Aster Neurosciences Bangalore organizes Walkathon to mark "World Parkinson's Day"
Bangalore: (Press Release) Aster Neurosciences of Aster CMI hospital and Aster RV hospital, Bangalore marked the World Parkinson’s Day on Monday by organising a walkathon in partnership with I Love To Care (India) Charitable Trust.
More than 150 people including Parkinson’s patients, working professionals, doctors, and nurses participated in the walkathon to raise awareness against Parkinson’s.
Dr. Kalpana Gopalan, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Dept of Labour & Dept of Public Grievances, Govt. of Karnataka who participated in the event as the Chief Guest flagged off the event and also took part in the walkathon to support the cause.
“Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder. It begins gradually and deteriorates over the long run. Those suffering from Parkinson’s disease exhibit symptoms such as shaking of limbs, muscle stiffness, and trouble walking and maintaining their balance and coordination. As the disease worsens, they additionally experience difficulty in talking, disturbance of sleep, problems with memory, psychological issues, behavioral changes, and various other side effects,” an official press statement from Aster stated.
Addressing the audience and the need to create awareness about Parkinson’s disease, Dr. Kalpana Gopalan, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Dept of Labour & Dept of Public Grievances, Govt. of Karnataka chief guest at the event, said, “We want everyone - patients, families, and society - to understand that Parkinson's disease is treatable and manageable. However, considering the increasing prevalence of Parkinson's disease, there is a need to create awareness about Parkinsonism and foster a sense of public urgency. In India, ignorance and misinformation may be barriers to the early diagnosis and the provision of optimal care to those living with the disease. Keeping this in mind, Aster Hospital has organized this Walkathon to raise awareness about this degenerative yet treatable brain disorder. I thank Aster for inviting me to be a part of this event and appreciate everyone present here today.”
Dr. Ravi Gopal Varma, Lead Consultant Neurosurgery & Program Director – Global Centre of Excellence in Neurosciences, Aster Hospitals Bangalore, said: “India is home to about 10 lakhs Parkinson's patients, and every year 75,000 new patients are diagnosed with this condition. The disease predominately affects the elderly those aged 60 years and above. However, now it can also be seen in younger generations as well. Parkinson's disease, fortunately, has a successful treatment. The medical treatment along with Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) has brought about a revolution in the management of Parkinson's disease, enabling the patient to live a normal and dynamic life. DBS is a functional surgery where electrodes are placed in specific areas of the patient’s brain and stimulated with the help of a pacemaker placed in the chest wall. In this case, the pacemaker is unique as it has the capability to receive feedback from the brain and relay the exact amount of stimulation on demand to the implanted electrodes for the brain to function accordingly. As the patient begins to show signs of improvement, the medications are reduced. The surgery is highly beneficial in alleviating the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and reducing the patient's dependence on medicines.”
About Aster DM Healthcare
Aster DM Healthcare Limited is one of the largest private healthcare service providers operating in GCC and in India. With an inherent emphasis on clinical excellence, we are one of the few entities in the world with a strong presence across primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary healthcare through our 27 hospitals, 118 clinics, 323 pharmacies, and 66 labs & patient experience centres in seven countries, including India. We have over 24,350 plus dedicated staff including 3,110 doctors and 7,063 nurses across the geographies that we are present in, delivering a simple yet strong promise to our different stakeholders: "We'll treat you well." We reach out to all economic segments in the GCC states through our differentiated healthcare services across the "Aster", "Medcare" and "Access" brands.
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TN seeks duty-free cotton imports to support textile sector: CM Vijay writes to PM
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove the import duty on cotton.
In his first letter to Modi after taking over as chief minister of the state, he said Tamil Nadu is the country’s largest textile and apparel exporting state.
Lakhs of people are dependent on this sector for both direct and indirect employment, especially women from rural and semi-urban backgrounds, Vijay pointed out.
Stating that the industry is facing a severe crisis due to an increase in cotton prices and consequently yarn prices, he said, “I understand this is caused primarily due to a shortage in cotton production and increased trading activity in the country.”
Pointing out that the price of cotton has increased from Rs 54,700 to Rs 67,700 per candy—an increase of 25 per cent over the last two months—while yarn prices have increased from Rs 301 to Rs 330 per kg, he said, “In this situation, the continued supply of raw material can be ensured only through imports.”
However, there is an import duty of 11 per cent on cotton, he said, adding that in such a situation, permitting duty-free cotton imports will help the industry meet increasing export commitments and remain globally competitive.
Vijay said that after agriculture, the textile and apparel sector is one of the largest employment-generating sectors.
“There is a significant responsibility on the government to safeguard the employment of lakhs of people and ensure the sustainability of the textile value chain," he said.
“Hence, I request your intervention to remove the import duty on cotton from the existing 11 per cent to 0 per cent to ensure the availability of raw material. This measure will enable the textile and apparel industry to remain globally competitive, enhance exports, and protect jobs,” he added.
