In the winter of 2019, a number of children living in India's Jammu region began falling sick with what many thought was a mysterious illness. The children, suffering from cough and cold, had been prescribed a cough syrup by local doctors. Instead of recovering, they fell seriously ill, vomiting, running high fever and kidneys shutting down. By the time the mystery was solved, 11 children, aged between two months and six years, had died. Tests found that three samples of the cough syrup, made by an Indian drug company called Digital Vision, contained diethylene glycol or DEG, an industrial solvent used in the making of paints, ink, brake fluids. Kidney failure is common after consuming this poisonous alcohol. Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) put out a global warning over four India-made cough syrups thought to be linked to the deaths of 66 children in The Gambia. Lab analysis of the samples of a syrup made by a 32-year-old firm called Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited confirmed the presence of "unacceptable amounts" of diethylene glycol and another toxic alcohol called ethylene glycol. The tainted drugs and the tragic deaths again shone a spotlight on India's $42bn - half of the revenues come from exports - drug manufacturing industry. Some 3,000 firms operate 10,000 pharmaceutical factories making generics (copies of branded medicines that usually sell for a fraction of their price), over-the-counter medicines, vaccines and ingredients in what is one of the world's largest drug-making countries. Although India imports 70% of the active ingredient chemicals for its medicines from China, it is trying to make more of them at home. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has championed India as the "pharmacy of the world". India's traditional expertise in making generics has helped make it a formidable low-cost maker of drugs and become a global manufacturing base. Some 40% of over-the-counter and generic medicines sold in the US and a quarter of all medicines dispensed in the UK come from India. The country supplies some two-thirds of anti-retroviral drugs globally to fight HIV. Outside the USA, India has the most number of drug making plants - 800 - that are compliant with the US health and safety requirements. Yet such breathless growth - the industry has been running at a clip of over 9% every year for nearly a decade - has been clouded by allegations of problems of quality and weak regulation. Many believe that India has always battled a flood of counterfeit drugs, mostly sold in small towns and villages. But analysts say the physicians and patients are possibly conflating sub-standard drugs with what they think are fake medicines. State-run drug testing labs in many states are under-funded, short-staffed and poorly equipped. Regulatory oversight and enforcement is unsurprisingly spotty, analysts say. In 2014, India's top drug regulator famously told a newspaper: "If I follow US standards I will have to shut almost all drug facilities." More than 70 people, mostly children, have died in five separate mass poisoning incidents related to drugs spiked with DEG since 1972. In 2013, after a seven-year long investigation, top Indian drug maker Ranbaxy Laboratories was ordered to pay a record $500m fine in the US, the biggest handed down to a generic drug maker for improper manufacturing, storing and testing of drugs. Official government records reveal that between 2007 and 2020, more than 7,500 drugs sampled in just three of India's 28 states and three union territories had failed quality tests and had been declared drugs "not of standard quality" or inferior, research by Dinesh Thakur, a former Indian drug executive-turned-public health expert, found. These drugs failed tests for not having enough of ingredient chemicals, impaired ability to dissolve in the patients' blood or were found to be contaminated. Each failed sample typically represents a batch of the medicine, which in turn could run into hundreds of thousands of tablets, capsules and injections. "The total number of patients affected by such inferior drugs possibly runs into hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions over the last decade," says Mr Thakur, co-author of The Truth Pill, a piercing look at drug regulation in India. Mr Thakur says he worries that many Indian firms are not following "good manufacturing practices" or GMP, a drug industry term to refer to testing for quality control. He believes that the DEG-related incidents had occurred at home - and now abroad - because some firms "quite often fail to test either the raw materials or the final formulation before shipping it to the market". "Given the sheer quality of drugs detected as "not of standard quality" over the last decade from the open market it is obvious that a large number of manufacturing facilities are completely flouting quality and process control procedures that form the core of 'good manufacturing practices'" says Mr Thakur. That's not all. Using right to information law, Mr Thakur found many of India's state-owned drug testing labs lacked key equipment. Drug sampling practices, he noted, date back to a colonial 1875 law where inspectors pick up a small number of random samples from the market. India has been debating a law to recall drugs that have been found to be inferior from the market since nearly half a century. "All it has are guidelines, which many state regulators seem to be unaware of. Have you ever heard of a drug recalled in India?" says Mr Thakur. It is difficult to understand the scale of the problem - many of India's drug factories are indeed world-class. Physicians say they largely trust India-made drugs. Dr Rahul Baxi, a Mumbai-based diabetologist, told me that only once in recent years he became suspicious about a drug when glucose levels of a patient shot up after he switched off from branded drug to a cheaper generic. But he suspects that there could be counterfeit or inferior drugs being sold in small towns and villages. "Many of my patients that come from far flung parts of India buy six months of prescribed drugs from pharmacies in the city because they say they don't trust drugs available in their areas," Dr Baxi said. After the deaths of the children in The Gambia, India claimed that its federal regulator was "robust" and sought more details from the WHO on the causality of the deaths with the exported cough syrup. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates medical products in the US, posts inspection status of firms supplying drugs to the US and warning letters. A spokesperson told me that its policies ensure that "companies - regardless of where the are located - meet the FDA's strict standards for producing medicines for US patients that are high quality, safe and effective". A pharmaceutical industry leader, insisting on anonymity, told me that "although some countries do have very rigid quality standards", India's drugs were completely safe. "We are not defending the mishaps," he said, "but these are aberrations". Mr Thakur says: "An aberration should only happen once. You can't play with people's lives".   Source: BBC 

Prime Minister James Marape says Papua New Guinea can learn so much from Israel, especially in the area of agriculture technology. He said this in Parliament on Friday (October 14, 2022) when answering a question from Morobe Governor,  Luther Wenge, on the possibility of PNG setting up an embassy in Israel and vice-versa in light of PNG being a Christian country. PM Marape said the idea of a PNG Embassy in Israel was first mooted by former prime minister Peter O’Neill during a visit to Israel in 2013. He said he had met Israeli Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, during the recent United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York at which they discussed the possibility of visits to each other’s countries. The idea of embassies in both countries will follow on from these initial discussions between both leaders at the UNGA. “It is not only in religion that we can relate to Israel,” PM Marape said. “Israel is a knowledge-based economy which exports agriculture using hydroponics technology. “Israel has up to eight flights a week carrying out exports of vegetables and fruit, when it is half the size of Angoram District (in East Sepik). “We can learn much from them. “Having a bilateral relationship with them is not because of religious affinity, but more importantly, in the area of technology. “I look forward to our officials progressing what we political leaders discussed.”

France launched their World Cup campaign in style with a 34-12 win over competition newcomers Greece at Eco-Power Stadium. After failing to register a win at the last World Cup, a France side boasting more Super League experience than ever before, announced themselves as certified contenders on the world stage. In their first World Cup match, Greece were valiant in their defeat, with a runaway try in the 80th minute bringing the proud blue and white supporters to their feet in Doncaster on Tuesday. The World Cup debutants struggled to get out of their own half in the opening stages and an attempted 40-20 kick by Lachlan Ilias came up short, giving France prop Jordan Dezaria the platform to explode out of the line from close range and open the scoring in the eighth minute. Chasing the early lead, mistakes started to creep into Greece's game and a dangerous tackle on the line handed France playmaker Arthur Mourgue the opportunity to extend the lead 8-0 with a penalty goal. Come the 29th minute and France extended their lead when Mourgue produced a deft grubber for Toulouse half Tony Gigot to follow through and score. Ill discipline again proved costly for Greece when a Mitchell Zampetides late shot gifted France position and Benjamin Jullien capitalised with his fourth try in French colours. France went further ahead early in the second half when Mourgue crossed the line and converted his own try to bring the score 26-0 with 32 minutes to play. But it was the 55th minute that marked a moment of history for international rugby league. Greece halfback Jordan Meads produced a perfectly weighted grubber to the corner to find winger Siteni Taukami to score his country's first World Cup points. France was quick to end Greece's celebrations and once again showed their class, moving the ball quickly through hands when Julien crossed the stripe for his side's fifth try of the night. Greece continued to fight to the end and Nick Mougious grabbed a 79th minute runaway try to reduce the deficit 34-12 and bring the Greece fans to their feet in Doncaster. Source: NRL.com

The Pacific Community (SPC) is urging farming communities and travelers to help keep the region free of the animal health threat Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). The FMD campaign comes as a recent outbreak in Indonesia raised concerns about how quickly the disease spreads and the biosecurity risks posed to the Pacific. FMD is a severe and highly contagious animal disease that affects cloven foot animals such as cattle, deer, pigs, goats and sheep. It can be transboundary and can occur sporadically in any area currently free of the disease. The FMD campaign is funded by the European Union through the Safe Agricultural Trade Facilitation through Economic Integration (SAFE Pacific) project. The project is being implemented by SPC’s Land Resources Division across 15 countries including the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu SPC's Animal Health and Production Advisor Dr. Sripad Sosale said that although FMD has not been detected in the Pacific and poses no threat to human health, it is one of the greatest biosecurity threats to the region, and it is critical to remain vigilant. “FMD would devastate our region, as it significantly impacts the trade of animals and animal meat and could cripple the livestock industry. There is ongoing work to strengthen biosecurity measures in place to protect against animal health diseases, and the campaign can help reinforce these and build a collective sense of ownership to keep the Pacific FMD-free,” he said. Regional neighbours Australia and New Zealand have also stepped-up awareness efforts to combat FMD as it spreads across parts of Asia. Dr. Sosale said the team will be organising awareness materials and banners to be displayed at ports of entries e.g. wharf and airports and distributed across farming communities. The awareness materials include information on detecting FMD, the clinical signs in infected animals and steps to report the disease. The campaign was launched this month in the Solomon Islands. The awareness material for travellers outlines the simple dos and don’ts to prevent FMD, such as the requirement to truthfully declare all goods and items at airport checkpoints, especially things that could carry unwanted pests or diseases, and not to bring in prohibited items and animal products such as meat. Travellers must declare if they have been in direct contact with animals and livestock and practice good hygiene and thoroughly clean and disinfect all clothing and footwear used on farms or near animals. FMD poses a big threat to the livestock industry in the Pacific as it can cause serious economic and production loss as they are the most important domestic animals in the Pacific culture. The campaign stresses the overall message that it is essential to keep the Pacific region free from exotic diseases and ensure access to trade and export markets for the overall benefit of the livelihoods of the Pacific communities.

The Joint Security Forces have convened for the 2022 National General Security operation debrief to chart a way forward for better and improved security operations in future. Commissioner of Police David Manning together with the senior leadership of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, the PNG Defence Force, the PNG Correctional Services, the PNG Australia Policing Partnership and key stakeholders are attending the three-day conference which began today and ends on Thursday in Lae, Morobe Province. Also in attendance is Minister for Internal Security and Bougainville Regional Member Peter Tsiamalili Jnr and Secretary for the Department of Prime Minister and NEC, Mr Ivan Pomaleu. Commissioner Manning said in his opening remarks that debriefs, after any major operation, are a critical part of the security forces’ performance accountability process. “It allows for an opportunity to critically assess our respective force's capabilities and capacities to support or contribute to any major operation. In this case is the recently concluded 2022 national general election. “In my address to the men and women on parades leading up to the election security activities, I pointed out a fact that our biggest impediment to this was the limitations of our forces, both organisational and individual. The 2022 national general election has definitely exposed this fact. “For the RPNGC, it is very much indicative of our day-to-day performance, how we go about providing the required and expected level of leadership, command, performance accountability, adherence to processes, demonstrate strategic thinking and basically applying ourselves to the jobs we get paid to do, more importantly the positions you were appointed to. “In as far as the direction we are heading we will need to ensure we remain effective in what we do on a daily basis, to give us every chance to succeed in the 2027 national general election. “Whilst we are here to acknowledge our contributions to the 2022 national general election, we equally must acknowledge our shortcomings. “I have directed certain reforms that need to be initiated, focused on bettering ourselves in order to meet the expectations of our stakeholders. “This includes improving performance accountability, strengthening processes, ensuring an organisational mind set shift to ensure compliance and more effective service delivery at both the national and sub national levels. “As many of you are no doubt aware, our performance has been a point of discussion on the floor of Parliament recently. As your leader I ultimately will and have accepted the responsibility of these sentiments of dissatisfaction. I accept it of course with grave concern. “Simply put, what was argued on the floor of parliament is a “Call to Action’” of the Police Force by our national leaders…the RPNGC will respond to this call. “I will not delve into the critical gaps we are currently experiencing with due respect to our colleagues and counterparts from our sister forces, this will be subject to a separate forum. “We have commenced this process in Headquarters, and we remain committed to ensuring we secure the necessary support from our government, and of course our development and bilateral partners. We are not short of support,” Mr Manning said. Consistent with the theme of the de-brief conference, Mr Manning placed on record that if it was not for the security forces efforts, NATEL 22 would not have been concluded as it had been. However, Mr Manning is convinced that if the necessary steps are not taken now to address operational gaps and resolve them at least two years before the 2027 National General Election, the security forces will not be in a position to ensure the delivery of the electoral process. The Commissioner urged all partners to develop a single planning document that is not only understood by all but is able to be implemented across a multi-agency environment through multi-agency concurrent activities to deliver a shared desired and agreed outcome. He said this document sets out clear planning and operational and administrative guidelines that allow for effective use of assets and resources all the while enhancing effective collaboration. Mr Manning said the security forces will continue to be faced with limited resources, but this does not however diminish their responsibility to ensure their best efforts to support the electoral process. “We must continue to be innovative, establish and maintain relationships, and above all provide the strong leadership that is generally lacking in the public service,” Mr Manning said. In concluding his speech Mr Manning called for all participants to be engaged fully in the discussions over the next few days. He said there are many success stories to share both in the Administration and Operational space leading up to, during and post NATEL 22.

Police Commissioner David Manning has accepted the government's sentiments of dissatisfaction in the wake of recent ethnic clashes and killings in the nation’s capital of Port Moresby. Mr Manning highlighted these issues at the 2022 national general election security debrief conference in Lae, Morobe Province, Monday (17/10/22) morning. “As many of you are aware, our performance has been a point of discussion on the floor of Parliament recently. “As your leader I ultimately will and have accepted the responsibility of these sentiments of dissatisfaction. I accept it of course with grave concern. “What was argued on the floor of parliament is a “Call to Action” of the Police Force by our national leaders…the RPNGC will respond to this call. “We have commenced this process in Headquarters, and we remain committed to ensuring we secure the necessary support from our government, and of course our development and bilateral partners. “In doing so, I have directed certain reforms that need to be initiated, focused on bettering ourselves in order to meet the expectations of our stakeholders. “This includes improving performance accountability, strengthening processes, ensuring an organizational mind set shift to ensure compliance and more effective service delivery at both the national and sub national levels. “Let me put on record that if we do not take necessary steps to address our operational gaps and resolve them at least two years before 2027, we will not be in a position to ensure the delivery of the electoral process come 2027. “Time has called for all partners to develop a single planning document that is not only understood by all but is able to be implemented across a multi-agency environment through multi-agency concurrent activities to deliver a shared desired and agreed outcome. This document sets out clear planning and operational and administrative guidelines that allow for effective use of assets and resources all the while enhancing effective collaboration. “We will continue to be faced with limited resources; this does not however diminish our responsibility to ensure our best efforts to support the electoral process. We must continue to be innovative, establish and maintain relationships, and above all provide the strong leadership that is generally lacking in the public service,” Commissioner Manning said.

Prime Minister James Marape says Flexible Open Distance Education (FODE) offers a second chance in life for thousands of school leavers throughout Papua New Guinea and is a major achievement of his Government. He said this today (October 17, 2022) when commending FODE Grade 8, 10 and 12 students who are sitting for their final examinations this week and next week. The grades 8 and 10 sit for their final exams this week while the 12s do theirs next week. PM Marape said the students had role models in Education Minister Hon. Jimmy Uguro, Community Development Minister Hon. Jason Peter, Defence Secretary John Akipe – all school leavers – who were offered a second chance in life through FODE. He cited the success story of Hope Institute in his Tari-Pori District where many school leavers who completed Grade 12 last year were now in universities and tertiary institutions around the country. “I wish all the grades 8, 10 and 12 students – many of them adults catching up on what they missed out on earlier in life – all the best as they sit for their exams,” PM Marape said. “One of the biggest achievements of our Government since we took office in 2019 was putting back more than 50,000 students into classrooms to have a second chance to complete their grades 8, 10 and 12. “It is now compulsory for all students to at least have a Grade 12 certificate for personal identification, link to SME programmes and labour mobility in Australia, National Volunteer Service, and various other programmes of Government . “We want all our young people, who are out in society doing nothing, to make use of FODE to at least have a Grade 12 education so that they can move on in life. “This is also a direct intervention by our Government to address the law-and-order problem over the long term.” PM Marape said the Government was now moving to make grades 8 and 10 certificates redundant with only Grade 12 to be recognised. “It is heartwarming to see school leavers returning to classes to complete their grades 8, 10 and 12, including adults who have been out of the education system for many years,” he said. “This shows the determination and fighting spirit within them to achieve what they missed out on earlier in life.”

Breast cancer education programmes in rural areas are important to enable women to go for early screening and treatment, says a midwife. Antenatal and Family Planning Officer for the Rabaul Urban Town clinic, Ivy Tewe said with limited medical resources and treatment options, awareness and education on breast and other cancers was crucial. Ms Tewe said this when conducting “Pinktober” breast cancer awareness at the island LLG of Watom in Rabaul district. She said the breast cancer awareness program began this month randomly at the town clinic’s outpatient ward but mainly it was conducted at Watom Island during maternal health care and school outreach program The awareness covered the 8 wards especially mothers who brought in their babies for immunization and to the three primary schools for upper grade female students and female teachers. She said when cancer was detected at an early stage, it could be treated early. “Women must be educated on what to look out for and basic self-examination of the breast is something women should do regularly. Know how your breast looks and keep an eye out for lumps, change in skin colour and other signs,” she said. Ms Tewe said the aim of awareness is to let women and young girls know the real risk of cancer and breast abnormalities and where to go referred to as referral pathway. “For the last seven years, have been distributing self-examination forms on how you can check your own breasts at home. We do demonstration of how to check for abnormalities and coming to the health facility for clinical workers to do health examination on the breast.”

The year 2023 is projected to be another very busy year for Athletics PNG and athlete Terence Talio has his sight on responding to the challenge in more than one way. Terence is doing a short-term training stint in the United States, based in New Mexico. After winning bronze in the 200 meters at this year’s Pacific Mini Games and with other top PNG athletes focused on the Commonwealth Games, the 28 year old was rewarded for his dedication and commitment with selection to represent PNG at the World Championships in Oregon, USA. Talio ran the 200m quite well in Oregon clocking a time of 21.76 seconds however he was disqualified for stepping on the line as he ran the curve. Delayed flight back to Los Angeles for the flight home resulted in a missed connection which turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Talio as Athletics PNG President Tony Green began communicating with New Mexico based former PNG rep Sharon Kwarula about extending his stay in the USA. After his contribution to the relay events at the Mini Games and most recent exposure, Talio is interested in excelling in both the short and long sprints. “During his time in Roswell and Hobbs, New Mexico Terence is experiencing training conditions as high as 6,000 feet above sea level and 35 degrees celsius on synthetic and road surfaces; and will build a foundation for a long season” said Kwarula. Talio is training under Coach Dior Lowry who spent three years in PNG from 2017 to 2019. “ In addition to physical requirements preparing for longevity, he is currently working on the technical aspects of his primary and secondary events allowing him to conserve energy in multi-round competition” added Lowry Talio will return to PNG mid November and in the short term is targeting the PNG Air National Championships from December 9 to 11 with personal goals, and building momentum leading into 2023. With Benjamin Aliel making a return to the sport, training with Leroy Kamau under Nelson Stone in Port Moresby, some exciting competition is expected in the mens sprints at the National Championships

Roosters superstar Joey Manu stole the show with a magical performance for the Kiwis in a 34-12 victory over Lebanon, who showed true grit in the loss and played the final 20 minutes a man down after the sending off of Adam Doueihi. Manu was at times untouchable in his second Test as New Zealand's fullback, scoring a try, setting another one up and burning the opposing defence with his powerful running. New Zealand led 30-12 at the point of Doueihi's dismissal for dissent just before the hour mark, but the send off could have severe consequences for the rest of Lebanon's campaign, as they seek to to beat Ireland and Jamaica to the second spot - assuming the Kiwis win next week - out of Group C. After Lebanon stunned the Kiwis with a try inside the opening minute, after they went short on the kick off, New Zealand found their way back into the contest and scored through Kenny Bromwich, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Peta Hiku, to lead 18-6 at the half. But New Zealand soon found their way back into the contest and led 18-6 at the break thanks to tries from Kenny Bromwich, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Peta Hiku, all of which were converted by Jordan Rapana. Lebanon opened the scoring in the second half, but that was the end of it, as the Kiwis piled on 16 further points to finish comfortable winners, although Lebanon coach Michael Cheika will likely have plenty of positives to take from the defeat.   Source: NRL.com

As part of its strategy to improve services offered on its e-Banking channels, NCSL has made enhancements to its Member Online Portal to enable instant internal account transfers. The Society is pleased to announce that with this function it is now possible for NCSL members to transfer funds instantly to third party accounts within NCSL and to other banks which means, payments can be made without delays. NCSL Chief Executive Officer, Vari Lahui said the initial introduction was made by the Bank of Papua New Guinea via Retail Electronic Payments System that enables all the members or customers of participating financial institutions to transfer funds between accounts held in these financial institutions. “The main reason for the introduction of this facility is to make life easier for the customers who may want to transfer funds to their loved ones at a much lower cost,” he added. Manager e-Banking, Vavine Iamo, said the transfer from a member’s poro account to another poro account or to another bank account is instant and members don’t have to wait. “We are excited about this product as our members receive funds instantly unlike before.”. “The current function only allows transfer of funds from Poro to Poro, from Poro to MiBank and Poro to PMBL only while waiting for BSP, Westpac and Kina Bank to join the process,” she said. NCSL encourages its existing members to register online to access the Member Online Portal to check balance, eligibility, download statement, or follow through on the process of their loan or withdrawal applications. NCSL continues to invest in technology to bring services closer to our members and make life easier for them. The Online Portal can be accessed from any android device and anywhere in the world where internet services are available.

Ireland got off to a winning start at the World Cup by downing tournament newcomers Jamaica 48-2 in Leeds, with Roosters playmaker Luke Keary leading the way in a player of the match showing. The Reggae Warriors were valiant in defeat, scrambling well to deny their opponents a number of would-be tries, but couldn't match the class of Ireland, who should have clocked up an even bigger score, if not for poor goalkicking which saw them convert just four of their 10 tries. In his Test debut, Keary had 166 run metres, made two line breaks and was involved in three of his side's tries before being rested for the final 20 minutes of the match. Keary's halves partner Joe Keyes was strong too, running for 190 metres and steering the side around the park well. Ireland crossed four times for an 18-2 lead at the break, with Jamaica kicking a penalty right on the siren to mark their first ever points at a World Cup. The Wolfhounds added a further five tries in the second period, with forwards James McDonnell, James Bentley and Frankie Halton all scoring inside the final 10 minutes as the Jamaica pack began to wear down. Although his side won comfortably in the end, a concern for Ireland coach Ged Corcoran will be the 16 errors made by Ireland, which saw them complete just 69 percent of their sets.   Source: NRL.com