Bengaluru, 13th July 2020: When one thinks of kids, you imagine little feet running around, laughter, playfulness and joy, however, during these uncertain times, the lifestyle of our little ones has changed. New routines include increased screen time, frequent snacking and limited to no time outdoors. All these factors not only affects their energy levels, but also their growth and development. With parents trying to balance work and home, it has become increasingly important for them to focus to keeping kids healthy and happy while ensuring their little one does not miss vital nutrients in their crucial growing years.
Globally, at least 1 in 2 children under 5 suffers from hidden hunger due to deficiencies in vitamins and other essential nutrients according to a 2019 report by UNICEF. This is why the quality of food consumed by kids needs to meet their nutrient requirements, as food deficient in micronutrients could limit their growth and development. Micronutrients constitute of vitamins, protein and calcium. While vitamins contain powerful antioxidants that remove impurities and act as immune system boosters, protein is essential for boosting energy levels in the body by managing normal cell structure and function, and calcium is vital for developing and strengthening bone mass. These building blocks are found in foods like dairy, green leafy vegetables, fruits, nuts and pulses and keeping in mind that kids are fussy eaters, it is important to incorporate them in ways they will enjoy.
Commenting on this, Dietician and Pediatric Nutritionist, Ranjani Raman said, “Lockdown is a tough experience for all children and therefore it becomes essential to ensure that they are well-fed, active and well-rested. Kids need a balanced diet to keep their young minds and bodies healthy and strong. It is important, thus, to ensure your kids meet the Required Dietary Allowance (RDA) to support their overall growth and development. While dairy is a rich source of nutrients, kids are fussy when it comes to milk. Go in for a nutrient-rich, tasty dairy serve, enriched with fruits that will not only delight your child but also take away your worry of ensuring their daily dose of nutritional needs are met. Nutrition balanced with an active routine will not only boost metabolism but also ensure a healthy gut, mind, and body.”
Health is incomplete without an active lifestyle and here is where quality time with kids is important for their holistic wellbeing. Kids miss friends, school and their extra-curricular sessions, which added flavor and joy to their day. Keeping in mind the change in their routine, engage them with a mix of fun and learning through exercise, storytelling, home activities, and meditation to ensure they stay happy, full of life and be the kids they should be.
By: Dr Nadeera Nilupamali, co-founder and Vice President (Product), ImmunifyMe
India, the largest democracy of the world and highly populated country topping the list in terms of population density recorded nearly 67,385 births in 2020 on New Year’s Day. Country, home to the highest number of unvaccinated children, has embarked upon an intensified journey to increase the vaccination coverage with mission Indradanush 2.0. Vaccines play a key role in defending most vulnerable: Children and infants. However, one in every five children remains un-immunized in the world. And as a result, over 3 million children die every year due to diseases which can be easily prevented by proper vaccination. Routine childhood vaccines are among the most cost-effective life-saving interventions. Thanks to vaccines, countless cases of disease such as polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella, mumps, tetanus, rotavirus and hepatitis etc have been prevented and saved millions of lives. According to recent data released by the Indian National Statistical Office (NSO) 97% of the children aged between 0-5 years in the rural setting receive at least one vaccine, but, when it comes to those children being fully immunized, the percentage drops to 58%. Urban setting is not better in any way, 98% of the children receive at least one vaccine but only 60% of the children aged between 0-5 years are fully immunized. Many people working in public health have admitted that even this figure seems to be inflated and the situation could be worse on the ground and a large percentage of children dropping out of immunization programs. Especially in India in recent times, routine vaccination has been intensified with additional efforts to optimize community coverage. Government has started putting extra efforts with the Mission Indradhanush programme which was launched in December 2014, aiming to ensure 90% of infants would be vaccinated by the year 2020. Furthermore, under Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0, which is the second phase of the initiative launched on October 31, 2019, with a plan to cover 271 districts across India where fewer than 70% infants are currently vaccinated.
The success of Government Intervention Despite the government spending billions of dollars in programs like Mission Indra Dhanush, the country’s immunization rate remains one of the lowest in the world. Immunization amongst children here in India is a big challenge and there many factors to it Access to vaccines Religious beliefs Inter-state, Inter-City Migration Anti-Vaccine mentality and in some cases Not being aware about the vaccination process at all Misplaced priorities in parent front Parents busy lifestyle and forgetfulness Proper monitoring of vaccination Management of vaccine coverage data Real time monitoring of vaccination and lack of digital interventions
Why does immunisation make financial sense for the country? Healthcare for young children eventually determines the country’s economic productivity , because vaccine-preventable diseases are known to cause stunting in childhood, which can lead to poor growth, poor adult health, and diminished learning capacity of the children. Prevention always costs less than treatment . For an example if a child ends up with any disability from the illness like paralysis from polio which could have easily prevented by a vaccine, or neurologic problems from encephalitis caused by measles etc will result in huge costs for the treatments and also for providing special school services and other requirement for that particular child. Morbidity, mortality, and the economic cost of treatment for vaccine preventable diseases are undoubtedly going to add a huge burden to a country’s economy. If we do a benefit-cost analysis of vaccines there’s no doubt a full range of benefits as measured by gains in economic productivity compared to catastrophic medical expenses which can occur due to our simple ignorance of not vaccinating the children.
Bengaluru, 7th June 2020 : Singapore Airlines (SIA) has introduced a range of health and safety initiatives, and enhanced several existing measures, in recent weeks as part of a comprehensive review of the end-to-end customer journey.
This has allowed SIA to refine the travel experience based on the advice of medical experts, regulators and partners, as well as feedback from its customers. These initiatives help to ensure a safe and healthy environment for customers, allowing them to travel in confidence with the Airline.
Information on the health and safety measures during the pre-flight stage, at the airport, on board the aircraft, and upon arrival is available in a new online
e-brochure. This will also be sent to all customers before their flights.
These measures are part of the Company’s new #SIAcares initiative, which includes corporate social responsibility projects that will be rolled out in the coming weeks.
Singapore Airlines Chief Executive Officer Goh Choon Phong said: “These initiatives help to ensure that, amid the Covid-19 outbreak, our industry-leading health and safety standards remain an integral part of SIA’s world-class service promise. This allows our customers to travel with us with full confidence, knowing that we have taken the necessary steps to safeguard their well-being throughout their journey.
“We are also working on a variety of new digital solutions that would further enhance the customer experience, as well as support our health and safety initiatives. These will allow SIA to better meet the evolving expectations of our customers during these times.”
Enhanced hygiene standards
SIA has stepped up the cleaning procedures at all premises, including its SilverKris Lounges. Customers can enjoy a la carte meals instead of a buffet service at our lounges, where SIA staff wear masks all the time and gloves when necessary.
Every SIA Group aircraft undergoes an enhanced cleaning process before a flight. This includes aircraft fogging procedures that follow regulatory requirements. Common surfaces and areas such as windows, tray tables, handsets, in-flight entertainment screens, lavatories and galleys are wiped down with an approved strong disinfectant. Headsets, headrest covers, pillow covers, bedsheets, and blankets are also washed and replaced after every flight.
Ceiling-to-floor air flow patterns within the cabin help to limit the spread of viruses and bacteria. The air is also refreshed every two to three minutes. Every aircraft in the Group’s fleet is equipped with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, which remove more than 99.9% of particles including airborne viruses and bacteria.
From 8 June, all airlines in the SIA Group will provide their customers with a Care Kit that includes a surgical mask, anti-bacterial hand wipes and a hand sanitiser. This helps to provide additional reassurance to our customers during these uncertain times.
SIA’s e-Library is the ideal digital replacement for the newspapers, magazines and seatback literature that have been removed from our aircraft. This is available via the SingaporeAir mobile app, and provides access to more than 150 international newspapers, magazines and other reading material.
The Airline also offers the world’s first Companion App, which allows customers to control KrisWorld, SIA’s in-flight entertainment (IFE) system, via their mobile devices.
Our crew will wear face masks throughout the flight, with the additions of eye goggles when interacting with customers and gloves during the meal service. They are also our in-flight health and safety ambassadors during this time, using their world-famous attentive and intuitive service to be a reassuring presence for our customers.
Meal services
SIA has modified its in-flight food and beverage service to reduce the risk of contact for both our customers and crew members. Meals services have been suspended for flights within South East Asia and services to Mainland China due to regulatory reasons. Snack bags are provided to customers instead.
On long-haul flights, a single tray service has been introduced in First Class and Business Class in place of a table layout service. To boost the in-flight dining experience during this period, SIA is progressively reintroducing customer favourites such as the Airline’s signature satay and garlic bread from mid-June 2020. We will also discuss with the regulators how we can resume a course-by-course dining experience.
Upcoming digital solutions
Digital food ordering services in the lounges and an in-flight e-menu will be introduced in the coming months.
The SingaporeAir mobile app is also being enhanced to provide customers with more information about the travel and health restrictions across our network. This will be personalised according to their booking.
The Company is working on a Print-n-Go solution, which would allow customers to print their boarding passes and baggage tags at airport self-service kiosks in a contactless way via the SingaporeAir Mobile App or a QR code.
Booking in confidence
The Covid-19 Information Centre in the Singapore Airlines website is a one-stop source of information for customers who wish to get more information about our booking policies, flight schedules, and travel advisories. Health and safety information, including the e-brochure, is also available here.
To provide more reassurance for our customers, we have revised our global waiver policy to offer bonus flight credits or provide refunds to those who prefer that option. We have also extended the validity of our KrisFlyer and PPS statuses, as well as the expiry dates for their miles.
NCLT’s approval for Composite Scheme of Amalgamation and Arrangement sets the stage for Max Healthcare’s listing
Promoter led, PE-Backed, focused hospital chain
Strong healthcare brand and “metro centric” tertiary and quaternary care
Synergies with Radiant Life Care to result in stronger Operational & Financial performance
June 1, 2020 – Max Healthcare Institute Limited (MHIL / Max Healthcare) today announced that consequent to the receipt of order of the Hon’ble National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) sanctioning the Composite Scheme of Amalgamation and Arrangement (Scheme) involving demerger of allied health and associated activities of Max India Limited (Max India) into Advaita Allied Health Services Limited, an amalgamation of the residual Max India (post demerger) and demerger of healthcare business of Radiant Life Care Private Limited (Radiant) into Max Healthcare, the amalgamation and demergers as per the sanctioned scheme have been successfully completed today. Mr. Abhay Soiwill be the Chairman and Managing Director of MHIL.
Max India shall stand dissolved effective today without being wound up and subsequently the equity shares of the MHIL will get listed on both Bombay Stock Exchange Limited (BSE) and National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE) in due course after completing procedures according to the related regulations. The record date for allotting equity shares of Max Healthcare to Max India shareholders as per the approved share exchange ratio has been set as June 15, 2020.
This is a significant step in the Scheme entailing demerger of Radiant’s healthcare business into MHIL, which will result in Mr. Abhay Soiand Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P (KKR) acquiring a significant majority stake in Max Healthcare and ultimately listing of the combined entity at BSE and NSE.
Commenting on this development, Mr. Abhay Soi, Chairman, MHIL said, “We are very excited about our future as a combined entity which will augment our size, scale and capabilities to provide best-in-class healthcare services in the country. MHIL will emerge as the second-largest hospital chain in India with strongly established brand equity and centres of excellence for high-end quaternary care with significant part of its capacities in key metros, particularly Delhi-NCR and Mumbai. Our operating culture rests on the bedrock of medical and service excellence, high-quality patient experience, ethical practices, and adopting cutting-edge technology. I am confident that we will continue to incrementally contribute to the development of quality healthcare services and meet the growing medical needs of our country.
Going forward, we plan to expand our operations by investing in growth and leveraging an asset light operating approach. Since the announcement of this transaction, MHIL over the last few quarters has implemented a robust business improvement plan, the results of which are visible in the financial performance of MHIL. I believe that several synergies will play out over the next 2 to 3 years, which will enable us to realize significant benefits from our coming together.”
MHIL will emerge as the second largest hospital network across India in terms of revenues and one of the top three hospital chains in the country in terms of bed capacity. MHIL will operate over 3,500 beds across India, including tertiary and quaternary care facilities, offering high-end critical and super specialty care, supported by strong local brands such as BLK Hospital, Max Hospital-Saket, Max Smart Hospital-Saket, Max Hospital – Patparganj, Max-Hospital-Shalimar Bagh, Nanavati Hospital, etc. MHIL will further build on its strong presence in the metros through brownfield expansion of bed capacity, enhancing the depth and width of its medical programs and enhancing its leadership position in these high-end markets.
Radiant, promoted and founded by Mr. Abhay Soi and backed by KKR, had acquired a 49.7% stake in Max Healthcare in June 2019 for a consideration of around INR 2,136 crore. Over the last few quarters, MHIL has implemented various initiatives to grow revenues and rationalise costs, resulting in a healthy financial and operational performance built on the pillars of medical and service excellence. Going ahead, MHIL is confident of driving multiple synergies and creating significant value on the back of following levers:
Creating metro-centric centres of excellence for high-end Quaternary Care
Opportunity to leverage the brand strength to expand capacity through an asset-light model
Significant brownfield expansion opportunity across key hospitals in the most attractive metros of Delhi and Mumbai
Cost optimization strategies
Spinoff and focused development of SBU’s
The transaction is being completed through the following steps as per the Scheme:
Following the demerger, Radiant’s healthcare assets merged into Max Healthcare with simultaneous merger of residual Max India into Max Healthcare
As a result of this merger, shareholders of Max India will receive 99 equity shares of the Merged Entity (MHIL) of face value of INR 10 each for every 100 equity shares of face value of INR 2 each that they hold in Max India as on the relevant record date
Shareholders of Radiant will receive 9,074 equity shares of face value of INR 10 each in Max Healthcare for every 10 equity shares of face value of INR 10 each held in Radiant as on the relevant record date
Post-merger, Max India stands dissolved and MHIL, which is the newly merged entity comprising of combined healthcare assets of Radiant and Max Healthcare, will get listed on both the BSE and the NSE after completing necessary regulatory requirements
Mr. Abhay Soi shall be the promoter of the merged entity (MHIL) and KKR shall be the co-promoter
· The initiative aims to bring the focus back on the importance of mental health amidst the global pandemic
· Pride circle will also be launching a helpline number to access experts on call entirely free of charge.
India, May, 2020: Salesforce India, in a first of its kind initiative, introduced a national webinar series; in collaboration with Pride Circle and Suicide Prevention India Foundation, to help address the vulnerabilities experienced by the LGBT+ community amidst the countywide lockdown. The webinar series titled “Beating the Queer-antine Blue” will be launched on 17th May, a day marked as International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
In addition to the economic impact, the ongoing global health crisis has also created panic and anxiety amongst the general population. While recent reports suggest a surge mental health related issues, the LGBT+ community are more likely to struggle during this period; due to the stigma and discrimination attached to their identity.
The webinar series, led by a team of renowned experts in the industry; aims to provide a safe platform for individuals to connect and discuss issues/ grievances, from fear of loss of job, anxiety of isolation, to more concerning topics such as coping and dealing with a hostile environment at home.
Based off of these initiatives, Pride Circle, Suicide Prevention India Foundation and Salesforce will work together to create a resource centre, to benefit future mental health wellness initiatives, specific to the needs of the LGBT+ community.
FREE Helpline with LGBT+ friendly counsellors – Helpline No: Call: 080 33037556 – Open between 9 am to 6 pm from 17th May to 24th May, 2020
City Today News 
You must be logged in to post a comment.