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World Health Day in a time of global crisis – again

On April 5th, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. Two days later marked World Health Day.  In 2021, World Health Day occurs once more against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time Health Issues India covered World Health Day last year, I wrote “India [had] reported thousands …

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What can India’s history of bird flu tell us about the current outbreak?

Detection of the bird flu strains H5N1 and H5N8 amongst several states has resulted in India culling tens of thousands of poultry birds.  The outbreak which officials detected over a week ago is reported to have several epicentres across states including Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh. At least six Indian states which identified the …

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HII talks to Neha Chandra on the role of the public health consultant

“A quick question for all the healthcare communication professionals: How often does trade media make to your target media list when you need to disseminate a press release? Now take a second to evaluate the content of your release and ask yourself if it suits the profile of the trade media you are pitching to.” …

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The importance of healthcare delivery systems in a pandemic: An interview with Professor Sarang Deo

“People-centred and integrated health services are critical for reaching universal health coverage,” asserts the World Health Organization (WHO). Indeed, if the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it is the importance of robust healthcare delivery systems – and how existing weaknesses have, in many respects, exacerbated and amplified the pandemic’s effects.  As lockdown procedures were …

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Janata Curfew sees health workers praised

The Janata Curfew which saw millions of Indians nationwide self-quarantine for fourteen hours led to an outpouring of thanks for the country’s health workers. The mass felicitation witnessed Indians across the nation who heeded Modi’s call for the Janata curfew to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic to applaud and ring bells in honour of the healthcare …

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Private practice ban in Jammu and Kashmir?

Doctors in the employ of government hospitals could face a ban on private practice in Jammu and Kashmir in a bid to strengthen health infrastructure in the union territory.  Reports suggest that government doctors in Jammu and Kashmir opt to treat their patients in privately run facilities and are absent from their posts in government …

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Public-private partnerships: Patients protected, says Vardhan

Public-private partnerships in the field of healthcare will not have a detrimental effect on patients, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan has informed lawmakers.  Responding to a query in the Rajya Sabha, Vardhan said that “we will offer district hospitals to the private sector without compromising the interest of patients” as …

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Tobacco prices: Experts demand action

Tobacco is among the leading threats to public health in India. Between 1998 and 2015, the number of smokers in India increased from 79 million to 108 million. At present, fourteen percent of adults use smoking tobacco. 25.9 percent of adults use smokeless tobacco. Although fewer Indians are using tobacco today than at the start …

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AI in healthcare: The coming expansion

The application of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare is one of the most significant trends to have emerged in digital health in recent years. New projections suggest the sector can expect significant growth in the next few years. By 2026, forecasters have said AI-based healthcare will be worth US$8 billion – a growth of 49.7 …

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Uttar Pradesh and Bihar rank low on the Health Index while Kerala is at the top

Kerala is yet again the undisputed king of healthcare management according to a recent report titled “Healthy States, Progressive India” compiled by Niti Aayog, on the state of India’s health. For the year 2017-18, Kerala topped the ranking of states and union territories with an overall score of 74.01, while Uttar Pradesh was the worst-performing …

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