Natl Med J India
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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.
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Tuberculosis (TB) of pancreas is a rare presentation in both immune-competent and immune-suppressed patients. Its presenting clinical features are usually vague and non-specific, while radiological features mimic other common pancreatic conditions such as malignancy, so it is often misdiagnosed. It commonly involves the head and the uncinate process of the pancreas. We report a middle-aged immune-compromised man who presented with left-sided tubercular pleural effusion and later was diagnosed as pancreatitis by clinical presentation and TB of pancreas on computed tomography of the abdomen.
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. There is lack of comprehensive data on substance use and associated factors among school students in Delhi, India. ⋯ . The study results bring to attention the prevalent and important problem of substance use among schoolchildren. We recommend that (i) intervention strategies for school settings are important and need to factor in the use of illicit substances (cannabis); (ii) psychosocial intervention by trained school counsellors in school settings is the mainstay for intervention for cannabis and inhalants; and (iii) heroin users should be referred to healthcare facilities for detoxification.
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The genus Corynebacterium is composed of Gram-positive, aerobic, non-motile, non-spore-forming bacilli that are widely distributed throughout the environment. They are usually found as commensals on the skin and are often considered as mere contaminants when isolated from clinical samples. ⋯ The clinical importance and pathogenic potential of Corynebacterium species, especially C. striatum, cannot be underestimated. This report is a reminder to physicians of the possible pathogenicity of non-diphtherial Corynebacteria.