Health Ministry

Union Health Ministry moves to remove repeated HIV, Hepatitis tests on pooled plasma to align with global norms and ease compliance while maintaining patient safety

The Union Health Ministry has proposed to amend the Drugs Rules, 1945, to align regulatory requirements for testing blood products with internationally accepted pharmacopoeial standards and remove testing requirements not warranted under global best practices. It has issued a draft gazette notification, inviting public comments on a proposal to amend paragraph G (testing of blood products), Part XII C, Schedule F of the Drugs Rules 1945. "The proposed amendment seeks to align regulatory requirements for testing blood products with internationally accepted pharmacopoeial standards and to remove additional testing requirements on products that are not warranted under global best practices," the ministry said. According to the official monographs of Human Plasma for Fractionation in the Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP), British Pharmacopoeia (BP), United States Pharmacopeia (USP), and European Pharmacopoeia (EP), stringent testing protocols are prescribed for pooled human plasma. Under these

The Centre will conduct a nationwide assessment of district hospitals to identify gaps in emergency and trauma care infrastructure and strengthen facilities in line with IPHS norms

India will launch a nationwide, free and voluntary HPV vaccination campaign for 14-year-old girls, using Gardasil under strict quality norms, as part of efforts to eliminate cervical cancer

The government is looking to provide access to e-books and AI resources to medical students to help them hone their skills better, with the first phase of the initiative covering around 57 medical colleges in the smaller towns and rural areas, according to a senior Health Ministry official. Speaking at the AI Impact Summit here, Deputy Director General (Medical Education) B Srinivas stated that students from medical colleges in remote areas find it challenging to access e-books and good technical materials, including this AI material. "So the government is thinking of using the leverage of AI to reach out to these students ... in the National Medical Library we have started the process of securing the e-books and the digital clinical material, and we are doing it right now in around 57 government medical colleges across the country," Srinivas said. The government is looking to scale up the initiative in a gradual manner, he added. "We are in the pipeline to also include the private

Health Ministry proposes removing provisional registration for ethics committees, shifting to single-stage approval to streamline clinical research and cut regulatory delays

National Deworming Day: Many children with intestinal worms look perfectly healthy. Doctors explain why these silent infections still harm growth, immunity, and why preventive deworming is important

A Lancet Regional Health-Southeast Asia study warns that HbA1c, the gold-standard diabetes test, can misdiagnose or delay diabetes in Indians due to widespread anaemia and blood disorders

Just 102 of the 297 day care cancer centres approved for FY26 are operational so far, with states such as Telangana, Bihar and Karnataka reporting a higher share of functional facilities

Draft amendment seeks mandatory reporting of manufacturing and quality changes to drug regulator

One ministry says there's no proof air pollution kills Indians, another pegs the toll at 1.24 million deaths a year; as Delhi-NCR's air turns hazardous again, the contradiction is back in focus

Budget 2026 puts mental health, biopharma manufacturing and medical skilling at the centre, with Nimhans 2.0 and drug affordability shaping a broader healthcare realignment

India has moved pregabalin to Schedule H1, tightening prescription and record-keeping norms after states flagged widespread misuse of the nerve pain drug for intoxication

The health ministry has amended clinical trial rules to replace prior approvals for low-risk BA/BE studies with simple online intimations, a move aimed at cutting delays, easing compliance

In a gazette notification dated January 23, the Union health ministry proposed adding a new clause under Rule 95 of the Drugs Rules, 1945

As Union Budget 2026 approaches, healthcare leaders spell out priorities to curb preventable disease, cut out-of-pocket costs, and strengthen India's health system at scale

The health ministry has amended the NDCT Rules to cut approval timelines for new drug trials and testing by half, aiming to speed up innovation while easing regulatory processes for most applications

India now has 90 million adults living with diabetes, second only to China. The IDF Diabetes Atlas warns the burden will rise sharply with ageing, urbanisation and lifestyle change

With more than 18,000 postgraduate medical seats vacant after round two of counselling, the health ministry has lowered NEET-PG cut-offs, drawing sharp criticism from doctors' bodies

A Harvard-led study shows even one episode of binge drinking can injure the small intestine, weaken the gut barrier and trigger immune responses that allow toxins to leak into the bloodstream