Haque Specialized Group's News

Thirty children have died at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh since Wednesday due to encephalitis and delivery-related issues, a senior medical official said on Friday. Chief Medical Superintendent Dr RS Shukla also denied accusations made by a district official in local media that the deaths were due to an oxygen shortage he said occurred after a private supplier withdrew its equipment over unpaid hospital dues. The dead children ranged from babies to 12-year-olds. Shukla said at least 10 of the children at BRD Medical College had died because of encephalitis, a disease that causes inflammation of the brain, while the rest had died from "delivery-related issues", without providing further details. Other officials at the hospital were not immediately reachable. Uttar Pradesh officials are conducting an investigation of the matter, said a senior state government official.   ....

Published at: 2017-08-12 05:00:03

Doctors at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, or DMCH, have begun the first surgery on Satkhira girl Muktamoni’s hemangioma tumour. The 12-year-old was taken to the operating room at 8:20am on Saturday. A 20-member team of surgeons will be involved in the complicated operation, said Burn Unit Coordinator Samanta Lal Sen. “We are not certain if we can save her arm,” he said. “We must conduct tests and see how we can proceed.” Muktamoni’s parents were sitting outside the operating room, their faces reflecting concern. “The doctors have told us she will get better after the operation,” her mother, Ayesha Khatun said, reports bdnews24.com. “We can do nothing but pray. If everyone will pray for us, she will recover.” An initial examination suggested the disease could be ‘hyperkeratosis’ or skin cancer, said Satkhira Medical College Assistant Professor Md Nasiruddin. And Samanta Lal Sen had agreed. Doctors concluded that a tumour had formed in the girl’s blood vessels due to a disease called hemangioma following a biopsy last Saturday. Muktamoni's parents noticed a tiny red bump on her right arm when she was one and a half years old, said her father Ibrahim Hossain. For the next four years, the bump grew so much that it began hampering her movement, he said.   Her arm eventually became heavier than the rest of her body, which apparently shrivelled in comparison. The State took responsibility for Muktamoni’s medical care after her story was reported in the media. She was admitted to DMCH on Jul 11.....

Published at: 2017-08-12 05:00:03

Police arrested two suspected drug traders, including a woman, along with 305 pieces of Yaba table from Bharthkhola in Dakhshin Surma upazila of Sylhet district on Friday. The arrestees were identified as Bokhtar Miah, 28, son of Monfar Ali of Jauya Konapara village in Chhatok upazila of Sunamganj district, and Sabiha Begum, 28, wife of Shahin Miah, a resident of the area, reports UNB. Jedan Al Musa, additional deputy commissioner (media) of Sylhet Metropolitan Police, said acting on secret information, a police team conducted a drive in the area and arrested Bokhtar and Sabiha. Police recovered the Yaba tablets, six mobile sets, Tk 0.13 million from their possessions.....

Published at: 2017-08-12 05:00:02

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed on Thursday said the prices of onion will come down in the markets soon as the businessmen have assured him about it. "The prices of onion will come down shortly," he told reporters after meeting with the traders and importers at the conference room of the commerce ministry. "Some traders have already imported onion which will be available in the markets soon. Then the onion prices will become normal in the markets," he said. He added: "There is a shortage of 0.4 million tonnes of onion against the total annual demand. A large amount of this onion will be imported from India," he said. "But due to recent floods in India, the production of onion has declined and its prices have shot up. And due to this reason, the prices of onion suddenly soared in the local markets," he said. The commerce minister said the country's businessmen have taken initiatives to import onion from different countries, including Egypt. "The consignment/shipment of onion will arrive soon in the country that will help push down market price," he said. He said the government has directed the Chittagong Port Authority to release onion consignment on a priority basis.     Mr Ahmed said there is a sufficient stock of onion, salt, ginger and garlic for fulfilling the demand during and after Eid-ul-Azha. Apart from onion, the process of importing 0.5 million tonnes of salt for (both edible and crude salt) has already been completed, he said. Mr Ahmed said the government has allowed 232 salt factory owners including salt farmers and mill owners in Cox's Bazar to import 2,150 tonnes of salt. He also urged all officials concerned and traders to work together so that unscrupulous traders could not raise the prices of essentials for their personal gain during the upcoming Eid.   He said there will be no shortage of sacrificial animals during Eid-ul-Azha as the government has taken initiatives to produce more cows and goats in the country. Talking to the FE, an importer said the prices of onion will drop soon and there will be no shortage of onion and other essential items during Eid-ul-Azha. Commerce secretary Subhashish Bose, director general of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) Md Shafiqul Islam Laskar and chief controller of imports and exports Afroza Khan and traders, among others, were present. talhabinhabib@yahoo.com....

Published at: 2017-08-11 05:00:03

 Anti-tobacco campaigners on Thursday demanded legal  implementation of the graphic health warnings (GHWs) on the tobacco packets by September 19. They put forth the demand from a human chain programme in front of National Board of Revenue (NBR) building. National Heart Foundation, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, ACD, YPSA, Protyasha, AID Foundation, UBINIG, WBB Trust, BCCP, TCRC, and PROGGA organised the human chain. The event was addressed by Helal Ahmed of Protyasha; Syeda Ananyanna Rahman of WBB Trust; Aminul Islam Bokul of AID Foundation; Shahida Akhter of TABINAJ; Mohammad Bojlur Rahman of TCRC; and Nazmul Haider of YPSA. A team of the campaigners submitted a memorandum to NBR Chairman MD Nojibur Rahman after the human chain. Participants at the human chain said legal implementation of the GHWs is on the verge of ruination for the interference of the tobacco companies. Earlier, Bangladesh Cigarette Manufacturers' Association (BCMA) sent a letter to the NBR opposing the public circular from National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC) which ordered to print GHWs on 50 per cent upper space of all sorts of tobacco packets and containers on mandatory basis from September 19, 2017. BCMA has also pleaded to print GHWs on the current position (lower 50 percent space) with the excuse of using band rolls. BCMA manipulated NBR last year by threatening with reduced revenue for the government and it appears that it will do the same this year. The cigarette company owners and managing directors (MDs) had a closed-door meeting with the Finance Minister, which was also attended by the commerce minister, NBR chairman and other high government officials concerned. Besides, the NBR arranged a meeting on Thursday with the participation of representatives of the cigarette companies and officials of the law ministry, health ministry and NTCC. But as per the FCTC Article 5.3, there is no scope to discuss with the tobacco companies regarding implementation of the tobacco control policy, observed the campaigners.   The participants at the human chain also noted that the band rolls could be used on the sideline of the tobacco packets and containers instead of the back and front parts. It will also help to implement the stamp or band roll directives of 2017 and simultaneously will implement the law of 2013 and rule of 2015 to sustain the GHWs on the upper 50 per cent space of the packets without hampering the band rolls. Some other countries including Canada use stamps on the side of the tobacco packets. Remarkably, printing GHWs on tobacco packets is one of the acknowledged strategies of tobacco control. The importance of this initiative in Bangladesh is greater as a significant number of people here are illiterate. According to the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Act 2013 and Rules 2015, printing GHWs on all tobacco packets have been made mandatory from March 19, 2016. After Section 10 of the law, the GHWs were supposed to be printed covering 50 per cent upper space of the tobacco packets but due the interference of the tobacco companies, the law ministry issued a temporary permission to print the GHWs covering 50 per cent lower space of tobacco packets and the NTCC issued a public circular about the issue on March 16, 2016. When the anti-tobacco activists lodged a writ petition with the High Court, the court declared the circular illegal after hearings. Based on the facts, the NTCC issued another public circular on July 04, 2017 prescribing to print GHWs on 50 per cent upper space of tobacco products mandatorily from September 19, 2017.     doulot_akter@yahoo.com....

Published at: 2017-08-11 05:00:03