Online Medicine

Skyline forays into hospitality sector

hope — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:52:22 +0000

BANGALORE: Skyline Group, Bangalore-based builder of luxury homes, signed a management agreement with Frasers Hospitality, an international hospitality major to make its foray into the hospitality sector.

For construction provider Skyline Group, this will be the first initiative in the serviced residence space and for Frasers, the hospitality arm of property group Frasers Centrepoint Limited, its first move in the Indian market, a
company statement said.

The inking of the agreement was presided over by Singapore's Minister for Finance, Tharman Shanmugam. The agreement currently includes two projects in Bangalore constructed by Skyline Group and managed by Frasers Hospitality which is a global serviced residence owner and management company with gold-standard residences.

The serviced residences that will be constructed will be branded "Fraser Place" and "Fraser Residence Beverly Park" respectively. Shanmugaratnam described the partnership as a symbol of synergy and opportunities that exist between businesses in India and Singapore despite the current economic turmoil.

Managing Director of the Skyline Group Avinash Prabhu expressed confidence that the Fraser brand which had a loyal following in Europe, Australia and Asia will "appeal to the business visitor, expatriate community as well as Indian businessmen and professionals on medium-term travel".

Choe Peng Sum, CEO of Fraser Hospitality said "Indian hospitality market is very short on high-quality branded accomodation and our partnership with Skyline Group is an attempt to bridge the huge demand-supply mismatch that exists".

Pregnancy- Stay Connected to Your Partner

hope — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:55:23 +0000

It’s really important that you stay connected to your husband or partner while your pregnant because once you have your baby it will be even harder to find the time to connect. Keep your relationship a top priority by spending quality “we” time together. Make sure to keep him in the loop with how you’re feeling both emotionally and physically. Keep him involved in the growth of your baby by going to appointments together and have him feel your belly often. The more connected you are before baby comes the easier it will be after baby arrives.

India turning affordable, quality option for medical tourists

hope — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:51:23 +0000

BANGALORE: India was soon growing to be a popular medical destination following the availability of health care facilities that matched international standards but offered it at a fraction of the cost abroad.

The estimated international medical tourist arrivals to India was 4,50,000 as against Singapore's 4,20,000 and over a million in Thailand, said Vishal Bali, CEO, Wockhardt.

Nearly 13 hospitals in India had been JCI (Joint Commission International) accredited. JCI was the US-based quality assessor that awards accreditation to hospitals outside US.

The Deloitte Study on medical tourist estimates that 750,000 Americans travelled abroad for health care in 2007 and the number is estimated to increase to six million by 2010.

The study estimates that the Global market for Medical tourism tobe currently at 60 billion dollars.

The growing cost of healthcare in the US, the high premium to be paid is leaving a lot of American out of the insurance cordon. Nearly 70 million US citizens were underinsured or not insured. In comparison health care cost in India was nearly just a fraction of the cost incurred in the US.

A cardiac surgery, which would cost 9000 USD, in India would cost around 75,000 to 100,000 USD in the US. A spine surgery costing around 8000 to 9000 USD in India could cost around 65,000 USD while a joint replacement in India would have a patient paying up around 8500 USD while it would cost around 55,000 to 65,000 USD in the states, says Bali.

Even with the travel to India and stay cost involved, patients would still end up paying much less if they chose India as an option to undergo treatment, he said which was leading to more US patients looking to India.

Hamilton, Spann named to leadership positions at BCM

hope — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0000

HOUSTON -- (November 19, 2008) -- The Baylor College of Medicine Board of Trustees has named Dr. Susan Hamilton as senior vice president and dean of research and Dr. Stephen J. Spann as senior vice president and dean for clinical affairs.

The appointments are effective immediately.

Both have been serving as department chairs at BCM. Hamilton has been serving as the chair of molecular physiology and biophysics and Spann as chair of family and community medicine.

As dean of research, Hamilton will work with the chairs and center directors to create a continuing strategic plan for research at BCM, establish standards of research, oversee the solicitation of research funding and implement research policies and priorities. She will have responsibility and authority for the budgets of the basic science departments and centers.

She received her doctorate in biophysics from the University of Colorado Health Science Center in Denver and did her postdoctoral work in the Department of Neurology at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in New York City.

Hamilton's research at BCM is focused on skeletal muscle excitation-contraction coupling and human diseases associated with alterations in this process. She helped to found the BCM Translation Biology and Molecular Medicine Graduate Program and the new Mouse Phenotyping Core.

As dean for clinical affairs, Spann will have responsibility and authority for the budgets of the clinical departments and centers. He will further strengthen the college's focus on patient-centered care, with a commitment to quality and service. He will work with the leadership of BCM's affiliated teaching hospitals and advance clinical outreach programs in the community.

Spann received his medical degree from BCM and interned at BCM-affiliated hospitals. He completed his residency at Duke University School of Medicine. He returned to BCM in 1997 to serve as professor and chair of family and community medicine. Before coming to BCM, he served as chair of family medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He previously held faculty positions at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine and the Oklahoma University Health Center.

Add forgiveness to holiday checklist this season

hope — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0000

HOUSTON -- (November 18, 2008) -- To forgive and forget is not easy, but an expert at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston offers tips that can ease the process and bring a little more cheer to holiday family gatherings.

"A willingness to forgive and a consideration of the other person's perspective are very important in the forgiveness process," said Dr. Catherine Romero, assistant professor in the Menninger department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at BCM.

Benefits of journaling

In a study published in a recent issue of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Romero looked at three groups of college students and their willingness to forgive under different conditions. Members of the first group were asked to keep a journal of their daily events. The second group's members were asked to keep a journal about their thoughts and feelings about a hurtful situation that may result in a grudge. Members of the final group were asked to write about their thoughts and feelings about a hurtful situation, as well as the possible benefits of forgiveness and a consideration of the other person's feelings.

Romero's study found that the third group was most likely to move towards forgiveness and showed an increase in empathy.

"The first thing to do is work on internally forgiving the other person or yourself by considering the benefits and putting yourself in the other person's shoes. Then you should determine if you want to communicate forgiveness to the other person," said Romero.

How to forgive

There are several ways to express forgiveness to the other person, said Romero. You could start a conversation with the other person or do something nice for that individual.

However, Romero warns that communicating forgiveness might not work in every situation. If there is a possibility of being hurt again, communicating the forgiveness may not be the best option.

During the holiday season, Romero emphasizes taking care of yourself to reduce vulnerability to stressful situations. This includes getting enough sleep, eating right and finding time to exercise. Romero also suggests having some distractions if you are prone to conflict with a family member or friend. Removing yourself from the situation can ease the tension.

She also advises picking your battles. Decide what contentious issues are worth bringing up during the holidays.

"You can always change your response to the situation, even if you can't change the other person's," said Romero.

Forgiveness can be healthy

Romero emphasizes the benefits of forgiveness on overall health. There are several physical effects of holding a grudge. It can increase your heart rate, raise your blood pressure and induce anxiety. All of these can lead to more severe health problems, she said.

Funding for this work came from the Arthur J. Schmitt Foundation and the Foley Family Foundation through Loyola University Chicago.

The study can be found at http://spr.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/25/4/625.