The coronavirus pandemic continues to take hold in India, with numbers now exceeding 100,000. Maharashtra has become a focal point of the epidemic, harbouring around a third of India’s overall coronavirus burden. According to Al Jazeera on May 14th, “about a third of India’s 71,865 confirmed virus cases, and nearly forty percent of its 2,415 […]
Maharashtra
Coronavirus pandemic a ‘very real’ threat
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the threat of a full-blown novel coronavirus pandemic is ‘very real’ – lending further credence to fears that a coronavirus pandemic could manifest as the foretold ‘Disease X.’ In light of the continued coronavirus outbreak in India, the Union Government is urging a number of ministries to […]
Cancer deaths at 6,000 in Maharashtra: How this fits in with the national burden
Cancer is among the leading threats to public health the world over – India being no exception. In Maharashtra, the country’s second-most populous state, the disease incurred a significant toll last year in terms of mortality, with the state health minister confirming that Maharashtra recorded almost 6,000 cancer deaths last year. Rajesh Tope, who serves […]
‘We are not slaves’ – Sanitation workers fight back
Sanitation is one of India’s most pressing challenges in health and development. The improvement of sanitation standards in the country has been a priority of the BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi since it first came to power in 2014 – perhaps most notably through its Swachh Bharat Abhiyan campaign. To further these […]
Violence against doctors crackdown in Maharashtra
The Maharashtra state chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has announced it will crack down on violence against doctors in the state, setting up a registry to record details of such instances to leverage in efforts to end the practice. The IMA reports that 75 percent of healthcare workers in India have been the […]
Private cancer care boon in Mumbai
The first privately-run hospital dedicated to oncology has been launched in Mumbai, in a boon for private cancer care for the Maharashtra state capital’s denizens. As previously reported by Health Issues India, cancer infrastructure in India is in great need of an upgrade. An estimated 2.25 million people live with the disease in the country, […]
Mobile endoscopy in Maharashtra
A mobile endoscopy unit has been unveiled in Maharashtra, in a first-of-its-kind diagnostic project. The Rs 1 crore ‘Endoscopy on Wheels’ project aims to provide gastrointestinal diagnostics treatment for those who struggle to access such treatment. Outfitted with endoscopic devices, an operating theatre, two doctors, and technicians, the mobile endoscopy unit was envisioned by Dr […]
Intensified immunisation drive in Maharashtra to benefit almost 80,000 kids
Almost 80,000 children and more than 13,000 pregnant women will benefit from an intensified immunisation drive in Maharashtra. The news comes from the state on the heels of an announcement earlier this year that the Government of India was stepping up its immunisation efforts through Indradhanush 2: an enhanced version of the Government’s vaccination drive […]
Private practice warning for Mumbai doctors and hospitals
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 […]
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 […]