Public Health

The large population of girls in India without the knowledge of what menstruation is or how to practice safe hygiene is detrimental to the future well-being of these women. Educating girls on menstrual hygiene not only prevents girls from developing compromising health conditions in the future, but it also lays the groundwork for women to feel empowered. Until and unless a woman is comfortable and proud of her own skin, a girls ability to flourish will be impaired. Aarogya Seva is hosting the first international conference on menstrual health in Bengaluru, India, called The Period Junction. While large strides have…

We will start this series by exploring the consent process in medical treatment processes—a process that is relatively new to the doctor-patient relationship in India. In the United States, the informed consent is nothing less than an extreme medico-legal document–not an ideal situation either. Well, what is the essence of an informed consent? Informed consent is a patient's acceptance of the procedure and/or the treatment to be performed by a given doctor or a team of healthcare professionals, after being fully informed about the pros and cons of the treatment by the doctors. There is no longer room for the…

We will start this series by exploring the consent process in medical treatment processes—a process that is relatively new to the doctor-patient relationship in India. In the United States, the informed consent is nothing less than an extreme medico-legal document–not an ideal situation either. Well, what is the essence of an informed consent? Informed consent is a patient's acceptance of the procedure and/or the treatment to be performed by a given doctor or a team of healthcare professionals, after being fully informed about the pros and cons of the treatment by the doctors. There is no longer room for the…

When trash seems to be strewn everywhere in our public spaces, it was heartening to see this sight at the Bannerghatta Zoo. Long may such initiatives last! Zoo, 18th January, 2015.

When trash seems to be strewn everywhere in our public spaces, it was heartening to see this sight at the Bannerghatta Zoo. Long may such initiatives last! Zoo, 18th January, 2015.

The recent tragic story of a three-year-old’s death after receiving dental care under local anesthesia in Bengaluru is heart-breaking. I am a surgeon who treats patients and performs procedures everyday. I am also a father of a three-year-old and an eight-month-old. The aftermath of the incident would have been unpleasant for the doctor and the family. I am sure this incident sent shivers down every patient that walked into a healthcare facility. I have received and delivered health care in India and in the United States. Where is it safer? What does quality mean? What does informed consent mean? How…

The recent tragic story of a three-year-old’s death after receiving dental care under local anesthesia in Bengaluru is heart-breaking. I am a surgeon who treats patients and performs procedures everyday. I am also a father of a three-year-old and an eight-month-old. The aftermath of the incident would have been unpleasant for the doctor and the family. I am sure this incident sent shivers down every patient that walked into a healthcare facility. I have received and delivered health care in India and in the United States. Where is it safer? What does quality mean? What does informed consent mean? How…

Our good friend Avinash is a relieved man these days. His elderly father is just back home from hospital, after a debilitating bout of dengue fever. Avinash's dad is lucky to be recovering, because in AECS Layout near Whitefield where he lives, there are increasing cases of dengue fever. “My parents' neighbour, a woman, died of the fever. Now her 18-year-old son is battling dengue,” says a worried Avinash. And I know of other people affected by the virus. In my son's school, his class teacher's five-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, are slowly recovering (as I write this),…

Our good friend Avinash is a relieved man these days. His elderly father is just back home from hospital, after a debilitating bout of dengue fever. Avinash's dad is lucky to be recovering, because in AECS Layout near Whitefield where he lives, there are increasing cases of dengue fever. “My parents' neighbour, a woman, died of the fever. Now her 18-year-old son is battling dengue,” says a worried Avinash. And I know of other people affected by the virus. In my son's school, his class teacher's five-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, are slowly recovering (as I write this),…

I first visited Dr H Suresh's clinic in 4th T Bl ock in Jayanagar, in 1979, when my daughter was 6 months old. She'd been having severe diarrhoea for two weeks, and I was at my wits' end as I was staying with some friends and desperately worried about her health. Dr Suresh's clinic was called "Deepa Clinic", and that formed a further bond. I learnt that it was his daughter's name. He promptly treated my infant daughter, who recovered. When we moved to J P Nagar in 1997, my neighbour told me about a G P who ran his…