![Sex ratio at birth. Sex determination ban in India to prevent imbalanced sex ratio. By Melanurya (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://i1.wp.com/www.healthissuesindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Sex_determination_ban.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 "Sex determination ban in India and freedom of speech")
In Haryana’s Panchkula district, a clinic has been raided by the state health department over allegations of a sex determination racket operating there. The Siddharth Clinic in Swastik Vihar, located in the Mansa Devi Complex, claimed to perform “infertility, gynae and ultrasound”, despite being unregistered with local authorities, and that equipment for procedures it was […]
Pregnancy
Black carbon: How air pollution may affect the health of an unborn child
New research has identified a potential risk of air pollution to unborn children during pregnancy: black carbon. Black carbon is a pollutant generated by the burning of fuels such as biomass and fossils. Particles have been detected on the side of the placenta which faces the foetus. The placenta is an organ which develops during […]
Child and maternal mortality: India still a leader
“Thirty years ago, the world made a commitment to protect and fulfil children’s rights as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Among the most fundamental of these rights is the right of every child to survive.” So reads the introduction of the latest Levels and Trends in Child Mortality, a joint […]
Fertility experts call for IVF age limit
Fertility experts have called for age restrictions to be placed on who can access in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) in India. A law should be drawn up at the central level, the Indian Fertility Society (IFS) has said, which would prevent cases like that of 74-year-old Mangayamma Yaramati. She delivered twin daughters in Andhra Pradesh at a […]
IVF at 74: A medical miracle or breach of ethics?
Last week, 74-year-old Mangayamma Yaramati made history after giving birth to twins following treatment with in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) – potentially becoming the world’s oldest birth mother. However, the news has been controversial, with fertility experts in India expressing criticism that the procedure was performed on a woman at such an advanced age. Mangayamma (identified by […]
Insurance boon for IVF?
Some insurance companies may cover in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) under health insurance plans, it has been reported. The news comes as a boon for couples struggling with infertility, a condition affecting an increasing number of Indians. According to the Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction, between ten and fourteen percent of Indians struggle with their fertility. In […]
Commercial surrogacy ban clears the Lok Sabha
A controversial bill which lead to a commercial surrogacy ban in India cleared the Lok Sabha on Monday. MPs passed the legislation, which Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan called “the need of the hour”, by a voice vote. Vardhan stated it was “unfortunate that the country had emerged as a hub of commercial surrogacy […]
Commercial surrogacy crackdown planned by the Government
The Centre has introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to ban commercial surrogacy – part of an ongoing effort to crack down on the practise, with the goal of stopping women being exploited. The bill, if passed, would severely restrict opportunities for surrogacy. Couples, of women aged between 23 and fifty and men aged […]
In major error, millions of pregnant women’s data leaked online
In a major technical error, more than 12.5 million medical records belonging to pregnant women were left exposed and available for public consumption. Failure to secure a database containing the records – some of which dated back to 2014 – saw sensitive information left publically accessible. It was not until a researcher discovered the error […]
What drives India’s unnecessary C-section crisis?
A fifty percent increase in caesarean sections in the Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh has caused alarm and prompted state health minister Tulsiram Silawat to commission an investigation. The reported rise was described by the minister as ‘objectionable’. According to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, c-sections should not account for more than fifteen percent of […]