Health Bulletin 01/August/2023

Here are the top health stories for the day:

Only NMC has the power to punish doctors for misconduct, not even courts: SC

Holding that a doctor's license cannot be suspended as a penalty in contempt proceedings, the Supreme Court bench on Friday observed that the power to punish a registered medical practitioner for “misconduct” rests exclusively with the National Medical Commission.

"A medical practitioner guilty of contempt of Court may also be so for professional misconduct but the same would depend on the gravity/nature of the contemptuous conduct of the person in question. They are, however, offences separate and distinct from each other. The former is regulated by the Contempt of Court Act, 1971 and the latter is under the jurisdiction of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019," clarified the Apex Court bench.

For more details check out the link given below:

Only NMC Has The Power To Punish Doctors For Misconduct, Not Even Courts: SC 

Educational certificates of all Govt Doctors need to be verified, says Kerala HC after negligence by DGO failed doctor

Taking strong note of the negligence caused by a Diploma in Gynecology and Obstetrics (DGO) failed doctor, who was working at Kerala Government based on a forged MS degree, the Kerala High Court recently observed that there is a strong need for verification of all educational certificates of all Government doctors.

Last week, while considering the plea in this regard seeking guidelines to ensure that medical practitioners in the State are appointed only after due verification of their educational certificates, the Court sought the opinion from the State in this matter.

For more details check out the link given below:

Educational Certificates Of All Govt Doctors Need To Be Verified, Says Kerala HC After Negligence By DGO Failed Doctor

Drug safety alert: Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission flags adverse reactions linked to colistimethate sodium

The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), through its recently issued drug safety alert for the month of July, has revealed that Colistimethate Sodium, an antibiotic indicated for the treatment of infections caused by susceptible strains of certain gram-negative bacilli is linked with adverse drug reactions (ADRs) named Bartter's like Syndrome.

This came after a preliminary analysis of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) from the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI) database.

For more details check out the link given below:

Drug Safety Alert: Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission Flags Adverse Reactions Linked To Colistimethate Sodium

Conjunctivitis cases rise in Delhi, doctors say 'highly contagious, maintain hygeine

With monsoon comes the risk of many diseases, including the eye infections.

Amid the incessant rainfall that lashed the national capital and other areas for past few weeks, there have been multiple cases of Conjunctivitis reported in Delhi NCR. The conjunctivitis cases are reported each year during monsoon season. Symptoms could be redness and itching in eyes.

For more details check out the link given below:

Eye Flu Cases In Delhi: Doctors Advice Medical Attention

Greater numbers of women are dying of alcohol-related conditions, study finds

This study of alcohol-related mortality in the U.S. suggests there has been a significantly higher rate of increase in deaths among female individuals in recent years. These findings underscore the need for further research to understand the specific factors associated with this trend.

Reference: Karaye IM, Maleki N, Hassan N, Yunusa I. Trends in Alcohol-Related Deaths by Sex in the US, 1999-2020. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(7):e2326346. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.26346