Health issues in India
A major part of the Government’s healthcare agenda has been the promotion of alternative medicines. To this end, the BJP government established a cabinet ministry in 2014 to promote traditional and alternative medicine systems like ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, unani, siddha, and homoeopathy named the AYUSH ministry). Under the previous Congress government, AYUSH was a small […]
Elections for the 17th Lok Sabha polls began yesterday, commencing the largest election in world history, which will pan out in seven phases over the next month. The first phase witnessed an overwhelming turnout in 91 constituencies across twenty states, where 140 million Indians were eligible to vote. Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda took […]
“Modi deserves another chance as this country’s head,” a sanitation worker remarked in February. He was responding to a gesture that made headlines because of its unprecedented humility, wherein the Prime Minister washed the feet of five sanitation workers during a visit to the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela. The Prime Minister tweeted that he would “cherish” […]
More than two years ago, Greenpeace warned that India was facing an “apocalypse” because of air pollution. This week, we are given yet another warning about the public health catastrophe brewing in the air and festering in Indians’ lungs. This is thanks to the 2019 State of Global Air Report. In 2017, India lost 1.2 million […]
When it comes to smoking, the damage is not to the smoker’s health alone. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than a third of people worldwide are exposed to passive smoking. Exposure to this secondhand smoke is responsible for approximately 600,000 deaths every year. It is good news then that Delhi is cracking […]
When you go to vote this time, do consider health as one of the biggest benefits of democracy. When thinking about democracy and its advantages, positive effects on health are often not the first thing that comes to mind. Yet new research published in The Lancet suggests democracy plays a bigger role in better health […]
Narendra Modi made tackling India’s sanitation woes a cornerstone of his 2014 election campaign. With the launch of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan after the BJP’s victory in the polls, it seemed as though the government was moving towards fulfilling its promises. Almost five years on, how has the Mission benefited India and to what extent […]
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had vowed from the banks of the mighty River Ganga, “It’s my destiny to serve Maa Ganga,” when he was elected in May 2014. But after five years Goddess Ganga may not be too impressed. The Government’s target to clean the holy river by 2020 is far from being met. To […]
One of the most significant achievements of the Narendra Modi’s government has been the mega healthcare reform ushered in with the launch of flagship healthcare scheme, Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana – better known as Ayushman Bharat, or ‘Modicare’. The ambitious scheme – often touted as the world’s biggest healthcare scheme – aims to provide […]
The Centre will add 2,500 Jan Aushadhi stores to its existing stock by 2020 – with the eventual aim of one store for every block. Jan Aushadhi stores are special kendras (centres) opened under the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pari Yojana Kendra (PMBJPK) initiative, which seeks to expand access to medicines. These centres […]
