For the first time in the country, a four-bed special unit was opened at Japan Bangladesh Friendship Hospital (JBFH) in the city yesterday with a view to providing healthcare service to the poor and marginalised farmers at free of cost. The unit titled 'Jibon Kheya' was opened under the joint initiative of JBFH and Hridoy-e Mati O Manush, a popular agriculture-based documentary programme of Channel i, as part of their joint healthcare programme for the farmers. Agriculture Adviser Dr CS Karim inaugurated the unit on the second floor of the hospital. Prior to inauguration, a meeting was held at the reception room of JBFH. Speaking at the meting, the adviser said JBFH and Hridoy-e Mati O Manush have taken a noble initiative on a noble day. He said about 1.5 crore farmers of the country through their labour and merit are producing food for 15 crore people but they often do not get deserved price. "If anyone is called a national hero it is our farmers who continue their struggle in an ailing state,' he said, adding, if the farmers get sick while working on the field it will affect food production and food security. CS Karim said a specialised unit for the farmers should be opened in all the hospitals of the country for providing basic healthcare service to them. Shykh Seraj, director of both the programme and Channel i, said, "I am waiting for that day when the four-bed unit will become a 400-bed hospital.' He said they have already completed their farmers' healthcare programme in five districts and during the visit they noticed that most of the farmers are unaware of the primary healthcare service. Seraj said integrated efforts by all a must to build such a specialised hospital for the farmers. He said Hridoy-e Mati O Manush stepped into fifth year yesterday and it has become a voice of the farmers. Dr Junaid Shafiq, chairman of JBFH, said they started their farmers' healthcare programme last year and during this time they realised that primary healthcare service is not enough for them. "Later, we thought to open a unit for the farmers where they would get all the healthcare services including admission, test, medicine and surgery at free of cost,' he added. "Farmers are the main driving forces of the country and we (doctors) are prepared to serve them always,' he said, hopping that the hospital will become a specialised hospital for the farmers. Faridur Reza Sagor, managing director of Channel I, and Dr Sarder A Naim, managing director of JBFH, also spoke on the occasion. Later, the adviser visited the unit and talked to three patients who are now receiving treatment there. Talking to The Daily Star, one of the patients Rafiqul Islam, a farmer from Shibpur of Narshingdi, said he has been receiving treatment at free of cost. Abdul Halim, husband of Shefali Begum who is also receiving treatment there, said, "I never thought that my wife could receive such treatment.'

Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) would soon be the second hospital in the Capital after AIIMS to have a heart transplant facility. The required registration for the set up has already been granted to the hospital by the director general health services recently and the unit is expected to start in August this year.

At a time when the poor infrastructure of the state's heath department has been constantly inviting criticism from every nook and corner, a model developed in West Bengal to reduce mortality rate of newborns, has been praised and recognised by the United Nations. The newborn care unit model of the state, known as the Purulia model, would be adopted by the other states to bring down children mortality rate under United Nations Millennium Development Goal-IV (UNMDG-IV). Such states include ~ Orissa, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

india is set to make another round of changes in procurement norms for health schemes funded by World Bank loans. This follows the bank's review of Indian projects running on its loans, highlighting

Bengal bird flu outbreak shows up state, central health system on january 15, the union government confirmed a bird flu outbreak in West Bengal. The worst India has ever seen, the outbreak caught

New Delhi: Smoking will kill 10 lakh people in the country annually from 2010. Consumption of tobacco in any form

In the wake of persistent severe cold weather, spread of viral diseases like chickenpox, measles, chest infection and influenza among children is on the increase. According to doctors, the extreme chilly weather has badly disturbed the immunity system of the young ones. Hence, the kids are more vulnerable to viral diseases. The doctors say that there is 20 per cent increase in viral infection among the kids this winter as compared to what was experienced in January and February last year.

It's painful to see old, ailing people languishing for medical attention in a city that never tires of flaunting its healthcare and social justice policies. Come to think of it -- there are close to 60 voluntary organisations in Chandigarh and at least 15 helplines to support people in need of care. But for some reason, none of them has managed to spot the 70-something Amar Singh, who has been living at the Sector 30 bus stop, adjacent to CBI office, for about four months. Alone and incapacitated, he can barely move; so he lies in a corner all day, awaiting help.