Adrish Bhadra

Doctor, Optimize Health - GSUS. I work on improving primary healthcare delivery in rural India.

[Soumya Swaminathan @doctorsoumya]

Modelling results suggest that even a single day of extreme heat yields thousands of excess deaths, and a multi-day heatwave results in tens of thousands of excess deaths. #Heat is a public health emergency. https://t.co/RNgkPNAkq6 @MoHFW_INDIA @ndmaindia @thePHFI @CEEWIndia

[Supriya Sahu IAS @supriyasahuias]

Long message, but trust me, it will be worth your time. Here is a remarkable update from Tamil Nadu’s tagged turtles. Early tracking data shows that some have already travelled to the Sri Lanka Dome, a little known ocean region where marine life gathers in extraordinary numbers. What makes this even more astonishing is that turtles migrating from Odisha are also expected to arrive in the same waters. Species from distant coastlines are converging at one natural marine hotspot shaped entirely by the rhythm of the ocean.

The Sri Lanka Dome is created by powerful seasonal ocean processes that bring cool, nutrient-rich waters to the surface. This fuels plankton blooms and attracts turtles, fish, whales, seabirds, and countless other marine species. It is one of the most productive upwelling zones in the world’s oceans, beginning in May, reaching its peak in July, and declining in September. At that time, the turtles move out of the region and begin their return migration once again.

These journeys reveal that turtles do not belong to one shoreline or one state. Their lives depend on a CONNECTED ocean, where feeding grounds, migration corridors, and breeding beaches all matter equally.

Places like the Sri Lanka Dome remain unknown to most people, yet they are among the most important ecosystems in the Indian Ocean, like hidden engines that sustain marine biodiversity.

The message from these turtles is clear. Conservation cannot stop at the beach. It must extend across borders and across seas because wildlife knows no boundaries 🙌🫶
With inputs from Dr Suresh @sureshwii

[Soumya Swaminathan @doctorsoumya]

Do we have kits like this in India for rapid diagnosis of respiratory viral pathogens? We certainly need them. Will reduce unnecessary use of antibiotics & promote rational care. ⁦@CCAMP_India⁩ ⁦@DBTIndia⁩ ⁦@IndiaDST⁩ ⁦@ICMRDELHI⁩ ⁦⁦@mdncdc⁩

[TheLiverDoc™ @theliverdoc]

STAY WITH ME.

A few years ago, a patient was referred to me because he was diagnosed with complicated cirrhosis. He had an infection which led to a condition called hepatic encephalopathy (brain failure due to high ammonia levels). The treatment largely involved ammonia reducing therapies. One drug was central to this - Rifaximin - a non-absorbable antibiotic that reduced ammonia in the body. I prescribed him Rifaximin for 6 weeks and advised him follow-up.

He came back to me, not after six weeks, but in 4 weeks, this time, in liver coma (worst stage of brain failure - due to very high ammonia). He spent two days in the ICU and six days in total in the hospital. His hospital bill was close to INR 80,000. He had no insurance and his wife borrowed the money from neighbors and friends to clear hospital dues.

Upon questioning, I found that he was not taking the Rifaximin drug I had prescribed. He was only on the other two drugs (one, a syrup called lactulose for improving ammonia clearance in gut). I was furious, because the patient spent a whole week unecessarily in the ICU and wasted so much money that he never had - just because he was "not compliant" to my orders. I decided it was time for me to school him a bit.

But I was wrong. He was compliant. He had purchased Rifaximin and was on it. For 15 days. Thereafter, he could not afford it. He was an autorickshaw driver who shuttled school children every morning and evening. He could hardly make ends meet. He had two children of his own. The Rifaximin brand I prescribed him was 42 rupees per tablet. He had to consume two a day - which would mean 2520 rupees a month. He just did not have that money - so he skipped it - to not compromise on other important matters - childrens education and food.

He was confused and scared about opting for a cheaper version of Rifaximin because one, he was unsure about the quality of Rifaximin that was not prescribed by me and two, he was "scared" that I would scold him for buying a cheaper Rifaximin and if that got him into trouble.

I was confused and scared about prescribing a cheaper version of Rifaximin because one, I was unsure about the quality of Rifaximin that was not "a good promoted brand" and two, I was "scared" that his family would scold me for prescribing a cheaper Rifaximin and if that got him into trouble.

It is heartbreaking that many doctors still simply don’t trust generic medicines. Too often, they worry that these cheaper options are lower quality or might cause more problems than the big, famous brands. This fear leads them to prescribe expensive drugs instead, and the real tragedy is that it pushes vital healthcare out of reach for the ordinary people who need it most - like my patient.

This narrative, that generic drugs 'are never good' and that only big pharmaceutical marketed drugs are what works has been deeply ingrained into doctors and patients alike - I do not know by whom and since when. Looking back, these strong emotions were based on either opinions, testimonials or second- and third-hand information. Not evidence.

Like I said. Stay with me. This is life changing and will disrupt the drug market in India. Here are the results of The Citizens Generic vs. Brand Drugs Quality Project.
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[Adrish Bhadra @AdrishBhadra]

#WomensHealth
#PMJAY
#HealthcareForAll

[Adrish Bhadra @AdrishBhadra]

@MoHFW_INDIA @CMMadhyaPradesh @AyushmanNHA
Please take necessary measures to onboard more private hospitals that accept PMJAY for the management of gynecologic conditions. At present, most of the empaneled hospitals in Bhopal refuse to accept such cases under the scheme.

[TheLiverDoc™ @theliverdoc]

My elderly patient drew this and gave it to me today. She was so happy that her hepatitis C virus infection was cured. She was on Ayurvedic herbal drugs for a long time and the virus was uncontrollable (obviously). A 3 month course of direct acting antivirals and her disease vanished.

A note: Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton, and Charles M. Rice won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their work on the Hepatitis C virus (HCV), which led to the development of antiviral drugs that can cure the infection.

Fund scientific research.
Defund pseudoscience.
Reject traditional medicine.

[Adrish Bhadra @AdrishBhadra]

@India_NHRC Kindly take cognizance of the matter

[Adrish Bhadra @AdrishBhadra]

@DCPSEastDelhi @DelhiPolice @LtGovDelhi
An extremely unfortunate event occurred today with a common man like me that shook my faith in Delhi Police. My contact number was shared with an offender, that I had complained about, by the head constable on duty in the PCR van.

[Adrish Bhadra @AdrishBhadra]

@MCD_Delhi This incident also stems from the fact that the RWA in our locality has installed iron pipes on public property at multiple locations. Kindly take note of this and proceed with needful action. Please reach out to me directly for further information.

[Adrish Bhadra @AdrishBhadra]

I request the concerned authorities to take needful action and reach out to me directly. Let no common citizen go through this trauma.

[Adrish Bhadra @AdrishBhadra]

Calls made to 112 and call from the offender

[Adrish Bhadra @AdrishBhadra]

#PoliceAccountability #RightToPrivacy #ComplainantSafety

[TheLiverDoc™ @theliverdoc]

Help me understand this.

12 children in Rajasthan died because their cough syrups were contaminated with toxic DEG made by Kayson Pharma.

11 children died in Madhya Pradesh after consuming contaminated cough syrup made by Shreesan Pharma.

This was proven through lab testing by Madhya Pradesh (MP) and Tamil Nadu government labs.

But the Ministry of Health, India told people that the cough syrups were clean and then one mother who gave the cough syrup to her child in Rajasthan was jailed and a doctor who prescribed cough syrup in MP was arrested.

No one from the company that manufactured these killer syrups were arrested or jailed. One manufacturer, Kayson Pharma was already blacklisted in 2023 for poor quality drugs. Why were these reptiles led back into the contract?

If one of the children who died was that of some big business magnate who gave funds to political party in power, or belonged to a politician, the story would have been so much different right?

What kind of governance are we stuck with? A government that does not care for their children is a liability and a burden to citizens, not an ally and shield. India is turning to be the circus that the jokers who elected the jokers want it to be.

For the underprivileged, every new day feels like a bonus in this country,

[Adrish Bhadra @AdrishBhadra]

If you set a bad precedent at some point, then your successor has every right to follow in your footsteps.

[Adrish Bhadra @AdrishBhadra]

On this Independence Day, I reflect on all the good things that I have learnt from my elders running the nation.

[Adrish Bhadra @AdrishBhadra]

If you can't invest and work hard enough to achieve something within a reasonable time frame, that's completely okay because there is always an easier solution at the end of the tunnel waiting for you with arms wide open.