BR Shetty-led BRS Ventures enters Afghanistan
Takes over two hospitals, establishes pharmaceutical manufacturing unit
Bengaluru: Ministry of Public Health, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and BRS Ventures, UAE today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to take over two hospitals and establish a pharmaceutical manufacturing unit in Kabul, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
The MoU was signed in the presence of H.E. Ashraf Ghani, the President of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. For enhancement of the public healthcare infrastructure in Kabul, BRS Ventures will operate and manage Sheikh Zayed Hospital (SZ Hospital) and Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital (WAK Hospital) under the public private partnership model. The hospitals will be a part of BRS Ventures healthcare brand called ‘BR Life’. The MoU will be executed in 2 phases. Operations & Management of SZ Hospital in Phase 1 and WAK Hospital in Phase 2.
SZ Hospital is an 82-bed hospital located in the heart of Kabul. WAK Hospital is a 210-bed super specialty hospital catering to over 72,000 patients annually. BRS Ventures will be responsible for the complete refurbishment, rebranding of the hospitals. The activities will commence operations within the next following months. The overhaul of SZ Hospital is an auspicious moment for BRS Ventures marking the company’s homage to the year round centenary celebrations of Sheikh Zayed as the “Year of Zayed” in UAE.
With a mission to serve the community Dr. B R Shetty started BR Life in India. BRS Ventures-led BR Life includes hospitals in India and the sub-continent. SUT Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram was the first BR Life hospital in India that was established in 2013. Sree Narayana Hospital in Raipur, SSNMC Super Specialty Hospital Bangalore, Mother & Child Hospital in Udupi, Kalinga Hospital in Bhubaneswar and The Grande International Hospital in Nepal are the other hospitals under the BR Life umbrella.
Dr. B. R. Shetty, Founder and Chairman of BRS Ventures said, “I am thrilled that we have an opportunity to invest in Afghanistan. My motto in life has always been to serve mankind. I am deeply grateful to H.E. Ashraf Ghani, the President of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for trusting us and giving us an opportunity to improve the healthcare facilities in the country.”
H.E. Dr. Ferozuddin Feroz, Ministry of Public Health, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan said, “I am delighted to welcome BRS Ventures into Afghanistan. Dr. Shetty and his team have an excellent track record in the healthcare sector through their New Medical Centre (NMC) Hospitals, BR Life Hospitals and Neopharma – pharmaceutical manufacturing company. This is a significant milestone in the healthcare sector in Afghanistan.”
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Two women died, 6 taken ill after ‘consuming’ mango kernel gruel in Odisha
Bhubaneswar/Berhampur/Phulbani, Nov 1: At least two tribal women died and six others fell ill after allegedly consuming mango kernel gruel in Odisha's Kandhamal district, police said on Friday.
Consumption of mango kernel, prepared by boiling the seeds in water, was reported from Mandipanka village in the district's Daringbadi block, an officer said.
While one of the two women (Rasmita Pattamajhi aged 22) died on Thursday night at Mohana community health centre in Gajapati district where she was undergoing treatment after "consuming the gruel", another woman (Runu Majhi aged 29) breathed her last while being taken to MKCG Medical College Hospital in Berhampur, Gadapur sarpanch Kumari Mallick said.
Six others, who fell ill after allegedly consuming the gruel, were admitted to a hospital and their condition was critical, said Dr Subrat Das, a medical officer of the health facility.
"All the six have been admitted to the hospital in a serious condition. We suspected that they fell sick due to food poisoning. The exact cause of the illness will be ascertained after completion of the investigation," he added.
The six were identified as Pravati Patmajhi, Dranglu Patmajhi, Tuni Majhi, Susama Patmajhi, Jita Majhi and Jibanti Majhi, Daringbadi BDO Pritiranjan Ratha said.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government has rejected allegations that tribal people have been consuming mango kernel gruel due to a lack of access to rice under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
Rasmita's husband Anil Pattamajhi alleged that they were denied rice under PDS for the last three months because of which his wife consumed mango kernel.
However, Kandhamal district magistrate-cum-collector Amrit Ruturaj dismissed the allegations, saying the family received rice according to PDS norms. "We are awaiting the postmortem report to determine the facts," the collector added.
Deputy chief minister Pravati Parida, who is also in-charge of the women and child development department said, "It is not a case of malnutrition. Mango kernel is part of their (tribal) regular diet. Sometime, the mango kernels get contaminated and lead to such unfortunate incidents. We have been actively spreading awareness about the risks of food contamination."
Health and family welfare minister Mukesh Mahaling, who ordered a departmental inquiry into the death of two tribal women, said a team from the district headquarters hospital and another local team are at the spot to assess the situation and conduct a detailed probe into the incident.
Mahaling said that the government was waiting for the postmortem report for a confirmation on the cause of the deaths. "People in Kandhamal consume mango kernel. It is common in that region and there also have been reports of health complications linked to it in the past," he said.
The Kandhmal incident reminds a similar tragedy involving mango kernel deaths in Kashipur block of Rayagada district, where at least 20 people died in 2001, and two more succumbed to mango kernel consumption in 2016. Additionally, mango kernel has claimed lives in Laxmipur in Koraput district in 2012 and 2013, as well as in Jharigaon in Nabarangpur district in 2018.
