Natl Med J India
-
. Seminomatous germ cell tumour (SGCT) is a rare but curable malignancy of young adults. The literature on management and outcome of SGCT is scarce from India. We report the demography and treatment outcome of SGCT at our centre. ⋯ . SGCTs have a high cure rate. Long-term follow-up is essential for monitoring toxic effects. Early diagnosis, avoidance of testicular violation and multidisciplinary management are the key features for better long-term outcome in SGCT.
-
. Implementation of healthcare regulatory policies, especially in low- and middle-income countries where the private health sector is predominant, is challenging. Karnataka, a southern state in India, enacted the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Act (KPMEA) with an aim to ensure quality of care in the private healthcare establishments. After more than a decade the implementation of KPMEA is suboptimal. ⋯ . A regulatory policy such as KPMEA needs a clear, comprehensive content and directions for operationalization. However, improving the content of the policy is not easy as some aspects of the policy remain contentious with the private healthcare providers/ establishments. Addressing health governance issues at all levels is key to effective enforcement.
-
. We sought to establish reference values of the functional independence measure (WeeFIM; Unified Data System for Medical Rehabilitation, Buffalo, NY, USA) for children aged 3-7 years in India using this cross-sectional study. ⋯ . We have provided reference values for WeeFIM in children of India aged 3-7 years (35-84 months). There were no differences between boys and girls regarding WeeFIM performance. Children in private schools showed better performance versus children in government schools in the early age ranges. We could not find any effect of socioeconomic status on WeeFIM raw rating or functional independence level.
-
Health policy discussions in India have primarily centred around the low level of public health financing, ignoring that total health expenditure in India is at par with many other countries with similar economic development. India spends 3.7% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on healthcare, but the health outcomes are not commensurate with spending. ⋯ We argue that increasing resource allocation in the present pattern of financing may even worsen the situation. We give recommendations to correct inefficiencies in current health financing arrangements before more allocations are made to improve the performance of the health financing system.