Rajasthan has been battling swine flu cases since the beginning of the year. Now it is looking to another state with a high burden of the disease – Maharashtra – for guidance on how to handle it. “We will implement [the] Maharashtra model in the state to combat swine flu,” said Dr Ravi Prakash Sharma, […]
Maharashtra
Did the state budget promise relief for farmers in Rajasthan?
Towards the end of June, 45-year-old Sohan Lal Kadela was found dead in the town of Raisinghnagar in Rajasthan. Lal was a farmer, who took out a crop loan of Rs 2.5 lakh. Unable to repay, and facing pressure to do so, he committed suicide by ingesting pesticides. “People have been troubling me and demanding […]
Assam flooding spreads as the region is lashed with rains
Assam has faced heavy flooding for several days, with the situation only deteriorating at the week’s end. As of Thursday, 4.2 lakh people across seventeen districts have been affected by the floodwaters. Many have been displaced, with 1,843 people taking refuge in relief camps as the waters submerge 749 villages. The flooding has gotten worse […]
Removing wombs: extreme menstrual stigma
Menstrual stigma is an issue faced by women across India. While more metropolitan urban areas may be thought of as abandoning the age-old perceptions that a woman’s natural menstrual cycle is a sign of impurity or uncleanliness, the reality is the stigma still holds. While societal stigma presents one issue, there are instances where this […]
Encephalitis is not just an issue in Bihar
When it comes to encephalitis, the eyes of India have largely focused on Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district where more than 140 children are believed to have lost their lives to the condition. However, over the course of recent weeks, reports of potential outbreaks have poured in from other parts of Bihar – and from other states. […]
Bridge course gets a boost in Maharashtra
The bridge course allowing alternative and traditional medicine practitioners to fill the role of allopathic physicians was widely criticised when it was first announced last year as a means of plugging the nation’s doctor shortages. Maharashtra, however, continues to embrace it. The first group of Ayurvedic practitioners assumed positions in government-run health and wellness centres […]
TB cases fly under the radar in Pune
In Pune, there are 6,771 registered healthcare facilities. A mere 38 of them report cases of tuberculosis (TB). The health department of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) reported the shocking finding in its latest report, covering hospitals, private establishments, healthcare clinics, chemists, nursing homes, and diagnostic centres according to The Times of India (ToI). This […]
The ongoing war of words over doctors’ strikes in West Bengal
![Mamata Banerjee (Bengali: মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়; Hindi: ममता बनर्जी, pronounced [mɔːmoːt̪ʰaː bɛːnaːrjiː]; born 5 January 1955) is the 11th and current chief minister of the Indian state of West Bengal. She is the first woman to hold the office. Banerjee founded All India Trinamool Congress in 1997 and became chairperson, after separating from the Indian National Congress. Currently she is also in charge of nine key departments of the government of West Bengal, including Home, Health and Family Welfare, Land and Land Reforms, Information and Cultural Affairs, Minority Affairs and Madrassah Education, Agriculture, Power and Home (Personnel and Administrative Reforms) departments. She is popularly referred to as "Didi" (meaning elder sister) to all her followers. This photograph has been taken during the inauguration of the 'Infocom 2011' exhibition at Milan mela ground, Kolkata.](https://i2.wp.com/www.healthissuesindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/800px-Mamata_Banerjee_-_Kolkata_2011-12-08_7541.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 "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 […]
World Environment Day highlights a health crisis
World Environment Day is observed annually on June 5th to commemorate the importance of conserving our environment from the many threats it faces. For India, World Environment Day offers a valuable opportunity to recognise one of the major issues confronting the nation: its poor environmental health, ranked as the worst in the world in the […]
Crackdown on e-cigarettes and similar devices
Authorities in Rajasthan are moving against e-cigarettes in the state following the decision of the state government to ban the devices. Coinciding with last week’s observance of World No Tobacco Day, it was announced that e-cigarettes, or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), would be prohibited in the northern state. The rules prohibit the devices from […]