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LATEST ARTICLES
India’s water and sanitation crisis: A public health emergency in slow motion
In 2025, it should not be news that millions of people still live without clean drinking water or a working toilet. But in India, that’s the reality. Every day, contaminated water quietly sickens families. Flooded drains spill sewage into homes. Schoolgirls have to skip class because there's no bathroom. And in hospitals, children die from diarrhoea, something easily preventable...
The cost of unsafe healthcare practices: A patient safety perspective
One of India’s central goals is to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). However, can UHC become a reality without making patient safety a key component? The country’s ambitious vision to provide high-quality, accessible, and affordable healthcare to its population will stay a fleeting dream if the healthcare system continues to grapple with the silent epidemic of unsafe practices. According to...
Childhood malnutrition in India: Policies and outcomes
Malnutrition does not usually dominate headlines like economic growth or technological breakthroughs, but its shadow is long. A child who is stunted or wasted is less likely to perform in school, earn a decent livelihood, or escape poverty1. While the Centre has ambitious missions like ICDS and POSHAN Abhiyaan, outcomes vary dramatically across states. Hence, why does a child...
Universal health coverage: Bridging gaps for NCD management in rural India
Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is one of India’s most ambitious national goals. To achieve it, the government created sweeping policies and programmes. However, their implementation in rural areas continues to be marred by policy-based challenges in terms of accessibility, availability, and affordability, particularly in the management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). NCDs, including diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, are no longer...
Floods and vector-borne diseases: Are we prepared?
Every monsoon, different parts of India watch their streets vanish under water with rickshaws drifting past submerged homes, ponds spilling over, and daily life grinding to a halt. Floodwater isn’t just inconvenient. They’re dangerous and beneath the surface, pathogens such as bacteria, parasites, viruses multiply and thrive. Vectors are living creatures that spread infectious pathogens between humans or from animals...
The intergenerational cost of NCDs in India
Across the country, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are striking workers in their prime. The cost is counted not only in medical bills or lost workdays, but in children’s education plans postponed, nutrition compromised, and wealth-building opportunities erased. A health crisis that once seemed the concern of the elderly is now eroding India’s economic potential...
Rare diseases: Why a ground-up approach is the need of the hour
Did you know that nearly one-third of the global rare disease population resides in India? In a country where healthcare resources are stretched thin and the public health budget remains modest, addressing the complexities of rare diseases can feel like an insurmountable challenge. While significant policy-level changes have taken place over the last few years experts believe real, sustainable...
Fight for rare disease awareness: Insights from Dr Ramaiah Muthyala
Have you ever heard of Erdheim-Chester disease or Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva? Chances are, you haven’t. These are just two examples from a long list of rare diseases, conditions so uncommon that they often go undiagnosed, misunderstood, or mismanaged for years. Affecting a small fraction of the population, rare diseases can have a profound impact on those who live with...
Bridging the gaps in rare diseases policy
Rare diseases affect millions of people worldwide, yet they often remain overlooked in mainstream healthcare policies. These consist of 7,500 conditions that affect multiple systems, with a shortage of specialised medical professionals, limited testing facilities, and restricted treatment options making diagnosis a challenge. With India’s vast and diverse population, the country bears a significant burden (70 million approx.) of...
Empowering women through access to reproductive healthcare
The theme for World Health Day this year is "Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures." This theme focuses on enhancing the health and survival of mothers and newborns with the goal of increasing awareness of avoidable maternal and infant deaths. This day provides a timely opportunity to not only reflect on the challenges that persist regarding women’s reproductive health but more...