Page 2 - Healthcare Technologies

Thyrocare acquires Think Health Diagnostics, expands into home ECG services

With this strategic acquisition, Thyrocare will expand its footprint in the pre-policy medical check-up segment for the insurance market

Budget to boost healthcare sector, bolster bulk drug manufacturing: Expert

India's interim Budget would help in addressing some of the major challenges being faced by the country in the health and pharma sector and reinforce India's standing as the Pharmacy of the World, a well-known pharma industry association head has said. The Union Health Ministry has been allocated Rs 90,658.63 crore in the interim Budget for 2024-2025, a hike of 12.59 per cent over 80,517.62 crore in the Budget (revised estimates) for 2023-2024. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government plans to set up more medical colleges by utilising existing hospital infrastructure and will form a committee to examine the issues and make relevant recommendations. India's commitment to promoting research and development in the life sciences sector will receive a boost with the government's plan to establish more medical colleges in the country, Karun Rishi, president of the USA India Chamber of Commerce said on Thursday. "This initiative will improve healthcare services and contribu

Max Healthcare Institute Q3 results: PAT rises 26% to Rs 338 crore

Max Healthcare Institute Ltd on Wednesday reported a 26 per cent growth in its profit after tax at Rs 338 crore in the December quarter. The company had posted a Profit After Tax (PAT) of Rs 269 crore in the third quarter of FY23, Max Healthcare Institute said in a statement. Network gross revenue stood at Rs 1,779 crore, up 14 per cent as compared to Rs 1,559 crore in the same period a year ago, it added. Max Healthcare Institute Chairman and Managing Director Abhay Soi said the company continued to witness positive trends on all parameters even during this quarter. This translated into revenue and profitability growth, despite expected softness in occupancies due to the festive season. "Further, our entry into central UP (Uttar Pradesh) through the acquisition of Sahara Hospital will strengthen our presence in Northern India and will act as a stepping stone in growing Max Healthcare's presence in the region," he added.

Everything to know about Musk's Neuralink and its first human brain implant

For the first time Musk has given the implant device a name

Bajaj Finserv arm acquires 100% stake in Vidal Healthcare Services

On the deal, Pune-based Bajaj Finserv said that it aims to expand its capabilities in the healthcare sector in India

Musk announces successful brain implant procedure in 1st human recipient

Neuralink's brain implant aims to help people with traumatic injuries operate computers using only their thoughts

Haryana govt hospitals, health institutes to implement uniforms from Mar 1

All government hospitals and health institutions in Haryana will implement uniforms for its employees from March 1, Health Minister Anil Vij said on Monday. Vij chaired a meeting with officials of various associations related to the Health and Family Welfare Department on Monday. According to an official statement, Vij said that uniforms for employees in various categories will be implemented in all government hospitals and health institutions across the state from March 1. Last year, the health minister had announced a dress code for healthcare professionals, which barred funky hairstyles, makeup, long nails, denim clothing, T-shirts, skirts, among others at government healthcare centres. Vij had said that a hospital requires its employees to follow certain conduct, and a dress code is an essential component which gives the organisation a "professional touch". At Monday's meeting, the health minister expressed his desire for National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibratio

Meity's Republic Day tableau focuses on AI for social empowerment

India leveraging the power of artificial intelligence in healthcare, logistics and education to further social empowerment was the theme of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology's Republic Day parade tableau. The tractor portion of the tableau, which rolled down the Kartavya Path on Friday, showcased a "female robot" in a thinking posture. The base of the tractor depicted a 3D scale model of a chip. Circuit design on the sides with LED lights showcased the energy that artificial intelligence carries to take India towards development. Artificial intelligence is a kinetic enabler to leap-frog traditional development barriers and catalyse large-scale socio-economic transformation in India, according to an official statement. It said artificial intelligence is expected to add USD 967 billion to the Indian economy by 2035 and USD 450-500 billion to India's GDP by 2025, accounting for 10 per cent of the country's USD 5 trillion GDP target. The front of the float portraye

Committed to enhance eye care infrastructure across nation: Nitin Gadkari

Sharp Sight Eye Hospital's new facility is spread across 45,000 square feet hospital and can serve over 1000 patients daily in its Outpatient Department (OPD)

Health sector's Budget wishlist: Increase spending to 2.5% of GDP

Key demands include rationalising GST rates, investment in skilling professionals, building local capabilities

Ozempic's massive bills: Weight loss drugs will be billed to US taxpayers

State and local governments across the US are grappling with a growing problem: Expensive drugs to treat diabetes and obesity are threatening to drain their health-care budgets

Apollo Hospitals plans to invest Rs 3,000 cr, add 2,000 beds in 3 years: MD

Free cash flows will enable health care chain to grow, says Suneeta Reddy

New AI model could be used to predict Covid-variant waves, finds research

An artificial intelligence (AI) model can predict which variants of the Covid-causing SARS-CoV-2 virus will likely bring about fresh waves of the infection, a new research has found. The model can detect around 73 per cent of the variants in each country that will cause at least 1,000 cases per 10 lakh people in the three months, following an observation period of one week, and over 80 per cent after two weeks, researchers said. The team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US, and The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Israel, analysed 9 SARS-CoV-2 million genetic sequences across 30 countries, collected by the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID). This was combined with data on vaccination rates, infection rates, and other factors. The initiative "promotes the rapid sharing of data from priority pathogens including influenza, hCoV-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hMpxV as well as arboviruses including chikungunya, dengue and zika," ...

Increase budget allocation on health to 2.5 pc of GDP: NATHEALTH

NATHEALTH-Healthcare Federation of India on Tuesday asked the government to increase budget allocation on health to 2.5 per cent of GDP while also calling for a restructuring of the healthcare GST framework. In its pre-Budget recommendations, NATHEALTH underlined the need for the government to embark on transformative measures that prioritise bolstering healthcare infrastructure and making strategic investments to overcome supply side constraints. "India's public healthcare spending remains low, at only around 1.6-1.8 per cent of GDP. These allocations are insufficient to tackle the magnitude of healthcare challenges," NATHEALTH said in a statement. It recommended "increasing budget allocation to 2.5 per cent of GDP to augment the social insurance schemes, boosting healthcare reforms and infrastructure and fast-tracking digital health services across India." On the need for rationalisation of GST for the healthcare sector, it said, "Although increased budget allocation has been a .

Reliance General Insurance launches new policy for overseas treatment

Reliance General Insurance Company Ltd (RGICL) on Saturday said it has launched a new policy to make global healthcare accessible to Indians. The policy, Reliance Health Global, provides comprehensive cover not only within the borders of India but across the world, RGICL said in a statement. The policy will cover expenses for overseas treatment, including critical illnesses like cancer and bypass surgery, it added. It also encompasses travel, accommodation, and end-to-end Visa and assistance services, addressing emergencies like lost passports or emergency cash, apart from sum-insured coverage of up to USD 1 million, the company said. The new product also offers benefits ranging from air ambulance to organ donor expenses with no restrictions on room rent. "As India globalises and a lot of Indians keep travelling abroad for work or leisure it's imperative to remove their pain of buying multiple policies separately for India and overseas," Reliance General Insurance CEO Rakesh Jain

How human healing is getting a dose of regenerative technology

A lab-grown, fully functional human body organ could soon be a reality as regenerative technologies rapidly advance. In that advancement, a regulatory system will be needed

Health, educational facilities are urban development parameters: SC judge

Supreme Court Judge Abhay Oka on Saturday said urban development must not be just about high-rises, massive flyovers and roads but also parameters like affordable medical facilities and educational institutions. Justice Oka said the time had come to decide about what constitutes the parameters of development of any city. Speaking at the launch of a book titled 'Thane- The Eternal City' written by Joe Alavares, the SC judge said Thane city has a rich heritage and history. He, however, said the lakes and industries in the city have vanished over time. He appreciated the lecture series started by Thane municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar and said it helps educate citizens on topics like customs and tradition besides history. Addressing the gathering, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, president of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, said a day earmarked for Thane city should be celebrated in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of observing the foundation day of cities. The

India pitches for equitable access to essential healthcare products

India on Tuesday called for equitable access to essential healthcare products and their last-mile delivery to ensure innovations reach those who need the most. Addressing a meeting of the second World Local Production Forum (WLPF) at Hague in the Netherlands, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Bhagwant Khuba urged the Forum to focus on "last-mile delivery of healthcare products to ensure that the benefits of innovations reach those who need them most and guarantee equitable access to essential healthcare products.". WLPF is an initiative of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The minister also said that the Forum must focus on marketing, upscaling regional manufacturing, efficient procurement and delivery systems, and repurposing existing infrastructure for efficient coordination during health emergencies, an official statement quoted Khuba as saying. He said this meeting provides a crucial opportunity to share experiences, challenges and successes in the development

Gates Foundation funding $40 mn to help develop mRNA vaccines in Africa

A USD 40 million investment will help several African manufacturers produce new messenger RNA vaccines on the continent where people were last in line to receive jabs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced Monday. While it could still take at least three more years before any of the vaccines are approved and on the market, the foundation said that its mRNA investment marks an important step forward in improving vaccine equity. Whether it's for local diseases in Africa like Rift Valley (fever) or for global diseases like TB, mRNA looks like a very promising approach, Bill Gates told The Associated Press on Sunday after visiting one of the facilities involved, the Institut Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal. And so it allows us to bring in lots of African capabilities to work on these vaccines, and then this can be scaled up. The announcement comes as the foundation opens its annual three-day Grand Challenges event, which brings together scientists and .

India, Dominican Republic keen to boost cooperation in healthcare, medicine

Moreover, the talks between the two sides also focussed on issues of multilateralism, and on how to cooperatively address major global challenges