The HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) bill, tabled in 2014 in the Rajya Sabha regarding the rights of those testing positive for HIV is due to be introduced during the ongoing winter session this year. Approved by the cabinet last month, this bill aims to end discrimination against the estimated 2.1 million citizens living with […]
News
Rotavac divides experts’ opinion over effectiveness
The Rotavirus, named due to its wheel like structure, is the most common cause of diarrheal related deaths amongst children in developing countries. India is no exception to this, accounting for 22 percent of all rotavirus related deaths (~100,000 of the global 453,000). The disease can be lethal in children under the age of 5. […]
Public focus shifts from air pollution amidst demonetisation controversy
It is no secret that India has experienced an industrial revolution in the last few decades. This has allowed the country to become an economic powerhouse taking seventh place in terms of global economic ranking. However, this increased industrial activity has had the drawback of a significant rise in air pollution. As a consequence, a […]
Leprosy vaccine unveiled in India
In recent months, researchers in India have made strides towards developing mycobacterium indicus pranii (MIP) – the world’s first leprosy vaccine. The vaccine was developed by founder-director of the National Institute of Immunology (NII) Professor Gursaran Prasad Talwar and has been approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). It has been suggested that […]
Tobacco industry protests Delhi anti-smoking summit
The tobacco industry has come out in force against an international anti-tobacco summit happening in Delhi in November- but the government will not back down. The World Health Organisation (WHO) 7th Conference of Parties (COP7) is scheduled for November 7-12. Expected to include delegates from 180 countries, it will review the World Health Organisation Framework […]
Trump’s triumph emboldens Indian pharma experts
The unexpected victory of Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election has sent shockwaves reverberating throughout the world – but it has been suggested by some that his win is good news for Indian drugmakers. The President elect’s rhetoric on the campaign trail was often inflammatory and controversial. It included blaming India and China for […]
India at risk of a public health crisis amidst tensions with Pakistan and China
Tensions between India and Pakistan could have a knock-on effect on India’s relationship with China – potentially spelling disaster for India’s pharmaceutical industry. The relationship between India and Pakistan had shown some signs of improvement since the beginning of the decade. Last year, Nerandra Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Pakistan since […]
Mental health needs of India
HII last week wrote about the fact that suicide, being the leading cause of death among the young in India last year, should be looked at as a legitimate national health priority. We spoke about how lack of infrastructure and awareness of mental health issues seems to disproportionately affect people living in urban centres. Now […]
Recognise suicide as a legitimate national health priority
We at HII have constantly emphasised that health issues in India are not treated as socio-political issues. Our spending on health, as a percentage of GDP, is below countries like Rwanda and Bangladesh. Millions of impoverished people still have to travel hundreds of kilometres to cities like New Delhi and wait in long lines to […]
India’s poor rank of global health index
Health Issues India has been committed to tracking stories about the healthcare situation in India stories that outline progress made by India in order to ensure better health outcomes to all. A global study of health indicators released a few days ago has outlined how much India still needs to achieve in order to ensure that […]