High-value claims made by Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries are increasing, reports say. The scheme – officially the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) – offers insurance coverage to economically vulnerable families of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year. Estimates project that, by the end of the year, high-value claims (those over Rs 30,000) will […]
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Specialists speak out against govt. push against ENDS
Experts have spoken out against the Centre’s push against e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), questioning the merits of an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) paper concerning the devices’ effects on health. Writing to the ICMR Director-General, the 62 experts from across twenty countries asserted that the Council’s claims about the detrimental […]
India’s population growth: Explosion or slowdown?
Is the government planning to bring in a law on population regulation? Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statements cautioning India over what he called its ‘reckless population explosion’ may be a hint. Does India need such a law when it is staring at a slowdown? “Population explosion has been occuring at an unrestrained pace. This population […]
Plastic ban calls in the face of an environmental crisis
One of India’s leading youth politicians has called for a plastic ban to be enacted. “The need of the hour is to ban production, usage and sale of plastic,” proclaimed Aditya Thackeray, who leads the youth wing of the Shiv Sena political party. In an earlier tweet, Thackeray said “banning production, use and sale of […]
Tip of the iceberg: What the AIIMS fire tells us about India’s hospitals
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi resumed services at the beginning of the week following the outbreak of a fire over the weekend. No fatalities or injuries were reported in the blaze, which reportedly originated due to a short circuit. According to reports, the fire broke out on the first and […]
Rabies vaccine shortage in Karnataka
Karnataka’s hospitals are grappling with a shortage of the rabies vaccine, with many forced to procure them from other sources. Rabies is one of India’s most lethal diseases, killing every person it came into contact with in 2017. Since 2010, only six people have survived rabies infections despite the disease being entirely vaccine preventable. Rabies […]
Floods in Kerala kill 111, lakhs displaced
Floods continue to ravage Kerala where the death toll has crossed 100. At the time of writing, 111 fatalities have been reported with the Malappuram district being the worst-affected. The floods have led to mass displacement. More than 2.27 lakh people are being sheltered in 1,551 relief camps. Excess rainfall during the monsoon season triggered […]
Air pollution and the risk of emphysema
Long-term exposure to air pollution ups the risk of developing emphysema in a similar way to smoking, according to a recent study. The research – carried out by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), both part of the US National Institutes of Health – […]
DMA gives support to NMC Bill
The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) has offered praise for the controversial National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, in a marked departure from the criticism it has faced from much of India’s medical fraternity. “We are of the opinion that the NMC Act is good for society,” stated president of the DMA Dr Girish Tyagi. “It will […]
Haryana cracks down on online e-cigarette sales
Haryana authorities are taking steps to block websites selling e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) devices, which are prohibited in the state. The move came following a Times of India exposé which revealed that sales of e-cigarettes were ongoing in Haryana and Punjab as well as the union territory of Chandigarh despite all […]