Health issues in India
The Centre’s controversial ban on Oxytocin may have been stayed until October, but authorities in Delhi are already cracking down on illegal sales of the drug. Authorities in the national capital have seized samples of Oxytocin from some vendors. This came after “a joint surprise check” was carried out by officers of the Central Drug […]
The Centre’s ban on hormone drug Oxytocin was supposed to come into force today, but has been stayed till October by the Delhi High Court (DHC). The news will surely come as a relief to activists, doctors and drugmakers opposing the Centre’s decision to tighten restrictions on the drug’s production and sale in India. Many […]
The Centre has revoked its decision to ban retail sale of Oxytocin, a life saving drug for pregnant women in India after petitioners moved court. But tight restrictions remain in place. Oxytocin is a hormone drug used in the treatment of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), the predominant cause of maternal mortality in India. Its misuse in […]
Will the government take a u-turn on its decision to revoke ban on hormone drug oxytocin or will the private companies be allowed to produce the life saving drug? The Delhi High Court is seeking answers from the Centre over legal challenges filed against its controversial ban on the hormone drug oxytocin. The Centre seems […]
The Centre has been encouraged to scrap its controversial ban on private sector sales of Oxytocin by the Drug and Technical Advisory Board (DTAB). In a stunning u-turn from the body’s previous stance, it is now exhorting the health ministry to ensure that the hormone drug is “[available] for human use.” Oxytocin is used to […]
India is failing to be a breastfeeding nation – potentially putting the lives of its newborns at risk. Just 41.5 percent of newborns in India are breastfed within an hour of being born. This is according to new data released by UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), ahead of World Breastfeeding Awareness Week this year. On […]
India is a safer country to be a mother than it was twenty years ago. Could a new version of the drug carbetocin make it even safer? In 1990, 556 Indian mothers lost their lives for every one lakh (100,000) live births. 2016 saw this figure drop by 77 percent to 130 deaths for every […]
This article was originally published on The News Minute and has been republished with permission. By Nimeshika Jayachandran “Adilabad used to have a high rate of maternal mortality, especially among the tribal women. So many of them were just young girls really. They get married young and when they became pregnant, it was difficult for […]
By Nimeshika Jayachandran This article was first published on The News Minute and has been republished with permission. When Sharada* had her first child three years ago, she hadn’t expected the turmoil she would experience post-delivery. “I remember looking down at this baby, and just feeling so overwhelmed with sadness. I felt hopeless and I […]
The lives of almost 100,000 Indian children could be saved every year, with better breastfeeding practices. This is according to a new report by the Global Breastfeeding Collective, released to mark Breastfeeding Awareness Week (August 1-7). The report claims 830,000 deaths of children under five years could be averted globally each year if countries scaled […]
