Prernapolicies, Programme, Research, Resources, News and Action in Maternal and Adolescent Health
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Issue #3 October 2016 PRERNAPolicies, Programme, Research, Resources, News and Action in Maternal and Adolescent Health IN THE NEWS Need to spread awareness on causes or a pharmacist, instead of a doctor. and treatment of mental health issues: “Some of the women I see are so desperate to Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste abort their pregnancies that they have taken the pills twice,” said Kusum Lata Agarwal, a government medical officer at Abu Road. Addressing mental illnesses by way of Dear Friends, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation is Presenting the third issue of PRERNA. Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes. necessary for achieving our health objectives: Read it and enjoy it! Smt. Anupriya Patel. “As a community and as a com/life-style/health-fitness/health- country, we must collectively create and spread PRERNA highlights a cross section news/Why-10-million-Indian-women- of Policies, Programme, Research, awareness on the multifarious causes and secretly-undergo-abortions-every-year/ Resources, News and Action in articleshow/55260831.cms factors resulting in mental health disorders and Maternal and Adolescent Health. the available treatment. This shall enhance the Our goal as mentioned previously is Average Indian consumes 119% more avenues for those suffering from mental illness to keep everyone informed on some and disorders to lead a normal life with dignity interesting developments around salt per day than WHO limit and to be productive.” This was stated by Shri RMNCH+A. Faggan Singh Kulaste, Minister of State for Please write to us with your thoughts An average Indian consumes 10.98 grams Health and Family Welfare. He was speaking and ideas and send an email to Aditi of salt per day–119% more than the at a function to mark the ‘World Mental Health at [email protected]. recommended limit of five grams per day Day’, here today. Smt. Anupriya Patel, Minister by the World Health Organization (WHO)– of State for Health and Family Welfare and according to an IndiaSpendanalysis of a study senior officers of the Ministry were also present conducted by the Australia-based George at the event. Institute of Global Health (GIGH), published in the Journal of Hypertension. Intake of excess Read more: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/ salt can lead to high blood pressure–a leading PrintRelease.aspx?relid=151566 cause of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), which accounted for 23% of all deaths in India Why 10 million Indian women secretly spacing and limiting methods,” said Muttreja. between 2010 and 2013. undergo abortions every year So, millions of women needing abortions rely on pills—easily available over-the-counter Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ “Our analysis of the 2015-16 family planning or from health workers like auxiliary nurse life-style/health-fitness/health-news/Average- budget shows that 85% of the allocation midwives and accredited social health Indian-consumes-119-more-salt-per-day-than- was for sterilisation versus barely 1.5% for activists—and the advice of a neighbour WHO-limit/articleshow/55289912.cms IN THE NEWS multipronged approach as well as measures Fortification of Food to address interventions to reduce the burden of non-communicable in combating micronutrient malnutrition in diseases like cancer, besides stopping children the country. Shri Ram Vilas Paswan, Hon’ble Global TB report a wake-up call for India from getting addicted to such products. Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution also graced the occasion. India’s effort to check the disease is falling “We cannot do this alone. Along with national far short of what is required. The new figure will and resources, we also need the strength Speaking at the function, Smt Anupriya Patel finds 50 per cent more TB cases in India than of international collaboration to mitigate the stated that food fortification is a proven and previously assessed; so the total cases have rising burden of health, social and economic effective strategy to meet the nutritional gone up from an estimated 9.6 million to 10.4 costs of tobacco,” Nadda said while addressing needs of a large number of people across million cases globally. Six countries -- India, the largest global antitobacco conference various sections of the society, including China, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan and South — the seventh Conference of Parties (COP7) the poor and underprivileged as well as Africa -- account for 60 per cent of the global for WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco the vulnerable, such as pregnant women total. Control (FCTC) here. and young children. “Fortification requires neither changes in existing food patterns, It is a great worry for the Narendra Modi Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes. habits nor individual compliance. It is socio- government as out of 5,000 TB deaths daily com/india/Controlling-tobacco-use-in-India- culturally acceptable and does not alter the at the global level, India accounts for 1,400. big-challenge-says-health-minister-JP-Nadda/ characteristics of the food. It can be introduced The Indian government can no more afford to articleshow/55303239.cms quickly and can produce nutritional benefits allow 1,400 of its people, mostly the poor, die for populations in a short period of time. It is every single day because of a disease that is safe and cost effective, especially if advantage curable and for which treatment is available. Smt. Anupriya Patel inaugurates National is taken of the existing technology and Summit on Fortification of Food : The delivery platforms,” the Minister elaborated. Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes. control of micronutrient deficiencies is com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/ an overarching effort of the Government Emphasizing further on the need for food Global-TB-report-a-wake-up-call-for-India/ to fight hunger and malnutrition in the fortification, Smt. Anupriya Patel said that food articleshow/55153295.cms country: Smt. Anupriya Patel fortification reinforces and supports existing nutrition improvement programmes and is Controlling tobacco use in India big The control of micronutrient deficiencies is an part of a broader, integrated approach to challenge, says health minister JP essential part of the overarching effort of the prevent micronutrient deficiencies, thereby Nadda Government to fight hunger and malnutrition complementing other approaches to improve in the country.” This was stated by Smt. health and nutrition. Calling the challenge of tobacco control Anupriya Patel, Hon’ble Minister of State for “formidable”, health minister JP Nadda said Health and Family Welfare. She was speaking Read more: http://www.orissadiary.com/ on Monday that the country needed a at the inauguration of National Summit on ShowBussinessNews.asp?id=70211 PRERNA Policies, Programme, Research, Resources, News and Action in Maternal and Adolescent Health IN OPINION Linking food and nutrition security Prohibition is unwise, misguided and grossly counterproductive The euphoria around the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, seems to have dwindled. As per Prohibition, a knee jerk reaction to the problem of Air pollution: China on track but Delhi the statements by Minister of State for Consumer alcoholism, has been in general counterproductive still on a death wish every Diwali Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ram Vilas and a boost to crime, be it in the United States, Paswan, the Act was to be fully implemented Pakistan or India. The reason prohibition fails is across India by July 2016. As of now, only five that in the absence of legitimate alcohol, locally- States have fully executed it as per the provisions produced illegal alcohol that does not contribute of the Central Act and the progress in other to the state’s coffers through taxes takes its place. States has been tardy. The front runners are Punjab, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. The Act has been partially implemented in Bihar, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka. Preliminary surveys undertaken in some of these States have revealed positive outcomes in terms of administrative reforms, significant increase in the number of households having ration cards, and improvement in the distribution and consumption of food through fair price shops. A few of them had American astronaut Scott Kelly spent a year already initiated reforming the distribution system watching the earth from the space. The clouds of much before the Act was presented in Parliament. The effective solution, which several countries in pollution over India and China shocked him. The Act, if fully implemented, is likely to benefit 720 the West, most notably the US, have realised after million people through availability of 5 kg per capita failing with prohibition, is education, regulation, For a single day last summer, Kelly could see the per month of subsidised foodgrains (rice, wheat and intervention. India has yet to learn what the eastern part of China, its 200 cities, clearly. “The and coarse cereals) US learnt in the 1920s. It also has to make a choice next day I heard that the Chinese government at a much lower whether it wants to implement things the way had turned off a lot of the coal-producing power rate than that in they are done in West Asia or in mature Western plants, stopped the cars from running in that the open market. democracies — prohibitions or informed choice part of the country for this national holiday, and This would ensure and regulation. It is a shame to see that India, a the sky had completely cleared,” Kelly told PTI in