Health issues in India
When we think about doctors, the white lab coat is often one of the first things that come to mind. In fact, many of us do not feel comfortable seeing doctors who dress without them. Yet this symbol of the medical profession may be a breeding ground for deadly bacteria. New research suggests that the […]
Sexual relationships between doctors and patients are unethical, even if consensual or instigated by the patient, the Medical Council of India (MCI) has declared. Adopting and publishing guidelines outlined by the Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS), the MCI said relationships between medicos and patients – past and present – should be discouraged and violate tenets of […]
A British high court has upheld a decision made last year to bar an Indian doctor from practising in the UK for alleged medical malpractice while he was working in Mumbai. Dr Pantula Sastry was held to account by the London High Court for his role in the death of a lymphoma sufferer in July […]
India’s shortage of surgeons could get worse in the coming years, new government data suggests. The number of medical trainees studying to become surgeons is declining. Of 2,029 surgery seats in super speciality courses for the 2018-19 academic year, 189 went unfilled. Super speciality courses are those for which candidates have to clear National Eligibility-cum-Entrance […]
Doctors reacted with anger after a government minister suggested they only work forty hours a week. India’s shortage of doctors often makes their job harder, outraged medicos suggested as they claim to work often double that figure. One doctor at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) stated that doctors sometimes work between 100 and […]
Shocking findings from Punjab have served to highlight one of the biggest issues confronting public health in India: the country’s lack of specialist doctors. Doctors untrained in the field of forensics perform eighty percent of autopsies in the state. This is resulting in “poor quality of work”, warns Dr D S Bhullar, president of the […]
Telemedicine can provide a useful route for patients getting a consultation who otherwise face difficulty in seeing a doctor. However, the country’s apex doctors’ network has called for clear guidelines on the practise amidst legal uncertainty following a recent court case. Two doctors were found culpable by the Bombay High Court (BHC) in the death […]
It is no secret that our public health system is in dire straits. With less than one doctor for every 11,000 people and shortages of hospitals, personnel and resources (especially in rural areas), many patients face difficulty availing care. It boggles the mind, then, that states aren’t making the most of the healthcare funds. Between […]
Type 1 diabetes can reduce life expectancy if onset occurs when the patient is young, claims a study recently published in The Lancet. In India, diabetes numbers are surging. Disconcertingly, rates are increasing among India’s young population. It was recently revealed that around 97,000 children in India suffer from type 1 diabetes. In Delhi alone […]
Obesity is one of India’s most significant public health crises. Nationwide thirty million Indians struggle with their weight. Shockingly, this figure includes 14.4 million children who are considered obese. One of these children embarked on a battle to save his life. This fight saw him become the world’s heaviest teen to undergo gastric bypass surgery. […]
