An Indian Bureaucrat's Diary

 
When we think of caves, we visualize locations in inaccessible places hidden amidst deep forests.

Some caves were carved out in inaccessible places because of fear of prosecution by kings and rulers of different faiths, or due to the desire to remain far away from society, but many were situated on the ancient trade routes and served as halting places for traders and other travellers. Read the rest of this entry »

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American Medical Association (AMA’s) Guidance on medical tourism

The AMA issued the following Press Release on June 16, 2008.
For the first time, the AMA has accepted the practicability of Medical Tourism.


Press Release
Dated: June 16, 2008

CHICAGO — To ensure the safety of patients considering traveling abroad for medical care, new guiding principles on medical tourism (PDF, 20KB) were adopted today at the American Medical Association’s (AMA) annual policy-making meeting. The nine principles are the first-of-its-kind, and outline steps for care abroad for consideration by patients, employers, insurers and third-parties responsible for coordinating travel outside of the U.S.

“Medical tourism is a small but growing trend among American patients, and it’s unclear at this time whether the risks outweigh the benefits,” said AMA Board Member J. James Rohack, MD. “Since this is uncharted waters, it is our hope that the AMA’s new guidance on medical tourism will benefit patients considering traveling abroad for health care.”

In 2006, an estimated 150,000 Americans received health care overseas, and nearly half of the procedures were for medically necessary surgeries. The emergence of medical tourism is in part a response to the rising cost of health care in the U.S., which puts needed health care out of reach for many, particularly those without health care coverage.

“We need to address the cost of care in the U.S. and cover the uninsured so that every American who needs health care can get it right here at home,” said Dr. Rohack. “Until there is significant action at home, patients with limited resources may turn elsewhere for care. It is important that U.S. patients have access to credible information and resources so that the care they receive abroad is safe and effective.”

The new AMA principles call for all medical care outside of the U.S. to be voluntary. They address financial incentives, insurance coverage for care abroad and care coordination. The principles also call for patients to be made aware of their legal rights prior to travel and to have access to physician licensing and facility accreditation information prior to travel.

“For those patients considering medical tourism, the new AMA principles are an important starting point for consideration before making the decision to go abroad for health care,” said Dr. Rohack.

To ensure that insurance companies and others that facilitate medical tourism adhere to the new principles, the AMA will introduce model legislation for consideration of state lawmakers.

For additional information, please contact AMA Media Relations at:(312) 239-4991 or (312) 464-5980

For more information of Medical Tourism in India,
click on the following site: http://medicaltourisminc.blogspot.com/2008/07/medical-tourism-in-india.html

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Medical Tourism in India

If you have decided to come to India for Medical Treatment, then read on.
We can take care of all your needs and provide you the best single point care and attention. Read the rest of this entry »

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Once upon a time, Bombay (Mumbai) had vast areas of mangrove forests.
Over the years, most of these  were cut down.
And the Maharashtra Government and its impotent officials remained mute spectators.

Bombay High Court to the rescue

In India, the Supreme Court and the High Courts – even though they are horribly overburdened with work – are able to do what the governments fail to do. Read the rest of this entry »

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Spices of India

Spice Gardens

If you visit tourist places in Goa and Kerala, you can visit spice gardens.
Some plantation owners have improvised their spice gardens into tourist attractions.
You can see a variety of plants where different spices come from.
The guide will answer your questions and clarify your doubts.
Your host will serve you authentic local meals in virgin surroundings and arrange a traditional folk dance.


Indian Spices – Background  

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When I was about 9 or 10 years old (well,                                                          

that was a good five and a half decades ago),

I first read about the Flamingo in Lewis Carroll’s

wonderful book – Alice in Wonderland.

So strange was the depiction that I thought the Flamingo was an imaginary bird.

Flamingoes are truly strange looking birds.
And they feed in a peculiar fashion.
They immerse their entire heads in the mud in the bottom of the water – upside down.

Description

There are six species of flamingoes in the world.
Of these, only two species – the Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) and the Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) are found in India.

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Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar, Rajasthan has been
in the news for the past four years – unfortunately for
the wrong reasons.

Sariska Tiger Reserve

The Sariska Tiger Reserve (866 sq. kms.) was originally a hunting preserve of the Kings of Alwar in Alwar District in the state of Rajasthan.
The area was declared a wildlife reserve in 1955.
In 1978, it was declared a Tiger Reserve and is now a part of India’s Project Tiger scheme.
It became a National Park in 1979.

The Sariska Tiger Reserve is larger than Ranthambore Tiger Reserve with similar topography, but is far less commercialized.

Sariska Tiger Reserve in the news

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the largest mass nesting site of
Olive Ridley turtle
in the world

Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary is the only marine sanctuary in Orissa (Eastern India).
This Sanctuary is extremely important because it is the largest mass nesting site of the Olive Ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in the world.

There are only four mass nesting sites of the Olive Ridley turtles in the world.
Of these four, the ‘Playa Ostional’ is in Ostional village in Costa Rica.
The other three are in Orissa.

The three mass nesting sites of the Olive Ridley turtles in Orissa are: Read the rest of this entry »

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 ……….Save the
              Leopard                                                
                                               

The Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Thane district.
It is 90 kms, or one and a half hours drive, from Mumbai.
It covers an area of 355 sq. kms. – more than three times the size of the 103 sq. kms. Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

Yet, according to census reports, Sanjay Gandhi National Park had 20 Indian Leopards in 2007.
Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary had seven leopards in 2005. The number fell to five in 2006, and to two in 2007.
The number has dropped to one in 2008.

And this is a cause for serious concern amongst all environmentalists and lovers of wild life.

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    ……….. on the brink of
                        extinction                                               

The Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) is a highly endangered, ground dwelling bird.
In fact, it is the most endangered member of the bustard family in the world;
and has disappeared from almost 90 per cent of its former habitat.
The total population of the Great Indian Bustard is estimated to be around 700. The Great Indian Bustard is found in sanctuaries located in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
You can see the Great Indian Bustard in the Desert National Park (Rajasthan) and in the Lala-Parjau Sanctuary in western Kutch (Gujarat).

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