Prof. Dr. Somashekhar Nimbalkar, MD, PGDPH, FNNF Profile picture
#Goan#Gujarati Head Dept #Neonatology 👶Asso Dean(🧫🔬), Head, Central Research Services. Editor-In-Chief @NNFIndia1 📓 https://t.co/rFqwLAqfkR.
Sep 2, 2023 5 tweets 2 min read
#kota is not the problem. Definitely not the students. Or their parents. The aspiration to get the best engineering or other professional school is the problem? Actually not. It is a praiseworthy goal. The problem is lack of enough good institutions. 1/n We have good number of institutions but very few high quality ones. Privatization was supposed to improve quality. It hasn’t happened. At least we do not have a @Stanford or @Harvard yet. Socialistic ecosystem of politicians & judicial overarching control as well as 2/n
Dec 28, 2021 4 tweets 3 min read
The trouble with social media is that you can’t pick up fake accounts from serious accounts.
NEETPG got postponed multiple times and we are in this mess now playing with the future of not only the students but also the patients they will manage in their career. 1/n In April the #postponeneetpg was trending with @ShashiTharoor too supporting it.
Feel free to use the above hashtag and go though how many are not bothered about what is happening now. Most are not even doctors. So likely paid accounts. 2/n
Dec 28, 2021 10 tweets 3 min read
The Indian #COVID19 response lacks many things. Among them,
1-Twitter is full of people posting lateral flow tests where they found relatives positive at home. Don’t see that happening in India.
Interpretation: either the tests are not available (freely and low cost) OR 1/n Equally likely - most Indians think the responsibility of their health is of the government aka health system. Like most things we outsource things we should be doing.
2-Lack of transparent funding and/or approval of research. The Covaxin trial is a prime example. 2/n
May 23, 2021 6 tweets 3 min read
In 🇮🇳 we have had the benefit of research conducted in the west. Masking, Dexamethasone, Lockdowns, Toci, etc have helped us manage the #COVID19 pandemic. But we like to do jugaad so we added to the mix Steam inhalation’s, multiple antibiotics, zinc, Vit C 1/n Then there are kadhas, 💧 neeti, IVM, HCQ and so on and so forth. We have a high diabetic population which means we have a even higher prediabetic one which when sick with COVID19 can fiddle with our glucose homeostasis. This has probably resulted in a heady mix. 2/n
May 19, 2021 20 tweets 15 min read
The budget director Ayush in 2021 is roughly 2300 crore rupees as compared to Health Research which is 1900 crore (2020). How has that worked out in pandemic times. Why am I doing this thread on Ayush and COVID19?
Last year when the pandemic began govt distributed 1/n The GUJ govt distributed preventive Ayush meds across #Covid19 hospitals and healthcare workers as well as contacts were encouraged to utilize it. Mild cases also got it and the Principal Secretary Health actively promoted it as @narendramodi had endorsed it. 2/n
May 16, 2021 4 tweets 1 min read
The cost of non Evidence-Based treatment is phenomenal. When you add one extra drug in the ICU that has no value, it means preparing the drug, injecting it, thrombophlebitis, etc. Now multiply that by 500 patients and fewer doctors and nurses. This is one hospital. 1/n Now make that drug expensive (Remdesivir), difficult to get (plasma) and imagine the energy that goes into procuring it and failing which guilt that might accompany it. Not everyone can afford these and many are selling their livelihoods to obtain it. 2/n
May 11, 2021 11 tweets 4 min read
Thank you @DrBinoyVShah for the post. We are all thankful to many for guiding us in our career. These relationships are wonderful and develop over time. I have had the benefit of many and everyone guides you in different ways.1/n We all remember our school teachers. Many who took time out to teach from regular schedules. I remember visiting Prof Ganihar many Sunday for class at his house (not paid tuitions) - used to have 🥗. Then we had many mentors in med school including seniors. 2/n
May 10, 2021 4 tweets 1 min read
Story from 2014 I think.
Was in a neonatal conference in Ahemdabad when a consultant from Canada was delivering a lecture on neonatal therapeutic hypothermia. In response to some question he gave an answer that was not consistent with available evidence at that time. 1/n I was shocked and was not sure whether I should counter since he was an invited speaker. As I was debating with myself one young pediatrician (post DCh - vadodara and neo fellowship) got up and quoted figures from studies and told him point blank that he was wrong. 2/n
May 10, 2021 6 tweets 3 min read
The three prime blunders of managing #COVID19India in 2021 (many others too)
We would recognize two now because they contribute to our surge now. The third one is not yet known to the health system and the powers that run it.
1/n
The first one - the premature declaration of victory over #COVID19 in initial months despite UK & other countries still under a strict lockdown. This percolated down and many stopped taking precautions and worse - made fun of those who were careful. ✌️ was declared at the 🔝 2/n
Apr 25, 2021 21 tweets 23 min read
When we talk of Immunity we mean that our body has the resistance to fight or is impervious to a external threat. In the biological context it means we can fight of an organism.1/n
@docphiloshoper @HaryaxPathak @pankti4299 @rud_ras @sarkarrahul
@naveenthacker
@harish_a12 The organism that we currently are interested in is the #SARS_CoV_2 virus 🦠 and it’s variants. Anything that helps us boost our immune system for that is a #ImmunityBooster 2/n
@happygoel4 @imacuriosguy @ChaitanyaD2020 @Apoxipril @docyrh @dr_syedfurqan @Mohan02523702 @meetKool
Dec 9, 2020 9 tweets 6 min read
From Dr Nitin Shah, former president of @iapindia
Obtained from WA group.
“Someone asked me 15 questions. My honest answers are as follows.
My answers
1)Would Corona vaccine be available in short future?
Yes in a months time
2) Do u need to take it?
Yes all should take it. 1/n 3)Who shall get it?
It will be prioritised. First frontline workers. Then older and those with cormorbidies. And them healthy people.
4)How will it be given?
Through public and private partnership.
#COVID19 #COVID19Vaccine #VaccinesWork 2/n
Dec 9, 2020 15 tweets 4 min read
@FoolzWizdom I believe that this is because medical leadership has been poor at various levels.
One saw it first hand in the #Covid_19 crises with no medical leader of repute speaking about underreporting of deaths! I have approached faculty and they have simply 1/n wimped out of participating in collection of data. One should remember that #Covid_19 affects leaders personally and yet they have been reluctant. The brazen way with vaccine release on Aug 15 was announced or the how drugs like favipiravir or tolicizumab were allowed 2/n
Jul 26, 2020 16 tweets 6 min read
The story of testing in #COVIDー19 #COVID19India is revealing. Initially RT-PCR was being done in few government centers. Capacity was rapidly increased across country in Govt areas such as medical colleges. With more demand there came the private sector to chip in. 1/n Then came socialist activists who demanded that the private sector test for free and petitions were filed. Some backed out and some stayed and later a price capping was done. So we had more increase in capability as India tried to follow the @WHO mantra of test, test, test 2/n