Health stories from BIMC.
Guidance on staying well in Bali, travel-health advice and updates from across the BIMC network — written by our medical teams.
853 articles
Radiation Exposure and Your Health
What is Radiation Exposure? Radioactive materials give off a form of energy that travels in waves or particles. This energy is called radiation. When a person is exposed to radiation, the energy penetrates the body. For example, when a person has an x-ray, he or she is exposed to radiation. Radiation is measured using the
Chronic Cough
A cough is your body’s reflex to keep the airway clear. The sudden air “explosion” will clear the airway from irritants or obstructive substance so that breathing and the intake of oxygen becomes effective. Coughing is not a disease in itself, but rather a symptom of other disorders. It is a common problem and the
BIMC Hospital Participates in the Bali Nusantara Cup.
The Ultimate Frisbee Club in Indonesia once again organised the annual Bali Nusantara Cup. This is the 12th year they have held this event. Each year, BIMC Hospital participates by providing an emergency medical team with ambulance standby on the field. The tournament was held over the Easter long weekend commencing Good Friday, 22nd April
Local Media participate in First Aid Training
On 19th March 2011, BIMC Hospital once again invited the local media and journalists to refresh their skills on Basic Life Support (BLS) – First Aid Training (FAT). The previous training for media and journalists was held back in 2008. Local media and journalists gave a warm welcome to this training as First Aid Training
Gastroenteritis in Children
Diarrhea and vomiting are common reasons parents bring their children to the doctor or even to BIMC Hospital’s emergency room. Most are related to gastroenteritis, infection of the stomach and intestines. While usually it is a non-fatal illness, statistics show gastroenteritis to cause 3 million deaths annually worldwide. Many children have more than one episode
Hives
Hives, or the medical term “urticaria” is a common allergic disorder in which a red, itchy, lumpy skin rash appears ‘out of the blue’. The skin lumps are known as weals. 15-20% of the population would experience hives at some point of their lives. Urticaria is caused by the release of histamine, a chemical substance
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Arthritis by definition is a group of conditions involving damage to the joints of the body. It is a general term to describe inflammation of the joints, characterized by redness, warmth, swelling, and pain within the joint. As many of 100 medical conditions have symptoms of arthritis. While rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a type of
Color Blindness
Studies show 5% to 8% of men and 0.5% of women in the world are born colorblind. That is 1 out of 12 men and 1 out of 200 women. Many people think anyone labeled as “colorblind” only see black and white – like watching a black and white movie or television. This is a
Dhyana Pura Bali Tourism Institute Participate in First Aid Training
To begin 2011, BIMC Hospital has continued with their Basic Life Support – First Aid Training program. On 12 and 26 February 2011, BIMC Hospital invited Dhyana Pura Bali Tourism Institute to join BIMC’s First Aid Training. BIMC Hospital believes that by giving this important and often life-saving training, the course participants can be part
Migraine Headache
Did you know? – The word migraine is derived from the Greek word meaning “pain involving half the head”. It affects at least 1 out of 10 people, mostly females and peaks between the ages of 20 and 50 years. – Headache is a very common complaint in general practice. – 85% of the population
Obesity
BMI There are several ways to calculate whether you are within a healthy weight range or not. One of the simple ways is by calculating your body mass index (BMI). To know your BMI is by dividing your weight in kilograms with your height in metres squared. For example, if you weigh 65 kg and
A New BIMC Hospital In Nusa Dua
On 7th January 2011, BIMC Hospital began construction of their new hospital project located in the Bali Tourism Development Corporation (BTDC) area of Nusa Dua. Nusa Dua lies in the most Southern part of Bali and is conveniently located just 20 minutes from Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport. Aiming to finish the project by the
Swine Flu Discovered In The UK
Recent news reports the discovery of H1N1 virus infection in poultry for the first time in the UK. Experts found the virus was similar to the H1N1 strain from the recent human swine flu outbreak. The poultry infected turkeys, showed mild signs of the disease and none of the birds died. The UK government stress
Anti Aging
Anti-aging is not just a myth like the “Fountain of Youth”, it is actually a true application of medical science. Aging is the biological changing process of an individual progressing through time. Research shows that there are, in fact, two distinct types of aging. Aging caused by the genes we inherit which is called intrinsic
BIMC Hospital Supporting the Younger Generation
During the month of November and December 2010, BIMC Hospital arranged basic training for the children at Taman Rama – International school. The training was conducted by BIMC doctor Dr. Mieke Magnasofa, M. Med (WH) and BIMC nurse Sudi. The training topics covered: body parts, First Aid Training for children and the correct way to
Charity Event – Joint cooperation between BIMC Hospital and Department of Social Services and Labor
To close the year of 2010, BIMC Hospital arranged a charity event on the 22 December 2010. This charity event is a joint cooperation between BIMC Hospital, Dinas Sosial and Tenaga Kerja (Department of social services and labor) and is supported by PUSKESMAS Kecamatan Kuta and Posyandu Cengiling Village. The event started at 10 am
Vertigo
A spinning sensation is the best way to describe the main symptom of vertigo. Statistically, this is the chief complain of 5 – 10% of the general population. It may also be associated with nausea, vomiting and ringing in one or both ears (tinnitus). Vertigo can be divided into two major categories, peripheral vertigo and
Conscious Sedation
Some medical procedures may be uncomfortable or painful. In these cases, general anesthesia might not always be necessary, while without medication it may be traumatizing for the patient. Therefore, clinicians developed “conscious sedation”, a procedure giving moderate sedation while the patient can still respond to verbal direction. It is also known as procedural sedation. Patients,
Health Assessment Programs
Comprehensive Health Assessment The benefits of a regular medical check are well known. BIMC Hospital has established this health assessment program as a comprehensive examination which will be an important factor for early detection of a specific disease or as a baseline examination for further check ups. Comprehensive Questionnaire Medical history Family medical history Life
Swimmer’s Ears
Swimmer’s ear is another term to describe outer ear canal infection or otitis external. Since this condition frequently occurs to people who swim a lot, it is also called swimmer’s ears. Actually the infection can happen in any situation causing a moist environment of the ear canal. A moist environment aids bacterial growth infecting the
Prodia Service
Prodia at your service Some people need to have their blood tested to make sure that the blood is negative from any kind of virus. An example of this is people who have Dengue Fever. Dengue Fever is an acute disease transmitted by mosquitoes, which occurs in the tropics and can be life-threatening. When someone
Hygiene and Sanitations
On 15th November 2010, BIMC Hospital held training at the Bali Dynasty Resort for their staffs. The training conducted was on Hygiene and Sanitation. The hotel acknowledges the importance of Hygiene and Sanitation particularly with food handling for guests. By providing the staffs with training and a high standard of Hygiene and Sanitation, the cleanliness
Bali Rabies – Update
Since the emergence of rabies in Bali in late 2008, this viral disease has been problematic for the government. One of the factors causing difficulties in the eradication of rabies on the island is the Balinese culture towards dogs. The Balinese people have close companionships with dogs, even with the strays. They tend to let
Concussion
Doctors may describe it as a “mild head injury”, because it’s usually not life threatening, but believe us, the effects of a concussion can be more than just mild! Of course, at least once, you’ve heard someone you know say that they’ve had a head injury. In America alone, head injuries are one of the