The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi and its counterparts in other areas of the country are to be positioned on the front line in the fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The premier facility has been requested by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to dedicate a portion of […]
Odisha
Shah, Pradhan touch on health in Odisha
Amit Shah, the Union Minister of Home Affairs, has urged the private sector to become involved in research in the field of medical sciences as a means of expanding India’s health sector. This topic was among the numerous health matters discussed at the inauguration of a new facility in Odisha. The Minister inaugurated SUM Ultimate […]
Organ harvesting centre in Odisha, registry in Goa
The states of Goa and Odisha have each seen new developments in the push for organ donation. The former saw a registry launched by the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO) whilst the latter saw the launch of thirteen new organ harvesting centres. The organ harvesting centres in Odisha have been set up in […]
Ayushman Bharat holdout states: Vardhan speaks out again
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has again spoke out on the subject of Ayushman Bharat’s holdout states, where prospective beneficiaries cannot avail the benefits of the Government’s flagship health insurance scheme the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). Of India’s states and union territories, four have yet to implement the scheme. “Ayushman Bharat is […]
Implement Ayushman Bharat, MPs tell Odisha CM
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is under pressure from BJP MPs to implement Ayushman Bharat in the state. “We request you to adopt and implement Ayushman Bharat…across Odisha helping the country in progressively achieving universal health coverage and strengthening our commitment towards a healthy India,” twelve lawmakers hailing from the state wrote to Patnaik in […]
Odisha expands the number of doctors’ posts
Odisha has taken steps to plug the state’s doctor shortage by creating 2,000 new medical posts. There are currently 3,288 vacant doctors’ posts in the state, reports state, which is being attributed to doctors going on study leave. As such, the state government is creating posts known as leave training reserve medical officers (LTRMOs). Those […]
Encephalitis is not just an issue in Bihar
When it comes to encephalitis, the eyes of India have largely focused on Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district where more than 140 children are believed to have lost their lives to the condition. However, over the course of recent weeks, reports of potential outbreaks have poured in from other parts of Bihar – and from other states. […]
Fire safety: India’s hospitals are still lacking
![Utilised as an example of fire safety lapses. The Advanced Medical Research Institute in the Dhakuria locality of Kolkata, where a fire in 2011 claimed in excess of ninety lives. Biswarup Ganguly [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)]](https://d1o5numy7xgf2v.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/AMRI_Hospital_-_Advanced_Medical_Research_Institute_-_Dhakuria_-_Kolkata_2014-02-12_2008-150x150.jpg "Fire safety: India's hospitals are still lacking")
“She was just a child,” said Dhananjoy Pal. “If she had lived, she would have been 21.” Pal was talking about his daughter. Aged fourteen, she suffocated to death in the Advanced Medical Research Institute (AMRI) Hospital in Dhakuria, an area of West Bengal state capital. A fire broke out in the early hours of […]
Vardhan reaches out to holdout states on Ayushman Bharat
![Dr Vardhan assuming charge of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in May 2014. His reappointment marks his second stint in the post. Image credit: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (GODL-India) [GODL-India (https://data.gov.in/sites/default/files/Gazette_Notification_OGDL.pdf)] This file or its source was published by Press Information Bureau on behalf of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India under the ID 54064 and CNR 56840. (direct link). Vardhan out after cabinet reshuffle concept.](https://d1o5numy7xgf2v.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/800px-Dr._Harsh_Vardhan_taking_charge_as_the_Union_Minister_for_Health__Family_Welfare_in_New_Delhi_on_May_27_2014-150x150.jpg "Dr Harsh Vardhan returns to the Health Ministry")
The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan, has reached out to the states where the Centre’s flagship healthcare scheme has yet to be implemented, exhorting them to do so. Vardhan has made strengthening the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), popularly known as ‘Ayushman Bharat’, a top priority during his second […]
World Environment Day highlights a health crisis
World Environment Day is observed annually on June 5th to commemorate the importance of conserving our environment from the many threats it faces. For India, World Environment Day offers a valuable opportunity to recognise one of the major issues confronting the nation: its poor environmental health, ranked as the worst in the world in the […]