![A Dalit man working as a manual scavenger. Image credit: Dalit Network (http://www.dalits.nl/manualscavenging.html) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Manual scavenging concept.](https://d1o5numy7xgf2v.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/MANUAL_SCAVENGING_1323873g-150x150.jpg "The danger in India's sewers")
In the first six months of 2019, at least fifty people died because of manual scavenging – in just eight states. This is according to data collected from the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) from Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh. The fatalities offer a snapshot of a much […]
Haryana
The district highlighting India’s sex ratio problem
A district in Uttarakhand reflects a broader issue concerning India’s sex ratio, according to a recent report in The Times of India. In 132 of the Uttarkashi district’s villages, not a single girl was born in three months out of 216 deliveries. The concerning figures, collected from the state health department, potentially cast a spotlight […]
In Gurugram, poor sanitation makes residents’ lives a misery
Gurugram officials are on notice from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to act on the pollution of water. “Unscientific discharge of sewage into open water bodies [is] adversely affecting groundwater and recipient waterbodies at Ansal Esencia, Sector 67 area of Gurugram,” the NGT said in an order to the Haryana State Pollution Control Board and […]
India’s shortage of specialist doctors is still staggering
July 1st marked Doctors’ Day – and while the occasion was an opportunity to thank the medical professionals who work to ensure good health, it also was a bitter reminder of the public health crisis India is facing. The government has put a figure to the mammoth medical staff shortage India is battling. The new […]
Organ transplants: High Court demands answer
Northern states are under pressure from a High Court to implement organ transplant reforms. A ruling by the Punjab and Haryana High Court directs the state governments of Haryana and Punjab and the Union Government of their shared capital Chandigarh to respond to recommendations made by a nine-member panel made up of Chandigarh-based Postgraduate Institute […]
Strikes beset Indian hospitals
Doctors’ strikes in multiple Indian states are hitting public and private hospitals alike. A strike by private doctors in Uttarakhand is forcing many patients to turn to government hospitals for treatment. The week-long strike has resulted in public health facilities becoming overburdened by a sudden spike in demand. The issue has come to the attention […]
Haryana home to new health projects
Haryana is now home to a state-of-the-art National Cancer Institute (NCI), following an unveiling by the Prime Minister on Tuesday. The Institute was one of six health-related development projects Prime Minister Modi inaugurated while attending ‘Swachh Shakti 2019’ events in the state. Swachh Shakti commemorates the role of women working in rural areas of the […]
India’s swine flu crisis continues
The Union Health Ministry is scrambling and struggling to help states contain outbreaks of swine flu, as a spike in cases nationwide is causing panic. India’s flu season typically brings with it cases of swine flu infection. This has proved to be a cause for concern in years past. Notably, a 2015 outbreak of the […]
Modicare begins on September 25th. Here’s what we know so far.
The BJP government’s large-scale health insurance initiative was rolled out in some states today, to coincide with Independence Day celebrations across the country. Though some anticipated a full-scale launch of the programme, the scheme was not launched nationwide but began a gradual rollout in select states. Full rollout of the scheme is expected on September […]
Mind your salt intake, it’s bad for blood pressure
Salt intake is too high in India, the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) has warned. Is this leading to a crisis of high blood pressure? A PHFI study has found consumption of the foodstuff in three Indian states exceeds the level recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), which says you should eat less than […]