Boost for Bihar healthcare

Beginning next month, state-of–the-art medical services will be available at the doorsteps of many impoverished villages of Bihar, thanks to a joint initiative of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPIO).

At a meeting between representatives of the Union Ministry and the State Health Department, held in New Delhi on May 29, it was decided to launch a pilot project in Bihar to augment the state’s health facilities. Confirming the development, Health Minister Chandra Mohan Rai told HT that, in all likelihood, the project would be launched by late July.

As planned, one village (with a population of 5,000 to 10,000 persons) in each district will initially be adopted for a thorough medical check-up by the specialists. If needed, the patients would be transported to medical college hospitals for further treatment.

Donate bodies, help doctors

Hyderabad: The Mrita Deha Dana Samithi, a week-old NGO in Visakhapatnam, is demanding dead bodies for medical students to carry out their studies and research. The organisation has launched a campaign in the city asking people not to bury or burn the dead but hand over the bodies to the NGO, which will turn them over to the medical schools. MDDS president K.B. Swamy said he was inspired to launch the NGO after learning that anatromy classes at medical colleges in the state were hamstrung by lack of cadavers. “Practical knowledge about human anatomy is a pre-requisite to becoming a good doctor. I am trying to do my bit to help the medical community,” he said. So far, a dozen people have pledged their bodies.

Cane centre on new mission

Guwahati: Traditional wisdom, design and inherent skills have dictated the exquisite cane and bamboo craft across the northeastern states. And the UN-backed Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC) helps artisans add value to their products and enter newer terrain, such as laminated bamboo roofing, bamboo floorboard and cane panels.

Having conducted several projects to upgrade local artisans’ skills for nearly a decade now, CBTC has added a new feather in its cap. The Directorate General of Employment and Training under the Union Ministry of Labour has selected it as the certifying agency to test the skill levels of workers in the informal sector upon completion of skill upgradation courses.