India's Environment Minister: No data on air pollution deaths

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The Union minister of environment, forest and climate change, Dr Harsh Vardhan, said in Parliament that there is no conclusive data available in the country to establish direct correlation of death/diseases exclusively to air pollution. However, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)released a study last month. The report of the study says that "one out of every eight deaths in India in 2017 could be attributed to air pollution". In Delhi, alone 51% of total deaths are attributable to air pollution according to the report. 

India ranks 145 among 195 nations on healthcare access index

To understand a countries improvement on health, it is imperative to know national levels of healthcare access and service delivery. Global Burden of Diseases study was used to understand healthcare access and delivery of 195 countries and territories, as well as sub-national locations in seven countries, from 1990 to 2016. India has improved its ranking on a global healthcare access and quality index from 28.0 in 2000 to 47.6 in 2016 but ranks lower than neighbouring Bangladesh and other Asian countries. 

 
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Why govt's ban on a lifesaving drug was flawed

Why govt's ban on a lifesaving drug was flawed

By : Nabeela Inayati

Oxytocin is a life-saving drug  but government announced restrictions on manufacturing and supply of oxytocin by private companies due to its misuse by the cattle industry. 

Big Data may help get new clues to Alzheimer's

Big Data may help get new clues to Alzheimer's

By : Dinesh C Sharma

Researchers at the National Brain Research Centre have developed a Big Data Analytics framework to look for early diagnostic biomarkers of the Alzheimer’s disease.

What is ICIJ investigation on medical devices?

What is ICIJ investigation on medical devices?

By : Indrajit Gupta

Global investigation by International Consortium of Investigative Journalists exposed faults in safety standards of medical devices, poor testing and the patchy regulation.

Interview with Dr Aman Iqbal, Healthcare

Interview with Dr Aman Iqbal, Healthcare

By : Health Analytis India

Dr Aman Iqbal talks about his passion for data and AI and why he returned India to start an AI-driven healthcare company.  

Mathematics to make cancer treatment effective

Mathematics to make cancer treatment effective

By : Monika Kundu Srivastava

Scientists at the Pune-based National Chemical Laboratory  of CSIR have developed a mathematical model that promises to deliver better...

Anti-cancer drug tweaked to make it more effective

Anti-cancer drug tweaked to make it more effective

By : Kollegala Sharma

Cancer drugs are generally toxic and result in serious side effects in patients. A group of Indian researchers have now ...

Fighting the Tide of Fake Medicines

Fighting the Tide of Fake Medicines

By : Nabeela Khan Inayati

The WHO calls the existence of substandard and falsified medicine an unacceptable risk to public health. Yet every region of the world is flooded with fake medicines. In India, particularly, a flood of fraudulent medicines is threatening the health of tens of thousands of people and a majority of people don’t even know that counterfeit drugs exist.

How heavy metals are spreading drug resistance

How heavy metals are spreading drug resistance

By : Monika Kundu Srivastava

Researchers have identified exposure to cadmium as a reason for Salmonella becoming resistant to antibiotics and have deciphered how cadmium affects the bacteria. Results of the study, published in Scientific Reports, indicate that antibiotics that could treat a severe infection are becoming less effective and those which could only treat mild infections are becoming ineffective.

Is air pollution is adding to India’s diabetes burden?

Is air pollution is adding to India’s diabetes burden?

By : Raghu Murtugudde

The ill-effects of air pollution on human health have been reported extensively. Some estimates attribute nearly one fourth of all deaths in India to air pollution, particularly exposure to particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns in size or PM 2.5. A new study published in The Lancet Planetary Health has reported that PM2.5 also impacts disease burden of diabetes.

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Import alerts on Indian units by USFDA

Import alerts by The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are on the rise from 41 drug companies in 2015 to 55 till 2019. USFDA issues a warning letter which restricts the ability of that manufacturing unit to supply drugs to the US. In Indian scenario, the letters have been issued on sloppy record keeping and fudging of data including quality control. 

Cost of healthcare in India

Out of pocket (OOP) medical expenses make up about 67% of all healthcare costs in India according to NHA estimates and forms a major chunk in overall healthcare expenditure. High OOP for health brings a financial burden on families and discourage people from seeking timely care. Therefore, government needs to pump in more funds to address healthcare needs of people.

Will India be able to eliminate Kala-Azar?

Kala-Azar has been endemic to Bihar since years. But recent data shows huge improvements and a steady decline of 36% in Bihar. But this year Jharkhand records 7 per cent increase in Kala-Azar cases highlighting that the elimination of disease is becoming a difficult task for India. 45 % of world’s Kala-Azar cases were reported from India and India has already missed the Kala Azar elimination deadline.  

Cholera hotspots in India

Cholera was much wiped out at a high rate in India but it is raising its head again. The major reason remains contaminated water and poor sanitation. Since, only 28% of households use piped water, there are all the more reasons for cholera to stretch across the length and breadth of India. Five Indian states including national capital carry 75% burden of the disease in India.

 

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