BIS working on standards for edible oil, soon to be ISI-marked product - New Delhi

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is currently working on a set of standards for edible oil, which, as stated by Sunil Soni, its director general, are ready. As soon as the final draft of the standards for the same is released, the certification of the product would begin. “Edible oil would shortly be an ISI-marked product,” he informed.


Soni added, “A meeting with the stakeholders on the transition methods is slated to be held next month. Not only would the regulations and implementation time frame for the same be discussed, but a roadmap (which would be decided by the transition methods) would also be drawn up for the implementation of the edible oil standards.”


At the meeting, the stakeholders would put forth their concerns, because the director general said that BIS wanted a smooth transition. The standards would be applicable to the entire range of packaged edible oil sold at retail outlets across the India.


They would be accepted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which is working on them with BIS. The former would use the standards to ensure food safety.


Soni informed that BIS was in continuous in talks with the country’s apex food regulator, adding that in addition to high-level coordination meetings, they were a part of a working group for oil standards.


It has been done to avoid overlapping and copying of standards by the various agencies working to ensure food safety. In the past, edible oil standards were a part of the AGMARK portfolio. But AGMARK has withdrawn itself from framing standards for manufactured agri products to focus solely on raw products.


BIS has standards ready for street foods and tap water as well. It would write to the Urban Development Department to ask local bodies to ensure the implementation of the standards for the latter. As for the former, each state’s food safety department would be the implementing authority.


However, it has been proposed that the standards, which are fairly high, would be implemented in phases, with levels one, two and so on.



Source : FnB News , 21st Oct 2014

IITs work on environment friendly cement

Researchers at India's top three IITs are working on a cement producing technique that is sensitive to the environment as well as the economy. Sanchayan Bhattacharjee reports.


Professors at IIT-Delhi, IIT-Bombay and IIT-Madras along with Technology and Action for Rural Development (TARA), a social enterprise, have come up with a Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3) which is significantly less harmful to the environment. According to their research paper, production of LC3 will reduce the clinker factors down to 40 per cent and emissions by 50 per cent as compared to Ordinary Portland Cement. Clinker is a combination of limestone, clay and other minerals which is extensively used during cement production. The average cement available in the market consists of 74 percent clinker.


Reduction of clinker is not the only benefit. “A lower quality of limestone and clay can now be used to manufacture this cement. This means that the limestone mines will have a longer life,” says Shashank Bishnoi, professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Delhi.


In addition to being energy intensive and resource efficient, LC3 is also expected to save money. “In terms of capital investment, there will be huge savings. While a new clinker based factory will cost hundreds of millions of rupees, a LC3 plant will cost much less,” explains Bishnoi. Apart from these savings, even the production process will be economical depending on the location and raw materials available.


Currently, more than 30 tons of LC3 has been produced and a building has been constructed near Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, to check the feasibility of the cement in constructions. The objective is to secure standardisation for the cement from the Bureau of Indian Standards. “The strength of the cement is easy to test, what takes time is checking the durability. We have to ensure that buildings constructed using this cement can withstand different geographic and climatic conditions,” says Bishnoi. As of now the project is a mix of basic and applied research. “While the IITs will focus on standardising the product, we will engage in discussions with the cement and construction industry to make them understand the need and benefits of LC3,” says Soumen Maity, general manager, TARA.


Although securing a standard for cement production is an arduous process, the benefits of this innovation are enormous. “The capacity of the cement industry doubles every decade. So in future, even if they take the LC3 production as a fraction of this expansion, the cumulative economic and environmental benefits will be enormous,” signs off Bishnoi.


India is the second largest consumer of cement in the world. According to a study conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the per capita cement consumption in the country is expected to touch 400 kg in 2015 as against 185 kg today.  



Source : Zee News , 21st Oct 2014

Health Dept Gives a Bitter Pill to KSDP - Allaphuza

Kerala State Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (KSDP), the only drug manufacturing company under the state government, is teetering towards crisis owing to the neglect of the Health Department.


                          Kerala State Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd at Kalavoor in Alappuzha

The production at KSDP has been hit following the lack of purchase orders from Kerala  Medical Services Corporation limited (KMSCL), the medicine purchasing wing of the Health Department, in last two months.

Following agitation by the employees under the leadership of T M Thomas Isaac MLA, around `3 crore was released by the KMSCL, on Saturday. But the amount is not sufficient to meet the needs of the company. 

“The government and KMSCL are spelling doom for the company, which plays a crucial role in controlling the price of life-saving drugs in the state. The ultramodern laboratory and beta-lactam plant remain incomplete owing to the neglect of Health Department,” Isaac said. KSDP Employees Union (CITU) joint secretary  K Rajendran said that last year `13 crore was sanctioned by KMSCL and the fund was released in time. This year only `8 crore is sanctioned and till now only `3crore is released. The delay in the release of amount has affected the purchase of raw material for the manufacturing of medicines.

Rajendran alleged that the policies of the state government has mired the company in crisis.  “KMSCL does not purchase medicines from the KSDP. It promotes private companies, which are distributing medicines at a higher price, which is 35 to 40 per cent more than KSDP’s price. The amount is distributed as commission to officials and leaders,” they alleged.

KSDP used to produce medicines worth over `40 crore during 2011-’12 as the LDF Government used to give huge order. Fund to establish a modern Beta-lactam plant, a modern laboratory and an injection plant were sanctioned by the previous government. Though the construction was started, the company failed to complete the projects on time owing to delay in the release of funds. The KSDP has the capacity to produce medicines worth `200 crore annually, he  said.

This year the KMSCL had allotted an order of only `8 crore. In the absence of orders, the production diminished and the company is moving towards loss, said  Rajendran.  He  said the company has the capacity to produce 45 varieties of medicines like   Antibiotics, Amoxicillin, Ciprofloxin and  Ampicilin, paracetamol, ORS, Avil and painkiller Brufin.

 A laboratory accredited by National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) with international standards, to check the quality of the medicines, is also under construction. With this, it will be able to conduct quality check of its products purchased by KMSCL from other producers, but the construction is not yet completed,  Rajendran said.  “The KSDP had earned record profit during last few years. In 2011-12, it reported a record profit of `3 crore. The company had supplied about `40 crore worth medicines to the state. In 2010-11 year they supplied medicines worth `33 crore and gained profit of `2.40 crore. In 2009-11 the profit was `25 lakh and they supplied medicines worth `17 crore,” he said.  He said that the shortage of fund has delayed the construction of injection plant.   “In 2011 the estimated amount of the plant was `4.7 crore. But the delay in the construction escalated the cost to `9 crore. The delay of fund releasing leads to loss of crores of rupees to exchequer,” he said.

KSDP MD K B Jayakumar said the KMSCL has released `3 crore. “We are expecting another `1 crore soon . The work  of the lab and plant will be finished soon,” he said.



Source : The New Indian Express , 20th Oct 2014

City farmer promotes organic farming, grows rare herbs in city - Barreilly

With people becoming aware about the benefits of organic farming, more and more farmers are opting for this trend. But Anil Sawhney experimented with this concept much before it became popular.


At a time when a majority of farmers laughed at him, Sawhney was busy cultivating rare herbs and plants without a trace of chemicals. Today, after experiencing the benefits, many others are following in his footsteps.


Talking to TOI, Sawhney says, "It took me four long years to prove myself to other farmers in the village who prefer conventional chemical farming over organic farming. I don't use pesticides or fertilizers, yet the yield of my crops is far better than that of traditional farmers. Now, a few other farmers, after seeing good results have decided to go with organic farming as well."


He says that while conventional farming practices promote soil erosion, increased salinization, danger to food quality, reduced socio economic values and other problems, organic farming increases productivity and leads to growth of healthy plants.


An environmentalist and genetic farmer from Tigra village, Sawhney wanted to make textbook knowledge a ground reality and motivate thousands dependent on farming as an occupation to start organic farming. Soon after completing his environmental engineering, he took up farming as his profession and at present is engaged in producing and preserving rare herbs that are on the verge of extinction or are difficult to come across. He is also a life time member of the Quality Council of India (QCI) along with Sugarcane Technologist Association of India (STAI).


Today in his farm stretches over an area of 40 acres. Some of the herbs that can be found here include, Passion fruit (passiflora edulis), red sandalwood (pterocarpus santolinus), Black turmeric (curcuma caesia), Kausanda(cassia sophera), Salparni (desmodium gangeticum), Putranjiva (putranjiva roxburghii), Nirgundi (vitex negunda), Sahadevi (vernonia cinereum), Sarpgandha (withania somnifera), Citronella grass - an oil yielding herb, Jal Neem (bacopa monnieri), Punarnava (boerhavia diffusa). These and many others herbs, irrespective of their climatic conditions, are grown successfully at his farm, much to the surprise of other farmers.


Talking about the motive behind cultivating herbs Sawhney says, "Mother Nature has an answer to all ailments be it for a human being or an animal. Even before modern medicines came into existence, it was the power of herbs that gave miraculous cure without any side effects. Today I have around 400 species of herbs growing in the farm, some of which are extremely difficult to find."


He adds, "It took me years to collect herbs from far off places including Himalayan trains and others and now after so many years majority of the herbs have started yielding desired results. At present I don't just want to grow and sell them in market, but I want to motivate other farmers too to take up this cause and save these herbs from becoming extinct."


Seed banks are the answer to the humans' increasing penetration of various ecosystem, he says, claiming that the seeds of herbs grown organically can be preserved for much longer as compared to genetically engineered seeds or ones with pesticide. "Genetically modified seeds can be used only during specific period and duration, falling which no yield is obtained," says Sawhney.


Organic farming is a time taking process and drying seeds naturally is science as well as an art, the scientist and farmer says. He adds, "Majority of herbs are in good health and their seeds are collected and then naturally dried for further use."


Experimentation comes naturally to him. Following the recent development of 'Lemon Tulsi' by the Lucknow based Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Sawhney also developed a variety of the plant which has the fragrance of lemons and the medicinal properties of Tulsi. He also discovered another plant called 'Lemon Pudina' i.e. lemon mint (Monarda citriodora).


Apart from accidental discovery of 'Lemon Pudhina', he recently developed a special variety of rice which has the fragrance of rose. This rice, which is short in height and has been termed 'Tigra basmati', is a mix of Basmati rice with a local variety of rose, which gives it the unique taste and fragrance. The species is with the patent department at present.


Sawhney gives credit to Japanese monk Masanobu Fukuoka's book on natural farming - 'The one straw revolution' - for changing his life. "Teaching is an integral part and very important activity for keeping oneself up to date with latest developments in the field of science and for disseminating scientific knowledge in society," he says. 


Source : TOI , 24th Oct 2014

‘India Lab Expo 2014’ to be held in Hyderabad from 6-8, November

The 6th international exhibition and conference on Lab, Analytical & Biotechnology Instruments ‘India Lab Expo 2014’ will be held in Hyderabad from November 6-8 at Hitex exhibition centre in Madhapur.

The main theme of this expo focusses on the laboratory, analytical, biotechnology and general lab instruments that are used in industry, research laboratories and manufacturing units across pharma, biotechnology and other allied industries.

“One major objective of India Lab Expo 2014 is to bring together all industry members dealing with laboratory equipment on one platform and discuss the emerging trends and deliberate on the new challenges faced by the laboratory industry in the country,” informed the organisers of the event.

The expo is expected to witness leading firms from pharmaceutical and drug discovery, clinical diagnostics, biotechnology, life sciences, agriculture and food, environmental science, forensic science and research and development. Members from education and academia, measurement and testing, laboratory technology, petrochemicals and minerals will also take part in this global conference.

Alongside of lab exhibition, the organisers are also planning to conduct ILE seminar where scientists, leading researchers and expert lab managers will deliberate on various aspects relating to labs and analytical instruments.

Leading laboratory equipment manufacturers are expected to exhibit various laboratory products ranging from analytical instrumentation & systems, instruments for physical & chemical analysis, chromatography, spectroscopy, microscopy & optical imaging, biotechnology, life sciences, bioinformatics, laboratory instruments & apparatus, laboratory planning & furniture, laboratory automation, laboratory diagnostics, laboratory chemicals & consumables, instruments for environmental labs, forensic lab instruments, laboratory glassware & balances, testing & measuring instruments, material & water testing, quality control in industries & research labs, educational lab products for all levels. The expo is also expected to display literature & information on lab & scientific research areas.

It is estimated that over 300 exhibitors from across the globe will exhibit their products. The organisers have also invited leading scientists, researchers, lab managers, chemists, pathologists, academicians, & laboratory professionals to this big event.

Last time India Lab Expo 2013 had attracted 8600 trade visitors from 19 countries. There were 252 exhibitors from 15 countries. It witnessed 459 delegates and 32 speakers. This time India Lab Expo 2014 is planning to bring together complete lines of new technologies and products in the field of analytical and laboratory sector. This time more than 4000 brands are expected to be on display.


Source : Pharmabiz , 25th Oct 2014

Multipath Ultrasonic Flow Meter Successfully Tested - Palakkad

The newly erected 2,000 mm test line in the large water flow lab has been successfully used for calibration of a multipath ultrasonic flow meter at the Fluid Control Research Institute (FCRI) laboratory in Kanjikode here on Friday.

The newly erected 2,000 mm test line in the large water flow lab that was used successfully for the calibration of a multipath ultrasonic flow meter at the FCRI, Kanjikode, in Palakkad on Friday


This flow meter is to be used for measurement of discharge at Koteshwar Hydro Electric Project (KHEP) of M/s THDCIL (Tehri Hydro Development Corpn. India Ltd) Uttarakhand. KHEP is a 100MW x 4 power plant located at the downstream of Tehri Dam on river Bhagirathi. The FCRI is stated to perform Field Efficiency (FE) testing of this 100MW Unit Hydro-turbine in November. The achievement brings India ahead of all Asian countries in this field. This is the largest ever flow meter tested in laboratory conditions in India so far. The FCRI’s large water flow lab is also the largest NABL  (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) accredited flow laboratory in India, said the Director of FCRI Jacob Chandapilla. It also happened to be the silver jubilee year of the FCRI at Kanjikode, Palakkad. The FCRI was set up under the Ministry of Heavy Industries in order to help industries get their flow products tested and certified in its different laboratories.  The FCRI’s newly constructed large water flow laboratory is the largest in Asia, based on the size of pipes used for testing and calibration of flow meters and  valves from various industries in India and overseas.

Chandapilla informed that the newly set up large water flow lab of FCRI is capable of undertaking testing and calibration of Flow Meters and Valves up to 3,000mm in diameter.


Source : The New Indian Express , 25th Oct 2014

ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board

ACLASS, one of three brands of the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board, provides ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for testing and calibration laboratories, ISO/IEC 17020 accreditation for inspection bodies, ISO Guide 34 accreditation for reference material producers, ISO/IEC 17043 accreditation for proficiency testing providers, ISO 15189 for medical laboratories, and numerous industry-specific programs.

ACLASS is recognized by ILAC, APLAC, and IAAC as a signatory of multilateral recognition arrangements that facilitate acceptance of test and calibration data internationally.

Source : Aclasscorp

CII body's green-building ratings misleading, not up to government standards: CSE

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Claims several gold-, silver- and platinum-rated buildings cannot qualify even for one star label of Bureau of Energy Efficiency

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The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Monday questioned the voluntary building rating system Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) developed by the US Green Building Council.

“The data put out by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), responsible for certifying LEED buildings, on the energy consumption of large commercial buildings rated silver, gold and platinum are misleading. Several cannot qualify for one star under the programme of the government’s Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) that ranks buildings based on their energy efficiency when operational,” CSE said.

The IGBC is a part of the Confederation of Indian Industry. The CSE conducted a study, Building sense: beyond the green façade of sustainable habitat, based on the data put out by the IGBC on its website (later removed, CSE added) and found certain LEED-rated buildings had the least energy-efficiency (one star) according to the BEE standards..

The study is based on the data released by IGBC for 50 of 500 buildings rated. "Nearly half of the day use office buildings and around half of the IT buildings which work for extended hours cannot qualify for even one star label under the BEE's star labelling programme. Thus, these buildings designed to be energy efficient could not meet the bar for performance," CSE said.

CSE said that many state governments give fiscal incentives and extra build up area to developers to get their buildings rated under the LEED mechanism. "If the problem of under performance after construction is not addressed immediately with effective official monitoring and penalty, this can legitimise massive resource inefficiency in the new built up area," CSE said.


Source : Business Standard , 3rd October 2014

EESL Mulls Launching LED Scheme in State : Thiruvanthapuram

Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the Union Power Ministry, is discussing with the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) the possibility of launching an LED scheme in the state modelled on the successful CFL campaign.

 EESL MD  Saurabh Kumar told Express on the sidelines of a workshop here that various financial models were being considered, but the essential idea was to make LEDs cheaply available to the public. “We have just completed the distribution of 6.5 lakh LEDs in Pondicherry. A similar scheme will be launched in Andhra Pradesh on October 2,” he said.

 In Kerala, EESL hopes to launch the scheme for two separate requirements - household lighting and streetlights. During the LDF tenure, the state had successfully implemented the Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s Bachat Lamp Yojana (BLY) scheme by replacing energy-guzzler incandescent bulbs with CFLs.

 Light Emitting Diodes (LED) are more energy efficient than Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) and have a far longer life, but the flip side is, they cost more. Still, Keralites are not strangers to LEDs as they have already started finding a place in homes and in street lighting.  Due to the relatively higher cost of CFLs and LEDs, incandescent bulbs continue to shine away in homes. A sample survey by EESL in eight northern districts of Kerala revealed that 40 lakh incandescent bulbs are still in use in households, despite better awareness about energy efficiency. The survey was conducted two months ago.  “We found that 76 pc of the households surveyed consumed less than 120 units a month and they constituted 53 per cent of the consumers overall. And all of them used incandescent bulbs, even though their use is less than that of CFLs. The ratio is something like two incandescent bulbs for three CFLs,” Saurabh Kumar said. EESL concludes that despite awareness about energy efficiency and conservation, price continues to play a decisive role. This situation opens up possibilities for a subsidised LED scheme.



Source : The New Indian Express , 27th Sep 2014

COLA Receives ISO Recertification

COLA, an internationally respected clinical laboratory accreditation firm, has been recertified as meeting quality management system standards established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), an international standards-setting body composed of representatives from various standards organizations.


COLA accredits more than 7,000 clinical laboratories, and provides labs with a program of education, consultation, and accreditation. The organization is an independent, non-profit accreditor whose educational program and standards enable clinical laboratories and staff to meet the requirements of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) and other regulations.


The recertification was performed by ISO registrar British Standards Institute (BSI), and covers COLA’s delivery and administration of its CLIA-equivalent accreditation program for medical laboratories, including on-site surveys, monitoring proficiency testing, and correcting citations through education and consultation. COLA continues to be the only healthcare accreditation organization deemed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that is also certified as satisfying the ISO 9001:2008 standard.


ISO 9001:2008 sets standards for the certification of a quality management system, for which an organization must demonstrate its ability to consistently provide products or services that meet customer needs and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. It also aims to enhance customer satisfaction by offering a process for continuous improvement, as well as by assuring conformity to customer, statutory, and regulatory requirements.


COLA earned its original ISO designation in 2011 after an extensive audit that included more than 20 hours of the BSI auditor observing how the organization’s team members perform their work. The recertification process entailed another thorough review of COLA’s key management and accreditation processes, including observing COLA surveyors in action; reviewing enrollment process records; monitoring proficiency testing; and observing how the accreditor confirms correction of deficiencies noted during on-site surveys.



   Douglas Beigel


"By pursuing and receiving ISO recertification, COLA continues to demonstrate that we walk the walk and talk the talk,” says Douglas Beigel, CEO of COLA. “By participating in this rigorous review process, we are proving to the labs we serve that we are willing to engage in the same kind of thorough quality review process we perform for them. In doing so, we sharpen our ability to ensure that clinical laboratories meet the high standards doctors expect and patients deserve.”

COLA’s program is endorsed by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Practitioners, and the American College of Physicians. It is also recognized by the Joint Commission.

Source : CLPMag , 29th Sep 2014

HAL chief joins 'Make in India' chorus - Bangalore

The ‘Make in India’ concept in the defence sector has the potential to help India meet 70 per cent of its defence needs in a few years. Today, domestic production meets only 30 per cent of its needs.

“This could be achieved by making India the hub of MRO business by investing in research and technology processes and by focusing on the development of skills in 70-plus trades relating to the aerospace industry,” said R K Tyagi, Chairman, HAL, at the Foundation Day Celebrations of the Council of Scientific and Industrial (CSIR) here today.  

Speaking on the occasion, Tyagi outlined a five-point agenda for galvanising the R&D scenario in the country. The first step towards a better R&D set up is to increase funding to the national research laboratories such as NAL significantly as they safeguard and protect the country’s IP.

The second point is to create an agency dedicated to disruptive research ideas within India on the lines of DARPA under Department of Defence in the US, Phantom works in Boeing or Skunk works in Lockheed Martin. This agency would help us achieve the success that atomic energy or space sector has witnessed. He urged that a serious attempt needs to be made to establish a National Aeronautics Commission to synthesise the learnings of the aerospace sector.

Tyagi’s third point reflected the point made by the Prime Minister yesterday at the Madison Square in New York. He stressed that a lot of Indian-origin scientists would be more than willing to work in niche areas to prop up the country’s capability. A policy framework for engagement of such persons of Indian origin needs to be formulated to fill up the critical technology gaps.

Stressing on higher degree of participation from Industry in R&D, Tyagi’s fourth point brought out that one each of the 37 labs of the CSIR needs to be adopted by a specific industry or the company so that the lab work is easily commercialised and is made relevant to the needs of the aerospace industry.

He commended the role of the CSIR and the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) and urged them to open their laboratories to companies such as the HAL and others to exploit the hidden advantages of this scientifically well-established infrastructure. “Such a step will also bring in the much-needed funds and give fillip to the on-going activities of CSIR-NAL,” he added.

The industry should nurture these labs as they have generated a significant intellectual property over the last 72 years of its existence, he added. While complimenting NAL on doing pioneering work in aerospace, he stressed that with a budget of around Rs 200 crore with half of it going towards salaries and infrastructure support, it is difficult for any organisation to do a path-breaking research and HAL would like to par- tner NAL in all its endeavours and nurture it as an extended arm of HAL.

Lastly, he touched upon the need for a vibrant skill development set-up in the country. He said, all efforts for a meaningful R&D cannot succeed unless the country has a very strong skill base. India will have approximately 25 per cent of the world’s workforce by 2025. On the flip side, by 2022, India will require about 500 million skilled workers across sectors, specifically in manufacturing. The country will see a skills gap of nearly 90 million workers — almost twice the present figure.


He said, that HAL-BCIC-SIATI have joined hands to address this issue and have formed a Section-8 company, the Aerospace Sectoral Skill Council. “India needs better training and education infra- structure supported by a pragmatic labour-industry-academia ecosystem, which is being enab- led by a HAL-led endeavour in the field on skill development under the aegis of NSDC,” Tyagi said.


The council is mandated to train approximately 400,000 peo- ple over the next 10 years in 90 trades relating to the aerospace industry for better employment opportunities and bridging gaps in skills required in the aerospace sector.



Source : Business Standard , 29th Sep 2014

NABH Accreditation at Stake : THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

The accreditation of the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH) accorded to the Women and Children Hospital at Thycaud is at stake with the hospital not adhering to many of the NABH standards and guidelines.

 

The Government Women and Children’s Hospital, Thycaud

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 When NABH-accredited hospitals are to provide all facilities to the patients within the hospital, the patients at the Women and Children Hospital are forced to walk out for scan, lab tests and even for buying medicines that are not available.

The construction of the centralised operation theatre, which was one of the facilities that was envisaged as part of getting the NABH accreditation, is yet to start. The theatre that is now functioning is a smaller one with only split AC, whereas NABH calls for a centralised AC system.

The doctors prescribe scan outside the hospital as there is no proper facility at the hospital, sources said. As per the NABH norms, it is mandatory that the patients should be provided such facility within the hospital. They also said that there was a shortage of medicines and even certain base drugs such as ampicillin were not available at the drug store. With no stock of the base and cheap medicines, the doctors are forced to prescribe high-priced drugs, the sources said.  The doctors at the hospital have raised complaints on drug procurement.

When coming to infection control, sources said that there is no proper steriIisation and waste disposal mechanism. Autoclave, which is used for sterilisation of surgical instruments, is not working properly, the sources said and added that there are chances of infections. Apart from this, there are no qualified staff for operating the laundry and the dryer of the laundry had not been functioning for a long time.  It has to be noted that a few days ago there was an allegation that the vaccines were stored in vaccine cases rather than in the fridge. It was only recently that a group of environmentalists wrote to the District Collector, advisor to the Chief Minister and Suchitwa Mission Director with regard to the hospital becoming a dumping ground of waste, especially plastic waste. 

Another important condition that forms part of the NABH accreditation is the responsibility of the management. During holidays, it is learned that the higher officials who manage the hospital go on leave, shifting their responsibility to junior officials. Even though the higher officials who are in the administrative cadre could take leave during holidays on rotation basis, the sources note that it is not done and the whole responsibility to manage about 500 staff is on the juniors.  

When contacted, Health Minister V S Sivakumar said that the issues would be looked into.  Hospital superintendent Jose G D’Cruz was not available for comments.   

The grandma among the government hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram received the NABH accreditation in 2012, becoming the first women and children hospital in the country to get the honour.


Source : The New Indian Express , 30th Sep 2014