According to a new study by Dr. Tracy U. Nguyen-Oghalai and colleagues, people with rheumatoid arthritis who suffer a stroke are likely to have lower functional ability subsequently than stroke patients without arthritis. The team from the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, had designed their study to see whether the swelling and pain that accompanies rheumatoid arthritis or lupus interferes with stroke rehabilitation.The researchers reviewed data on 47,853 stroke patients who underwent in-hospital stroke rehabilitation between 1994 and 2001. Of these, 368 patients had rheumatoid arthritis and 119 had lupus. The average FIM (Functional Independence Measure) ratings at discharge were 85.8 in people with rheumatoid arthritis, compared with 87.8 for patients with neither arthritis nor lupus. At follow-up, the average FIM ratings were 95.9 for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 99.6 for those without rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.
SOURCE: Arthritis & Rheumatism, July 2008.

The proposed Paramedical and Physiotherapy Central Councils Bill is in the eye of the storm once again for the physiotherapists in India. There had been appreciation of having a council being proposed for physios after such a long wait, but much more widespread criticism and anger had been pouring in against the proposed Bill. The Bill has been introduced in the lower house of the Parliament the 'Lok Sabha' on 4th December 2007 and has been referred to the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare for examination and report. The Committee has decided to invite written memoranda containing suggestions/views/comments on the matter which there upon will be on consideration while taking up the Bill before being tabled, with a deadline of Jan 31st 2008 for the suggestions.

We sincerely wish all of you to go through the proposed Bill and put in your suggestions, views and comments on the same in our forum here. Join in the on going discussion about the same at the earliest and do let us know what you feel to be done and where you stand on matter! This should help us all have a joint understanding on what to be done regarding the proposed Bill and how our responses should be. We would then have a collective suggestion to be sent the concerned authorities in the form of a memorandum before the deadline reaches.

At the same time we are also erecting a mass online petition to back our suggestions put forward in the memorandum, which would remain online even after the submission deadline get past. If you wish to sign the petition click the 'Sign Petition' link button below.

Download a copy of the bill here.
Express your opinions here.