India to be a polio free country:
Azad
Union
Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today said if by January 13 there
are no cases of polio in the country, India will be declared a polio free
country by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
‘Any
country that does not have a case of polio for three consecutive years is
declared polio free by the WHO.
‘For the
last two years we have been a polio free country. If by January 13, there
are no polio cases in the country, then we will be declared polio free,’ Azad
told reporters, stating that India has achieved the milestone in only four
years.
In 2009,
50 per cent cases of polio in the world were reported from India, he said
highlighting other achievements of the UPA government at the Centre.
‘The first
thing we did was to appoint an accredited social health worker (ASHA) in every
village to provide ante-natal and post-natal care to pregnant women,’ he said.
Azad said
about 51,000 hospitals and healthcare facilities at the district level have
either been constructed or upgraded during the UPA regime.
He said
the country has been cautioned by the WHO that three kinds of disease –
diabetes and hypertension, cardio vascular diseases and cancer will affect
maximum number of people in the coming days.
While
commenting on the sops for West Bengal, Azad said three medical colleges in the
state will be upgraded to super-speciality hospitals with an expenditure of Rs
150 crore on each one of them.
‘These
hospitals are Bankura Medical College and Hospital, Malda Medical College and
Hospital and North Bengal Medical College and Hospital,’ he said.
Four new
medical colleges will be set up in the state and process is on to identify
suitable locations for them, he added.
09.01.2014
Prevent iron-deficiency anaemia, go
back to cooking in iron pots!
Worried
about the rising deficiencies in children and need better ways to add iron
instead of gulping supplements? Here may be a solution for you.
Doctors
and professors from the department of dietetics at the University of Pune
conducted research on 27 pre-school children. They were served iron rich snacks
cooked in iron pots. The study showed that their haemoglobin count, serum iron
and transferrin saturation were much better after the exercise, proving that
cooking snacks in iron pots can enrich the iron content of the snacks.
The
research was conducted by Dr Veena Ekbote, Dr Anuradha Kadilkar, Dr SA
Kulkarni, Dr A Jayakumar, Dr A Sonawane and their colleagues, which was
published recently in the Indian Journal of Pediatrics.
The
researchers conducted a study on 30 toddlers for three months. Their anaemia
levels were checked before they were served with iron-rich foods. After three
months it was found that their anemia levels dropped by 15 per cent.
“The
toddlers were served four iron-rich recipes cooked in iron pots for three
months. Their anthropometry and dietary intake data were collected. Hemoglobin,
serum iron, anemia levels and transferrin saturation levels were assessed both
before and after the study. We found that the average anemia level dropped from
70 per cent to 55 per cent,” said Dr Veena Ekbote, research scientist, Jehangir
Medical Research Centre.
Dietitians
claim that cooking in iron pots is beneficial for improving haemoglobin levels.
It enhances the iron content in the food and nutritionists advise regular use
of iron utensils.
“Vegetarian
foods are a poor source of iron and hence if cooked in iron pots can be
beneficial for enhancing its nutritional value. While cooking the food, it must
be kept in the iron pot for at least 15 minutes so that it can absorb the
iron,” said Dr Vaishali Madkaikar, clinical nutritionist, KEM Hospital.
Meanwhile, Dr Geeta Dharmatti, president, Indian Dietetics Association, Pune, said that adding acidic medium while cooking in iron pots could help absorption of iron in the vegetables.
“We always suggest adding acidic ingredients while cooking in iron pots. One can simply add tomatoes in the vegetable or sprinkle some lime after the dish is prepared,” said Dr Dharmatti.
Meanwhile, Dr Geeta Dharmatti, president, Indian Dietetics Association, Pune, said that adding acidic medium while cooking in iron pots could help absorption of iron in the vegetables.
“We always suggest adding acidic ingredients while cooking in iron pots. One can simply add tomatoes in the vegetable or sprinkle some lime after the dish is prepared,” said Dr Dharmatti.
Dharmatti
also claimed that using aluminum utensils for cooking is not advisable as it
increases the chances of developing neuro-degenerative diseases in the long
run.
“While iron enhances the iron content of food, using aluminum vessels may in the long run cause loss of function or even death of neurons (nerve cells),” said Dharmatti.
“While iron enhances the iron content of food, using aluminum vessels may in the long run cause loss of function or even death of neurons (nerve cells),” said Dharmatti.
09.01.2014
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