Public Health

Mpox continues to be public health emergency as cases resurge, says WHO

Decision comes as Mpox cases surge, particularly with the spread of the clade Ib variant beyond its origin in the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighbouring African nations, Europe, and Asia

Not right to do politics on public health issue: Kejriwal to PM Modi

AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of doing politics over the issue of public health in the national capital. Kejriwal's remarks came after Prime Minister Modi criticised the Delhi and West Bengal governments for failing to implement the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme out of "political interests". Modi said he was disappointed with the state of free healthcare for the elderly in the two states and called it a missed opportunity to serve the senior citizens. Addressing a public gathering at New Delhi's All India Institute of Ayurveda, Modi said, "I apologise to all the elderly aged above 70 years in Delhi and West Bengal. I hear your pain, but due to the state governments' decisions, I cannot help you." Reacting to Modi's allegations, Kejriwal said speaking wrongly about the issue of public health and indulging in politics on it is not right. In a long post on X, Kejriwal said PM Modi should study the Delhi model of healthcare and

NITI group pitches for a separate law to tackle future public health crisis

An expert group constituted by Niti Aayog to prepare a framework for future pandemic preparedness has suggested enacting separate legislation to handle public health crises. The report titled 'Future Pandemic Preparedness and Emergency Response - A Framework for Action' said learning from the experience of COVID-19, the experts have realised that responding in the first 100 days of an outbreak is crucial for effective management. "A separate Public Health Emergency Management Act (PHEMA) is proposed to facilitate the management of any public health crisis. "The PHEMA can address various aspects beyond epidemics, including non-communicable diseases, disasters, and bio-terrorism, and should be in place for a developed country," it said. It will allow a holistic approach to health management, covering prevention, control, and disaster response, the report added. "The Act would also provide for the creation of skilled public health cadres at national and state levels," it said. The r

India projected to face 2 mn deaths from antimicrobial resistance by 2050

Antimicrobials, including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics, are medicines used to prevent and treat infectious diseases in humans, animals and plants

Astrazeneca row: Only 7 in a million at risk of TTS, says ex-ICMR scientist

Former ICMR scientist Raman Gangakhedkar said the risk is highest after the initial dose, eventually decreasing with subsequent doses

AstraZeneca vaccine: From its origin to side effects, all you need to know

Manufactured first in 2021, the AstraZeneca vaccine, known in India as Covishield, has been facing scrutiny over the years, with many countries banning it back in 2021 itself

Tomorrow Capital leads $2.7 mm fundraise for kidney care startup VitusCare

Venture capital fund Tomorrow Capital on Tuesday said it has led a USD 2.7 million (over Rs 20 crore) fundraise for VitusCare, a kidney care startup based in Gurugram. In addition to Tomorrow Capital's contribution, the Series A funding round saw participation from existing investor 1Crowd, alongside support from 3i Partners and a consortium of angel investors, totalling approximately USD 5 million in funding across all the funding rounds, the company said in a statement. The fresh capital injection will empower VitusCare to aggressively expand its operations, with a targeted focus on deeper penetration into 'Bharat', it added. "As the prevalence of lifestyle-related disorders such as diabetes and hypertension continue to rise, the demand for kidney-related services is poised to increase exponentially. VitusCare's innovative approach and impressive growth trajectory align perfectly with our mission to invest in solutions that make a meaningful impact on public health," Tomorrow ...

Relaxation in development rules can't be allowed public safety is affected

Relaxation of development rules cannot be permitted if it adversely affects public safety, the Bombay High Court has said while ordering the removal of seven mechanised cantilever car parking spaces (stack parking) constructed in a residential building here. A division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Kamal Khata noted that the stack parking system in the premises of the housing society in Borivali completely undermined the fire safety and public safety not only of members of the society but also of children, senior citizens, and perhaps even passersby. The order dated January 18 was made available on Tuesday. The bench noted that no fire tender or ambulance can go past the stack parking in case of emergencies in the society. The court passed the order in a petition filed by Rahul Jain, an ophthalmologist, challenging the decision to set up seven mechanised cantilever (stack) car parking spaces at his housing society in the western suburb of Borivali, as it was blocking the entra

Delhi HC issues notice to authorities over sale of repackaged expired food

A division bench has filed a suo motu PIL over the sale of food products passed their expiry dates that are repackaged on sold, raising concerns on public health and safety

Health for humanity

As health anxieties rise, K Srinath Reddy's book explores linkages between health and biology, geography, economic means, and social stature, offering useful insights

State index of education, health, economic condition to be prepared: UP CM

The Chief Minister further said, "For our planning to be in line with the target, it is crucial to gather accurate data

Health min Mandaviya inaugurates integrated public health labs in Andhra

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated seven integrated public health laboratories in various districts of Andhra Pradesh here on Friday. He also laid the foundation stone for two critical care blocks and a Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) laboratory in Vijayawada, which are aimed at giving a boost to the healthcare infrastructure in the state. "The BSL laboratory, seven integrated public health laboratories and the two critical care blocks once operational will play a pivotal role in providing quality medical services to the people of Andhra Pradesh," said Mandaviya, addressing officials and media. The Union Minister noted that the Central government is following a holistic approach towards health by upgrading and expanding healthcare infrastructure in the country, which also includes building more medical and nursing colleges. He said that now there are 23 All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) while MBBS and nursing seats have doubled. Mandaviya said collective .

Amid rising Covid-19 cases, govt not planning mask mandate or vaccine shots

On Thursday, India reported 358 new cases of Covid-19, of which 300 cases were from Kerala; Insacog said no traces of widespread infection were found yet

Kerala records 265 fresh Covid-19 cases, one death in last 24 hours

Kerala reported 265 fresh COVID-19 infections and one death due to the disease in the last 24 hours, according to data on the Union Health Ministry website on Friday. Of the 328 coronavirus infections reported nationwide till 8 am today, 265 were from Kerala, taking the active cases in the state to 2,606, as per the website. With one death reported in the state, the total number of people who have died due to coronavirus in Kerala since its outbreak three years ago reached 72,060. The number of people who were cured, discharged, or migrated in the last 24 hours after being diagnosed with the infection stood at 275. With that, the total number of cases under this category rose to 68,37,689 till date. The state reported 300 new COVID-19 infections and three deaths due to the disease on Thursday. On Tuesday, Health Minister Veena George reassured the people of the state that despite the rise in COVID cases in Kerala, there is no cause for alarm. The hospitals are adequately equipped

Govt improving people's health with holistic approach, campaigns: Amit Shah

The Centre has taken up the mission to improve the health of people with a holistic approach by increasing the budget for it and launching various schemes and campaigns in the last one decade, Union Minister Amit Shah has said. Addressing the 6th Advancements in Endourology Conference here on Saturday, Shah also thanked doctors and paramedical staff for working with dedication in the fight against COVID-19. "The Union as well as state governments and doctors across the country are working together with a holistic approach to improve the health of the people through the implementation of schemes prepared minutely during the last 10 years," he said. "The biggest work was to increase the health budget from Rs 33,000 crore to Rs 1.33 lakh crore. The government worked to improve the health infrastructure and increase human resources required for modern medical science," he added. Campaigns such as the Swachh Bharat Yojana launched for prevention of diseases as well as initiatives to tak

Doctor-people ratio in India 1:834, including AYUSH professionals: Govt

India's doctor-population ratio is 1:834 assuming 80 per cent availability of registered allopathic doctors and 5.65 lakh AYUSH doctors, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. There are 36.14 lakh nursing personnel in the country and the nurse-population ratio is 1:476, she said. According to the National Medical Commission (NMC), there are 13,08,009 allopathic doctors registered with the State Medical Councils and the National Medical Commission (NMC) as on June, 2022, Pawar said in a written reply. "Assuming 80 per cent availability of registered allopathic doctors and 5.65 lakh AYUSH doctors, the doctor-population ratio in the country is 1:834," she said. Pawar also said the government has increased the number of medical colleges and subsequently increased MBBS seats. There is an increase of 82 per cent in medical colleges from 387 before 2014 to 706 as of now. Further, there is an increase of 112 per cent in MBBS seats from 51,348 b

TMS Ep581: Pandemic-preparedness, internet growth, markets, 10,000-yr clock

Is India prepared for the next pandemic? What is holding back India's internet growth? What should you do with rate-sensitive stocks? What is Jeff Bezos' 10,000-year clock? All answers here

New Zealand reverses ground-breaking smoking ban to fund tax cuts

The move has sparked outrage among public health officials and anti-tobacco groups, who are dismayed by the decision to abandon the ban to finance tax cuts

Luxon sworn in as New Zealand prime minister, says economy is top priority

Christopher Luxon was sworn in as New Zealand's prime minister on Monday and said his top priority was to improve the economy. The 53-year-old former businessman leads a conservative coalition after his National Party struck a deal on Friday with two smaller parties following a general election last month. After the swearing-in ceremony, which was presided over by Governor-General Cindy Kiro, Luxon told reporters the job was an awesome responsibility". He said he would hold his first Cabinet meeting on Tuesday and look to quickly finalise a 100-day plan. He said he also planned a visit to Australia before Christmas Day. Luxon said he needed to get a Treasury briefing on the state of the government's finances. We are concerned and worried that it's been a deteriorating picture for a number of months now, Luxon said. Under the coalition agreement, Luxon has promised to deliver tax cuts and train 500 more police officers within two years. He has also promised less government bureau

Who is in charge of my 'air'?

Controlling air pollution calls for negotiations that cover airsheds, as air is mobile and beyond artificial legal jurisdictions