The issue of maternal mortality is a serious one, especially in rural India, where a vast majority of the population lack basic health services. As part of its Millenium Development Goals (MDG), India is aiming to cut maternal mortality rates by at least 25% by 2015. While states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu have already […]
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India universal health plans not as promised?
In today’s Hindu, activists say that the Planning Commission is breaking promises to increase health spending in India closer to normal levels for middle-income countries. The activists also say that the Cetre is trying to shift costs to the states. The future role of the corporate sector in insurance-based managed care plans is, predictably, extremely […]
67 percent of rural Punjab households contain a drug addict
Next Sunday’s Sunday Gaurdian has a worrying story about the rising level of drug addiction in Punjab. Here is a striking couple of lines, “three years ago, the state government’s social security department told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that 67% of its rural household had at least one drug addict. The state with highest […]
Is India still the world’s hunger capital?
Todays’ Deccan Herald carries a good opinion piece on hunger. Prasenjit Chowdhury says, “India has a terrible record in tackling hunger and malnutrition …. India ranked 66th on the 2008 Global Hunger Index of 88 countries, as per a report released by the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).” Yet, things aren’t that simple. In their […]
More seizure of patents ahead?
There has been a flurry of stories in the Indian press over the last few days on compulsory licensing, the controversial idea that government can seize intellectual property from an originator company and allow a competitor to make copies under certain circumstances. There is no obvious news hook linking these stories but all have well-informed government sources and the most provocative appeared in the week […]
Do price controls threaten the Indian pharma industry?
One blogger thinks that the current price controls might because they discourage innovation. Politics seems to have stalled government consideration of the issue.
Nearly all UP public health doctors work privately
The new UP health minister (in fact, the health minister from the last SP government) claims that his life is at risk because he is trying to clear up the corruption in the health sector left by the Mayawati administration. Most doctors who took appointments in rural sectors are working in cities in the private sector, leaving […]
45% of infertile women in India have genital TB
This is a surprising report in the new Sunday Guardian
New controversy over family planning targets
It’s no secret that the current health minister is strongly in favour of smaller families. It is also obvious that promotion of family planning has a vigour that was absent ten years ago. However, are targets leading to coerced sterilisation in some states? Is the focus on long-term methods leading to neglect of other family […]
India weighs providing free drugs
Following on from a post by Mark Chataway last month, here’s an interesting article on what could be the most significant development in India’s public health landscape ever. A policy move that is certainly needed but big questions on implementation and impact on the pharma industry remain. Read the full article from the New York […]