Columbia Clinic launched at Embassy TechVillage in Bangalore

Over the last two decades there has been an alarming rise in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, asthma and respiratory diseases and cancers in India, especially among the urban population. According to statistics, every year, roughly 5.8 million Indians die from heart and lung diseases, stroke, cancer and diabetes. Around 50.8 million population are affected by diabetes alone, as per WHO records. Another 15 per cent suffers from arthritis, as per statistics.

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Telemedicine penetration in India is low but is growing very fast says Dr Harsha Rajaram, Columbia Asia Hospitals

 

Healthcare ecosystem in India is still evolving. Considering the diverse landscape in India, various technologies have been considered for increasing access and improving the care outcomes. In this context Telemedicine continues to be a relevant discussion and one that many feel will ultimately solve our issues with care specially in the rural parts of the country. But has Medicine delivered on its potential? Or does more need to be done to harness the benefits of this technology. To get the answers for these questions we spoke to  Dr Harsha Rajaram, Vice President, Telemedicine, Columbia Asia Hospitals Pvt. Ltd. Below are some snippets from the discussion.

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Continue ReadingTelemedicine penetration in India is low but is growing very fast says Dr Harsha Rajaram, Columbia Asia Hospitals

Caution: Zika virus is in India, take these steps to prevent infection

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Zika virus to be a Public Health Emergency of International concern, last year. Sometime ago we had covered how the US had dealt with the last few carriers of the virus by spraying the Miami-Dade county aerially with the insecticides.

Now, Zika is in India with three cases between November 2016 and February 2017, in Gujarat, coming to light, it is high time that people are aware of this disease.Moreover, the fact that none of the Zika infected patients, their spouses or relatives had traveled to any country with Zika virus transmission, is making it more of a cause of concern. That may mean someone with the virus had traveled to India and was not detected at emigration.

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Nursing services in India are at the cusp of change

Florence Nightingale was a key figure in the transformation of the Nursing profession. Before her hospitals were essentially run by religious institutions where people were cared for in their last days, essentially palliative in nature. During the heights of the Crimean war, Florence Nightingale with a lamp in hand started the beginning of what we call modern nursing care and established nurses as the corner stone of modern healthcare.

Today nursing in India is at another cross roads. While digital and technology have empowered patients to seek the best in care, nurses in India struggle daily against rising stress levels, lower pay and unending demands of the modern healthcare system. Attrition among nursing staff is around 40- 60%. And each day nurses migrate from India to countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland and Middle East.

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