The pandemic of coronavirus has highlighted to health systems the world over why health systems are important – and emphasised in particular the vital role of nursing on the front line. It is fitting, therefore, that 2020 marks the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. The World Health Organization (WHO) unveiled earlier this […]
Healthcare
PPE shortages in India lessening
The Union Government has sought to assure healthcare workers that personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages in the country are easing off. The arrivals of ordered imports and continued efforts to procure the much-needed supplies domestically are underway to guarantee staff safety. “Along with domestic supplies of 20,000 coveralls, a total of 1.9 lakh (190,000) coveralls […]
World Health Day in a time of crisis
Today marks World Health Day – an observance the world marks this year in the context of the global pandemic of coronavirus. Cases of COVID-19 – the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or coronavirus – are rising sharply globally. India has reported thousands of infections and well in excess of […]
PPE kits dispatched to hospitals, more ordered
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has announced provisions for the distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) kits to the nation’s healthcare providers amidst the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. Already, 60,000 PPE kits have been procured by the Union Health Ministry for hospitals so healthcare workers can safeguard themselves against COVID-19. 3.34 lakh PPEs […]
Health workers face a massive struggle
During the Janata Curfew, throngs of Indians broke out in applause and other displays of gratitude in a mass felicitation of the country’s health workers manning the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. However, for many doctors, nurses, and other healthcare personnel, the reality of the pandemic is grim. Numerous reports have […]
Janata Curfew sees health workers praised
The Janata Curfew which saw millions of Indians nationwide self-quarantine for fourteen hours led to an outpouring of thanks for the country’s health workers. The mass felicitation witnessed Indians across the nation who heeded Modi’s call for the Janata curfew to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic to applaud and ring bells in honour of the healthcare […]
AI in healthcare: The coming expansion
The application of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare is one of the most significant trends to have emerged in digital health in recent years. New projections suggest the sector can expect significant growth in the next few years. By 2026, forecasters have said AI-based healthcare will be worth US$8 billion – a growth of 49.7 […]
Malnutrition in Muzaffarpur – hotspot of Bihar’s encephalitis deaths
The outbreak of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district has raised eyebrows about the efficacy of healthcare infrastructure in the state. Now, one initiative aimed at combating malnutrition – implicated as a cause behind the crisis of encephalitis deaths among the district’s children – has come under scrutiny. The district ranked eighteenth out […]
Medical waste: A pollution crisis no-one talks about
Because of pollution, 350 hospitals and clinics in Goa face closure. This is not because of air pollution, however. It is because of a different pollutant entirely: medical waste. The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has issued show cause notices to the facilities in question because of their failure to “[apply] for authorisation and […]
#HealthForAll: Why India lacks access to healthcare
Here is another example of the crumbling state of India’s healthcare infrastructure and the reason behind lack of access to essential, life-saving drugs. India has a shortage of an estimated 600,000 doctors and two million nurses, claims a study conducted by the Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP), titled “Access Barriers to Antibiotics.” […]