Ayushman Bharat has reached ten lakh patients since its rollout last year in September, the Centre has announced in the 2019 Budget. The milestone was announced by Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal as he presented the 2019-20 Budget to Lok Sabha MPs on January 31st. He added that efforts are being made to expand access […]
government spending on health
India’s public health system is in dire straits. Yet states don’t spend health funds.
It is no secret that our public health system is in dire straits. With less than one doctor for every 11,000 people and shortages of hospitals, personnel and resources (especially in rural areas), many patients face difficulty availing care. It boggles the mind, then, that states aren’t making the most of the healthcare funds. Between […]
Modicare begins on September 25th. Here’s what we know so far.
The BJP government’s large-scale health insurance initiative was rolled out in some states today, to coincide with Independence Day celebrations across the country. Though some anticipated a full-scale launch of the programme, the scheme was not launched nationwide but began a gradual rollout in select states. Full rollout of the scheme is expected on September […]
Time for India to deliver on NCDs
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning about the threat of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). India should take note. “NCDs and mental disorders currently pose one of the biggest threats to health and development globally,” a WHO high-level independent commission on NCDs said in their report released on Friday, June 1. It added, […]
Centre to establish 70 cancer centres, says Modi
The Centre will establish seventy new cancer facilities across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged. The Centre plans to erect twenty state cancer institutes and fifty tertiary cancer care centres, Modi said during a speech at the Adyar Cancer Institute in Chennai. There will be fourteen new oncology-focused All India Institutes of Medical […]
Modicare: A healthcare revolution or an empty promise?
The 2018 Budget contains the Modi government’s biggest commitment to healthcare to date with the announcement of the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS). The NHPS – dubbed ‘NaMoCare’ or ‘Modicare’ by the press – is a wholesale effort to extend health coverage to 10 crore (100 million) economically vulnerable households. It is being called ‘the […]
Madhu Pai: India’s ambitious new plan to conquer TB needs cash and commitment
Tuberculosis (TB) kills more people today than HIV and malaria combined. In 2015, there were an estimated 10.4 million new TB cases worldwide and 1.8 million TB deaths, according to the World Health Organization. And India is at the epicentre of this global epidemic, with half a million TB deaths annually. India also accounts for 16 […]
India’s growing population: its effect on healthcare
The UN estimates that India will surpass China as the world’s most populous country in around 14 years, at which point the population will number 1.45 billion. Unlike China, which has attempted to implement controversial governmental strategies such as the one child policy, India’s population is still rapidly growing. India is currently the second most […]
Are farmers committing suicide over climate change?
![By Roger Deckker (http://www.wired.com/2013/12/patelqa/) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons](https://healthissuesindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Vikrampatel-150x150.jpg "Are farmers committing suicide over climate change?")
Are climate change and suicides linked? A recent study published in the journal PNAS suggests so, drawing a correlation between increasing temperatures and suicides in India. In the words of Dr. Vikram Patel, an influential Indian psychiatrist and mental health expert with Harvard Medical School, “farming is an inherently risky occupation, with annual incomes often […]
Planned improvements for healthcare delivery in Madhya Pradesh
Healthcare services in Madhya Pradesh could become more affordable and state-of-the-art. This is thanks to plans by the state government. The state cabinet on June 13 made the decision to upgrade thirteen hospitals in the state to super-specialty status. These hospitals will be equipped more modern, specialised facilities. Treatment will also be free at the […]