Extending healthcare’s reach to people of all classes

Dear readers,
Thank you for your continuous support. As per our commitment, we are presenting you informative stories based on proper analysis and in-depth research. In the current issue, your popular health magazine Double Helical brings to you an exclusive interview of J P Nadda, Union Minister for Health and Family Affairs. It is a very comprehensive interview that throws light on the various initiatives that his ministry has undertaken towards strengthening the healthcare delivery mechanism in the country. Among other things, he emphasised on digital health to change the landscape of healthcare in the country. “Government of India has been increasingly focusing on Digital Health to bring about improvements in Indian public healthcare delivery by progressively using Information & Communication Technology under the overall objective of Digital India,” he said.
According J P Nadda, Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) is one of the key interventions for protection of children from life threatening conditions, which are preventable. It is one of the largest immunization programmes in the world and a major public health intervention in the country targeting more than 2.6 crore newborns & close to 3 crore pregnant women annually through more than 90 lakh immunization sessions.
As part of special story, Double Helical focuses on brain, the centre of human nervous system, and one of the most complex and magnificent organs in the human body. So, a neurologist should have the best of work ethics and complete dedication to handle patients with complex neurological diseases with utmost patience.
The present issue also carries an exclusive story on Organ Donation penned by a renowned doctor on our expert panel, Dr Neelam Mohan. According to her, as the current organ donation rate in India is 0.05/million population per year, it’s time to increase awareness about organ donation. In the recent era, India has seen several advances in health care. In the late 90s, liver transplants were not done in India. The programme kicked off in 2000s, showed slow progress in the initial one decade but later multiple centres emerged in various parts of the country.
Dr Neelam Mohan has been a pioneer in this country in developing liver transplant programme and vividly remembers that the first conference in India on Liver Transplantation was organized by her in 2006. She is happy to see the tremendous progress that the country has made in liver transplants and she can say without hesitation that India is on the world map for the latest advances in living related liver transplants.
Breast cancer is the commonest cancer of women in the world. In India, the incidence of breast cancer is increasing and it has become the leading killer of women in major cities. While there have been tremendous advances in the treatment of breast cancer leading to excellent survival, a completely effective approach to preventing breast cancer has not yet been identified. Detection of breast cancer at an early stage is, however, possible and effective in reducing deaths from breast cancer.
On World Cancer Day, we highlight a number of cancer stories in the current issue. If you have cancer, you must have questions about how serious your cancer is and your chances of survival. The estimate of how the disease will go for you is called prognosis. Many people find it easier to cope when they know more about their cancer.
Early detection of breast cancer can be achieved by three approaches: breast self-examination, check-up by a doctor and mammography. Breast self-examination means examination of breasts done by the woman herself. A woman is the first person to know and feel the changes happening in her breasts. BSE is an essential part of taking care of oneself.
We also carry an analytical story on Union Budget for 2017-18. It did provide some hope to the healthcare sector through several steps such as Aadhar-based health cards; setting up AIIMS in Jharkhand and Gujarat increase of 5000 postgraduate medical seats per annum and introduction of ‘Digi Gaon’ that seeks to bring health within rural people’s through Tele Medicine Centres.
As per experts, the Union Budget was a mixed bag. While some industries greeted some of its positive announcements, others did not feel much enthused by the overall thrust of the Budget. There are healthcare practitioners who are not happy with the budgetary provisions such as prohibition on exchange of Rs 3 lakh in cash. Undoubtedly, this decision to curb black money is praiseworthy but at the same time this decision doesn’t allow patients from rural areas to pay for their expensive treatments in cash. Hospitals feel that the majority of rural population is not friendly with the plastic money and other digital payment options. So, they may not find it convenient to pay for their treatment with reduced cash component.
Read on to discover many more such insightful and interesting stories on different aspects of healthcare in India.

Warm regards,
Amresh K Tiwary,
Editor-in-Chief