Govt ropes in Soumya Swaminathan for NTEP
Former Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research and World Health Organisation’s Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan has been appointed as the Principal Adviser at the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) for the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP).
She will be serving in MoHFW on a pro bono basis. As the Principal Adviser for the NTEP, Dr. Swaminathan will provide technical advice on the overall strategy to achieve goals, suggest policy directions and necessary course corrections for optimal outcomes, and advise on research strategy. Her appointment comes at a crucial juncture, where the deadline set by the Centre for eliminating TB looms closer.
India accounts for 25% of the world's TB burden and over 25 lakh new cases of TB were notified in 2024 in the country, according to the India
TB report released recently by the Centre.
First renal autotransplant surgery at AIIMS Delhi
A seven-year-old boy with resistant renovascular hypertension, a condition that causes high blood pressure due to narrowed kidney arteries, underwent the country’s first rare successful renal autotransplant surgery at AIIMS Delhi. The rare surgical operation, which was carried out on June 29, entailed the removal of the patient’s kidney and its subsequent relocation to another area within his body. According to doctors, this is the first such case in India and the third in the world.
Dr Manjunath Maruti Pol, additional professor of surgery and kidney transplant surgeon, said symptomatic aneurysms require treatment through stenting or surgery. “In this case, the aneurysm’s location near the kidney hilum (distal) and its fusiform shape made stenting unfeasible and ineffective, leading to the decision to proceed with surgical treatment,” he said.
Robo surgery for rare liver disease at PGI Lucknow
Doctors of Sanjay Gandhi PGI, Lucknow have succeeded in performing surgery on a young man suffering from the complex disease pelvic lipomatosis. According to Professor Uday Pratap Singh of Urology Department, for the first time in the world, successful robotic surgery for this disease has been done. XI robotic machine was used in the surgery. There is considerable improvement in the patient's health. Prof Singh said that youth (24) was having stomach pain for some time. He could not even urinate properly. Medical consultation revealed swelling in both the kidneys. Pelvic lipomatosis, a compex disease was confirmed with swelling in both kidneys. There was also kidney infection. According to a report, till now 231 people across the world are suffering from pelvic lipomatosis. During robotic surgery, fat was removed and the urethra was carefully reattached. of the patient's intestine.
Pelvic lipomatosis may be due to obesity and genetics. Its main symptoms are frequent urination, feeling of discomfort even after urinating and pain in the lower back.
