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Harsh Vardhan

Ayushman Bharat on track, Vardhan tells MPs

The Centre’s flagship health insurance scheme is on track, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan informed Lok Sabha MPs yesterday.  Addressing parliamentarians during Question Hour, Vardhan said that approximately 10.74 crore families were covered under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), better known as Ayushman Bharat. Vardhan emphasised the flexibility of the scheme in …

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Mobilising people to fight vector-borne diseases in Delhi

“Probably for the first time, the Centre, state and all local bodies will put together their efforts to mobilise the community for a public health activity,” said Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, as he announced a three-day campaign in Delhi beginning this week to increase public awareness of vector-borne diseases yesterday. Amidst the monsoon …

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Government to expand the number of health and wellness centres

Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) – better known as Ayushman Bharat – the Centre is planning to expand the number of health and wellness centres (HWCs) in the country.  Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan told Rajya Sabha MPs that 19,576 HWCs were currently operational across the country. By the end of …

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Digital health blueprint announced by Dr Vardhan

The government will utilise digital health to expand access to healthcare and achieve universal health coverage (UHC), Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has pledged.  The National Digital Health Blueprint, which Vardhan announced in New Delhi yesterday, will serve to implement a National Digital Health Ecosystem with the goal of “[establishing] state-of-the-art digital health systems.” …

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Supreme Court intervenes in Bihar child deaths

The deaths of more than 100 children due to an outbreak of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in Bihar has come under the scanner of the Supreme Court. The tragedy has sparked national outrage and arrested international headlines. As the death toll passed 150 over the weekend, the Chief Judicial Magistrate of the Muzaffarpur district (where most …

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Will the Delhi government and the Centre meet in the middle on health?

After a protracted battle of one-upmanship over competing health models, the Delhi government and the Centre could arrive at a middle ground. In an unprecedented gesture, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday for the first time since the general election to seek collaboration in Yamuna water conservation and state’s health …

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The ongoing war of words over doctors’ strikes in West Bengal

What began as an agitation in West Bengal is poised to become a national movement, as the Indian Medical Association (IMA) calls for a doctors’ strike on Monday over safety at work. A severe attack on an intern at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata resulted in the ongoing stir. Exhortations and threats …

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Vardhan reaches out to holdout states on Ayushman Bharat

The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan, has reached out to the states where the Centre’s flagship healthcare scheme has yet to be implemented, exhorting them to do so. Vardhan has made strengthening the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), popularly known as ‘Ayushman Bharat’, a top priority during his second …

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Nipah virus outbreak: Six test negative, containment efforts ongoing

Six people suspected of infection with the Nipah virus have been given the all-clear as containment efforts continue. Authorities confirmed a second outbreak of the disease in the state of Kerala after a 23-year-old college student tested positive for the virus during an initial examination. The aftermath saw a swift response by state health authorities, …

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Ayushman Bharat: The coming expansion

The BJP’s agenda, as outlined in its manifesto for this year’s Lok Sabha polls, was vindicated with a sweeping electoral victory – and the Prime Minister did not exclude the subject of health or his flagship Ayushman Bharat from his victory speech after the results were declared. “The victory, he said, was not his, but …

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