Doctors and hospitals could face action if government-employed medicos participate in private practice during the office hours of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). More than eighty percent of doctors and seventy percent of nurses and midwives are employed by the private sector in India. Government doctors should not participate in private practice between the hours […]
Maharashtra
Lymphatic filariasis: Can India eliminate it?
At the beginning of October, the island nation of Kiribati announced that it had eliminated lymphatic filariasis. By 2021, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has pledged that India will do the same. What is lymphatic filariasis? Lymphatic filariasis, or elephantiasis, is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that attacks the lymphatic system. It is caused […]
An AYUSH hospital for every district
The Maharashtra government is advancing plans to realise the broader ambitions of the Union Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), with the announcement of plans to erect an AYUSH hospital in each of the state’s districts. The plans were announced by Subhash Gholap, assistant director of the state AYUSH department, […]
Quack doctors crackdown on Mumbai
Authorities in Mumbai will be cracking down on quack doctors operating in the city, following the arrest of five unqualified practitioners earlier this month. “Bogus doctors are a menace to society and a threat to human life,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Pranay Ashok said following the arrests. “In this major crackdown, the police has busted […]
H1N1 claims more lives in Maharashtra
H1N1 has claimed more than 200 lives in Maharashtra this year, as the state continues to be a hotspot of the disease in India. Commonly known as ‘swine flu’, H1N1 has been a blight on public health in India in recent years. An outbreak in 2015 recorded 42,592 cases and 2,990 deaths. After a plateau […]
NMC penalises hospitals for dumping medical waste
A total of 23 hospitals and clinics have been penalised by the nuisance detection squad of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), which has issued fines to the tune of Rs 2.19 lakh for improper dumping of biomedical waste. Such dumping is a major pollution and sanitation issue in India. Hundreds of tonnes of medical waste […]
Suspected dengue fever leads to 2,000 hospitalisations in Mumbai after monsoon
Almost 2,000 Mumbai residents were hospitalised with suspected dengue fever in the beginning of October, amidst the withdrawal of monsoon rains. The first fifteen days of October marked a slight spike in cases of suspected dengue fever compared to the same period in September. In total, 1,970 suspected dengue fever cases have been reported in […]
Pan masala brands: Centre urged to act
The Centre is under pressure from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to ban certain pan masala brands which contain magnesium carbonate and/or nicotine. Pan masala, a chewing mixture which sometimes contains tobacco, has come under fire across the country. Numerous states have taken steps to ban certain brands. In Rajasthan, state […]
Maharashtra government in the firing line from experts on health
The Maharashtra government is in the firing line for its performance on health indicator by experts, who claim that the outward appearance of progress belies the truth of the government’s performance. “The last five years tell the story of lost opportunities as far as the health sector is concerned,” said Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (People’s Health […]
DATRI and Christ College to raise awareness of blood diseases in Pune
Christ College in Pune and online blood stem cell donor database DATRI will collaborate to raise awareness of blood disorders such as blood cancers and thalassemia which require blood stem cell transplants. “There are large [numbers] of patients suffering from blood cancer and thalassemia major among others for which the last resort is blood stem […]