The PGI now conducts an impressive 1,000 Gamma Knife procedures annually, a substantial increase from the 250–300 procedures performed just a couple of years previously. It utilizes advanced technology to target and treat brain tumours with pinpoint accuracy. Patients who previously might have been deemed inoperable or faced the risks associated with conventional surgery now have a viable and safer alternative. One of the key benefits of this surgery is that the former technique doesn’t require incisions or GA.

Amid the rising cases of pneumonia and ‘white lung syndrome’ in neighbouring China, several states in India are on alert. States like Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, and Karnataka have asked hospitals and health care staff to be vigilant in handling any spike in respiratory illnesses. The Kerala health department has directed all district medical officers to keep close tabs on influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) cases in hospitals. It has also renewed the alert against H1N1 flu (swine flu) across districts. The Haryana government has issued directions to all civil surgeons “to strengthen surveillance on ILI and SARI” after recent reports indicated a surge in respiratory illness among children in northern China.

In their latest report, global real estate consultancy Knight Frank and their US partners Berkadia, note that India is currently facing a deficit of 2 billion square feet of healthcare space to cater to its current population base of 1.42 billion people. The estimated need for additional beds to reach the recommended ratio of 3 beds per 1000 people stands at 2.4 million beds. India has a considerable gap between the number of hospital beds available in the country and the number of hospital beds required. India’s existing bed to population ratio is 1.3/1000 population (both private and public hospitals included), and there is a deficit of 1.7/1000 population. To cater to the existing population, there is an additional requirement of 2.4 million beds.

Apollo has launched an industry-first pediatric ProHealth Programme to combat the increasing trend of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among children and adolescents. The Pediatric ProHealth Programme curates tests to assess the child based on his or her family history and age group and also conducts routine test. A disturbing increase in everything from pre-diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome has been seen - which can be associated with fatty liver disease and irregular lipid levels. Timely preventive screenings could help identify risk factors due to family history, genetics, or environmental factors and ensure early intervention to combat and reverse the impact of NCDs.

The government may consider introducing appropriate legal safeguards for healthcare workers, who at times face violence from relatives or attendants of patients, a parliamentary panel has said. The Parliamentary Standing Committee has examined the proposed three criminal laws, discussed a memoranda submitted by various medical associations requesting it to introduce provisions under Clause 115 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) to penalise acts of violence against healthcare service personnel. The committee, in its report, said it was submitted before the panel that unlike in any other professions, healthcare professionals are vulnerable to "violent attacks" by relatives of patients, in cases where patients die during treatment.

Doctors at the PGI have unveiled a new technique to diagnose Cushing syndrome - Mainly caused by small tumours corticotropinomas. Locating these tiny tumors, even with MRI scans, is challenging, especially in cases where the pituitary gland’s shape has changed due to previous surgeries. Current tests like IPSS can provide clues but may not precisely pinpoint the tumor’s location. PGI’s CRH and M-Desmo based PET-CT technology provides a more accurate and non-invasive alternative to existing methods. This PET-CT imaging combines anatomical and functional information, promising a comprehensive understanding of the issue.

Contrary to the widely held notion, the brain does not have the ability to rewire itself to compensate for the loss of sight, an amputation or stroke, for example, neuroscientists say. They argue that the notion that the brain, in response to injury or deficit, can reorganise itself and repurpose particular regions for new functions, is fundamentally flawed, despite being commonly cited in scientific textbooks. Instead, what is occurring in such scenarios is merely that one’s brain is being trained to utilise already existing but latent abilities.

New Delhi Scientists have found the brain region, which is used when a blind recognise basic faces, known as the fusiform face area. While it is known that blind people can compensate for their loss of vision by using other senses to a certain extent, a study at Georgetown University, US, tested the extent to which this compensation exists. The compensation, between seeing and hearing exists by encoding basic visual patterns into auditory patterns with the aid of a technical device referred as a sensory substitution device.

A study conducted by a group of researchers at The George Institute for Global Health indicates that CKD is the leading cause of death in the Uddanam region in Andhra Pradesh. The age and sex-adjusted prevalence of CKD in this area is estimated at 18-22%, 2.5 to 3.3 times higher than the population prevalence of CKD reported from other regions of India. But the causes have been unknown till date. The study used the Smart Verbal Autopsy (SmartVA) tool, with computerised algorithm to interpret data from surviving family members or caregivers of deceased individuals.

Since mid-October, northern China has been reporting an increase in influenza-like illness compared with the corresponding period in the previous 3 years. The symptoms of the disease usually include a sore throat, fatigue, fever and a lingering cough that can last for months, and the infection is most commonly treated with antibiotics. The government has sought complete and detailed information" from the WHO on the mysterious respiratory illness.