Health Ministry

Govt's cough syrup move may shift rural demand towards Ayush remedies

The removal of cough syrups from Schedule K could make access more prescription-dependent in rural India, potentially shifting some demand towards Ayush products

Kerala records 70 Shigella cases, 4 deaths in June: Health minister

Kerala Health Minister K Muraleedharan on Tuesday said that since January this year, 146 cases of Shigella were reported in the state and of those 70 were in June. Speaking to reporters here after chairing a review meeting, Muraleedharan said that of the five Shigella deaths, one was in March and the remaining four were in June. The highest number of cases -- 74 -- of the bacterial infection from January to June were reported from Kozhikode, followed by Malappuram -- 25, including two deaths -- and then Thiruvananthapuram -- also 25 cases of infection, according to the figures given by the minister. No Shigella cases were reported from Pathanamthitta, Palakkad and Kasaragod districts of the state till now this year, he said. Shigella is a bacterial infection that causes diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps. It spreads mainly through contaminated food or water and through contact with infected persons.

Households' out-of-pocket expenditure on health care rose in FY23

Household spending drops from 64 percent over a decade amid rise in public health expenditure

CDSCO flags spurious liver drug, 169 others fail quality tests in April

CDSCO flags one batch of a liver drug as spurious and identifies 169 drugs and formulations as not of standard quality during April surveillance

Union Health ministry brings pregabalin under Schedule H1 to prevent misuse

The Union Health Ministry has brought pregabalin, a drug used for treating chronic pain and certain neurological conditions, under the stricter Schedule H1 category amid reports of its misuse and abuse. The ministry notified the inclusion of pregabalin under Schedule H1 of the Drugs Rules, 1945, through a gazette notification on May 20. "The decision has been taken in view of reports received from certain states regarding the misuse and abuse of Pregabalin, particularly among youth," the ministry said. The drug, which is prescribed for the treatment of chronic pain, neuropathies, fibromyalgia, and certain neurological conditions, has reportedly been misused for its sedative, euphoric, and dissociative effects. The ministry cited seizures of illegal stocks and sales of pregabalin in parts of the country. The medicine was earlier regulated under Schedule H under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945. Under the revised classification, the drug can now be sold only against a valid ...

Health Ministry activates precautionary surveillance amid hantavirus

The Health Ministry has stepped up surveillance after probable hantavirus cases were reported onboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, with two Indians under observation

Digital platform launched to strengthen maternal, child healthcare services

The Union Health Ministry has launched a digital platform aimed at strengthening maternal and child healthcare services through seamless tracking of beneficiaries, real-time monitoring and interoperable health records. Launched during the national summit on Innovation and Inclusivity Best Practices Shaping India's Health Future, JANANI (Journey of Antenatal, Natal and Neonatal Integrated Care) is a service-oriented digital platform designed to comprehensively monitor and maintain digital health records of women during their reproductive years, a health ministry statement. Developed as an upgraded version of the existing Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) portal, the platform creates a longitudinal health record by capturing service delivery events across the continuum of care, the statement said. JANANI will facilitate continuous tracking of maternal and child healthcare services, including antenatal care, delivery preparedness, institutional delivery, postnatal care, newborn care,

Centre revises DCGI recruitment rules, raises age limit to widen pool

The Centre has raised the age limit and broadened eligibility norms for appointing the Drug Controller General of India to address a shortage of qualified candidates

Parliamentary panel pulls up HealthMin over drug scheme funding gaps

Panel flags funding discontinuity in drug regulation scheme, urges swift SSDRS 2.0 approval and decentralisation of medical device clearances to ease bottlenecks and improve oversight

Medtech industry split over Centre's move on standard device testing fees

Medtech firms are split over draft norms on standardised testing fees, with some backing transparency and others warning of higher compliance burden for low-risk devices

Govt intensifies checks on illegal sale, misuse of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs

As cheaper GLP-1 weight-loss drugs flood India after patent expiry, the government has intensified surveillance to curb illegal sales, misleading promotion, and unsafe use without medical supervision

Health Ministry asks institutes to avoid informal foreign engagements

Union Health Ministry directs research bodies to refrain from informal data sharing and collaborations with foreign agencies without prior approval from competent authorities

India's neonatal deaths decline by 70% in 34 years: Nadda hails UN report

India has emerged as a key contributor to global progress in reducing child mortality, according to the latest United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNIGME) Report 2025

Centre proposes doing away with double testing of blood plasma products

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

Centre proposes changes in Drug Rules to standardise blood product testing

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

Centre plans national assessment of district hospitals for emergency care

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

Centre to roll out free HPV vaccine drive for 14-year-old girls nationwide

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

Govt to provide AI resources access to medical students: MoHFW official

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

Draft rules scrap provisional ethics committee registration stage

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

Why regular deworming is vital even for children who seem healthy

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