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Air pollution is arguably the biggest public health crisis India has faced since the pandemic and will continue to worsen each year unless urgent action is taken, a UK-based Indian-origin pulmonologist warned, noting that a looming tsunami of airway disease remains largely underdiagnosed and untreated. Speaking to PTI, multiple senior doctors practising in the UK asserted that a vast, hidden burden of undiagnosed airway disease is "building beneath the surface" and its incoming wave will exact a heavy, lasting toll on Indian citizens and its healthcare system. They linked the global rise in cardiovascular diseases over the past decade to increasing exposure to toxic emissions from urban transport, including automobiles and aircraft, particularly in cities across India, the UK and beyond, rather than obesity alone. Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday admitted that nearly 40 per cent of the pollution in Delhi is caused by the transport sector due to dependence on fossil
In his message on World Mental Health Day on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for creating an environment where conversations around mental health become more mainstream. The World Mental Health Day serves as a powerful reminder that mental health is a fundamental part of our overall well-being, the PM wrote on X. "In a fast-paced world, this day underscores the importance of reflecting and extending compassion to others," PM Modi wrote. "Let us also work collectively to create environments where conversations around mental health become more mainstream. My compliments to all those working in this field and helping others heal and find happiness." The overall objective of World Mental Health Day, the WHO states, is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilise efforts in support of mental health.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Tuesday that Ayushman Bharat, which was launched on this day in 2018, has effected a revolution in public healthcare, ensuring financial protection and dignity for its beneficiaries. The medical insurance scheme provides annual health cover of Rs 5 lakh and covers the poor and all senior citizens above the age of 70. Modi said on X, "Today we mark 7 years of Ayushman Bharat. This was an initiative that anticipated the needs of the future and focussed on ensuring top quality as well as affordable healthcare for people. Thanks to it, India is witnessing a revolution in public healthcare. It has ensured financial protection and dignity." He added, "India has shown how scale, compassion and technology can further human empowerment." An official handle, tagged by Modi, said the government's showpiece welfare initiative covers over 55 crore citizens and lauded it as the "world's largest health assurance scheme". Over 42 crore Ayushman cards have b
President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a defence bill that authorises significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China's growing power and boosts overall military spending to USD 895 billion despite his objections to language stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children in military families. Biden said his administration strongly opposes the provision because it targets a group based on gender identity and "interferes with parents' roles to determine the best care for their children. He said it also undermines the all-volunteer military's ability to recruit and retain talent. No service member should have to decide between their family's health care access and their call to serve our nation, the president said in a statement. The Senate forwarded the bill to Biden after passing it last week by a vote of 85-14. In the House, a majority of Democrats voted against the bill after House Speaker Mike Johnson insisted on adding t
There is a disconnect between awareness, understanding and management of obesity and recognising it as a chronic disease will be the first step towards obesity management, experts have said. A recent report by global healthcare company Novo Nordisk, that involved more than 2,000 people living with obesity (PwO) and 300 healthcare professionals in India, underlined the need for an integrated, long-term approach to the treatment of obesity. PwO face immense difficulties in maintaining weight loss and more than half of those surveyed said they reverted to old eating habits despite their efforts to change. More than 44 per cent regain lost weight within six months, the report said, emphasising the need for more sustainable, long-term solutions that go beyond just lifestyle adjustments. "The first step towards obesity management is to understand that it is a chronic disease. We need to support People with Obesity (PwO) with tools that not only help them lose weight but also maintain tha
A large number of sub-centres, which are the most peripheral and first point of contact between the primary health care system and the community in rural India, do not have their own building, according a government report. These sub-centres operate either from a rented building or space provided by the local village panchayat or voluntary society building, according to the 'Health Dynamics of India (Infrastructure and Human Resources) 2022-23', an annual publication formerly known as 'Rural Health Statistics', which was released by the Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra on Monday. The report shows India has a total of 1.69 lakh sub-centres, 31,882 primary health centres (PHCs), 6,359 community health centres (CHCs), 1,340 sub-divisional/district hospitals (SDHs), 714 district hospitals (DHs), and 362 medical colleges (MCs) serving both rural and urban areas. While releasing the report, Chandra said that there is a need to integrate the Health Management Information System (HMIS)