Based on the findings of the study, it could be suggested that Behaviour Change Communication program should be further planned with emphasis on different components of hand washing with a final objective to bring down the incidence of target diseases.

National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has provided the opportunities to develop a standard for Sub centers, PHCs and CHCs in the country, popularly known as Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS). The study was carried out to find out and compare to what extent the IPHS were followed by the PHCs in the selected districts of both the Empowered Action Group (EAG) state of Assam and non EAG state of Karnataka. It was a Cross sectional observational study conducted during September-October 2008 where the quality of care and services provided in the selected PHCs as per the IPHS norms was assessed. All the PHCs in both the studied districts were rendering the assured services of OPD, 24hrs general emergency service and referral services while 24 hour delivery services were being provided by 80% of the PHCs of the selected districts of both the states. Functional labor rooms were available only in 80% and 90% of the studied PHCs in Assam and Karnataka respectively. Basic laboratory facilities, for routine blood, urine and stool examination were available in 80% of the studied PHCs in the non-EAG state of Karnataka while it was only in 20% of the studied PHCs of the EAG state of Assam. The findings of the present study revealed important deficiencies as per IPHS norms in the studied PHCs of both Assam and Karnataka.

Background:We evaluated the cost of different components of the national program for control of blindness (NPCB) and assess the cost effectiveness of this program.Materials and Methods:An observational study was conducted in Jorhat District of Assam, India from July 2009 to June 2010 for assessing the cost effectiveness of the NPCB. Four broad categories of cost inputs, that is, capital costs, recurrent costs, prime/variable costs, and fixed costs were considered. The cost incurred by the provider was taken as the actual cost of delivery of different component of services to the patients, which was calculated from the costs of labor, material, and capital costs using the time utilization pattern recommended by WHO.Result:The District Blindness Control Society, Jorhat had spent 58.93% of total expense on fixed heads of which 65.86% had been spent for cataract surgery. The medical care cost was found to be Indian rupee (INR) 425 for intracapsular cataract extraction (ICCE), INR 675 for extracapsular cataract extraction + intraocular lens (ECCE + IOL) and INR 225 for refractive error correction. The patient-wise provider cost was estimated to be INR 519 for ICCE, INR 769 for ECCE + IOL implantation and INR 319 for spectacle correction of refractive error.Conclusion:National program for control of blindness is a cost effective means of controlling and treating blindness.

This research examined the association of cigarette smoking and altitude with the blood levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D, testosterone and carotid artery thickness. Patients and methods: This comparative cross-sectional study involved 37 non-smokers and 24 smokers from a high-altitude area (≥2245 m above sea level) and 40 smokers and 40 non-smokers from a low-altitude area (39-283 m above sea level). The blood testosterone level was determined spectrophotometrically, and the 25-hydroxy vitamin D concentration was measured by ELISA. The IMT of the right and left carotid arteries was determined using ultrasound imaging. Results: Smoking notably elevated the thickness of the intima media of the right and left carotid arteries at both high and low altitudes (p ≤ 0.001). Smoking at high altitude was associated with a significant increase in the concentration of 25-hydroxy vitamin D and testosterone, while at low altitude it was associated with a significant decrease in both parameters (p ≤ 0.046). Conclusion:These contrasting results suggest that future studies should focus on finding out if other biochemical parameters show any significant differences in smokers or/and non-smokers when they are tested at elevated height and sea-level. This indicates that dose modifications of medicines (related to alterations in vitamin D and testosterone levels) should be kept in mind while treating smokers and non-smokers at elevated height above sea level.