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Category: Correspondence
January 01, 2007
This refers to the letter by A Verma lamenting the fact that not enough children take the oral polio vaccine in spite of it being available free of charge. Although in a few instances people may have resisted, in general they know that pulse polio gives a blanket cover to children and is bound to...
October 01, 2006
In her article on caring for survivors of sexual assault, Amita Pitre writes persuasively about the process that will hopefully lead to a more organised response to victims of sexual assault. Along with prophylaxis for HIV and Hepatitis B, prophylaxis against other STIs such as gonorrhoea and syp...
October 01, 2006
The Selected Summary on the impact of China's one-child policy has rightly emphasised the need for profound changes in social mores and not just laws to reduce son preference. This issue is not often discussed.
October 01, 2006
With the advent of 24x7 news channels in India, it seems like everybody will get their 15 minutes of fame and glory. This does not exclude doctors who, because of their special professional role, have more chances of commenting on various issues. The frenzied media coverage of an alleged drug ove...
October 01, 2006
The number of children coming to receive the oral polio vaccine on national immunisation days has started declining. The parents mainly say that the paramedical worker will come to their home the next day and administer the vaccine, so they need not bother to bring their child to the vaccination ...
October 01, 2006
The word "ethics" has been used in various contexts – from legal mine fields to coffee table discussions. Given this versatility, what really is ethics all about? In a general context, ethics is about giving priority to an individual's needs and moral values in an attempt to curb and control pote...
October 01, 2006
I read with interest the articles by George Thomas and by Neha Madhiwalla and Nobhojit Roy. The authors suggest that factors like poor working conditions, communication failure and inadequate facilities are evidently responsible for the increased friction between patients and doctors. In addition...
October 01, 2006
As new dilemmas emerge in the field of bioethics, it becomes imperative to look at how to increase awareness about bioethics in the medical profession. As a first step, bioethics can be made a part of the MBBS curriculum. This will provide a framework that can be built upon later. An obstacle in ...
April 01, 2006
In the annual jamboree of irrationalists at Hyderabad on a day known as Mrigasira Karte (in 2005 it was on June 8) hundreds of thousands of people congregated to get the much-hyped "anti-asthma fishy medicine". Popularly known as "fish medicine" it has been given by the Bathini Gaud family as a w...
July 01, 2006
The article by Neha Madhiwalla and Nobhojit Roy is a timely analysis of the growing attacks on doctors and hospitals, mainly in Mumbai. The authors identify the lack of communications skills in trainee doctors, especially in sharing bad news, as one of the main factors. This clearly points to the...