As reported in TOI by  Sharad Vyas,  on 29 August 2009

A BMC survey on the quality of life in the 24 wards across the city has ranked D Ward-home to the swanky homes of Malabar Hill as well as the cheek-by-jowl structures of Grant Road-as the best in terms of education, health and income.

In comparison, M-East ward, which includes areas like Deonar, Anushakti Nagar, Trombay and Mankhurd, was ranked the worst. In fact, of the six wards in the eastern suburbs, five were below the city’s Human Development Measure (HDM) average. Only T-Ward (Mulund area) had a rating higher than the average.

While the city’s average HDM was 0.56, D Ward scored a high 0.96 and M-East an abysmal 0.05. Surprisingly, A Ward (Colaba, Fort), an affluent region in the city, was the 13th best ward with a rating of 0.58, barely higher than the average. In the island city, only two of nine wards were below the average-G-North (Dadar, Prabhadevi) and F-North (Matunga, Sion). The western suburbs had three wards-H-East (Bandra-E, Khar-E), P-North (Malad) and R-South (Kandivli)-below the average.

Officials and experts said that the A Ward’s low rating results from the fact that it has a huge slum population. Former corporator from the ward, Pooran Doshi, said the ratings confirm the BMC’s step-motherly treatment towards slum pockets.

The report, `Human Development Measure Across the Wards of Mumbai’, may give a clue as to why ratings are poorer in the eastern suburbs. Without naming the city and western suburbs, it observes that Mumbai “historically grew around certain clusters of old habitations, which in due course coalesced into the megapolis”. “The HDM values of the wards around these clusters of old habitations show relatively better values,” it says.

Experts stressed that the provision of good civic amenities was key to improving HDM ratings. With good water, sewage, roads, health-care and so on, life expectancy, education and earning capacity increases. “The amenities in slums are at a bare minimum. And there is a nexus between slumlords and local politicians for unauthorised construction,” said Doshi.

Residents attributed D Ward’s success to active participation by citizens in managing civic services. Indrani Malkani, activist from D Ward, said, “Our attitude of partnership with the local body has made the difference,” she said.

The report blames the poor state of the eastern suburbs on a large migrant population, low and insecure levels of livelihood activity, unauthorised housing (as indicated by a proliferation of slums) and poor education and health facilities. Corruption is also blamed. A senior BMC official said M-East ward has unscrupulous contractors and officials.

As reported in DNA, by Sandeep AsharTuesday, April 28, 2009;

With campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections hitting its final leg in Mumbai, political parties have been making promises galore to “make Mumbai a global city.”But the dark story is that the city continues to grapple with leprosy, an age-old disease that has been eradicated in most parts of the world.

Leprosy has, in fact, made a comeback of sorts in urban Mumbai with figures from the state’s Directorate of Health Services suggesting that the last 13 months have seen a rise in number of new leprosy cases.

From February 2008 to March 2009, over 1,145 cases were detected as against 1,070 in the corresponding period of ‘07-’08. Of the new cases, 164 were children (14.95%) and 377 were women (32.07%). Again, of all the cases, nearly 50% were of the more serious multibacillary form.

Even as the overall prevalence rate (PR) in Mumbai continues to stay below the World Health Organisation’s guideline of 1 (per 10,000 people), officials in the leprosy elimination programme told DNA that there were pockets where the current incidence rate of the disease had even touched 2 per 10,000. These areas were identified as Ghatla village and Lal Dongar in Chembur, and Bail Bazaar in Kurla.

“These pockets house a large number of migrants, many of whom have picked up the bacterial infection while in their native place,” said a state health official.

An increased number of cases have been reported from areas like Shivaji Nagar in Govandi, Mohili and Tunga village in Kurla, Ramtekdi area near Elphinstone Road, Raey Road, Antop Hill, Anand Nagar in Andheri and Navagaon at Dahisar. “Sub-hygienic conditions in these areas help spread the aerial borne infection,” said the official. A survey to detect cases has been undertaken in the Nawab Tank area near Wadala, after fresh cases were reported.

Dr RL Sathe, assistant director, health services, said a large number of cases, especially amongst the migrants, came to light only at an advanced stage due to stigma associated with the disease. He added that active counselling by health workers employed by the state health ministry and the BMC was increasing awareness about the disease and the importance of it being reported early.

“Trained community volunteers are being deputed to reach out to the masses and spread awareness. The program is being undertaken with the help of 169 health posts associated with the BMC,” he said.

If urban Mumbai cuts a sorry figure, the situation in neighbouring Thane and Raigad is worse. Both these zones continue to be endemic to the disease and the prevalence rate is way above 1.

Leprosy was declared eliminated from the state in 2005, when the statewide PR was brought below 1. Eradicated is a PR of 0.

Every Sunday,Trainee doctors from KEM Hospital (Parel) setup medical camp in a tinshed in the Mandala slum in Mankhurd , that duels as a balwadi , during rest of the week. Residents queue up in their hundreds for free consultation from these young doctors from Indian as well as from foreign universities.

These doctors from KEM Hospital reach out to almost 1.5 lakh residents . Trainee doctors have been coming to Mandala for a free medical camps for the past two months. Their presence has helped these slum dwellers get a decent consultation as opposed to they were used to get medically unqualified quacks , before their arrival

It is only during any dire medical need that the residents of these slums visit Hospitals, as the closest hospital is either Sion or JJ in Byculla. “It is a relief to have skilled doctors for treatment,” said Phool Chand Yadav, a labourer whose four-year-old daughter has been suffering from asthma for the past two years. Many, like Yadav, tired of spending in vain on neighborhood doctors, have a new hope things will improve , Thanks to these benevolent doctors.

As reported in TOI 20th April 2009 … read full story by Chinmayi Shalya

Chicken pox during exams gives parents nightmares ….
Chicken pox is highly contagious and spreads through direct contact. The germs also spread in the air when someone coughs or sneezes. Even adults in the city haven’t been spared.

The chicken pox vaccine, at over Rs1,500, is an expensive but highly effective precaution against chicken pox. “It is a single shot given when the child is one year old and it gives lifelong immunity against chicken pox,” Dr PV Vaidyanathan from Chembur said.

Read full article in DNA

A major new initiative to tackle avoidable blindness in one of the poorest communities in India was launched today, offering eye care to millions of Mumbai’s citizens in underserved areas of the city, such as Dharavi and Shivaji Nagar at Mankhurd .Standard Chartered Bank, has announced that it will be committing $1 million to the Mumbai Eye Care Campaign as part of its community investment programme Seeing is Believing. This money will go towards developing refractive error services, screening over 1 million people over the next five years.

The Mumbai Eye Care Campaign will be implemented by Sightsavers International with its partners and will focus on bringing eye care to some of the most vulnerable groups, such as women and children. The project will also target people with a low socio-economic status such as rickshaw and taxi drivers, construction workers and domestic helpers.

The Campaign will tackle the growing problem of refractive error (long or short sightedness) – the second leading cause of blindness in India. Approximately 1.4 million people in India are effectively blind for the want of a pair of glasses, even though they are relatively cheap and easy to provide.

Joanna Conlon of Standard Chartered Bank is Seeing Is Believing’s programme manager. She commented: “With so much of our business in the developing world, avoidable blindness is a major problem in many of our markets. And it is not just a health issue: it is also an economic issue, depriving those affected of education and a job, and often rendering them economically dependent. The consequences are highly detrimental to for families and communities – deprived of the productivity of both the cared for and the carers.

At Standard Chartered we recognise that our business is only as strong as the communities in which we operate – so by investing in the health of our communities, we are ensuring we have a sustainable business in the long term.”

The Mumbai Eye Care Campaign is part of the latest phase of Seeing is Believing, which will see $20 million of funding benefiting 20 million people in 20 cities by 2015, with a focus on bringing comprehensive eye care services to urban areas – where over half of the world’s population now lives.

Elizabeth Kurian, regional director of Sightsavers India added: “The global success of Slumdog Millionaire has brought the reality of daily life in the urban areas such as Dharavi to the world’s attention. The Mumbai Eye Care Campaign will bring fast and long-lasting benefits and services to as many as one million of Mumbai’s less well off individuals.

Sightsavers is delighted to be working in partnership with Standard Chartered Bank and the Seeing Is Believing programme and, together with our partners, we are all set to transform the lives of some of Mumbai’s most vulnerable communities with something as simple as a pair of glasses.”

Sightsavers’ work in India, which started in 1966, has supported the treatment of millions of people with eye disorders and brought eye services to some of the least served areas of the country. In addition, many thousands of irreversibly blind people have received rehabilitation and educational support to enable them to lead more independent lives.

Sightsavers has been supporting a pilot project in Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum located in central Mumbai, since 2008. Dharavi is home to more than one million people, including 300,000 children and the vast majority of people lack access to the most basic services such as clean water and sanitation. The Mumbai Eye Care Campaign will expand this pilot project, focusing on providing refractive error services for slums areas such as Bhabrekar Nagar in Malad, Bharat Nagar in Bandra and Shivaji Nagar at Mankhurd.

Through the Mumbai Eye Care Campaign and other programmes throughout India, Sightsavers is working with its partners and supporters, such as Standard Chartered Bank, to create the best and affordable eye care services and, simultaneously working for the social inclusion of irreversibly blind persons through initiatives aimed at improving access to education and economic empowerment.

About Sightsavers International

Sightsavers International is a registered UK charity (number 207544 England & Wales, Scotland SC038110) that works in more than 30 developing countries to prevent blindness, restore sight and advocate for social inclusion and equal rights for people who are blind and visually impaired.

http://www.sightsavers.org

About Seeing Is Believing

Seeing is Believing is a global initiative to help tackle avoidable blindness. SiB is a partnership between Standard Chartered Bank and the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). IAPB is the leading umbrella organisation for NGOs working in the field of eye care. Together with the World Health Organisation, it launched the ‘Vision 2020 – The Right to Sight’, the global campaign to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2020. Every Rupee that is donated to Seeing is Believing will be matched by Standard Chartered Bank, doubling the impact of any donation.

http://www.seeingisbelieving.org.uk

About blindness in India

India has 18% of the world’s reported 161 million blind and severely visually impaired people. Sightsavers in India works with 90 local partners across 18 states in alignment with the Government of India’s national blindness prevention plan and global movements such as VISION 2020: The Right to Sight and the Global Campaign for Education to address this mammoth problem.

About blindness globally

According to WHO estimates, a person goes blind every five seconds; a child goes blind every minute; 50% of children in the developing world will die within two years of becoming blind. Without effective, major intervention, the number of blind people worldwide is projected to increase to 76 million by 2020.

Yet 75% of blindness is avoidable given the right treatment, which means that over 33 million people around the world are blind as a result of conditions that are preventable or treatable. And a total of 314 million suffer from some serious form of visual impairment.

On 26Th Jan, Republic Day, a Chembur-resident Raghunath Kathuria received the liver of a 57-year-old brain-dead patient at Wockhardt hospital, and with it, a new lease of life, in a 12-hour complicated surgery costing Rs15 lakh

Kathuria’s problems began in 2006, when he was diagnosed with cryptogenic cirrhosis of liver. “But I am not an alcoholic, in fact, I’m a workaholic,” clarified Kathuria, jokingly.

He managed to control the disease with medication, however, in September 2008, Kathuria’s liver developed complications. The diagnosis was bad. The only thing that would save his life was a liver transplant. Since no matching related donors were available, cadaver transplant became his only option.

“Kathuria’s condition was fast deteriorating. But finally, on January 26, relatives of another brain-dead patient, when counselled by the hospital social workers, agreed to donate the patient’s organs,” said Dr SK Mathur, senior consultant surgeon, liver transplantation.

“A normal healthy person can survive with just 35% of the liver as it has the capacity to regenerate upto 90 % in just six weeks,” said Dr Abha Nagral, physician who was a part of the team that operated on Kathuria.

The success of this surgery proves that Mumbai too has the technology and expertise to perform complicated liver transplants, which so far were being done in Delhi and in the South, said Dr Mathur.