As we stagger towards 2022, the words of that old Carpenters’ song come back suddenly: “Its yesterday once more!” Unlike that song, this is a nightmare, not nostalgia. COVID-19 devastated the world back in 2020 when vaccines were a faint glimmer at the end of a seemingly endless tunnel. The vaccines arrived at the threshold […]
Government policy
Zoonotic diseases must be a priority in India
Zoonotic diseases have long been a blight to India. COVID-19 has underlined this issue, but India is no stranger to a host of other zoonotic diseases. In an exclusive interview with BusinessLine, Atul Chaturvedi, Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying introduced the concept of “One Health”. The One Health framework underlines […]
EU putting weight behind Ethiopia’s Tedros for second WHO DG term
Tedros 2.0? German government sources told Reuters on 23 September that Berlin would officially nominate Tedros as the Director General (DG) of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the second time around and was seeking support from other European Union (EU) member states. At least 17 EU states have said they would also submit his […]
Mansukh L. Mandaviya: Who is the new health minister?
Mansukh L. Mandaviya replaced Dr Harsh Vardhan as Minister of Health and Family Welfare, following the reshuffle of the Union Cabinet by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week. Who is the new health minister? A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mandaviya represents Gujarat in the Rajya Sabha, elected at the age of 38 […]
Cabinet reshuffle: Vardhan out, Mandaviya in
![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://healthissuesindia.com/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")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reshuffled his cabinet this week, with perhaps the most prominent changeover being at the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Dr Harsh Vardhan resigned in advance of the cabinet reshuffle and has been replaced by Mansukh L. Mandaviya. Mandaviya replaced Vardhan as Minister of Health and Family Welfare, as well […]
WHO weighs in on India’s Kala-Azar situation
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a report regarding India’s continued fight against visceral leishmaniasis — also known as kala-azar (KA). Overall, the report praises India’s National Kala-Azar Elimination Programme (NKEP), noting the “the Government of India is committed to eliminating KA as a public health problem, and continued political, administrative, technical and partner […]
Study unveils the costs of oral cancer
The Tata Memorial Centre has recently published the findings of a first-of-its-kind study, researching the cost of illness and treatment of oral cancer in India. The study, headed by Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi set out to conduct a cost of illness analysis that would provide invaluable information for policymakers that make appropriate allocation of resources […]
Patent waivers unlikely to resolve COVID-19 vaccine crisis
Patent waivers for COVID-19 vaccines have been offered up as a suggestion as a means to address the global crisis. While in theory this would allow a shift in production from high-income nations to developing countries, achieving this requires overcoming a significant hurdle – a lack of production capacity. Recently, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General […]
Oxygen supplies condemned amidst ongoing crisis
“Not less than a genocide,” is how the Allahabad High Court described the lack of critical oxygen supplies in hospital wards in a scathing rebuke. This remark was directed at the authorities responsible for procuring oxygen supplies, describing their negligence as a “criminal act”. Justices Siddhartha Varma and Ajit Kumar said at a recent […]
Delhi High Court asks Indian government to provide greater focus on rare disease
The Indian government has been asked to increase efforts to tackle rare diseases by March 31st by the Delhi High Court. Millions of people may be living with more than 7,000 illnesses categorised as rare diseases across India. With this in mind, the government has been asked to finalise and operationalise progressive policy implementation that involves […]