Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/23/2012 -- "Healthcare facilities in the US and its neighbouring countries will be transformed in the next few years," said Tony Terssiani, CEO of Ascension Health, the largest non-profit hospital chain in the US. He was speaking to TOI over a telecon on the occasion of the launch of the chain's joint venture with Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bangalore.

"We believe this joint venture will bring quality healthcare to Cayman Islands and will be useful for the poor and needy of the US. For about 200 years, our mission has been to provide best healthcare facilities to all sections of America. Our mission is to reach out to most of the population, if not across the world then at least in and around the US," said Terssiani.

Ascension Health manages over 17,000 beds in the US. The health city envisaged in Grand Cayman will comprise a large superspecialty hospital and an institution to train doctors, nurses and paramedical staff, besides offering assisted living facility. Narayana Hrudayalaya has already acquired 50 acres of land for the project.

The government of Cayman Islands has agreed to recognize Indian degrees for medical nursing and paramedical staff and has waived of eligibility tests. The press conference on Wednesday was attended by Premier Bush, prime minister of Cayman Islands; Mark Scotland, health minister; John Doyle, head (strategies) for Ascension; Dr Devi Shetty, chairman, Narayana Hrudayalaya, and Dr Raghuvanshi, CEO, Narayana Hrudayalaya group.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/23/2012 -- The death of two-year-old Chandan in JJ Nagar last week due to suspected water contamination, has sent warning signals across the city.

Valmiki K, an 80-year-old from Vishwanath Nagenahalli near Hebbal, woke up on March 22 to a stench. It took him a while to figure out that tap water was the source of the malodour.

He called BWSSB officials who later collected water samples from his house and disconnected the supply. But that was the last he heard from the board. "It's been more than 10 days since we received water and no action has been taken," Valmiki told TOI.

Complaints Galore
Admitting that BWSSB gets complaints of water contamination daily, chief engineer T Venkataraju said: "The minute we get such complaints, we stop supply to that area. We take samples and test them further." "If water has residual chlorine of 0.2 particles per million, it'll be fit for drinking. We check the possible causes for contamination. In most cases, it's caused when drinking and sewage water get mixed. Sometimes, when BBMP constructs tertiary drains, sewage connections will be hit and it could aggravate contamination," he explained.

Venkataraju denied Chandan's death was due to water contamination. "We inspected the surroundings of the boy's house. That house had no water connection. The death was not due to contamination," he asserted. But the boy's parents and neighbours are certain that Chandan's health got worse after he drank BWSSB's tap water.

Diseases up
Doctors, meanwhile, confirmed that water-borne diseases are on the rise in the city because of contaminated water. General physicians and internal medicine experts said they are getting 10 to 12 cases every day, mostly of children suffering from water-borne diseases.

Doctors said bacteria, virus and parasites travel in contaminated water. "They spread diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid, viral hepatitis and polio. Virus can also infest the intestine with worms, which are troublesome for young children and can cause dysentery. We get 4 to 5 cases on consumption of contaminated water daily," said Dr Gift Norman, head of the department, Community Medicine, Bangalore Baptist Hospital.

"Children, pregnant women and senior citizens are most vulnerable to contaminated water. Continuous consumption of such water can harm your kidney and abdomen. It can also be the root cause of many types of cancer," said Dr Sonali Ray, HoD, family medicine department, Narayana Hrudayalaya. "One should drink only clean and boiled water. We must also pay attention to personal as well as public hygiene and keep our surroundings clean," she added.

Flooded by calls
BWSSB said most complaints on water contamination are from low-lying areas such as Pillanna Garden, JJ Nagar, Jogu Palya and Jeevan Bima Nagar.

BWSSB officials confirmed that they are flooded with complaints of not only water shortage but also contamination. In February, they received 56 complaints and in January, it was 62. Since August 2010, the board received 1,015 water contamination cases from across the city.

The contamination is highest in East Bangalore where sanitary and water pipelines have broken since it was laid over 70 years ago.

RWH checks BEGIN from today
The deadline to install rainwater harvesting (RWH) system wasn't taken seriously by many Bangaloreans. The dates have been extended time and again for the past two years ever since the regulation was adopted by the BWSSB. The water board will now depute six divisional officers, 27 regional officers, 108 water inspectors and 309 meter readers to patrol areas from Tuesday to check whether the RWH system has been installed or not.

Borewell water a problem too
BWSSB taps are not the only source of contaminated water. Borewell water has also been the source of increasing health disorders this summer. Dr Kartik Nag, consultant and head of department of paediatrics, Manipal Hospital, said: "Every day, we see 10 to 12 children suffering from gastroenteritis or diarrhoea and vomiting. During this season, the groundwater table hits a low and there are chances of water being contaminated with chemicals and toxins. Children are most prone to water diseases."

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/23/2012 -- Recently, a 4-day old child, weighing just 2 and half kilograms, residing at Mansarovar in Jaipur, underwent a very complex and difficult open heart surgery called "The Arterial Switch Operation" (ASO) at the Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital, Jaipur. This operation is considered, by most of the cardiac surgeons in the world, as the ultimate test of a surgeon's skill, the maturity of the setup in terms of ICU facilities, care by staff, and state-of-art technology. This child was unfortunately born with a complex congenital heart defect called as Transposition of Great Arteries (TGA) where the right heart flows "black"(extremely de-oxygenated) blood to the whole body and also receives it back without oxygenation and the left heart flow keeps circulating in the lungs. This circulation is said to be "in-parallel" instead of normal in-series circulation.

When this child was brought to the team at Narayana Hrudayalaya hospital on 3rd March 2012, he was on 2nd day after birth, and his body was severely affected by lack of oxygen. As it was an emergent situation, Dr Anamika Mehta, a Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist performed a BAS for the child at 11 PM. Once the BAS was performed the child's general health started improving. On 7th March 2012, the child was eventually operated by the team headed by the Director Cardiac Sciences of Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital, Jaipur Dr Sandeep Attawar.

In this surgery, lasting roughly Six hours, the Aorta and Pulmonary arteries were "switched" to ensure in-series blood circulation. Thus permanently "curing" the child from the congenital defect he was born with.

The surgery is one aspect of treatment, what is equally important is to manage these children in intensive care unit, which requires a very sophisticated and dedicated group of multidisciplinary super specialists. The team consisting of Dr Prabhat Dutta, neonatal cardiac anaesthetist and intensivist, Dr Vijay Shankar, Neonatologist and other cardiac anaesthetist and intensivist made sure that the child recovers normally from such a complicated operation. The child has recovered well and has been discharged.

There are hardly three hospitals performing such a surgery in Delhi. Over all in India, hardly 8-10 centres perform this type of surgery safely, and NH, Jaipur is the only hospital to have performed 4 such operation in last 9 months in whole of Rajasthan. All these patients were surgical success. Within a short span, the Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital has become a one stop, affordable and state of art hospital providing cardiac care to all groups of people right from few-days-old-children to octogenarians.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2012 -- By the end of 2013, Devi Shetty's hospital chain Narayana Hrudayalaya will add two more hospitals in Bengal - one each in Siliguri and Bolpur.

The hospital chain has already made its presence felt in the state with two medical facilities - Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences in Kolkata and a tie-up with IQ City Health & Knowledge Campus in Durgapur.

"For the Siliguri project, we are in the final stage of getting the building plan sanctioned, while the Bolpur project is in an advanced stage of planning and discussion," said Devi Shetty on Saturday.

Construction of the Siliguri project will start by August 2012 and it will involve an investment of Rs 16 crore. Investment for the Bolpur project will be Rs 15 crore.

Emphasizing the need for a proper healthcare system in the country, Shetty said: "We need one million doctors, two million nurses and three million beds to address the need of proper healthcare in the country. Bu we are far away from that target." Shetty also predicted that the cost of healthcare will decline significantly with time.

In July 2011, Shetty had met chief minister Mamata Banerjee and had proposed to set up more hospitals in rural Bengal with the state government. Asked about progress of the plan, he said: "They (state government) are moving briskly. But it is going to take time." He added that like all state governments, the Bengal government lacked the technical knowhow to set up hospitals in partnership with the private sector.

Regarding fire safety norms in hospitals, Shetty said it was one of the most important things that hospital authorities needed to ponder over. "We are extremely cautious about fire safety."

The hospital chain is going to manage and run the hospital in the IQ City Health & Knowledge Campus, said Bipin Vohra of SPS group, a promoter of IQ City.

Sanjay Jhunjhunwala of Mani Group, another promoter of IQ City, said the first phase of the 50 acre hospital and medical college project will be over by 2012-end. "It would entail an investment of Rs 450-500 crore. The second phase will come up in the next three years depending on the prospect of the first phase."

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2012 -- Cupid on Valentine's Day did something heartfelt for a baby girl, but allowed doctors at Brahmananda Narayana Hrudayalaya (BNH), on Tamolia, to take credit. Kashi Saipriya, was born on December 19, 2011, at Tinplate Hospital, with a faulty heart. Chances of her survival were slim, making parents K. Kiran Kumar and K. Rajni of Carriage Colony throw up their hands in despair.

On February 14, in a major leap in cardiac care, BNH conducted a close-heart surgery on the 45-day-old baby, making her the youngest in Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha to undergo such a high-risk procedure successfully. A medical team led by consultant cardiac surgeon Perwaiz Alam and consultant cardiac anaesthesiologist Upender Singh performed the operation. The baby was sent home on February 19. Only after three days, when Kashi Saipriya was reported to be doing fine, was the media informed.

Doctors simplified Kashi's problem. In layman's terms, her heart didn't develop normally inside her mother's womb, which led to multiple anomalies after birth. There was a big hole in her heart, an faulty link between two vessels carrying pure and impure blood and pressure on her lungs.

Pure and impure blood mixed all the time, leading to Kashi breathing in great hiccups of air and gasping. Her parents — father Kiran works at a construction firm in Hyderabad — took her to BNH, where paediatric cardiologist Amitabha Chatterje suggested a two-stage operation. The first was needed immediately. The second, so said the doctor, would be needed around her fifth birthday. Alam was faced with a tiny heart and a big challenge.

"Operating on a days-old infant is a real challenge," he said, adding that contrary to perception, it wasn't about the size of the heart that made the procedure difficult, but the the reconstruction of arteries. All this at Rs 95, 000 only.

Mother Rajni (27) can't get over the miracle. "We can't thank the doctors and hospital staff enough," she said.

Which change in Kashi has struck the mother most? "My daughter breathes normally and sleeps," she smiled.

"We're truly happy for Kashi," endorsed hospital spokesperson Athar Harim.

"Previously, such patients would have needed to go to big cities for this complex surgery."

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2012 -- Even middle-aged women want to get cosmetic dental surgery done. The most sought-after procedures are veneer or lamination, and bleaching of teeth. Some procedures can change the alignment of teeth without the pain of wiring and braces, say doctors.

"Men today don't like a woman's smile which flashes the gums, like Madhuri Dixit's . They like Priyanka Chopra's smile, which shows only the teeth," said Dr Anuradha Navaneetham , medical director in charge of the Hosmat Dental Hospital.

"The science of dentistry has come a long way. When we have an option of correcting our smile, why not do it? Quite often, women are rejected by men because their teeth are not good," he adds.

The procedures are basic bonding with tooth-coloured restoration, sculpted to help close gaps between teeth.

Laminates and veneers, which are thin layers, are bonded on to the teeth. Also, teeth can be discoloured and bleached to get a pearly smile. This trend, popular in the US and European countries, is catching up fast in India. Gum lifts and stripping is done to change the gum line and the colour of gums, say doctors.

'' Gum showing or vertical maxillary excess, which is related to the height of the upper jaw, shows long and pale gums when one smiles. This condition is correctable either by veneer or by orthognathic surgery,'' said Dr Deepak S, consultant, maxillofacial surgeon and implantologist, Narayana Hrudayalaya.

Foreign Patients Fly In Too
As cosmetic dental surgeries and smile designing are costly affairs in western countries, people from the US, Europe, Africa and Arab countries are visiting India. '' The most challenging are African patients, who have big teeth with gaps. Arab women also prefer to undergo smile correction, oral jewellery (fixing an artificial diamond on a tooth) and dental implants, as it enhances the personality,'' said Dr Shraddha Bahirwani , consultant, dental medicine and aesthetic dentist, Manipal Hospital . '' Sometimes, I get mothers and daughters from Arab countries who undergo smile correction together,'' Bahirwani added.

Import A Smile
Young girls and men prefer to bleach their teeth as this makes teeth shiny white. "We get patients from rural areas, many of them girls, whose teeth becomes yellow because they drink well water. It contains toxins that can turn teeth dark yellow. This can be corrected by bleaching. Men prefer this to remove paan and gutka stains. The material used for designing smiles is sourced from European countries," says Dr Navaneetham.
Just Three Sittings

Well-known model Pashmina Barker has all the features fit for her profession, but she was very conscious of her smile. "One of my front teeth broke a few years ago, and two years ago, it also started discolouring. It looked ugly, and made me very conscious about my smile. I visited a dentist, who suggested that my problem could be solved with the help of aesthetic dental surgery and my smile could be redesigned according to my face. In just three sittings, my problem was solved, and I am now looking more beautiful."

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2012 -- The Centre's list of Padma awardees has delighted the coastal people, as three of the awardees from the state—Dr Devi Shetty of Narayana Hrudayalaya, veteran Yakshagana artiste Ramachandra Hegde Chittani and wildlife expert Dr Ullas Karanth—belong to the coastal districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada.

"It was long due. All the three awardees are eminent in their fields," said Pradeep Kumar Kalkura, president of the Dakshina Kannada Kannada Sahitya Parishat.

People in the coastal areas are particularly happy that Chittani has been selected for the honour. President of the State Yakshagana and Bayalata Academy, Prof ML Samaga told DNA that in terms of innovation and creativity, Chittani is the most important Yakshagana exponent of these times.

"During the 30 years of my co-acting with him, I realised he was the only Yakshagana artiste who had star value attached to his name. His on-stage innovation and creative changes in performing a ballet were extraordinary. Sometimes we felt he was getting carried away and was deviating from the original course of performance, but every time he did that, it became the highlight of the performance," he said.Samaga recounted one such instance. "In a ballet, Gadayayuddha, he played Duryodhana and in the scene when Duryodhana defeats Bhima, Chittani climbed the ratha (an elevated platform meant for the Bhagavata-singer) and enacted the rest of the scene there, which was totally out of course," he said. "It stunned us, but the applause of the audience put an end to our apprehensions about the innovation," he said.

Kumble Sundar Rao, former president of the Yakshagana Academy, said Chittani was a patriarch of Yakshagana. He said Chittani's USP was that he did not restrict his role but improved it with interpretation and make-up.

His innovations in both the fields won Yakshagana many students and audience.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2012 -- Jack Jones, 74, of the US went through a beating heart surgery at Narayana Hrudayalaya on December 29, perhaps the first US citizen to undergo such a surgery in India. As a Jehovah's Witness, his faith bars him from have a blood transfusion.

While Jones is recovering post-operation in December according to his wife Estrelle, doctors of Narayana Hrudayalaya believe that bloodless surgery is the way ahead.

While it's a religious matter for the Jehovah's Witness community, bloodless surgery has its own advantages, points out Dr Praveen Kumar of Narayana Hrudayalaya. "Firstly, there's a cost advantage given that there's significant expenditure involved in testing blood of donors. Secondly, it diminishes the possibility of infection that occur during transfusion," said Dr Praveen.

But the challenges are immense. "While operating, we use heparin, a medication that prevents blood clotting. And during the surgery, we have to be immensely watchful of the patient losing blood," explained Dr Praveen.

Dr Sharad Damodar, who was in the surgical team, said they sometimes collect the patients blood, which can be reused. "But Jehovah's Witnesses believe their own blood can't be transfused back into their bodies. As per their law, if the patient suffers due to lack of blood, doctors will simply have to let the patient go," explained Dr Damodar.

Meanwhile, Jones and his wife Estrelle are pleased with their choice of coming to Bangalore for the surgery. "While there are hospitals back home in the US which perform such surgery, our doctor in the US recommended Narayana Hrudayalaya," Estrelle said.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2012 -- About 58 patients with congenital heart diseases have been given free treatment at Narayana Hrudayalaya's Kolkata and Bangalore centres.

This was done under a free treatment scheme of the state government and children up to 14 years having congenital heart diseases were sent for free treatment from November 9. A senior official of Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) said, "The report sent by the Narayana Hrudayalaya shows that till now about 58 patients have received treatment in Kolkata and Bangalore centres.

Among them, 16 patients are from the last batch. Total number of surgery patients from the last batch was 4." He added, "This is as per the last report. By now, the number of patients who have been operated upon must have increased by another 10 or 12.

The patients whose condition is serious and require immediate surgery have been sent to Bangalore and the rest have been sent to Kolkata centre where they are being treated. The process of sending the children would continue till March next year and about 270 patients would be treated."

He said, "Till now, we haven't received any case of patient death. This year, we have taken precautionary measures and all previous records of patients have been reexamined."

He added that the authorities concerned were keeping track of every patient undergoing treatment under this scheme.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2012 -- A 55 yrs old male patient had a asymptomatic left sided renal tumor confined to the kidney, which was detected on health check up.

The gold standard treatment for such tumour is nephron sparing surgery or partial nephrectomy where tumour with a healthy margin is excised.

At NARAYANA HRUDAYALAYA Bangalore, we performed this NEPHRON SPARING SURGERY for renal tumour of 4cm by laparoscopic method. This major laparoscopic surgery is being done only in few centers accross India.

We are happy to inform that NARAYANA HRUDAYALAYA has entered a list of hospitals where such a rare surgery is being done.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2012 -- Three-month-old Shaili and her mother Seema were abandoned by the child's father. Reason: the infant was suffering from a heart ailment and he did not want to spend on her treatment.

Having lost her son two years earlier to the same ailment, Seema was determined to do whatever it took to save Shaili. Doctors had estimated that the surgery would cost approximately Rs 60,000. Despite selling off all her jewellery Seema could raise only Rs 30,000.

A dejected Seema didn't know where to go when 'Have A Heart Foundation ' virtually came knocking on her door. Run by four Bangaloreans, the trust bore the rest of the cost and a hale-andhearty Shaili was soon restored to her mom.

Shaili's is one among the 2,700 surgeries, mostly of children, sponsored by the Have A Heart Foundation at a cost of Rs 10.50 crore. Fifteen years after city traders and professionals Manohar Chatlani, Ram Melwani, Komal Melwani and Harish Mirpuri came together for this noble cause, the foundation is now active in Kolkata, Jaipur and Midnapore too.

"An open-heart surgery costs anywhere between Rs 1.50 lakh-Rs 2.50 lakh with a general ward stay and presuming that no valve is replaced or artificial device implanted . Undergoing heart surgeries in most hospitals is like a bandit putting a gun on your head and asking you to pay a huge sum of money if you desire to live. When I came across one such case during a business visit to Kolkata, I was totally taken aback. Thereon I decided to do whatever I could to help the needy," says Manohar, a garment and sari trader.

Cousin Ram, a businessman; Komal, a fashion designer and Harish , a builder and developer joined Manohar and the foursome started a clinic for treatment of HIV+ and other patients on St John's Road in 1997. The foundation began to sponsor heart surgeries for the poor after collaborating with Narayana Hrudayalaya and Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research - the two biggest cardiac care establishments in Bangalore.

Today, the foundation gets a list of 25 patients from Narayana Hrudayalaya and 30 from Jayadeva every month. "I personally interview the patients and their family. If we find anything doubtful then a social worker visits the families and verifies the facts given to us," says Komal.

"The patient has to arrange whatever amount he or she can afford and we take care of the rest. There is no shortage of patients but there is shortage of funds. If we have enough funds, we can sponsor about 1,000 surgeries every month," Manohar explains.

The foundation also follows up with the patients and their families post surgery.

Parent's Point
My son Atharva was diagnosed with heart complications when he was just a month old. Doctors said the surgery would cost about Rs 70,000. I could arrange only about Rs 40,000 from my Provident Fund. Doctors then put me on to the foundation, which bore the remaining cost. Now nine-months old, my son is healthy.

Vinayak Pawar | A Mechanic, Kolhapur, Maharashtra

Doctors' Report
The foundation is doing a fabulous job, without any expectation and little advertisement . The way they choose beneficiaries is transparent and non-discriminatory . In case of emergency, they even give online approval for financial assistance.

Dr CN Manjunath | Director, Jayadeva Institute Of Cardiovascular Sciences And Research

What the trustees have done is commendable . No rich man can say that he alone will support 100 heart surgeries every month. But if many well-to-do people like these come together they can encourage society to contribute for a cause.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2012 -- The 17th fast track court on Monday sentenced a 28-year-old lab technician to life imprisonment for strangling his colleague after she turned down his marriage proposal in 2009.

Judge SK Vantigodi also slapped a fine of Rs5,000 on Palani for murdering Jitin George, his fellow lab technician at Apollo Hospital, said public prosecutor Ganapathi Prasanna.

Palani and Jitin got acquainted when they were working at Narayana Hrudayalaya as lab technicians. Later, Palani joined Apollo Hospital and encouraged Jitin, too, to join the hospital. Palani fell in love with Jitin. She was three years elder to him.

When Jitin turned down Palani's marriage proposal as her parents were opposed to their relationship, he decided to take revenge. Palani used a wire to strangle her when she was alone in the lab on the night of May 28, 2009. After the murder, he rushed to his native place and shaved his head in a bid to evade police scrutiny. JP Nagar police, who registered a case against him, arrested him in Kittaganahalli on June 6, 2009, and recovered the wire of the mobile phone charger with which he killed her.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2012 -- On a visit to a public hospital-fortunately for me, not to address a malady, but to indulge my curiosity-there were all the insalubrious aspects that I had been conditioned to expect of India's healthcare infrastructure for the masses: dilapidated and dingy equipment, undercared for facilities, and a goodly number of disengaged health providers who had to be chased from pillar to post to get anything done.

But something else surprised me more. There were sections of the facilities that were unused, even cordoned off, sometimes because they were allegedly awaiting refurbishment, or sometimes because some authority had not yet sanctioned their opening. Usually, "awaiting" and "not yet" meant months, not just a day or a week here or there.

In Mumbai, I learnt that there are plenty of schools run by the municipality that have underused capacity as well. This implicit denial of education, in a city with fabulously expensive real estate, does seem like a crime against our children.

In Bangalore, heart surgeon Devi Shetty, with unalloyed frustration, told me that examples of under-utilized public infrastructure abound in healthcare as well. In a country with a massive nursing shortage, apparently regulations do not allow existing hospitals to be used as training grounds for nursing. Nurses who graduate from institutes that teach primarily from textbooks lack the practical experience to perform on the job immediately. Then, why not develop the necessary protocols to use hospital infrastructure (especially if it is itself underutilized) to provide aspiring nurses with practical training? Remember that a good nurse can help a doctor or a surgeon become that much more effective. Our need for medical personnel, of all sorts, is dire and only going to become more acute as time passes. Of course, we can do a lot better than accept this gross waste in public infrastructure. Some worthy entrepreneurs have done just this in numerous ways.

Consider Teach for India, modelled on the two decade old Teach for America experiment. It places talented volunteers on year or more long internships to teach in typically underperforming needy schools in India. I took my two Boston-schooled children, aged 11 and 9, to a school near Dharavi a few weeks ago, where they participated in a V-grade class (where the ages of the students ranged from 10 to 15). They took to it like fish to water, and the less-fortunate kids in the class embraced them easily. I realized that my jaded senses were more attuned to the stereotypes of poverty; the kids couldn't have cared less. Clearly the class was much better as a result of the Teach for India volunteer, an impressive young lady who had stepped away from a dynamic corporate career. So, her presence ensured that the existing classroom was being used much better than it had been before.

I learnt recently, in another example, that the municipal authorities in Mumbai are now willing to consider opening charter schools in pre-existing, underutilized school buildings. That is terrific news. This nascent charter school experiment would do well to consider how it fits into the local educational landscape, and to share what it learns generously with others in the community. I can't imagine that either the Teach for India effort or the charter school experiment will meet with unbridled enthusiasm from all the existing educators. But the public and regulators should have the courage to stare down those whose who resist experimentation and change, and the foresight to help those supportive of renewed experimentation.

Omidyar Network-backed Aspiring Minds, India's largest employability assessment company, is working to give better access to first-rate jobs to graduates of thousands of India's lesser-known colleges, ensuring a more level playing field for talent. Indirectly, this improves the value of college and school infrastructure, by ensuring that the talent nurtured there is better served. (Disclosure: I am a founding investor in Aspiring Minds.)

Shetty, whose Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospitals perform heart surgery at a considerable discount for some of India's most impoverished patients, found that he had to do a lot more than heart surgery to make his effort viable-for example, work with government officials to establish a medical code of conduct, with grassroots organizations to encourage people who often can't afford healthcare to even consider medical treatment, and, to pioneer health insurance. This last bit is where he had to use existing capacity well. Working with the Karnataka state government, he pioneered an insurance scheme that was made more affordable partly by using underutilized hospital space across the state. Subscribers to the scheme-for example, members of rural cooperatives-pay nominal amounts and gain access to tertiary care across a network of hospitals. So here again, existing capacity that was lying unused was brought back into the mainstream by a simple financial innovation.

As we know from several recent reports discussed in the press, there is a privatization of health and education going on. Unsurprisingly, the failure of the state has caused the private sector-in both its for-profit and not-for-profit garbs-to step in and partially compensate. Indeed, while the state gets its act together-witness Union minister for human resource development Kapil Sibal's desire to build new universities for example-it's heartening to see private actors and civil society step in, whether the efforts by corporate hospital chains to expand across the country, or that of private education foundations such as those created by Azim Premji and Shiv Nadar among others. But it's worth keeping in mind that upgrading existing infrastructure might have a comparable, or better, return on investment than building new capacity.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Narayana Hrudayalaya has introduced renal artery denervation therapy, a potential treatment to cure hypertension. The hospital is first in the state to perform renal artery denervation on a sixty three-year- old.

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/25/2012 -- Narayana Hrudayalaya has introduced renal artery denervation therapy, a potential treatment to cure hypertension. The hospital is first in the state to perform renal artery denervation on a sixty three-year- old.

In renal artery denervation, a specialised catheter is directed into the kidney arteries under fluoroscopy and controlled radio frequency energy is delivered through the catheter at multiple predetermined spots. This is expected to produce controlled injury to the renal nerves which will eventually result in the reduction of blood pressure. The procedure approximately takes 40 minutes. Research on both animals and men all around the world have shown satisfactory reduction in blood pressure at 6-8 weeks time.

Senior consultant cardiologist of Narayana Hrudayalaya Dr Ravi Kishore said that this technique has been in vogue for the last one year in western countries.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/21/2012 -- John Potaki, a 31-year-old military officer from Togo, never imagined that his love for life would make him HIV positive, which in turn, would result in lifethreatening kidney failure. A team of doctors from a Bangalore hospital came to his rescue: they treated him by transplanting his mother's kidney into him, despite his HIV status.

John and Mohamed Sayeed (name changed), a nurse from Ethiopia, both HIV positive, underwent successful kidney transplantation and are recovering. "The transplants, the first such in Karnataka, are considered path-breaking for two reasons: one, nephrologists are seeing a growing number of patients who need kidney transplants because of associated conditions found in HIV+ patients; second, for the HIV+, it is a fight to even find a place that accepts them for dialysis ," said Dr Lloyd Vincent, senior consultant nephrologist with Narayana Hrudayalaya.

Both John and Mohamed contacted doctors of the hospital through email, after several countries denied them treatment because of their HIV status. After getting positive response from the doctors, they flew down to Bangalore. The doctors put them on pre-transplantation treatment for about four months.

"It is not the surgical process, but medical management of these patients that is complicated. The patients need to be trained about side-effects of multiple medications ," said Dr Vincent.

RISKS INVOLVED

Although prevalence of HIV is coming down in India, 5% of HIV+ patients are at risk of developing failure of organs like kidney and liver. "This is because the affected blood flows through these two vital organs and makes them weak," said Dr Ishthiaque Ahmed, nephrologist.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/21/2012 -- The brand of the Indian IT industry and its official face Nasscom, is perhaps the only entity whose worth is higher than that of Brand India itself. Indian IT industry is perhaps one of the few in the world that has almost zero competition, globally.

There are two fundamental changes in the environment, which Nasscom must contend with as it seeks to redefine its own future. The era of supportive governments is now over. The other is that Nasscom's own members are no longer purely Indian companies, but have a large global footprint, making the challenges they face both local and global, at once.

Nasscom must move from being just a lobbying association to one that spearheads a holistic transformational agenda for the industry as a whole. Nasscom's unparalleled success has also sown the seeds of its own failure. How adeptly it tackles these will shape Nasscom's future.

The six key challenges are: one, with ever-rising expectations, the industry is unable to grow as fast as was predicted and the challenge is for both, growing the size of the IT pie itself, and taking away larger slices of it for India. Two, to meet the huge related challenge of talent development.

Three, to bridge the growing disengagement with parts of the 'real' India. Four, to win over increasingly hostile governments, both at home and abroad. Five, to become relevant to all parts of the IT value chain, and six, to create an ecosystem that will foster entrepreneurship akin to what software technology parks (STP) did for the IT industry in its early years.

First, it is almost a given that with the exception of issues pertaining to immigration or visas and protectionism abroad, and tax and policy issues at home, the Big 5 in the industry can do whatever Nasscom can do, sometimes even better.

Nasscom, buttressed by significant supporting funding from government of India, successfully thwarted attempts by the US industry to pass a law making it mandatory to hire 50% onsite labour from US nationals only. This was a much-cherished moment. However, a lot more remains to be done.

The smaller players in the IT industry complain that Nasscom doesn't bother much about them and access to markets is critical for them. US small and medium enterprises (SME) have repeatedly sought access to Indian IT expertise. It doesn't take rocket science for Nasscom to design a portal, which will establish simultaneous, equitable link between access to new opportunities and all the IT companies in India, at once.

Second, the quality of technical education in India leaves much to be desired. For the Indian IT industry to increase the size of the global IT pie, it must move from being a reactive problem-solver to a proactive problem-definer. To do this, Nasscom alone can bring the engineering and business schools of India and overseas on to a common platform, in conjunction with the education and IT ministries of India, to transform the curriculum to meet this need of tomorrow.

Taking a leaf from the book of Tech America, Nasscom must organise specialised paid courses for its members in areas such as IP protection, retail technology, healthcare and so on. These would give Nasscom members access to the best thinking in the world, which would help them think through how to use IT in different domains, to transform these sectors. Nasscom can explore cost-effective ways for smaller companies to enhance their productivity, technology, overall infrastructure and get certifications.

Third, Nasscom must chart out partnerships with the tigers in different domains like telecom, textiles, healthcare and financial services and be prepared to play the role of a junior partner working with those who understand the domain and build products and services that can be sold not just in India, but globally.

For example, if Nasscom fosters a common platform that brings together a Narayana Hrudayalaya, Apollo Hospitals group with IT companies, through a transparent and equitable process, and develops a seamless medical records management system. If successful, such a product can have a huge market both in India and abroad.

Fourth, Nasscom has a good governance structure where the 'House of Elders', the Chairman's Club, provides overall guidance through the Executive Council, 'House of Representatives' that is the formal board. It must set some measurable targets for itself such as volume and value of investments created, number of jobs created in India and abroad, annual client spend on research, increase in exports, and so on.

Nasscom must put together a 'Team India' platform, with stakeholders from government, universities, MNCs and Indian companies, and entrepreneurs who will guide this transformational agenda and attract new investments in IT and IT-enabled sectors. Fourth, it must work through industry associations abroad, which see value in Indian IT, such as USIBC, to present its case to lawmakers in different countries.

Fifth, the STPs provided basic incubation facilities three decades ago, which became the playground for today's IT giants to take their baby steps. Nasscom can do the same today by creating incubation campuses where they can replicate the success factors of a Silicon Valley or Hsinchu Science and Industrial Park, with plug-and-play facilities where new entrepreneurs and budding product companies can get affordable infrastructure to try out new ideas and create new services.

Nasscom's star-crossed destiny and its starry legacy need to be juxtaposed through visionary and practical leadership. That way, it can redefine significant parts of much that matters to India and with it, its own future.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/20/2012 -- Super-specialty tertiary-care hospital Narayana Hrudayalaya is planning to begin operations in Ahmedabad from the first week of April. The hospital has applied for the necessary statutory licences - including the fire-safety licence - and is awaiting clearance. The hospital plans to begin its general out patient department (OPD) and has taken care of 80% of its staff requirement for the start up.

Narayana Hrudayalaya's founder, Devi Shetty, has planned a 300-bed hospital in the initial phase and plans to subsequently scale the facility up to 1,000 and finally to 5,000 beds, according to company sources. The 'Health City' is coming up on a 37-acre campus just opposite the Rakhial police station. The building is planned as Asia's longest, running into half a kilometer.

The hospital will be a 'one-point facility' for all healthcare needs. The super-specialty hospital will have, apart from cardiology, departments dedicated to pediatrics, neurology, gastroenterology, general surgery, dental, nephrology, urology, transplants, nuclear medicine, and medical imaging and radiology. It will also house a blood bank and laboratory.

A source from the operations division of the hospital told TOI that there would be 64 slice CT scans in the hospital, a 1.5 tesla MRI division, and a full flat-panel digital cath-lab has already been planned. "This is the first such hospital with such facilities to be built in eastern Ahmedabad," says a senior source from the hospital. "The philosophy of the hospital is to make available to the poor the best that medical sciences offer."

Some of the costliest medical treatments offered at the hospital will be 22% to 25% cheaper compared to other hospitals in the city. "Our forte is the sheer number of patients that visit our hospital. The small fee we collect compensates the high costs that are involved in these treatments," adds the hospital source.

The Narayan Hrudayalaya is one of the world's largest pediatric heart hospitals in Karnataka. It is also a renowned centre for telemedicine and offers this service free of cost. Despite helping so many poor patients, it is known for being so efficient that it has high profit margins.

Telemedicine revolution in the offing

Ahmedabad: The Narayana Hrudayalaya 'Health city' will introduce Amdavadis to some hi-tech practices in the field of medicine. One of the forte's of the hospital is its telemedicine facility, which is likely to come to the city in the later phase of the hospital development here. An electronic database of each and every patient is maintained, including their photographs. The concept will be in useful for patients who come from far-flung corners of the state or the country.

Under this concept, a detailed digital record of the line of treatment of the patient and even digital X-rays, and video footage are maintained. Doctors then use this data to prescribe treatment to the patient. Wherever there is a possibility of a high-speed broadband connection, live video conference between a specialist and a patient takes place.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/20/2012 -- Isak Ibraham from Tanzania was one among the unlucky 1,00,000 children across the globe suffering from retinoblastoma or cancer of the eye. It was a double whammy for the two-year-old as he was diagnosed with cancer in both eyes.

A study says it's the most common eye cancer in children and constitutes 3% of all cancers in kids. The incidence is about 1 in 1,00,000 under 5 years but 80% of the cases are seen in children below 4 years.

Isak was diagnosed in Tanzania in early 2011, and his left eye was surgically removed. But he faced the danger of losing his other eye. His mother then came to HCG Cancer Hospital in Bangalore for a second opinion and saved his right eye.

Dr CP Raghuram, consultant, paediatric oncologist, HCG Cancer Hospital, said: "We wanted to treat the cancer while trying to save the other eye and his vision. We first gave him chemotherapy to shrink the tumor. We also preserved his eye by reducing the size of the tumor and making it amenable for local treatment by the ophthalmologist."

Dr Raghuram said organ and vision preservation is the main concern in children with retinoblastoma. Abnormality in the eye with squint is its usual symptom. "If untreated, children will lose their vision and could be life threatening," he said. Isak also received laser and thermotherapy in an eye hospital. He is completely cured now and has left for Tanzania, said the doctor.

Mazumdar Shaw Cancer Centre, Narayana Hrudayalaya, has set up a radiation therapy facility for children, inaugurated on the occasion of World Paediatric Cancer Day. "Most paediatric cancers are chemoand radio-sensitive tumors, now there are ways to ensure long-term safety for such cases," says Dr Sandeep Jain, consultant radiation oncologist.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/20/2012 -- Malathi SN, (94), was rushed to Apollo Hospital early this month after she complained of chest pain. She was in a state of cardiac shock and her blood pressure was falling rapidly. An angiogram revealed one fully blocked artery. Despite her age, the doctor decided to perform angioplasty. Malathi was otherwise a physically active woman, said her family. Angioplasty was successfully conducted and after an initial fragile phase of 48 hours, Malathi started showing signs of recovery. In fact, she was back to normal within just four days.

In today's hi-tech times, age is perhaps no bar to undergo a cardiac treatment. People in the 80-90 age bracket are opting for angioplasty and going back to live a healthy life, say cardiologists. Every year, heart surgeons in the city get 5 to 6 patients in the age group of 80-85 who prefer to undergo angioplasty. Thanks to improved life span in India, patients as old as 90 are also opting for angioplasty, which, doctors say, is a far safer option than oral medication and complicated bypass surgeries.

Said Dr Venkatesh, interventional cardiologist , Fortis Hospital: "At old age, angioplasty is considered a safer option than bypass. Oral medication can be risky as it tends to increase bleeding and can lead to brain hemorrhage."

On the risk factor involved due to age, Dr B Ramesh, senior cardiologist, Apollo Hospital, said: "Old age shouldn't be the primary criteria or deciding factor for such surgeries. If the patient has timely access to doctors and medical facilities , one can take calculated risks."

"More patients in the 40-60 age group prefer to undergo angioplasty or other types of heart surgeries. There is greater awareness about living a healthy life even at old age. At least 5% of our patients are 80 years old or above, yet they prefer to angioplasty," said Dr Sanjay Mehrotra, senior consultant cardiologist, Narayana Hrudayalaya .

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/20/2012 -- Research shows that hypertension leads to heart attack, stroke and kidney failure. Over a billion people in the world suffer from hypertension and many are asymptomatic.

At a press conference on Saturday, Narayana Hrudayalaya shared its first successful cure for hypertension — renal artery denervation procedure — that was performed on a 63-year-old man.

Here's how:
This procedure is performed under local anaesthesia. A specialised catheter is directed into the kidney arteries under fluoroscopy.

Controlled radio frequency energy is transferred through the catheter at multiple pre-determined spots. This is expected to produce controlled injury to renal nerves, which will eventually result in the reduction of BP. The procedure takes 40 minutes.

"In this particular case, renal artery denervation was performed with a specialised ablation catheter and through controlled injury to the kidney nerves. The procedure proved to be a success. The response to the therapy would take around six weeks," said Dr Ravi Kishore, senior consultant cardiologist, Narayana Hrudayalaya.

This innovative technique, though new to India, has been in vogue for the last one year in the West and it cured many, added Dr Kishore.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/20/2012 -- Two Bangalore companies have made it to the list of the world's top 50 most innovative companies drawn up by US business magazine Fast Company.

While Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospitals has been ranked the 36th most innovative company for changing the face of health delivery in India, online booking platform RedBus has been rated 48th for making bus ticketing and routing easy for passengers and operators alike.

The magazine singles out Narayana Hrudayalaya's efforts towards driving down costs and accommodating the poorest of the poor. Describing Narayana Hrudayalaya as "Wal-Mart meets Mother Teresa", the magazine says hospital's Sanskrit name translates into "God's compassionate home".

The hospital offers low-cost, highquality specialty care in a largely impoverished country of 1.2 billion people, it points out.

About Redbus, the magazine says: "Several years ago, on a busy holiday weekend, Phanindra Sama actually ran after some Indian bus operators in a failed attempt to catch a bus home."

Fast Company, the US magazine, praises RedBus for bringing a huge change in the way tickets are booked. "Customers can view open seats from multiple operators, purchase tickets, and post ratings. Meanwhile, bus operators can track seat availability in real time, and travel agents can pre-book passengers. RedBus tripled sales last year, adding 4.25 million riders," the magazine says.

"Narayana Hrudayalaya's operations include the world's largest and most prolific cardiac hospital where the average open-heart surgery runs less than $2,000, a third or less of what it costs elsewhere in India and a fraction of what it costs in the US," Fast Company says.

Two other Bangalore companies, Wipro and Flipkart, figure among India's top most 10 innovative companies.

The magazine - launched in November 1995 and managed by Alan Webber and Bill Taylor, two former Harvard Business Review editors - says that "by thinking differently about everything, from the unusually high number of patients it treats to the millions for whom it provides insurance, and by thinking a lot like the world's largest retailer, the hospital group is able to continually wring out costs".

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/19/2012 -- The country's largest children's hospital will come up at the Haji Ali junction. Work on the 1,000-bed hospital overlooking the sea will begin in the next three months and 200 beds should be operational within 18 months.

This hospital-to be structured on the lines of London's Great Ormond Street Hospital-will also mark the entry of Bangalore-based heart surgeon Dr Devi Shetty's entry into Mumbai. Dr Shetty set up hospitals across the country but his flagship hospital is the health city at Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bangalore. It will manage the paediatric hospital in Mumbai.

The plot belongs to the Society for Rehabilitation of Crippled Children, whose honorary general secretary is Anita Garware and its president is S Ramadorai, vice-chairman of Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.

At a press conference on Thursday, Dr Shetty underlined the need for a pediatric hospital.

"India produces 28 million babies every year. Around 3% of these children are born with health problems. In fact, 600 to 800 babies are born every day in India with heart problems,'' he said. Only a fraction of these children make it to hospitals for corrective surgeries because of various factors, including access and cost. "We want to build a hospital that will not turn back any child for want of money,'' said Dr Shetty.

Ramadorai said despite the growth in healthcare years, there has been a shortage in infrastructure for children.

"Mumbai has over 1,000 pediatricians and surgeons but only 600 practise due to lack of avenues. The city faces a 43% shortage of paediatric beds as per the WHO norms,'' said Ramadorai.

Mumbai has adequate corporate houses, both Shetty and Ramadorai said, that would support the hospital's construction.
For more info you can visit this site http://medicaltourism.narayanahospitals.com/ .

Contact US
Narayana Hrudayalaya Health City
No. 258/A, Bommasandra Industrial Area,
Anekal Taluk,
Bangalore 560 099.
Tel: 080 – 27835000 – 018
Fax: 080 – 27835207, 27835222 (Dir)
Mobile : +91-9741525006, +91-9980985002, +91-9901201392
Health City Helpline Number : +91 80 2215 2215.
Email: enquiry.international@hrudayalaya.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/19/2012 -- Inactive alarm, sprinklers play spoilsport

Safe, but not the safest. Set up in 2009, Brahmananda Narayana Hrudayalaya could have easily been a model of reliability when it comes to fire safety, but for the non-functional alarms and water sprinklers. This unit of Narayana Hrudayalaya, located in Tamolia, Seraikela-Kharsawan district, has a few other shortcomings — the approach road through congested and potholed thoroughfares of Mango. ANIMESH BISOEE takes stock

Wide ramps for easy accessibility at the hospital

Fire alarms and water sprinklers
Fire alarms and water sprinklers in all wards and also in the CCU and cathlab. Only, these two most important equipment have not started functioning. Senior consultant cardiac surgeon and director in-charge Perwaiz Alam explained that as construction was still on in the third floor, the sensors and sprinklers have been kept deactivated. "They will be activated in two months," he said

Emergency exits and ramps
The main building has four entrance and exit doors, each around eight feet wide. The corridors are 12 feet wide and staircases eight feet wide. There is also a nine-feet wide ramp with appropriate gradient to wheel out patients. Of the two lifts, each 8.5-feet long and 4.5-feet wide, one caters exclusively to patients. The other is service lift

Carbon Dioxide Flooding System
As many as 51 fire extinguishers of both carbon dioxide and dry powder variety. Fourteen normal exhaust fans and eight ducted exhaust fans for each floor

The liquid oxygen plant of the hospital is in a separate area

Fire dampers
The dampers, associated with air handling units (AHUs) that can sense smoke and prevent flow of toxic particles through AC ducts, are isolated. Besides, there are around 34 AHUs

Fire team
Fire drills are a rule every six months. "After the AMRI (Calcutta) tragedy, we are planning to do it every three months from 2012," Alam said

Hazard units
The hospital rests safely in an open area, about 1km from NH-33. No slums or fuel station in the vicinity. Both pharmacy and canteen are 50m away. Transformer and oxygen plants are around 100m and 150m away, respectively

Water lifeline
A 1 lakh-litre water tank. " We will increase the storage limit to two lakh litre in keeping with our plans to add 100 more beds," Alam said

Distance aid
Mango fire brigade on Old Purulia Road is just 3km away. However, rescue teams will take at least 20 minutes to arrive, thanks to the narrow roads.

For more info you can visit this site http://medicaltourism.narayanahospitals.com/ .

Contact US
Narayana Hrudayalaya Health City
No. 258/A, Bommasandra Industrial Area,
Anekal Taluk,
Bangalore 560 099.
Tel: 080 – 27835000 – 018
Fax: 080 – 27835207, 27835222 (Dir)
Mobile : +91-9741525006, +91-9980985002, +91-9901201392
Health City Helpline Number : +91 80 2215 2215.
Email: enquiry.international@hrudayalaya.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/19/2012 -- So long, Parel has been the address of the best public hospitals in Mumbai. Now, Global Hospital will add a corporate edge to the lane that leads to the 1,800-bedded KEM Hospital, the 500-bedded Tata Memorial Hospital and Wadia women & children's hospitals. Global will, in the next few weeks, open its doors as the city's transplant specialty centre.

But the Hyderabad-based group isn't the only one coming up with a hospital in the more-south-than-north Mumbai. Work on Wockhardt Hospital's new project in Mumbai Central is almost over. "It is right opposite Nair Hospital and is well-connected in terms of transport,'' said a doctor. A few days ago, Bangalore-based heart surgeon Dr Devi Shetty announced his group, Narayana Hrudayalaya's entry into Mumbai.

The Society for Rehabilitation of Crippled Children, an NGO operating out of government-gifted land in Haji Ali, has asked Narayana Hrudayalaya to set up and manage a 1,000-bedded paediatrics hospital. In its October 16th edition, TOI had reported that even though the overall economy may seem sluggish, the city's healthcare business has never looked rosier.

"New hospital projects are coming up across the city's length and breadth and most existing private hospitals have registered an average revenue growth of over 30% in three years from 2007 to 2010,'' the report had said.

Action in the hospital industry segment seems to have come full circle. Thirty years ago, most private hospitals in Mumbai came up in the south on land 'gifted' by charitable trusts. As the city grew northwards, the simple supply-demand ratio resulted in many hospital groups coming up in the northern suburbs; for example, Kokilaben Ambani Hospital in Andheri, L H Hiranandani Hospital in Powai and Fortis Hospital in Mulund. But south Mumbai seems to be back in demand. "Work is also going on a 500-bedded hospital in Worli that is supported by a trust run by former chief minister A R Antulay,'' said Dr Vivek Desai, who runs a hospital consultancy group called Hosmac.

So why are hospital groups fixated on a south or nearly-south address? Dr Desai says the mandate given to his firm is almost always to study south Mumbai addresses for hospitals. "It could be because many of the high-profile doctors work and live in south Mumbai,'' he said. However, a director with one of the leading hospital chains confessed, "South Mumbai is the address to be in, and only land prices prevent many from investing here.''

But isn't the south saturated as far as hospital beds are concerned? This is the only part of the city that has 3 to 6 beds per 1,000 people as against the rest of Mumbai that has less than three beds (World Health Organisation recommends 3 beds per 1,000 people). Experts feel that there is a need for multispecialty or tertiary-care beds. Consider Global Hospital that plans to concentrate on transplants. Dr K Ravindranath, who founded the Global group of hospitals, told TOI that there is need for a hospital focusing on organ transplants. "We plan to do the entire range of transplant work, from kidney to liver to heart and pancreas,'' said Dr Ravindranath, adding that his hospital will begin work within a couple of months.

Even the Narayana Hrudayalaya hospital in Haji Ali will focus on children. "Paediatrics is a much-neglected field across the country and needed a specialty hospital,'' said Dr Devi Shetty and TCS vice-chairman S Ramadorai at a press conference held last week to announce the project.

Dr Shetty also said there is an acute need for hospital beds across the country, including Mumbai. "Mumbai could do with 5,000 beds more and not complain,'' he said, when asked if the city needed a 1,000-bedded hospital for children alone.

But will more hospital beds mean cheaper rates for patients? There are no easy answers. One doctor said land prices in Mumbai as well as cost of healthcare in general would mean that costs would not come down in near future. Dr Desai said, "Central Mumbai, the stretch from Worli to Wadala, is undergoing a change; over 50 major high-end housing projects are on in full-swing. Soon there will be many high-worth individuals living in these 40-plus-storeyed buildings who wouldn't mind shelling out a premium for visiting a corporate hospital close to their home.''

A senior doctor pointed out that most of the new hospitals coming up in south and central Mumbai are being built on land gifted by government or a trust. The Narayana Hrudayalaya hospital, Global Hospital as well as Wockhardt Hospital will come up or have already come up on land given on subsidized or free. "The truth is that no hospital can be built in south Mumbai if one has to purchase land here,'' said an official with a hospital chain. Another commented that building a hospital is south Mumbai cost as much as building a hospital. "But hospitals are more capital intensive and the depreciation cost of equipment is high,'' said a senior official with a south Mumbai trust-run hospital.

For more info you can visit this site http://medicaltourism.narayanahospitals.com/ .

Contact US
Narayana Hrudayalaya Health City
No. 258/A, Bommasandra Industrial Area,
Anekal Taluk,
Bangalore 560 099.
Tel: 080 – 27835000 – 018
Fax: 080 – 27835207, 27835222 (Dir)
Mobile : +91-9741525006, +91-9980985002, +91-9901201392
Health City Helpline Number : +91 80 2215 2215.
Email: enquiry.international@hrudayalaya.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bangalore, Karnataka -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/19/2012 -- ohn Patoki, a 31-year-old native of Togo, Africa, had lost the will to live when he was first diagnosed with HIV and later with kidney damage.

But thanks to medical tourism, Patoki landed in Bangalore and got a new lease of life from Narayana Hrudayalaya, where he underwent a successful kidney transplantion. Patoki is now all set to get back home and lead a happy life.

"After completing schooling, I took admission in a military school. Meanwhile, I was dating a girl, whom I had planned to marry. One day, in a routine check-up, I discovered that I have AIDS. My fiancee, who had transmitted the infection to me, always knew about her ill-health. But she never revealed it to me. She is no more. But because of her, I too became a victim," said Patoki on Thursday.

Patoki is the first case of a kidney transplant performed on an HIV patient in Karnataka.

"It was a struggle for him to first get a place in Togo that would accept him for dialysis after knowing that he is also a HIV-positive patient. He underwent two years of dialysis before he got to know that the kidney transplant was possible on HIV patients, too. Patoki went to Egypt for treatment but there they wouldn't do transplants on HIV+ patients.

About six months back, Patoki wrote to us and we asked him to come over," said Dr Lloyd Vincent, senior consultant nephrologist, Narayana Hrudayalaya.

Patoki came to Bangalore with his mother, the kidney donor.

"His HIV drugs were adjusted. The load of the virus in his blood was treated to undetectable levels and his immune cells were brought to acceptable levels. Immune-suppressive medications were started a month prior to the transplant.

The donor's kidney was removed through laparoscopic donor nephrectomy," said Dr Vincent.

The transplant in HIV+ people is safer than in patients suffering from Hepatitis B & C, he added. Along with Patoki, a 35-year-old Mohamed

Sayeed (name changed), who is also an HIV+ patient underwent a kidney transplant in the city.

For more info you can visit this site http://medicaltourism.narayanahospitals.com/ .

Contact US
Narayana Hrudayalaya Health City
No. 258/A, Bommasandra Industrial Area,
Anekal Taluk,
Bangalore 560 099.
Tel: 080 – 27835000 – 018
Fax: 080 – 27835207, 27835222 (Dir)
Mobile : +91-9741525006, +91-9980985002, +91-9901201392
Health City Helpline Number : +91 80 2215 2215.
Email: enquiry.international@hrudayalaya.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm