India is the first country included in the WHO Neglected tropical diseases roadmap to be free of both yaws (endemic treponematoses) and neonatal tetanus, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The Roadmap, published in 2011, is “a comprehensive plan of control, elimination and eradication targets for 17 NTDs to be reached between 2012-2020” Yaws […]
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Indian research may point to new treatments for psychological trauma
A single severe stressful event can cause delayed and long term psychological trauma. This is according to new research by Sumantra Chattarji of the National Center for Biological Sciences and the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine in Bengaluru. Chattarji’s team found that changes occurred in the amygdala (small node located in the […]
India in talks of healthcare partnership with Canada
A new healthcare agreement between India and Canada will be the focus of a summit early next year promoting It is the kind of agreement that has been promoted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last few months. It may prove important to his administration’s National Health Policy (NHP), a bid to provide universal healthcare […]
Premature kidney failure increases in the last decade
More Indians now die of kidney failure than of HIV/AIDS, reports The Hindu’s science correspondent, R.Prasad. This marks a huge shift in the numbers of fatalities over the past decade from infectious disease to non-transmittable chronic disease. In 2015 for example, the deaths associated with AIDS related conditions was 67,600, compared to 136,000 related to […]
Rape in India and the shame of a nation
A 23-year-old woman – dubbed ‘Nirbayha’ by the press – was beaten and raped onboard a bus in New Delhi by a gang of men. The attack left her in critical condition, and Nirbhaya succumbed to her injuries in hospital two weeks later. The incident made international headlines, highlighting what The Independent called a rape […]
Dispute between government regulation, high court rulings, and medical associations
Earlier this year the Indian government placed a ban on the prescribing of 344 fixed combination drugs. Deemed “irrational” or “unsafe”, these combinations were ruled to be potentially harmful. Some of these were simple over the counter products; others were available only by prescription. The High Court of Delhi has overturned this ruling, on the […]
Obesity epidemic looms large over India
The obesity epidemic is accepted far and wide as laying the groundwork for a major global health crisis in the near future. Obesity tends to be identified with wealthy countries, such as the United States. However, it also has a pronounced effect on the developing world too, where 115 million people suffer from obesity-related health […]
Politicians put differences aside to pass game-changing disabled rights law
The Indian Parliament closed its winter session with the passage of a bill to protect the rights of disabled people in India. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill was first tabled in 2014, but has been much longer in the making – five years, according to the Hindustan Times. Replacing the 1995 Persons with […]
Cobra venom utilised to spot cancerous tumours
A new Indo-Russian project could help surgeons to be much more sure that they have cut out all of a cancerous tumour. The potentially life-saving discovery relies on a substances that kills thousands of Indians every year. Cobra venom is currently the centre of a study to illustrate the margins of cancerous cells in tumour […]
State run pharmacies to provide affordable generic medicines
A large number of the Indian population are in a state of poverty. As a direct result, their access to healthcare is often limited. Even on a basic level some cannot afford the price of generic medication. For others it may be the case that these medications are simply not sold in an area local […]