From doctors’ heart to know the hearts

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A foundation donates ECG machines to Jan Aushadi Kendras in semi-urban, rural areas to help the poor get free tests

An MLA suddenly collapsed while holding a meeting at Kadaba, a small town in Dakshina Kannada, during the lockdown last month. Immediately an ECG test was done at the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadi Kendra in the town. As the report suggested medical emergency he was rushed to a Mangaluru hospital within no time.

Ramesh, who manages the centre, had uploaded the report to a WhatsApp group called ‘Kayakalpa’ created by the Cardiology at Doorstep (CAD) Foundation, floated by a group of doctors. Padmanabha Kamath, the chief admin of the group and also Professor and Head of the Department of Cardiology, Kasturba Medical College Hospital, Mangaluru, who read the report suggested immediate medical evacuation of the MLA.

The CAD Foundation had donated the ECG machine to the centre about a year ago. The centre has been doing the ECG test free of cost to many people since then. “It has been immensely helping for people in small places to know their health condition,” Mr. Ramesh told The Hindu.

The foundation has donated the machines to 10 Jan Aushadi Kendras in the coastal and Malnad belt where free ECG tests are being done since at leastsix months. The pharmacists managing those centres have been networked in the ‘Kayakalpa’ group which has two cardiologists. If those who underwent the test agreed, the reports are uploaded and the cardiologists read them and gave their opinion. Those who need further consultation or treatment are free to approach any doctor of their choice anywhere.

Dr. Kamath, who is also the founder of the CAD Foundation, told The Hindu that the other nine machines have been given to the centres in Mundgod, Sirsi, Bhatkal, Sringeri, Siddapura in Udupi district, Kundapura, Belman, Udupi and Mangaluru.

The doctor said that the objective of donating the machines to the centres in semi-urban and rural areas is to strengthen the foundation’s crusade against coronary artery disease, for early diagnosis and prevention, especially among economically weaker sections. With no specialists available in many such places ‘Kayakalpa’ became a platform for interaction among pharmacists, patients and doctors.

Like Vincent D’Souza who managed a centre at Naguri in Mangaluru, some even offered free blood pressure and sugar level tests at such centres. An ECG test outside cost at least ₹250, Mr. D’Souza said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Raviprasad Kamila / Mangaluru – April 22nd, 2020

COVID-19: Bengaluru start-up creates respirator providing over 99 per cent protection to health workers

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Deepak and Vic Parmar of  ‘Oxyour’ have developed the prototype of a Powered Air Purifying Respirator.

The respirator consists of a visor that has a tube at the back which connects it to a belt.
The respirator consists of a visor that has a tube at the back which connects it to a belt.

Bengaluru :

Doctors, nurses and other paramedical staff who are at high risk of contracting the COVID-19 when treating critically ill patients can don an almost foolproof safety kit at work by using a super-smart respirator, urges an IT professional, who has developed the product in his home along with a neighbour.

The sophisticated equipment provides 99.97 per cent filtration, way above any of the surgical masks presently in vogue, making it impossible for the virus to enter.

Deepak and Vic Parmar of  ‘Oxyour’ have developed the prototype of a Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) within a month’s time after reading reports about the virus causing deaths of health professionals in Italy and Spain.

Parmar, who is passionate about electronics, owns a 3D printer, which helped them bring their design to shape easily.

Deepak told the New Indian Expres, “Respirators are popular in the US and the government has banned its export. It is relatively unknown here. With the guidance of our contacts aborad which include pulmonlogists, doctors and even industrial designers, we have been working through the nights to bring it to shape “.

While a respirator in the US costs upto 2000 dollar, it has been developed by the duo for less than Rs 50,000 , he said.

“We want someone to take it up and develop it on a mass scale so that it can reach the health service workers at the earliest. Those with expertise in mass production would do it at a much-reduced cost,” the start-up founder said.

Giving technical details, he said the respirator consists of a visor that has a tube at the back which connects it to a belt.

“Attached to the belt is a bacterial and viral H13 filter. Continuous fresh air is pumped by a mini machine through the tube to the hood and this pushes away potentially germ-filled air away from the nose and mouth of the wearer,” Deepak explains.

The equipment can be disinfected using UV light and used upto three times, he added.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by S Lalitha / Express News Service / April 22nd, 2020

Mangaluru: Sahyadri startup ‘DreamWorks Makerspace’ deliver face-shields to COVID-19 warriors

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Mangaluru :

DreamWorks Makerspace at Sahyadri College of Engineering & Management, Mangaluru has been manufacturing and delivering face-shields to help the frontline healthcare professionals fight against COVID-19.

They have delivered over 500 face-shields to Shivamogga Police on April 16. They have successfully delivered 2000+ face-shields since April 2 and are continuously working to cater to the requirements.

Face shields are an urgent requirement in the nation’s fight against COVID-19 in order to help scale manufacturing to meet needs. Face shields are a key piece of equipment for front-line healthcare workers operating in close contact with COVID-19 patients. These face shields can protect a healthcare professional and COVID warriors from exposure to droplets containing the virus expelled by patients when they cough or sneeze.

source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Campus Beat / by Media Release / April 19th, 2020

Mysuru-Origin US Doctor Gets A Brilliant 100-Car Salute

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Mysore/Mysuru:

It was a proud moment for Mysuru as a city-based doctor living in the United States received a unique ‘Drive of Honour’, a heart-warming gesture to appreciate her efforts in fighting the global Coronavirus pandemic.

The ‘Drive of Honour’ was performed in front of the house of Dr. Uma Madhusudan, a Mysuru-based doctor who is treating COVID-19 patients in South Windsor Hospital in the USA.

The local neighbourhood in the USA honoured her and the video of the ‘Drive of Honour’ has gone viral. In the video, several Police vehicles, fire brigade trucks and private vehicles can be seen going past through her house with sirens and honks blowing. A convoy of at least 100 vehicles drove past Dr. Madhusudan’s house stopping by for a few seconds and thanking her.

As the global coronavirus crisis deepens, doctors across the world are being hailed as heroes and saviours, putting their own lives at risk to protect that of others. Dr. Uma Madhusudan is a 1990 batch graduate from JSS Medical College, a constituent college of JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysuru. Dr. Uma works at South Windsor Hospital.

The ‘Drive of Honour’ video has been shared by Karnataka Medical education Minister Dr. Sudhakar on Twitter. The video shows Dr. Uma standing at her lawn while a string of vehicles pass her by with the drivers waving at her, honking and cheering.

“Happy to share a video of Uma Madhusudhan, Mysuru origin Doctor in US being honoured in front of her house by grateful patients,” Sudhakar wrote. “It’s a beautiful sight of cars, police vehicles, and fire trucks lining up in gratitude, waving and honking to say Thank you Dr. Uma!”

The tweet has since been going viral and even the teachers and friends from JSS Medical College have sent their greetings and appreciation.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Covid 19 News / April 21st, 2020

Loco Pilot in Bengaluru digs deep into his pockets, feeds hungry amid lockdown

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Cooking begins here at 9 am and by 12.30 pm, the packets are ready for distribution.

Ravi and his family prepares food for the hungry. (Photo| EPS)
Ravi and his family prepares food for the hungry. (Photo| EPS)

Bengaluru :

Upset over witnessing the rise of starving people around him following the nationwide lockdown, a loco-pilot and his friend decided to pool in their own resources to help others in whatever way they could. Loco pilot B Ravi and S Somashekhar have been cooking and distributing an average of 120 food packets to the needy for the last five days and plan to continue doing so as long as they can sustain it.

Ravi, with 20 years of experience as an express driver, was choked with emotion when narrating his experience to The New Indian Express on Wednesday. “Public are overwhelmed with gratitude and bless us. I cannot put into words how overwhelmed with emotion I am personally to be able to help people like this,” he said.

His wife, Anu Surya, a homemaker, and daughters Deepika and Keerthana are helping out in whatever way they can in their house in BEML Layout, Basaveshvaranagar. “We carried out the distribution of 120 packets of tomato rice on Ring Road on Tuesday afternoon to passersby who were in need. On Wednesday afternoon, we made 130 vegetable rice packets and distributed them at on the same road as well as at a slum in Kamakshipalaya,” Ravi said.

When asked what pushed him to take the step, the loco pilot said that the unprecedented situation faced by the world due to the coronavirus was the main motivation.

It costs nearly Rs 3,000 a day to feed the poor. “Somashekhar, my friend who works in the private sector and I are managing the cost as of now by pooling in from our pockets. We began doing it on April 7 and plan to continue until we are able to sustain it. Neighbours have now started chipping in with rice, vegetables and other essentials to help us out.  They are also now helping us in cutting vegetables and taking turns in doing the cooking. Two other friends Nagaraj and T Swami are also helping out,” he added.

Cooking begins here at 9 am and by 12.30 pm, the packets are ready for distribution.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by S. Lalitha / Express News Service / April 12th, 2020

Veteran writer Chandrakanth Kusnoor passes away in Belagavi

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Chandrakanth Kusnoor. | Photo Credit: P.K. Badiger
Chandrakanth Kusnoor. | Photo Credit: P.K. Badiger

Veteran writer and translator Chandrakanth Kusnoor died of age-related illnesses in Belagavi on Saturday night. He was 90. His last rites were conducted in the early hours of Sunday.

A multi-faceted personality, he earned fame as a writer, translator, novelist, poet, playwright, painter, art critic, and institution builder. He was among the few artistes to have won awards from the Karnataka Nataka Academy, Karnataka Lalitha Kala Academy, and Karnataka Sahitya Academy.

A polyglot, he worked as a cross-translator between Kannada, Marathi, Hindi, and Urdu. His translations of the works of U.R. Ananthamurthy and Srikrishna Alanahalli into Hindi were well-received.

He is hailed by literary historians as the first person to introduce the Haiku format of poetry into Kannada.

He was also among the pioneering abstract writers in Kannada. His plays such as Dindi, Vidushaka, Ratto Ratto Rayara Magale, and Ani Bantu Ondu Ani were widely performed. His biographical novel Gohar Jan chronicles the growth of professional theatre music tradition.

He was also an abstract painter and had converted his home in Channamma Nagar into a mini-art gallery. He continued to paint till the very end, said artist Balu Sadalage. He hailed from Kalaburagi, where he worked as a college professor for some years. He settled in Belagavi after his retirement as the Deputy Director of Kannada and Culture.

Along with friends, he founded the Ranga Madhyama in Kalaburagi and the Gulmohar Belgaum Arts Group in Belagavi.

The State government honoured him with the Karnataka Rajyotsava award.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Belagavi – April 19th, 2020

‘Sahaya Setuve’ Web app launched

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The BBMP on Tuesday launched the ‘Sahaya Setuve’ Web application, a one-stop platform that will allow citizens to register as volunteers in the fight against COVID-19 and also connect with NGOs.

It can be downloaded as an app on phones or accessed on desktops. NGOs can register through the web-based portal and add their respective inventory donation form including items, number of units, and area.

Those organisations willing to donate goods to the BBMP will be given delivery route passes and the items can be deposited at a designated collection centre. The civic body also aims to use the platform to list its requirements.

Volunteers also can register for various activities that will be employed by the BBMP based on demand and need. Even doctors can register for consultations. Their location and other basic information will be displayed on the app. A BBMP official said, “The platform also acts as an efficient inventory management solution to upload and update requirements, assign and track activities.”

Speaking after the launch, Revenue Minister R. Ashok said that the initiative was timely and would help avoid duplication of work. “Though various NGOs and individuals are tirelessly working to feed and reach out to the needy, many times they end up reaching the same set of people. This can be avoided now,” he said.

All the data will be fed into a portal which also provides a dashboard view to the War Room officials.

The app can be accessed on 

https://play.google .com/store/apps/ details?id=in.bbmpgov. covid.er or http://bengaluru cares.bbmpgov.in

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / Bengaluru – April 15th, 2020

Dental technician makes masks to address shortage

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To address the shortage of mask to doctors and those working on the frontline in health services, a dental technician has developed a transparent face shield.

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Pankaj Sharma has manufactured around 500 pieces of face shields for doctors who are need of personal protective equipment to reduce risk of exposure and limit the spread of COVID 19, while treating patients.

Speaking to The Hindu on Friday, he said that in the last couple of days, he had distributed the masks to the doctors in many private hospitals in the city and at the taluk hospital in Chincholi.

A couple of doctors working at the ESI isolation ward and many others from private hospitals had approached him for masks. Mr. Sharma has used thick transparent sheet, straws and threads for making the mask. His aim was to develop a mask that can be assembled easily using supplies from the stationary shop and comfortable to wear.

Mr. Sharma and his family have prepared around 500 masks within a week.

“It’s truly a team effort, we are trying to produce as many face shields as possible,” My family members have joined hands for the noble cause,” he said.

He asked doctors to feel free to contact him on 9916567777 to get a mask for free.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> States> Karnataka / by Praveen Para / Kalaburagi – April 18th, 2020

COVID-19: BEL develops wrist, chest bands for AIIMS to monitor people under quarantine

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The first batch of ten each were despatched on Saturday by post to the Rishikesh-based institute. It was a pure labour of love for the team at BEL headed by scientist Matukumalli Rajasekhar.

Wrist and chest bands to monitor those with COVID-19 (Photo | Special Arrangement)
Wrist and chest bands to monitor those with COVID-19 (Photo | Special Arrangement)

Bengaluru :

The Bengaluru-based PSU Bharat Electronics Limited has been roped in by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Uttarakhand to develop wrist and chest bands to monitor those with COVID-19 or suspected of having it.

The first batch of ten each were despatched on Saturday by post to the Rishikesh-based institute. It was a pure labour of love for the team at BEL headed by scientist Matukumalli Rajasekhar of its Central Research Lab who churned out the products within a week’s time.

Rajashekhar told TNIE, “The concept was proposed by AIIMS to BEL. The software, sensors and cloud system to store them were all developed by us here. We have also developed a mobile app. A total of 40 of us were split into three teams.”

Both the bands have to be worn together by a patient, one around the wrist and the other around the hip like a belt. “It is GPS enabled and connected to a common server. The wrist band will send the temperature and other details to the server. All patient movements will be tracked through it. The chest belt will show the respiratory status of the patient. Alerts are sent to the Chief Medical Officer in each district. The CMO will alert the health workers in the area who can track the patient.”

In case any of the bands is thrown away by a patient, alerts will be sent indicating that they are not being used, he added. “Such bands are not in use anywhere in the country and it is the first such initiative,” the scientist said, adding, “AIIMS wanted to test the first batch to ensure all readings are fine. We will be doing it in bulk as soon as we get the green signal from them.”

AIIMS is likely to ask BEL to produce 25,000 pairs of bands, he added. Asked about the business part of it, the scientist said, “We are not looking at it as a profit venture. The cost incurred in readying the apparatus for each patient works out to around Rs 10,000 and the institute is likely to pay that to us. We are not charging them as it is our contribution during this crisis-ridden time.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by S. Lalitha / Express News Service / April 18th, 2020

COVID-19: HAL produces, hands over protective boxes

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Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has produced and handed over more than 300 aerosol boxes to various State governments including Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Kerala to be used in hospitals.

HAL said in a release that the transparent box acts as an insulator between the doctor and the patient and significantly reduces the possibility of COVID-19 transmission to doctors and medical staff treating patients.

“The results are encouraging and we can cater to more hospitals and States in this hour of need,” said R. Madhavan, CMD, HAL. The boxes are produced at various divisions of HAL across the country.

HAL management has already announced a contribution of ₹26.25 crore to the PM-CARES Fund, said the release.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – April 16th, 2020