Health Bulletin 28/ May/ 2024

Aiming to ease the pressure on medical students, the National Medical Commission (NMC) is planning to relax the bond conditions- both the service bond and seat leaving bond for doctors postgraduate medical students, Live Mint has reported.

While the seat-leaving bond is imposed on the students to discourage them from discontinuing their medical course and the consequent 'wastage' of medical seats, the service bond was introduced to ensure the availability of doctors in rural areas.

During the attempt to charge her laptop, a female trainee doctor at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) in Kilpauk tragically lost her life due to electrocution in her private hostel room while trying to connect her laptop charger to an extension box.

According to the police, she was found lying on the ground while holding a laptop wire in her hand next to the charging cable which was connected to an extension box. It is believed that the charging cable at the private hostel in Ayanavaram was defective, leading to the electrocution of the doctor. There were burn injuries on her right hand which indicated that she suffered the injuries from electric shock.

As we all like the summer season, it’s important to acknowledge that every year temperatures are rising. This year, temperatures have been increasing across several parts of the country, especially in North India. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for heatwaves in Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, and Haryana. These states are experiencing extremely high temperatures, with the mercury touching 49 degrees Celsius in some areas.

In such times, it is crucial to be cautious about your health as extremely high temperatures can have severe effects and might even be fatal in certain cases. Extreme heat increases the risk of heatstroke, which is a medical emergency. For those going out to work, it is important to take preventive measures to protect yourself from the extreme heat.

As the summer heat wave intensifies, its impact on health becomes more evident. A recent study has linked rising rates of premature births to intense, prolonged heat waves. Scientists from the University of Nevada analyzed 53 million births in the top 50 urban areas of the U.S. from 1993 to 2017. They found that preterm births increased by 2 percent and early-term births by 1 percent after a four-day period of exceptionally high temperatures.

Each 1 degree Celsius increase above the threshold was associated with a 1 percent rise in both preterm and early-term birth rates. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, showed that younger women, those with lower education levels, and minority groups were more affected. Increases were more pronounced for longer and hotter heatwaves, particularly among lower socioeconomic groups.