The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Indian government have signed a memorandum of understanding to create the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine. With a USD 250 million investment from the Indian government, this worldwide knowledge hub for traditional medicine intends to realize the full potential of traditional medicine from around the world using contemporary science and technology to improve people’s and the planet’s health.

Traditional medicine is used by an estimated 80% of the world’s population. 170 of the 194 WHO Member States have acknowledged using conventional medicine, and their authorities have asked WHO for assistance in compiling a body of trustworthy information and statistics on traditional medicine practises and products.

Traditional medicine is the very first port of call for several million people across the world to cure numerous ailments, says WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The WHO’s objective is to ensure that everyone has access to effective care, and this new centre will assist in leveraging the power of research to bolster the scientific basis for traditional medicine. He added that he appreciates the Indian government’s cooperation and certainly plans on making it a success.

Traditional medicine refers to the sum of indigenous and various cultures’ knowledge, skills, and practises for maintaining health and preventing, diagnosing, and treating physical and mental disease across time. Its scope covers both traditional and modern medicine, including acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine, and herbal mixes. National health systems and policies, on the other hand, have yet to completely integrate the millions of traditional medicine personnel, accredited courses, healthcare facilities, and health spending. It is encouraging to learn of the execution of the Host Country Contract for the Global Centre for Traditional Medicine’s establishment (GCTM). According to the Prime Minister of India, Hon. Mr. Narendra Modi, the agreement between the Ministry of Ayush and the World Health Organization (WHO) to create the WHO-GCTM in Jamnagar, Gujarat, is a praiseworthy endeavour. He adds that their administration has worked tirelessly via numerous efforts to make preventive and therapeutic healthcare inexpensive and accessible to all. He further said that the world centre in Jamnagar would contribute to the world’s best healthcare solutions.

In today’s era, traditional medicine is becoming more important. Natural compounds account for 40% of all licenced pharmaceutical drugs in use today, underscoring the critical importance of biodiversity and sustainability. The creation of aspirin, for example, was built on traditional medical formulations utilising willow tree bark; the contraceptive pill was produced using the roots of wild yam plants; and child cancer treatments were centred on the rosy periwinkle. Notably, an examination of ancient Chinese medicine books led to Nobel Prize-winning research on artemisinin for malaria treatment.

Traditional medicine has undergone a rapid modernization in terms of how it is examined. Artificial intelligence is now being utilised in traditional medicine to map evidence and trends, as well as to screen natural materials for pharmacokinetic features. In some traditional medicine therapies, such as meditation and yoga, functional magnetic resonance imaging is utilised to analyse brain activity and the relaxation response, which are increasingly employed for mental health and well-being in trying moments. Mobile phone apps, online classes, and other technologies have also helped to modernise traditional medicine.

While Jamnagar will act as the center’s hub, the new facility will engage and benefit people from all over the world. It will focus on developing a robust evidence base for traditional medicine policies and standards, as well as assisting countries in integrating traditional medicine practises and products into national health systems and regulating their safety and quality for maximum and long-term impact.

To enhance conventional medicine’s contribution to global health and sustainable development, the new centre will focus on four core strategic areas: evidence and learning, data and analytics, sustainability and equity, and innovation and technology. April 21, 2022, will be the date when the WHO’s new centre for traditional medicine in Jamnagar in Gujarat, India, will be officially opened.

In a letter written by the American Hospital Association’s President and CEO, Richard J. Pollack, to the U.S. Department of Justice Attorney General, Merrick Garland,he has requested support for legislation that would safeguard health care workers from attack and intimidation on behalf of nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems, and other health care organizations, clinician partners that include more than 270,000 associated doctors, 2 million nursing staff, and other care-givers, and also the 43,000 health care leaders who belong to their professional membership groups.

As mentioned in the letter, hospitals and health systems have already had solid policies in place for identifying and deterring violence against their workers for a long time. However, since the outbreak of the pandemic, violence against hospital personnel has skyrocketed and shows no signs of abating. The letter cites that during the pandemic, 44 percent of nurses experienced physical assault and 68 percent experienced verbal abuse. Richard, in his letter, further stated that these conclusions are backed up by media reports. Of the many examples, a patient recently grabbed a caregiver in Georgia by the wrist and struck her in the ribs. A nurse was slammed against a wall and bitten by a patient in South Dakota. In another incident in New York, a Thai medical student was nicknamed “China Virus,” kicked and dragged on the ground, her hands bloodied and her legs bruised. The letter showcases a statement given by the President of Mercy Health Saint Mary’s, Michigan in which it is apparently mentioned that their staff get screamed at, assaulted, hit, clawed, and that this is happening on a daily basis. One of the nurses from Maine goes on to say that they were hit, strangled, pushed, kicked, spit on, and hit in the head. 

The letter mentions that workplace violence has far-reaching implications for the healthcare system as a whole. Not only does workplace violence and intimidation harm healthcare employees physically and mentally, but it also makes it difficult for nurses, doctors, and other clinical personnel to give superior patient care. When nurses and doctors are fearful of their personal security, preoccupied by noisy patients and families, or scarred from previous violent experiences, they are unable to give focused treatment. Furthermore, violent interactions in healthcare facilities eat up important resources and can cause other patients to wait even longer for a cure. Workplace violence has been shown in studies to lower positive patient outcomes and employee productivity, as well as raise the risk of adverse medical outcomes.

Assaulting or intimidating medical practitioners is no longer acceptable as “part of the job.” Richard says that this unacceptably bad condition and necessitates federal intervention. He mentions that the DoJ took quick action last year to combat the surge in violent behaviour on commercial planes by asking US Attorneys to pursue prosecutions where airline staff were assaulted by passengers. He was reminded of this statement released by the authorities during that time: The Department of Justice is dedicated to using its capabilities to do its part to stop violence, intimidation, threats of violence, and other criminal activity on commercial aircraft that jeopardises the safety of the passengers, flight crews, and flight attendants; is what was written in black and white by the DoJ. As one knows, strict enforcement provides a safe travelling atmosphere, dissuades violent behavior, and guarantees that offenders are held accountable, reads the letter.

The letter opines that the Department of Justice owes the nation’s healthcare employees the same safeguards and devotion. Unfortunately, no federal legislation serves to protect healthcare employees from the significantly higher rates of violent crime that they face. As a result, they urge support for legislation modelled after 18 U.S.C. 46504 that would provide similar rights to those already available to flight crews and airport employees. Concluding the communication, Richard reiterated that Merrick Garland, the Attorney General of the US DoJ, to whom he was writing, has upheld the Justice Department’s commitment to safeguard the American people from violence and threats of violence ever since he took office. The American Heart Association salutes his unwavering dedication to making society safer and they hope to work with him to ensure that hospitals and health systems, which are critical pillars of these societies, may concentrate on caring for their patients without fear of violence against their personnel.

Nursing homes are the one place where people take their loved ones, hoping someone will take good care of them. Unfortunately, we read stories of abuse in nursing homes every other day.

Worse, your loved one in a nursing home may be limited cognitively or in speech, meaning abuse can continue for weeks or months unnoticed. 

If you suspect that your loved one has suffered abuse in a nursing home, you can sue for damages under medical malpractice laws—this post highlights steps to proving your abuse or neglect claim against a nursing home. 

   1. Hire a Lawyer

If you suspect or have evidence to prove that your loved one has suffered abuse at a nursing home facility, you can file a medical malpractice lawsuit against the nursing home to recover damages. Even when you think you have credible evidence to prove your case, filing a nursing home abuse and neglect claim may not be as simple as you may think. 

The nursing home will most likely build a solid defense with the help of their attorney, and your claim may not stand a chance. If you hope to get justice for your loved one, enlisting a lawyer with experience in nursing home abuse claims would be the best place to start.

You may want to check out nursinghomelawyerpa.com to find a lawyer specializing in home abuse and neglect cases. 

   2. Get Them Medical Attention

Older adults’ bodies are pretty fragile, meaning any form of physical abuse can take a huge toll on them. So it is best to ensure they are checked by a doctor outside the facility where they suffered the abuse. 

Getting medical attention can help in several ways; it ensures that your loved one’s health is taken care of, helps determine the probable cause of the injuries, and provides medical documentation necessary to prove the damages suffered.

   3. Gathering Evidence

After medical help, the other thing you want to do is gather all evidence as soon as possible. The longer you take, the higher the chances of losing the evidence. Most signs of abuse and neglect can include bruises, cuts, scrapes, sores, and fractures. 

These injuries can disappear fast, so you may need to document the injuries in photo or video. Also, your lawyer can help you access the facility’s CCTV footage if they have one installed to get evidence of abuse. 

   4. File the Claim

After getting medical help for your loved one and collecting all the necessary evidence with the help of your lawyer, the next step will be filing a lawsuit. Filling a claim provides you with the one important chance of presenting your evidence to the other side. 

Depending on the strength of your case (the available evidence), they may opt to settle out of court or go to trial. 

Elements of a Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse Case

When navigating a claim, your lawyer has to show that the three elements of neglect exist, which include:

• Breach of duty. Nursing home health providers owe a duty of care to their patients. They are expected to provide a standard of care that any reasonable health service provider would under the existing circumstances. A breach of this duty amounts to negligence.
• Causation. Your lawyer must also prove that the breach of duty resulted in the injuries sustained by the patient.
  
• Damages. The damages sought are specific to the injuries suffered by the victims as a result of neglect or abuse. There are two main recoverable damages under nursing home neglect and abuse cases, economic and non-economic damages. 

Economic damages cover all monetary costs incurred in the treatment of the injuries. On the other hand, non-economic damages refer to unquantifiable damages, such as pain and suffering and emotional and psychological pain.

Lazurite announced that its ArthroFree™ System is now the first and only wireless camera system for minimally invasive surgery to receive U.S. FDA market clearance.

The ArthroFree™ System incorporates the company’s proprietary low-heat, high-intensity Meridiem™ light technology along with advanced camera, battery, and wireless transmission technologies. It is designed to deliver improved operating room productivity, patient safety, and economic value through cost-savings, energy efficiency, and reduced setup/breakdown times. The modular system also is designed to be drop-in compatible with patient data consoles, surgical displays and endoscopes found in minimally invasive operating rooms.

Visit the Lazurite CONTACT PAGE to request a demonstration/trial use or to purchase the ArthroFree™ System, which has received notable interest and accolades from prominent surgeons.

“I’ve had the opportunity to use the ArthroFree camera in the laboratory, and I’m absolutely amazed at the quality of the picture and the way the device feels in my hands,” said Mark Schickendantz, M.D., director of the Center for Sports Health at the Cleveland Clinic and since 1992 team physician for the Cleveland Guardians baseball team. “What’s incredible is to be able to use an arthroscope that doesn’t have the cumbersome cables. That is just absolutely incredible.”

“With ArthroFree, you have excellent quality images and simultaneously you have a clean, streamlined, uncluttered surgical field. It’s all built into the camera. When you pick it up and pop in the battery, it’s on. In a few years, I think, this is going to be the standard,” said University Hospitals Health System trauma surgeon Jeffrey Ustin, M.D.

“The ArthroFree™ System provides freedom of movement we’ve never had before,” saidLaith Jazrawi, M.D., Chief of Sports Medicine at NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital. “You don’t have to move cables around. The camera is lightweight and easy to handle. I can’t imagine a surgeon who wouldn’t want this.”

Eugene Malinskiy, Chief Executive Officer and cofounder of Lazurite, emphasized the company’s commitment to creating high value innovation in partnership with the medical community. “The idea for what is now the FDA-cleared ArthroFree System was born from the very real need to create a safer, more efficient operating room for the benefit of everyone involved—from patients to surgeons to OR teams to clinics and hospitals.”

Malinskiy and his team believe “that this truly is the beginning of the operating room of the future. The entire endoscopic market will benefit from our minimally invasive surgical equipment advancement going forward.”

Mark Froimson, M.D., Chair of the Board of Lazurite elaborated, “We are proud to have achieved this major milestone on our way to bringing operating rooms across the country into the wireless age. In the coming year, we will be introducing the ArthroFree System to thousands of healthcare professionals at conferences, in demos, through distributors and group purchasing channels, and through partnerships with leading medical centers.”

As the NHS pursues its measures to counter COVID-19 backlogs, a new ‘planned care‘ hospital focused on non-emergency care is slated to start in Berkshire. Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot, which is affiliated with Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, will prioritise patients who have been awaiting the longest for basic care, such as orthopaedic and ophthalmology services.

The hospital will handle patients from Berkshire, Hampshire, and Surrey and will have 6 surgical theatres, 48 inpatient beds, and 22 day-case cubicles. It would provide surgical, diagnostic, and outpatient services. Outpatient services such as gynaecology, urology, and cardiology will also be accessible under the same roof. Patients will be able to get endoscopy, physiotherapy, phlebotomy, and radiological checks and therapies as part of these services.

The strategic contingency planning, launched in February, included a strategy to address backlogs that developed during the pandemic, with the goal of increasing capacity to deliver about 17 million screening procedures over the next three years. Local NHS trusts are pulling out all the stops to enhance capacity to carry out as many medical checkups, checks, and treatments as possible, from one-stop shops for lifesaving checks to new surgical hubs across the UK to safeguard non-urgent care during the pandemic.

Other new community efforts, such as one-stop medical centres, same-day hip replacements, and mobile CT and MRI scanners, are working to reduce the backlog and provide life-saving health checkups to thousands of people. This new centre shows how the NHS is evolving and developing to meet contemporary demands, putting into practise what has been learned about organised care during the epidemic, NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard said. While new dedicated surgical centres have been made available across the UK to help safeguard non-urgent care, the facility is the first purpose-built hospital geared towards addressing backlogs and bringing patients who require regular care faster checks and treatments.

This brand-new hospital would be the first of its kind on the road to recovery and reform, putting patients in need of non-urgent care first and then enabling them to obtain the checks and treatments they need, said Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid. He added that they are following through on the goal to reduce COVID backlogs by expanding routine surgery, providing faster diagnoses, and other efforts like modern surgical centres and community diagnostic centres, which will help them provide 9 million more medications, scans, and surgeries by 2024.

They keep pulling out all the stops to tackle COVID-19 backlogs in routine treatment that have inevitably grown, opines NHS national medical director Professor Stephen Powis. He goes on to mention that the new hospital in Berkshire is a fantastic illustration of what has been done to lessen long waits.

While seasonal pressures and COVID cases persist, people are committed to making optimal use of the additional healing investment, and one-stop shops, one-day hip replacements, as well as mobile CT and MRI scanners are just a few of the initiatives the teams are pursuing to help patients receive vital treatments, tests, and checks faster.

As they have stated throughout the pandemic, it’s critical that anyone in need of healthcare continues to receive treatment and support from the NHS. This will be one of the greatest managed care hospitals in the NHS, using technology and innovation to give the best services and experiences for the patients, said Neil Dardis, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust’s Chief Executive. The entire structure has been intended to give simple, efficient, and good care while also assisting in the reduction of waiting periods for patients requiring planned procedures. 

Heatherwood Hospital is critical to the community, and they are thrilled that their employees will be working in such a wonderful place that will dramatically improve patient care. Healthcare facilities have treated over 600,000 patients with the virus, with over 100,000 admitted so far during the Omicron wave, all the while NHS staff and volunteers kept pulling out all the stops to give more than 118 million inoculations, including more than 32 million boosters, in the biggest and most prestigious vaccination programme in health service history.

According to the data presented by Moderna, the two-dose COVID vaccination was around 44% effective in preventing omicron infection in children aged 6 months to under 2 years, and about 38 percent effective in children aged 2 to 5.

As per the biotech company, none of the children got severe disease as a result of COVID-19, and the bulk of breakout instances remained minor. Moderna’s CEO, Stephane Bancel, said in a statement that the company will request an emergency use licence for the vaccine for children under the age of six as soon as practicable.

According to the firm, the lack of severe sickness, hospitalisation, or death in the study prevented evaluation of efficacy against such outcomes. The vaccine developed by Moderna has been licenced by the FDA for adults aged 18 and older. Moderna has also requested that the FDA approve its vaccine for youngsters aged 6 to 11. The severely modified omicron version has significantly lowered vaccine efficacy from its peak of roughly 94 percent when the doses were first authorised for grownups in December 2020, resulting in a large surge in breakthrough infections. Moderna, on the other hand, claimed that the vaccination’s effectiveness against omicron in children under the age of six was comparable to that of the currently licenced vaccine for individuals aged 18 and up.

Children under the age of six received two 25-microgram doses of the vaccine 28 days apart, which is significantly less than the 100-microgram doses given to adults. Two 50 microgram doses are given to kids aged 6 to 11.

According to Moderna, no additional safety concerns have been detected in children under the age of six. As per the firm, no fatalities or instances of myocarditis, pericarditis, or multisystem inflammatory syndrome have been reported. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, myocarditis and pericarditis are kinds of cardiac inflammation that have been seen at higher rates following the second dosage of Moderna’s and Pfizer’s vaccinations, mainly in younger males.

The detrimental consequences in young children were moderate, according to Moderna, and were more widely cited after the second dose. A temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit struck almost 17% of children under the age of two and slightly more than 14% of children aged two to five. Just a few kids in each age group had fevers greater than 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

The information on the youngest kids came from a larger paediatric clinical trial including 11,700 children under the age of 12 in the United States and Canada. The trial comprised 2,500 toddlers under the age of two and 4,200 children aged two to five. The research was done with the help of the National Institutes of Health.

Under 5 is the only age bracket where COVID vaccination is not accessible in the United States. According to the CDC, hospitalizations of children in this age range with COVID were five times higher during the omicron surge in January compared to last year’s delta wave. In response to omicron last month, the FDA tried to speed up the approval of the first 2 doses of Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccination for children under the age of five, but the approach was delayed since the results did not meet expectations. In April, Pfizer and BioNTech are slated to present results on a third dose for this age range.