Educating doctors?

Recently there were two pieces of news regarding the relationship between doctors and the pharmaceutical industry. In one the convener of RANZ college of  Psychiatrists(RANZCP)  decided to resign when his attempts to end drug company sponsorship of CME and Conferences was vehemently opposed by fellow members. Psychiatrists back sponsorship deals | The Australian A SENIOR […]

Rectal artemisin derivative for initial control of malaria

There is this interesting article in todays BMC Infectious disease which had my attention. the featured article says Rectal artemisinins rapidly reduce malaria viral loadBMC Infectious Diseases 2008, 8:39 Artemisinins administered as rectal suppositories, particularly artesunate as a single high dose, reduce malaria parasite load within 24 hours without serious adverse effects, offering an alternative […]

Health ministry mulls approving foreign degrees.

AT the present moment medical degrees earned in foreign countries are not valid in India and vice versa. Doctors  holding such degrees are not recognized as specialist here and as such cannot practice here. The government is considering a proposal to recognize specialist degrees earned abroad (‘developed countries’) for pracitsing in India in order to […]

Dr Punching Bags

Doctor and Patient relations may be what it is but the relation between the  doctor and the patient’s attendants is getting more and more acrimonious. Speaking from my personal experience; for every 3-4 emergency shifts that I do at least one is bound to be horrible -not in patient load terms or how critical they […]

Barenaked medicos.

Image from www.sinophilia.org The proposal for compulsory rural service by graduating medicos has long been in the pipeline. It is already being implemented by some states with variety of carrots and sticks attached. In a move by the parliament all newly minted doctors will be required to spend one year in rural areas in compulsory […]

Home remedy for breast lump

Sometime back a patient presented in emergency with complaint of bleeding from an ulcer in breast and severe backache. As is typical she was referred from community health center in nearby town coming to us at 2:00 A.M. She appeared not to be worried about the lump in her breast or the multiple swellings in […]

Separating Conjoined twins

A 2 year old girl with eight limbs undergoes surgery in Bangalore. Read the news from bbc Lakshmi was born two years ago on Diwali in Araria village in Bihar. Although the people of the village treated her as a re-incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, for doctors she was an ischiopagus conjoined twin. Update: The operation […]