Bihar government to put a chapter on kala azar in school textbooks: to ensure awareness! Patna: according to the latest reports, the Bihar government has decided to introduce a chapter on kala azar in textbooks used by the government run schools across the state. The Bihar state Health Society executive director Sanjay Kumar said a Patna-based NGO has been asked to prepare the text on kala azar for inclusion in text books. This indicates both the seriousness of the medical issue as well as the government’s determination to fight the disease by raising public awareness. Kumar said that... 

Bihar gets its first continuous  ambient air quality monitoring (CAAQM) system Patna: according to the latest reports, not surprisingly Patna has shown a two-fold jump in air pollution in the last five years. A survey done by the Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) in 2010-11 also shows that the presence of small particulate matter (SPM) is more than double the acceptable rate. SN Jaiswal, a scientist from the BSPCB says ‘SPM rate should not be above 100 microgram per cubic meter annually. But as per our data of 2010-11, at Gandhi Maidan air quality monitoring station, it was measured... 

Killer disease takes lives of 24 children in Muzaffarpur: how long before we know if it’s encephalitis? Muzaffarpur: in the past two weeks more than 24 children have died in Muzaffarpur and neighbourhood in Bihar. Being termed as ‘mysterious’, the ailment’s causes remain yet to be ascertained till definitive tests are carried out. On Sunday alone, six children below the age of six years were admitted at hospitals in Muzaffarpur. In what happens to be the epicentre of encephalitis and brain malaria, 40 children already getting treatment in Muzaffarpur. In a single day on Saturday,... 

Who will answer this question: how and why were hardcore criminals able to kill  Dr Budhdeo Singh? Patna: Bihar Health Services Association (BHSA), a body representing the state government doctors has declared a day long strike and will abstain from work today. This would involve above 3,000 doctors working in government hospitals. This is the least the colleagues of Dr Budhdeo Singh can do after he was was beaten to death by prisoners in the Gopalganj prison. According to a number of reports emerging in the press Dr Budhdeo Singh was killed by the same prisoners who received life sentences... 

Eye care for everyone, football for girls:  a quiet revolution at Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital, Mashtichak, saran A family is getting ready for the wedding of their daughter. Rituals have started, and the girl is not aware of the fate that awaits her. She probably doesn’t even know what marriage is all about. She is 14 years old, a native of Pirari Village, P.O: Derni:, District: Saran.. Flashback: A few weeks ago… She was studying in class 10 when she heard of promotion of football among girls by Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital. Though with difficulty, she somehow managed to convince her parents... 

Sunday editorial Prashant Kumar & Ratnakar Tripathy Part II: why do doctors and patients fight in Bihar? Editor’s note: this Sunday, the Bihardays team decided to post a joint editorial as the editorial is a result of long discussions among the team and friends of bihardays Patna: thank god, Surendra Yadav whose bodyguards opened firing in Gaya Hospital surrendered to the police and thank god, the medico strike is over, most of us would say and retire into a state of forgetfulness, till the next round of what may be a continuing crisis in Bihar. In our earlier piece [http://www.bihardays.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=8701&action=edit],...