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Author name: Editor, Health Issues

Obesity – does India need more gastric band surgery?

India’s health debate may be tracking Europe and the US again. Today’s Deccan Herald reports 50 billion [sic] people suffering from morbid obesity. Even if it’s only 50 million, it’s a lot. Dr Mahendra Narwaria thinks that India needs more “centres of excellence to perform … highly technical operations” (Unsurprising maybe that Dr Narwaria runs …

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Eye care important in diabetes management

Despite this important story being addressed by the Governor of Tamil Nadu, it is important that healthcare systems across all states factor in the importance of eye care in the treatment of diabetes, this story was reported in IBN Live just recently http://ibnlive.in.com/news/diabetic-retinopathy-3-blindness-in-india/234960-60-120.html

“Free generics” at public health centres

Today’s Hindu reports the Health Minister’s promise to provide free generic medicines at public health units as part of the government’s commitment to universal access. The story is short on detail and there are clearly big challenges. The interesting thing is the lively conversation that the story has provoked: surely a positive sign that a …

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Do sleeping pills kill Indians or is it insomnia that kills them?

There are lots of stories in India this morning based on the  Open BMJ article suggesting higher rates of premature death amongst those who use sleeping pills. Look at this wire service story in the Times of India as a case in point http://bit.ly/yK8LEs. It’s an example of what happens when stories are covered by journalists …

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Do scary ad’s stop people smoking or make them puff harder

There was a good piece in The Hindu over the weekend suggesting that high fear advertisements are an effective way of getting smokers to quit. It cited a World Lung Foundation study that asked smokers to rate ad’s and discuss them in focus groups. Any ad agency could have told the WLF that market research …

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Controversy over Dengue-fighting GM insects

Controversy rages over the release of genetically-modified mosquitoes which might help fight Dengue. An article in today’s PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases suggests that the “secret” release of the insects in a British colony will be the model for introduction of other GM insects in the future. Is the threat from Dengue high enough in India to …

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A village that could be a model for the North-east?

This is a quite powerful piece from the editor of the Shillong Times. She travelled to a model village in Maharashtra where a dynamic Sarpanch has solved many of the toughest health and environmental problems. He offered her Rs 100 for every mosquito that she could find. The editor wonders why the North-east doesn’t follow …

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