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Harsh Vardhan

Union Budget: The main takeaways for health

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented India’s 2020 Union Budget over the weekend, her second. Whilst it has won praise from Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, some in the healthcare sector have expressed dissatisfaction.  How much did the Union Budget allocate the health sector? Among the main takeaways of the 2020 Union Budget for …

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Coronavirus outbreak: Vardhan urges calm

Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, has urged India to respond calmly to the novel coronavirus outbreak in China. At the time of writing, more than 6,000 individuals are infected and the death toll exceeds 100.  The coronavirus outbreak has sparked global panic, with the Government of India planning evacuations of …

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Kota: Tragedy strikes children in Rajasthan hospital

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan is taking cognisance of a tragedy in a hospital in the Rajasthan city of Kota, with more than 100 children dying in the span of a single month in a single hospital.  The Union Minister has written to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, concerning the government-run JK Lon Hospital …

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Javadekar criticised by the WHO over pollution claims

Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar has been criticised by the World Health Organization (WHO) for claims about air pollution and its effects on human health.  “Let us not create a fear psychosis among people,” Javadekar told MPs last week. “Indian studies have not shown a correlation between shortening of life …

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TB mortality: A nineteen percent reduction

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has touted India’s progress in reducing deaths due to tuberculosis (TB), with a nineteen percent reduction in TB mortality since the beginning of the decade.  Affirming the Government’s commitment to eradicating TB by 2025 – five years ahead of global targets to reduce TB incidence by eighty percent and …

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Rajya Sabha MPs approve e-cigarette ban

The Government of India’s ban on e-cigarettes has won the approval of Rajya Sabha MPs, who passed legislation prohibiting the devices earlier this week amidst appeals over their negative effects on public health.  The upper house of the Indian Parliament passed the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and …

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Vardhan speaks out against HIV/AIDS discrimination

Sunday marked World AIDS Day and Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan utilised the occasion to speak out against discrimination against those affected by HIV/AIDS.  “Let us shun any kind of discrimination in our thoughts, actions and behaviour in our interaction with those who have HIV and AIDS,” the Minister said. “Let us do away …

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MPs give nod to vaping ban

Parliamentarians in the Lok Sabha gave their nod to the Centre’s decision to ban e-cigarettes, even as some lawmakers expressed concerns about continued tobacco use in the country.  The Government of India issued an ordinance earlier this year prohibiting electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) from being produced, manufactured, distributed, imported, exported, stored, sold, and advertised …

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Vardhan emphasises universal health coverage in the quest to meet Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) necessitate that universal health coverage be achieved, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has asserted.  “Universal health coverage is key to the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 agenda and to which India is firmly committed,” the Minister said at an event in New Delhi earlier this week. “Access to medical products …

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Organ donation a must: Senior figures

Senior government officials have spoken out in recent days about the importance of organ donation in India, a country sorely lacking donors. The issue has been highlighted by both Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan and Vice President Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu. An estimated one million people in India are experiencing end-stage organ failure, yet just …

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