Rakhal Gaitonde
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View article: Barriers to health care access among transgender people in Kerala
Barriers to health care access among transgender people in Kerala Open
Background Despite numerous efforts to implement inclusive policies in Kerala, transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals continue to face institutional discrimination, resulting in significant challenges in accessing health care. Ex…
View article: Health in Kerala: exploring achievements and remaining challenges of health systems reform using an equity lens
Health in Kerala: exploring achievements and remaining challenges of health systems reform using an equity lens Open
The special issue contributes to the growing body of literature around health equity in Kerala and India and documents key challenges that plague the state health system like persisting access issues to seek necessary care, lack of acknowl…
View article: Non-communicable disease multi-morbidity in policies from India, Thailand, and South Africa: A comparative document review
Non-communicable disease multi-morbidity in policies from India, Thailand, and South Africa: A comparative document review Open
Background Over the years, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), as well as the number of people with multiple chronic NCDs or multi-morbidity, are on a sharp rise globally, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). This review at…
View article: Non-communicable diseases and its risk factors among the transgender population in Kerala: a cross-sectional study
Non-communicable diseases and its risk factors among the transgender population in Kerala: a cross-sectional study Open
Background Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are high on the priority list of the Kerala government, and exploring the extent to which transgender and gender diverse (TGD) community members benefit from the services of national programmes f…
View article: Targeted Sanger Sequencing of a Cluster of COVID-19 Cases in the Surgical ICU of a Non-COVID Hospital: Lessons Learned
Targeted Sanger Sequencing of a Cluster of COVID-19 Cases in the Surgical ICU of a Non-COVID Hospital: Lessons Learned Open
Small clusters of infection due to SARS-CoV-2 in a non-COVID-19 healthcare facility can disrupt services. Here, we investigated a cluster of SARS-CoV-2 cases by targeted Sanger sequencing and clinical epidemiological methods in a non-COVID…
View article: Challenges faced by frontline health managers during the implementation of COVID-19 related policies in India: A qualitative analysis
Challenges faced by frontline health managers during the implementation of COVID-19 related policies in India: A qualitative analysis Open
Background & objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the strengths and weaknesses of the healthcare systems across the world. Many directives, guidelines and policies for pandemic control were laid down centrally for its implementation; …
View article: Questioning global health in the times of COVID-19: Re-imagining primary health care through the lens of politics of knowledge
Questioning global health in the times of COVID-19: Re-imagining primary health care through the lens of politics of knowledge Open
The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and the inequitable response to it has created a space for rethinking the knowledge translation that informs current health policy formulation and planning. Wide recognition of the failure of global heal…
View article: Engaging participants with research findings: A rights‐informed approach
Engaging participants with research findings: A rights‐informed approach Open
Background Sharing research findings with participants is recognized as an ethical imperative for the research community. However, most discourse on this topic in mainstream public health takes a paternalistic approach, with researchers re…
View article: Challenges and solutions adopted by frontline health managers in the management of routine health services during the COVID-19 pandemic at the grassroots level in India: A qualitative quest
Challenges and solutions adopted by frontline health managers in the management of routine health services during the COVID-19 pandemic at the grassroots level in India: A qualitative quest Open
A BSTRACT Background: The public health emergency due to COVID-19 has placed an immense burden on the health care system. The strain for provision of health care services has also extended to routine services. The future impact of this dec…
View article: Health Problems and Healthcare-Seeking Practices of Workers Processing E-Waste in the Unorganized Sector in the Slums of a South Indian City: An Exploratory Study
Health Problems and Healthcare-Seeking Practices of Workers Processing E-Waste in the Unorganized Sector in the Slums of a South Indian City: An Exploratory Study Open
Context: The precarious nature of the work in the unorganized e-waste processing sector poses a threat to workers' health by making them vulnerable to occupational injuries as well as other work-related diseases in addition to job insecuri…
View article: Data Science Methods to Develop Decision Support Systems for Real-time Monitoring of COVID-19 Outbreak
Data Science Methods to Develop Decision Support Systems for Real-time Monitoring of COVID-19 Outbreak Open
Data analysis and visualization are essential for exploring and communicating findings in medical research, especially in epidemiological surveillance. Data on COVID-19 diagnosed cases and mortality from crowdsourced website COVID-19 India…
View article: Beyond behaviour as individual choice: A call to expand understandings around social science in health research
Beyond behaviour as individual choice: A call to expand understandings around social science in health research Open
The focus of behavioural sciences in shaping behaviour of individuals and populations is well documented. Research and practice insights from behavioural sciences improve our understanding of how people make choices that in turn determine …
View article: Social networks and their impact on access to health care: insights from older widows living alone in Kottayam, South India
Social networks and their impact on access to health care: insights from older widows living alone in Kottayam, South India Open
The feminisation of ageing observed across the world is a significant challenge in many societies. Women's greater longevity is associated with the increased likelihood of age-related disability and morbidity. Furthermore, gendered disadva…
View article: Challenges of informed consent during a political crisis: A case study of research with a marginalised group
Challenges of informed consent during a political crisis: A case study of research with a marginalised group Open
Ethical guidelines mandate that the researcher must obtain written informed consent either from the participant or from an impartial witness before commencing data collection. This case study describes some issues faced in trying to put th…
View article: Exploring Community Mental Health Systems – A Participatory Health Needs and Assets Assessment in the Yamuna Valley, North India
Exploring Community Mental Health Systems – A Participatory Health Needs and Assets Assessment in the Yamuna Valley, North India Open
Background: In India and global mental health, a key component of the care gap for people with mental health problems is poor system engagement with the contexts and priorities of community members. This study aimed to explore the nature o…
View article: Engaging Research Participants with Results: A Rights Informed Approach
Engaging Research Participants with Results: A Rights Informed Approach Open
IntroductionSharing findings with research participants is gaining attention as an ethical imperative for the research community. However, current discussions on this topic typically take a paternalistic approach to the issue, with the res…
View article: Bridging a false dichotomy in the COVID-19 response: a public health approach to the ‘lockdown’ debate
Bridging a false dichotomy in the COVID-19 response: a public health approach to the ‘lockdown’ debate Open
### Summary box
As the world grapples with the public health emergency brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, various control strategies have been attempted across the globe resulting in a growing body of evidence.1 Thus, we see a wide rang…
View article: Evolution of Non-communicable Disease Programs in Kerala: Lessons Learnt and the Way Forward
Evolution of Non-communicable Disease Programs in Kerala: Lessons Learnt and the Way Forward Open
Addressing the double burden of disease in a country like India is a massive challenge, especially when the system is tuned to do monitoring and surveillance of mainly communicable diseases. Achieving the sustainable development goal targe…
View article: Containing the first outbreak of COVID-19 in a healthcare setting in India: The sree chitra experience
Containing the first outbreak of COVID-19 in a healthcare setting in India: The sree chitra experience Open
The response to the first health worker case in India and novel strategies adopted in the context of evolving pandemic of COVID-19 is presented here. On the same day of confirmation, institutional COVID cell was established, and contact tr…
View article: Divergences, dissonances and disconnects : implementation of community-based accountability in India’s national rural health mission
Divergences, dissonances and disconnects : implementation of community-based accountability in India’s national rural health mission Open
Accountability of health systems to the individuals and communities they serve is increasingly recognized as a key aspect in efforts at health system strengthening. This has led to a greater focus on efforts to evolve systems that enable c…
View article: Corruption – Taking a Deeper Dive Comment on "We Need to Talk About Corruption in Health Systems"
Corruption – Taking a Deeper Dive Comment on "We Need to Talk About Corruption in Health Systems" Open
This commentary while agreeing broadly with the points raised by the editorial by McKee et al, seeks to broaden and deepen those arguments. The commentary contends that unless we understand corruption as deeply embedded in and propping up …
View article: Co-production of a pictorial recovery tool for people with psycho-social disability informed by a participatory action research approach—a qualitative study set in India
Co-production of a pictorial recovery tool for people with psycho-social disability informed by a participatory action research approach—a qualitative study set in India Open
Mental health problems are recognized as a leading cause of disability and have seen increased allocations of resources and services globally. There is a growing call for solutions supporting global mental health and recovery to be locally…
View article: Interventions to reduce corruption in the health sector
Interventions to reduce corruption in the health sector Open
There is a paucity of evidence regarding how best to reduce corruption. Promising interventions include improvements in the detection and punishment of corruption, especially efforts that are coordinated by an independent agency. Other pro…
View article: The Chennai floods of 2015 and the health system response
The Chennai floods of 2015 and the health system response Open
The Chennai floods of 2015 were a calamity of unexpected proportions (1). The impact on the lives of the poor has been immense. Thousands needed to abandon their already precarious dwellings on the banks of the Adyar River, and other low-l…