An Analysis of Diseases Burden and Out of Pocket Health Expenditure among South Asian Countries

Health is an important determinant of human development, which is about enhancing freedom of human beings. Good health brings freedom to people to enjoy their life and attain desires. Incidence of diseases curtails this freedom of people and incurs burden on households and society. In this broader background the present paper attempts to examine burden of diseases and out of pocket expenditure on health in South Asian countries. This region is home to large proportion of poor people; and high incidence of diseases is likely to put more burdens. Information on diseases, i.e., number of deaths by causes has been collected from WHO data base and data on expenditure on health is obtained from World Bank’s World Development Indicators. The analysis reveals that non-communicable diseases have increased between 2000 and 2015; and communicable diseases have decreased in the region, with variation between countries. Private health expenditure incurred by people also has increased during the same time and out of pocket health expenditure, which constitutes around 90 per cent of private health expenditure, indicates the higher burden on households in South Asia

Plantar calcaneal spurs in older people: longitudinal traction or vertical compression?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Plantar calcaneal spurs are common, however their pathophysiology is poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and correlates of plantar calcaneal spurs in a large sample of older people.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Weightbearing lateral foot radiographs of 216 people (140 women and 76 men) aged 62 to 94 years (mean age 75.9, <smcaps>SD</smcaps> 6.6) were examined for plantar calcaneal and Achilles tendon spurs. Associations between the presence of spurs and sex, body mass index, radiographic measures of foot posture, self-reported co-morbidities and current or previous heel pain were then explored.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 216 participants, 119 (55%) had at least one plantar calcaneal spur and 103 (48%) had at least one Achilles tendon spur. Those with plantar calcaneal spurs were more likely to have Achilles tendon spurs (odds ratio [OR] = 2.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2 to 3.5). Prevalence of spurs did not differ according to sex. Participants with plantar calcaneal spurs were more likely to be obese (OR = 7.9, 95% CI 3.6 to 17.0), report osteoarthritis (OR = 2.6, 95% CI 1.6 to 4.8) and have current or previous heel pain (OR = 4.6, 95% CI 2.3 to 9.4). No relationship was found between the presence of calcaneal spurs and radiographic measures of foot posture.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Calcaneal spurs are common in older men and women and are related to obesity, osteoarthritis and current or previous heel pain, but are unrelated to radiographic measurements of foot posture. These findings support the theory that plantar calcaneal spurs may be an adaptive response to vertical compression of the heel rather than longitudinal traction at the calcaneal enthesis.</p

Comparative Economic Analysis of Organic and Conventional Farming in Karnataka

Farmers adopted organic farming, a sustainable agriculture method, considering economic, environmental and health concerns. Economic analysis of organic and conventional farming was carried out, focussing on ragi and maize. Conventional farming showed a higher yield per acre (ragi 16 and maize 19 q) as compared to organic farming (ragi 14 and maize 17 q), but the difference was marginal. Costs and returns analysis showed a return-cost ratio of 2.32 for ragi under organic farming and 2.88 for conventional. The ratio for maize was 1.96 and 1.84, respectively, under organic and conventional farming. Considering the marginal difference of returns and accruing environmental benefits, organic farming needs to be promoted for achieving sustainable agriculture

Trends and Patterns of Technology Acquisition in Indian Organized Manufacturing: An Inter-industry Exploration

With liberalization of foreign technology import policy in the 1990s, India has seen declining R&D intensity at national level. This has generated a general concern on how Indian industries are doing in technology accumulation under the new policy regime. The present study has made a preliminary attempt to analyze different modes of technology acquisition including R&D for Indian manufacturing industries by National Industrial Classification (NIC) Revision 1998 at 3-digit level. It has constructed a new technology indicators database for Indian industries at NIC 1998 and also constructed a composite technology index for Indian manufacturing to examine how high-technology industries have performed during the period 1991-2001. The research revealed many interesting facts about the nature and character of technology accumulation in Indian manufacturing, which has important policy implications. GIDR Working Paper 57, 2005technology, R&D, capital goods; FDI; manufacturing, foreign direct investment, Economics, Industry, Indian Economy

Promoting Sustainable Agriculture: Experiences from India and Canada

Agriculture sector, world over, has experienced a phenomenal growth since the mid-twentieth century. The growth, driven by Green Revolution technology, has made a significant dent on aggregate supply of food grains, ensuring food security to the growing population. The next stage of agricultural growth however, faces a serious challenge in terms of sustainability. Whereas the main problem faced by the developing countries in the south pertains to sustainability of resource use, the main challenge facing the developed economies in the north is overuse of chemical inputs. These problems have led to increasing awareness and a felt need for moving away from the input intensive agriculture perused during the Green revolution phase, to sustainable farming in different parts of the world. [GIDR WP NO. 162]Sustainable Agriculture; Organic Farming; India; Canada; Sustainable Production; organic farming; organic certification & marketing;International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements; World Wildlife Fund; Fisheries, Aquaculture and Environment Department; Prince Edward Island; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Central Institute for Cotton Research; National Remote Sensing Agency; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; Green Revolution;Codex Alimentarius commission

Asia Regional Workshop on Compensation for Ecosystem Services : a component of the global scoping study on compensation of ecosystem service

The World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi, Kenya, together with Forest Trends, Washington DC, The World Conservation Union, Gland, Switzerland, Corporación Grupo Randi Randi, Quito, Ecuador, the African Centre for Technology Studies, Nairobi, Kenya, the Institute for Economic and Social Research, Bangalore, India, and the United Nations Environment Programme – Division for Environmental Law and Conventions, Nairobi, Kenya, is leading a scoping study for the International Development Research Centre (IDRC-Canada) on the model of payments for environmental services (PES) as applied in developing countries, to determine how the poor are affected by these schemes and whether the schemes are compatible with poverty reduction objectives. // As a key part of the study, a 3-day workshop is being held in each focal region. The Asia Regional Workshop was held in Bangalore, India from 8 -10 May 2006 at the Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources (CEENR) of the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC). The event brought together 39 participants from across the region, including India, Indonesia, Nepal and Sri Lanka, as well as the project coordination team from the Nairobi headquarters of The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). Delegates represented international and national-level organizations, academic bodies, NGOs, consulting firms and donor agencies. // This report covers the proceedings of the workshop. It includes summaries of all presentations made (22) as well as summaries of the panel discussions and the open discussions held after the presentations

Exostosis: A donor site for autograft

This article reports the utilization of exostosis as a source of autogenous bone for the treatment of osseous defects. A patient presented with an exostosis on the mandibular lingual region on the right side of the jaw. Exostosis was surgically removed using a chisel and mallet. The autograft thus obtained was used to treat a shallow osseous crater between 46 and 47. New bone formation was noticed at the grafted site 6 months after grafting. Bone formed in the grafted areas showed comparable clinical features to those of native bone

Conditions for effective mechanisms of compensation and rewards for environmental services

This is the 7th paper in a series of 9 papers prepared as part of the pan-tropical scoping study of compensation and rewards for environmental services: the conceptual framework (ICRAF Working Paper 32), 5 issue papers (ICRAF Working Papers 36, 37, 38, 39, 40) and 3 workshop reports (ICRAF Working Papers 33, 34, 35). // This paper considers the conditions that determine the effectiveness of compensation and reward mechanisms. The paper takes deductive and inductive approaches to addressing the question. A series of 11 hypotheses are derived from theories of institutional change, environmental policy diffusion, and the co-dependence between different types of policy instruments. Eight case studies, all of which were considered at regional workshops on compensation for environmental services, are reviewed in the latter part of the paper. The cases, from Latin America, Africa and Asia, cover a range of environmental services and policy contexts. Overall the results suggest the following conditions to be important in many of the cases: (1) market opportunities and localized scarcity for particular environmental services; (2) international environmental agreements, international organizations, and international networks; (3) government policies and public attitudes toward government environmental responsibility, security of individual and group property rights, and markets; and (4) the strength of the regulatory regime affecting the environment