate the recommendations and give its decision During last weeks meeting the SEC had sought more data and information from the two companies PTI PLB ZMN

New Delhi Jan 18 PTI The Union health ministry has advised Covid patients to go for tests for tuberculosis and other conditions if cough persists for more than two-three weeksTherevised Clinical Guidance for Management of Adult COVID-19 Patients issued by AIIMS ICMR-COVID-19 National Task Force and Joint Monitoring Group DGHS under the health ministry on Monday underlined there is no evidence of injectable steroids benefitting Covid patients not requiring oxygen supplementation or in continuation after dischargeAnti-inflammatory or immunomodulatory therapy such as steroids can have the risk of secondary infection like invasive mucormycosis when used too early at higher dose or for longer than required they highlightedIf cough persists for more than two-three weeks one should opt for investigation for tuberculosis and other conditions the revised guidelines statedThe revised guidelines continue to recommend emergency use authorization EUA or off-label use of remdesivir in patients with moderate to severe disease and those with no renal or hepatic dysfunction within 10 days of the onset of any symptom It warned against use of the drug for patients who are not on oxygen support or in home settings According to the guidelines EUA or off-label use of the tocilizumab drug may be considered for use in the presence of severe disease preferably within 24 to 48 hours of onset of severe disease or intensive care unit ICU admission Tocilizumab may be considered for patients with significantly raised inflammatory markers and not improving despite use of steroids with there being no active bacterial fungal or tubercular infection they stated Coronavirus patients have been classified into those affected by mild moderate and severe disease the guidelines stated Injection methylprednisolone 05 to one mgkg in two divided doses or an equivalent dose of dexamethasone can be given usually for a duration of five to 10 days in moderate cases the guidelines stated The same drug in two divided doses of one to two mgkg can be given for same duration in severe casesInhalational budesonide given via metered dose inhalerdry powder inhaler at a dose of 800 mcg BD for five days can be given in mild cases if symptoms fever andor cough are persistent beyond five days of disease onset it was stated in the guidelines According to the guidance note upper respiratory tract symptoms without shortness of breath or hypoxia has been categorised as mild disease and have been advised home isolation and care Those suffering from mild Covid should seek medical attention if they have difficulty in breathing high grade fever or severe cough lasting for more than five daysThose having breathlessness with SpO2 fluctuating between 90-93 per cent can get admitted to a ward and they will be considered moderate cases Such patients should be given oxygen support and awake proning should be encouraged in all patients requiring supplemental oxygen therapy in sequential position changes every two hours the guidelines stated Respiratory rate over 30 per minute breathlessness or SpO2 lower than 90 per cent on room air should be considered as severe disease and such patients have to admitted to an ICU as they will need respiratory support they said Such patients should be put on respiratory support Non-invasive ventilation NIV -- helmet or face mask interface depending on availability -- may be considered in those with increasing oxygen requirements if work of breathing is low High flow nasal cannula should be considered in patients with increasing oxygen requirements Intubation should be prioritised in patients with high work of breathing if NIV is not tolerated and institutional protocol for ventilatory management should be used when required the new guidelines stated Those aged above 60 years or those having cardiovascular disease hypertension and coronary artery disease diabetes mellitus and other immunocompromised states such as HIV active tuberculosis chronic lung kidney or liver disease cerebrovascular disease or obesity are at high risk for severe disease and mortality the guidelines stated PTI PLB ZMN

New Delhi Dec 21 PTI Asserting that the Omicron variant is at least thrice more transmissible than Delta the Centre Tuesday asked states and union territories to activate war rooms keep analyzing even small trends and surges and keep taking strict and prompt containment action at district and local levelsIn a letter to the states and union territories Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan advised implementing strategic interventions for containment like imposition of night curfew strict regulation of large gatherings curtailing numbers in marriages and funerals besides increasing testing and surveillanceThe letter highlights measures that need to be taken in view of initial signs of surge in cases of COVID-19 as well as increased detection of the variant of concern Omicron in different parts of the countryAt the district level there should be constant review of emerging data regarding the population affected by COVID-19 geographical spread hospital infrastructure and its utilization manpower notifying containment zones enforcement of perimeter of containment zones etc This evidence should be the basis for effective decision making at the district level itself Such a strategy ensures that infection is contained at the local level itself before it spreads to other parts of the state Bhushan said in the letter Kindly activate the war roomsEOCs emergency operation centres and keep analyzing all trends and surges no matter how small and keep taking proactive action at the districtlocal level Regular reviews with field officers and proactive action in this regard will definitely control the spread of infection and flatten the curve he saidIn case of all new clusters of Covid positive cases prompt notification of containment zones buffer zones should be done strict perimeter control of containment zone according to extant guidelines must be ensured All cluster samples must be sent to INSACOG Labs for Genome Sequencing without delay Bhushan underlinedThe letter highlighted that test positivity of 10 per cent or more in the last one week or bed occupancy of 40 per cent or more on oxygen supported or ICU beds should be main elements of the framework to be used by states and union territories to facilitate decision making at the district levelBased on current scientific evidence the VOC variant of concern Omicron is at least 3 times more transmissible than the Delta VOC Besides the Delta VOC is still present in different parts of the country Hence even greater foresight data analysis dynamic decision making and strict and prompt containment action is required at the local and district level The decision making at the state and UT and district level must be very prompt and focussed he saidListing some of the strategic areas of intervention focusing on containment test track surveillance clinical management to be taken Bhushan asked states and union territories to ensure door to door case search testing of all SARIILI and vulnerableco-morbid people and right proportion of RT PCR tests in total tests being conducted dailyContact tracing of all Covid positive persons and utilizing the access to AIR SUVIDHA Portal by State Surveillance Officers SSOS and District Surveillance Officers DSOS to monitor the international passengers who have arrived in their states and districts was also stressedStates and union territories have been asked to increase bed capacity other logistics like ambulances mechanism for seamless shifting of patients availability and operational readiness of oxygen equipment buffer stock of drugs to be ensured by prompt utilization of Emergency Covid Response Package ECRP-II funds released by central government and other available resources etc The existing National Clinical Management Protocol remains unchanged for Omicron the letter statedEnsure stringent enforcement of home isolation as per extant guidelines This would include among others customized kit for persons undergoing home isolation their regular monitoring through call centres as well as home visits etc This will be a very critical activity in the days to come specially to ensure that persons under home isolation do not spread the virus to others in view of its higher transmissibility the letter underlinedThe states and union territories have been asked to ensure 100 per cent coverage of left out first and second dose eligible beneficiaries in an accelerated manner Special focus to be given to those districts where the first second dose coverage is less than the national average the letter stated adding the door-to-door vaccination campaign need to be strengthened They have also been asked to ensure advance engagement and information so that there is no misinformation or panic transparent communication on hospital and testing infrastructure availability regular press briefings etcParticipation of community backed by strict enforcement is necessary for ensuring Covid appropriate behaviour the letter said PTI PLB ZMN

New Delhi Nov 25 PTI The malaria landscape in India is rapidly changing and the country has seen a decline in cases from 2 million in the beginning of the century to 02 million in recent years a senior health ministry official said ThursdayAddressing the Science Technology and Innovation Conclave hosted by Malaria No More MNM Principal Advisor in the Ministry of Health Dr PK Sen also underlined the need for leveraging technology and innovation to move forward in efforts to achieve malaria eliminationIndia has seen a decline from 2 million cases in the beginning of the century to 02 million in the recent years The malaria landscape is rapidly changing the focus of malaria elimination in the country is currently towards use of existing tools more reliance on existing technology and improved coverage of existing coverage measures he saidMalaria has been one of Indias long-standing public health problems and threatens a population of around 126 billion and is responsible for an economic burden of about USD 19 billion a statement by MNM saidPrime Minister Narendra Modis pledge to end malaria in India by 2030 has set in motion the countrys malaria elimination program Accordingly India launched its national strategic plan for malaria elimination in 2017India is approaching the end of the current national strategic plan and needs to start conceptualising and initiating strategic discussions and cross-sectoral discourse on trivial advocacy and technical issues to craft a robust Endgame National Strategic Plan for 2022-2027 the statement saidFormer director of erstwhile NVBDCP currently NCVBDC Dr PL Joshi said We cannot work in isolation to achieve our goals of malaria elimination we need to work collaboratively with all stakeholders Climate change and Malaria are very closely related to address the rising issues of climate change influenced malaria we need close collaborations with the metrological department The task ahead is to address the urgency of tracking all cases with efficient surveillance for this we need to use information technology effectively supplemented with community engagement quality control and capacity building MNM India has been facilitating discussions through an ongoing Malaria Advocacy Campaign Indias March Towards Malaria Elimination by 2030 Challenges Opportunities and The Way Forward which was launched on World Mosquito day on August 20Through this campaign MNM hopes to profile the agenda for the endgame strategic action plan 2022-2027 which will be crucial towards achieving zero indigenous transmission of malaria cases in India by 2027 The conclave focused on mapping research and innovation across industries to refine strategies and help in developing tailor-made solutions to advance Indias malaria endgameThe conclave featured sessions on malaria in India research and development for its elimination industry perspectives and recommendations to help India meet its malaria elimination targetStakeholders from the Ministry of Health World Health Organization India Meteorological Department IMD Indian Council of Medical Research National Centre for Vector Borne Disease Control and industry were present at the conclave Kicking off the industry round-table sprint Dr Chitra Gupta - Director - Healthcare US-India Strategic Partnership Forum said this forum is committed to support the government of Indias National Framework for Malaria Elimination in India by 2030 Multi-sectoral collaboration public-private-people partnerships and technology led solutions will pave the way forward for a robust malaria control programme and we look forward to working with our partners like Malaria No More to achieve these goals together Dr Kaushik Sarkar MNM India director in-charge while addressing the inaugural panel said Malaria No More seeks to unleash the synergistic ability of the people and public sector interventions and investments to their fullest potential to achieve this chronic gain riding on the near-term target of malaria free India by 2027 PTI PLB ZMN