27 July, 2013

MNCs should stop using Indians as guinea pigs: FDA to high court

Multinationals should stop treating Indians as guinea pigs, the FDA told the Bombay HC on Friday, while opposing Johnson & Johnson's plea to restart its Mulund facility. A division bench of Justice S J Vazifdar and Justice M S Sonak.

The court heard J&J's plea challenging FDA's order directing closure from June 24.

DA claimed that in 2007, J&J had used ethylene oxide treatment (EtO) to 15 batches of baby powder and did not check for residue. But J&J argued that it had checked three of the batches for residue in 2009, and had found none.

Ashutosh Kumbhakoni and Ashutosh Gavnekar, advocates for FDA, said on finding that the Ph (power of hydrogen) levels were high, J&J transferred all 15 batches into a processor and corrected the level. To check for contamination, instead of the steam sterilisation treatment, they sent the bottles for EtO treatment to a lab. "After the treatment, they was no check for residue...the . They transferred the packed bottles were sent to Mulund and the into the market," said Kumbhakoni, adding that a whistleblower had alerted the FDA about the matter in 2010.

Indians head to Gulf in 'begging' season

It's more than a fortnight since the month of Ramzan began and a regular stream of Indians has been heading to the Gulf countries, literally with begging bowls in hand. Reason: This is the time when alms (zakat) are given generously.The huge money that can be made is a powerful magnet. Each beggar makes nearly Rs 6 lakh in the 30-day period, while the 'take' on Fridays can be as much as Rs 5,000, say officials.

Mohammad Amjad, 41, of Bihar, now in the UAE, said he made Rs 13,000 in the first two days of the holy month. The money is sent home through 'hawala' operators as people on visit visas cannot hold bank accounts.

A fortnight before Ramzan begins, says an emigration official, word is spread that agents are looking for people to travel to the Gulf. The amount charged varies from Rs 75, 000 in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to a little more than Rs 1 lakh in Tamil Nadu.

In Tamil Nadu, especially in places such as Rameswaram, Kilakarai, Kumbakonam, Chidambaram and Vellore, agents arrange 'packages', including air tickets, visas and accommodation, for around Rs 1.25 lakh.

The fact that begging is illegal all over the Gulf and those caught face hefty fines and jail terms has not acted as a deterrent. About 57 Indian beggars have been arrested in Saudi Arabia and 29, including many women, picked up in Dubai since July 10 when Ramzan began. All of them entered the UAE on visit visas.

As many as 20 police patrols have been deployed in Dubai as part of the annual anti-begging campaign. Similar arrangements have been rolled out in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. In 2012, nearly 650 beggars were arrested in Dubai, one-third of them during Ramzan. Bahrain, Muscat and Qatar are preferred 'destinations' during Ramzan.

Every year, hundreds of Indians, Pakistanis, Sudanese and Africans travel to the Gulf on such visits, with those from India and Pakistan forming the majority. 8Immigration officials at Chennai airport say they see familiar faces leaving the city at the beginning of each Ramzan and returning home after Eid.

50% organ needs can be filled by brain-dead

'Bengal to get India's first transplant hospital' - this headline grabbed attention as it heralded hope and optimism in a sea of despair. The hospital which will be set up by 2015 could well change organ transplantation in India and smoothen matters in a country beset by mind-numbing fear and bureaucratic delays over this issue.

India, with a population of over a billion, should, in fact, have a ready supply of organs for its chronically ill. Speak to anyone waiting for an organ. Hear about his desperate search for a liver or kidney, talk to a family crippled financially by repeated dialysis or see the tears of a mother whose child lies exhausted with liver disease. And then ask yourself: can I make his life better?

India's figures for organ donation are shocking. It has 0.16 donors per million population (in 2012) compared to 35 for Spain, 27 for Britain and 26 for US. In India, 12 people die every day for want of an organ. Some 2.1 lakh require a kidney transplant annually, but only 3,000-4,000 get it.

It's a crushing story of galloping demand and abysmal supply. The case of late Union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh is an apt example. He suffered from liver cancer but passed away before he could get the organ. It needn't be this way. According to guesstimates, there are almost 90,000 brain deaths annually, mostly due to road accidents. Experts say that 50% of all organ needs can be met by these casualties.

So what is hindering donation? Lack of awareness, coupled with myths and superstitions. Often, families of brain-dead persons do not permit organ donation. However, misconceptions can be overturned by media and relentless ad campaigns. Religious leaders can be roped in to talk about the benefits of organ donation.

As for the government, it should set up a national registry for organ transplant on a priority basis. Examples can be gleaned from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network of the US or UK Transplant Centre. It should make rules simpler so that organs of brain-dead patients can be harvested fast. Philanthropic organizations can pitch in to bear the humongous cost of transplants, while insurance companies can include this procedure among those that can be reimbursed.

All is not bleak. There are heartening stories of swap transplants, incompatible donor transplants and donors as young as three years; of Tamil Nadu being the best state in organ donation with more than 1,700 transplants since 2008.

You, too, can help. Sign up for a donor card to ensure that your organs - eyes, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and pancreas - can be harvested after death. Can there be a bigger legacy to leave behind? Or a better way to be a guardian angel?

Ind vs Zim: Mighty India thrash Zimbabwe by 58 runs, take 2-0 lead

Shikhar Dhawan capitalised on three reprieves to slam his third ODI century as India maintained their stranglehold over minnows Zimbabwe with a comfortable 58-run victory in the second cricket one-dayer on Friday.

Rohit Sharma: 100 ODIs, but no Tests!

Rohit Sharma's 100th ODI wasn't a very memorable one as he scored just one run, but it did make him the only player in the world to have played 100 ODIs without having made his Test debut.

Here's the list of those who have played the maximum ODIs without playing any Tests...