Health issues for many children may begin long before they are even born. As many as twenty percent of Indian children are born stunted according to data from UNICEF. Such revelations means that a significant proportion of the child population is born with a condition that is marked as a key risk factor not just […]
Featured Stories
Road traffic accidents take a toll
Research published at the end of last year spotlighted the leading cause of premature mortality among young men in India: road traffic accidents. In 2017, 2.2 lakh Indians lost their lives due to injuries sustained on the country’s roads. Males accounted for the overwhelming majority of such fatalities, with 77 percent of road traffic accident […]
Heart donors: India is sorely lacking
India is facing a shortage of heart donors – in what comes as bad news for its many citizens who are in need of a life-saving heart transplant. “Heart transplant remains the gold standard for the treatment of end-stage heart failure,” said a study published in 2017. Data as to the prevalence of heart failure […]
Interview: Anjali Gopalan
Interview with health activist Anjali Gopalan May 2016 The lessons learnt in the 1990s from securing access to antiretroviral medicines to treat HIV and AIDS highlight the role of patients in demanding better access to life-saving medicines. As India, like many other growing economies, faces new, deadly diseases like diabetes, cancer and heart disease, Anjali […]
The Medical Devices Bill, explained
Government-run think tank Niti Aayog will roll out the Medical Devices Bill according to media reports, marking a significant overhaul of the regulatory apparatus surrounding medical devices in India. “Niti has been engaged in developing a Medical Devices Bill. The purpose of the draft Bill is to ensure that medical devices in lndia are safe […]
India’s pollution crisis: 2 million lives a year
Air pollution continues to claim millions of lives every year with India leading the world in this regard. More than two million lives are lost to breathing toxic air in the country every year, in a grim reminder that India’s pollution crisis is among the leading threats to its environment and to public health. The […]
Unnecessary c-sections: Why they’re misused throughout India
Caesarean sections (c-sections) can be the difference between life and death for some mothers. However, a concerning trend in unnecessary c-sections is being witnessed throughout India – and a recent report from Madhya Pradesh about such practices is raising alarm bells in the state. The Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI) under the Union Ministry […]
Abortions: 61 lakh in five years, but issues remain
India recorded 61 lakh abortions in the five years since the 2014-15 period, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Choubey informed lawmakers last week. Giving a written reply to a question posed in the Lok Sabha, Choubey said that the Government was taking steps to ensure access to safe abortions in the […]
Public health investment: The way to economic prosperity?
The Indian economy is currently perceived by many to be in a state of stagnation and employment opportunities are few and far between for many, leaving a significant portion of India’s working age population trapped in a cycle of poverty. Could a greater degree of investment into public health act as a kickstarter to spur […]
TB mortality: A nineteen percent reduction
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has touted India’s progress in reducing deaths due to tuberculosis (TB), with a nineteen percent reduction in TB mortality since the beginning of the decade. Affirming the Government’s commitment to eradicating TB by 2025 – five years ahead of global targets to reduce TB incidence by eighty percent and […]