Allergies affect one-third of Indians – but experts say that, too often, those affected by such conditions are being failed on treatment. “Allergic diseases have become a major health concern worldwide, with India being no exception,” noted a study published last year. “Currently, more than 25 percent of the total population of India is sensitized […]
access to medicines
TB in India: Fewer cases but still the most in the world
Tuberculosis (TB) in India continues to be a major public health burden, even as cases have decreased. This is according to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) report on TB, launched earlier this week, which provides an overview of how the world is tackling one of its dominant infectious disease challenges. The news is not […]
Health Ministry unveils ambitious targets to bring HIV cases down
Expanding access to treatment and targeting vulnerable populations will be a core part of a strategy to bring down the number of HIV cases in India, according to recent reports. The Union Health Ministry intends to reduce the number of HIV cases in the country by 20,000 on a yearly basis in 2019 and 2020, […]
ART drugs and the toll of HIV in flood-ravaged Karnataka
Concerns in flood-ravaged Karnataka have been expressed for the state’s HIV-positive population and whether they can avail necessary medication such as ART drugs. Out of a HIV-positive population receiving treatment of 1.75 lakh, almost 67,000 reside in eight districts reeling under intensive floods. The provision of antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatments has been ordered by the […]
Opening Indian pharma’s Bottle of Lies
“They often make their worst drugs — with the lowest-quality ingredients and the most manufacturing shortcuts — for the least regulated markets, including India,” writes investigative journalist Katherine Eban in her book Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Boom (also subtitled as Ranbaxy and the Dark Side of Indian Pharma), an exposé […]
Essential medicines: WHO updates list
The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its lists of essential medicines and diagnostics in a bid to expand access to affordable treatments for individuals worldwide. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus asserted in a statement that “around the world, more than 150 countries use WHO’s Essential Medicines List to guide decisions about which medicines represent […]
Veterans go without medicines thanks to cash shortages
Almost 70,000 people leave military service every year in India, with health needs to be met. To help with the cost of treatment, the government launched the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) in 2003 to expand access to healthcare for veterans and their families. But budgetary issues mean beneficiaries are missing out. This year’s interim […]
Kozhikode: Medicines sales to hospital resume after standoff over unpaid fees
The impasse over sales to a hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala has ended following resolution of an issue concerning non-payment of outstanding dues. Distributors ceased sales of medicines and medical devices such as surgical equipment to the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital (KGMCH) over the weekend. Suppliers had already stopped distributing cardiac stents to the facility […]
President Kovind praises Ayushman Bharat
President Ram Nath Kovind has praised the Centre’s flagship health insurance initiative Ayushman Bharat, touting the number of people who have availed the benefits of the scheme thus far. During an address before a joint parliamentary session, President Kovind said the scheme had made a significant contribution to reducing the catastrophic out-of-pocket spending on health […]
India: The AIDS pharmacy of the world
India is bolstering its reputation as the pharmacy of the world when it comes to the treatment of one condition in particular: AIDS and the virus which causes it, HIV. In 2017, there were approximately 36.9 million individuals living with HIV/AIDS, with 940,000 people succumbing to the complications of the disease. In that year, 1.8 […]