Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put a lot of stock on digitising India. A number of policy initiatives have been started with that aim in mind, including the Aadhar drive and the opening of zero-balance Jan-Dhan accounts with the aim of bringing rural within the banking umbrella. Now, after the recent move to demonetise 500 and […]
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 […]
More doctors not the answer
We have written before on HII about the shortage of doctors in India, especially amongst the rural population, and how the ratio of doctors to patients in India fall far below WHO norms. However, we have also written about how more doctors is not necessarily the solution for better health outcomes, especially in the context […]
“Make in India Week” in Mumbai
A lot of the research conducted by the team at Health Issues India has revolved around carrying out semi-structured, in-depth interviews with policymakers and bureaucrats who are a part of the landscape of the healthcare sector in India. Over the last year, a lot of stakeholders have expressed their concerns about the “Make in India” concept […]
Is India ready for its cancer patients?
According to the WHO, the number of cancer cases in India will multiply five times by the year 2025. There is also a severe lack of qualified oncologists in the country with only one oncologist per 2000 patients. Health Issues India has been tracking this alarming news over the past few months. A recent internal […]
The aftermath of a disaster
The floodwaters in Chennai have now receded but has left behind a huge urban disaster. Hundreds have been killed, many more are still missing and thousands have been displaced. Now, the city has to fight the threat of infectious diseases as sewage and uncleared garbage lies around the streets waiting to be cleared. This article in […]
Interview with Bill Gates
In a recent interview with The Hindu, Bill Gates expounds on the heath challenges facing the country and newer vaccines in national programmes, including injectable contraceptives. Health Issues India has stated many times that health in India is not considered a political issue and Gates seems to reiterate that fact. Gates also speaks about the Gates […]
30 fresh deaths take swine flu toll to 1,319 in India
Thirty more persons, including a noted theatre personality, have died due to swine flu in the country taking the toll over the 1,300 mark even as SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, suspected to be suffering from the disease, was hospitalised.