17-year-old boy gets rid of seizures after doctors remove part of his brain; Read on to know all about this unique surgery The episodes of seizures often involve increasing the risk of injury, hospitalization and mortality, and poor mental health. It also has a detrimental effect on an individual’s confidence and self-esteem. A 17-year-old got rid of his seizures after a ground-breaking surgery, putting an end to 13-year-old turmoil. The Scottish teenager with epilepsy underwent surgery to remove a portion of his brain and he is now no longer having seizures for the first time in 13 years. According to media reports, the surgery removes the brain tissue that causes seizures and ten weeks later, the body has not had a single incident of seizures. In October this year, the boy received the procedure at the Edinburgh Children’s Hospital. According to SWNS, the innovative laser technology — known as MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy — is minimally invasive and the surgery takes just under two hours with a relatively short recovery time. According to a report by BBC Scotland, the teen said he hopes to one day get his driver’s license, play rugby or go skiing, things that had been too risky for him to do before the surgery. “I wish I could go to parties with my friends. I see photos of all my friends together and I am jealous that I can’t go but they can,” he said as quoted BBC Scotland News. “I’ve never had such a long period not having a seizure, it’s an amazing relief. I’m so happy, he added.
Logistics, good or bad, are driven by the states and the commerce ministry has a LEADS (Logistics Ease Across Different States) report, based on perceptions. The 2023 version was released in December. Since states are heterogenous, in the reporting, they are divided into four groups—coastal, landlocked, north-east, and UTs. States that do well are called achievers. Nomenclature matters. Thus, states that are middling aren’t called average. They are called fast movers. States that are sub-par are called aspirers. Let me highlight coastal states, since 75% of export cargo is estimated to originate from them. Among coastal states, ones that do well are Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. The ones that lag are Goa, Odisha, and West Bengal. While India’s logistics performance may have improved over time, that’s not true of every state. Some have slipped. Most states have a state-level logistics policy, including Goa and Odisha. West Bengal, bottom of the pecking order in the coastal category, doesn’t have one. To quote from LEADS 2023, “Looking ahead, the State (West Bengal) could benefit from formulating a State Logistics Master Plan and State Logistics Policy to drive efficiency improvements and facilitate investments within the logistics sector and undertake consultation with the logistics stakeholders for educating and informing them about the initiatives State is undertaking for the development and improvement of logistics sector.”
Logistics has been talked about for a long time and India has also focused on improving performance. We are now getting some precise data on measurement and quantification. That helps.
Bibek Debroy, chairman, EAC-PM. Views are personal.