Page 2 - Healthcare Technologies

18% of population requires assistive care solutions, says former DGHS

Highlighting India's growing need for assistive technologies to cope with disabilities or chronic illnesses, experts at a recent event stressed the need for evidence-based research and collaboration to bridge the gap between these products and their end-users. The experts at a session on 'Growing Need for Assistive Technologies' at the 8th National Health Writers and Influencers Convention, held at AIIMS, asserted that India has a huge and growing demand for assistive technologies (ATs) to help about 250 million people who need them to cope with disabilities, ageing or chronic illnesses. Speaking on the occasion, Dr R K Srivastava, former director general of health services at the Union Health Ministry, said 18 per cent of India's population requires assistive care solutions such as spectacles, hearing aids, wheelchairs, communication aids and prosthetic limbs. Dr Ashoo Grover, Scientist 'F' and Deputy Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research, said ICMR and other .

PE fund Lighthouse invests Rs 229 cr in Safari for undisclosed stake

Private equity fund Lighthouse on Monday said it has invested Rs 229 crore in luggage brand Safari for an undisclosed stake. The investment by the mid-market consumer and healthcare-focused platform is the second bet taken by its newest fund, Lighthouse India Fund IV AIF, as per an official statement. It was not immediately clear how the company intended to deploy the newly raised funds. Lighthouse's co-founder and partner Sachin Bhartiya said the Private Equity (PE) fund sees structural tailwinds to the travel sector, and added that the Indian luggage market has been a beneficiary of increasing leisure travel and wedding spends. "Safari is uniquely positioned to capture this opportunity with the confluence of expanding discretionary spends and changing consumer behaviour in favour of branded luggage with aspirational appeal," he said. Safari's chairman and managing director Sudhir Jatia said the luggage market still remains "highly unorganised" and his company aims to penetrate .

91,237 kids administered vaccine during Goa's polio immunisation programme

A total of 91,237 children in the age group of 0-5 years have been administered vaccine doses during the Pulse Polio Immunisation Programme held in Goa. The immunisation programme was held on Sunday across 660 polio booth camps in Goa, as per a media statement issued by the state Directorate of Health Services. "Total 91,237 doses were administered to the children, which means an equal number of children benefitted with the programme," the official said. The target was to cover more than one lakh children during the campaign, he said. This will be followed by a house-to-house survey and coverage activity from March 4-6 during which doses for the left over children would be administered, he added.

Surrogacy rules: Couples with medical condition can now use donor gametes

The Centre has amended the surrogacy rules 2022 allowing married couples to use an egg or sperm of a donor in case one of the partners is suffering from a medical condition. The District Medical Board has to certify that either the husband or wife is suffering from a medical condition necessitating the use of donor gamete. "In case when the District Medical Board certifies that either husband or wife constituting the intending couple suffers from a medical condition necessitating use of donor gamete, then surrogacy using donor gamete is allowed," the notification issued on Wednesday said. The surrogacy using donor gamete is allowed subject to the condition that the child to be born through surrogacy must have at least one gamete from the intending couple, it stated. This means if both the partners have medical problems or are unable to have their own gametes they cannot opt for surrogacy. "Single women (widow or divorcee) undergoing surrogacy must use self-eggs and donor sperm to

Healthcare firm Abridge secures $150 mn to develop AI model for clinicians

Shiv Rao, CEO of Abridge and also a practicing cardiologist, said the company plans to use the fresh funding for hiring as well as acquiring and training purpose-built medical AI models

Thyrocare acquires Think Health Diagnostics, expands into home ECG services

With this strategic acquisition, Thyrocare will expand its footprint in the pre-policy medical check-up segment for the insurance market

Budget to boost healthcare sector, bolster bulk drug manufacturing: Expert

India's interim Budget would help in addressing some of the major challenges being faced by the country in the health and pharma sector and reinforce India's standing as the Pharmacy of the World, a well-known pharma industry association head has said. The Union Health Ministry has been allocated Rs 90,658.63 crore in the interim Budget for 2024-2025, a hike of 12.59 per cent over 80,517.62 crore in the Budget (revised estimates) for 2023-2024. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government plans to set up more medical colleges by utilising existing hospital infrastructure and will form a committee to examine the issues and make relevant recommendations. India's commitment to promoting research and development in the life sciences sector will receive a boost with the government's plan to establish more medical colleges in the country, Karun Rishi, president of the USA India Chamber of Commerce said on Thursday. "This initiative will improve healthcare services and contribu

Max Healthcare Institute Q3 results: PAT rises 26% to Rs 338 crore

Max Healthcare Institute Ltd on Wednesday reported a 26 per cent growth in its profit after tax at Rs 338 crore in the December quarter. The company had posted a Profit After Tax (PAT) of Rs 269 crore in the third quarter of FY23, Max Healthcare Institute said in a statement. Network gross revenue stood at Rs 1,779 crore, up 14 per cent as compared to Rs 1,559 crore in the same period a year ago, it added. Max Healthcare Institute Chairman and Managing Director Abhay Soi said the company continued to witness positive trends on all parameters even during this quarter. This translated into revenue and profitability growth, despite expected softness in occupancies due to the festive season. "Further, our entry into central UP (Uttar Pradesh) through the acquisition of Sahara Hospital will strengthen our presence in Northern India and will act as a stepping stone in growing Max Healthcare's presence in the region," he added.

Everything to know about Musk's Neuralink and its first human brain implant

For the first time Musk has given the implant device a name

Bajaj Finserv arm acquires 100% stake in Vidal Healthcare Services

On the deal, Pune-based Bajaj Finserv said that it aims to expand its capabilities in the healthcare sector in India

Musk announces successful brain implant procedure in 1st human recipient

Neuralink's brain implant aims to help people with traumatic injuries operate computers using only their thoughts

Haryana govt hospitals, health institutes to implement uniforms from Mar 1

All government hospitals and health institutions in Haryana will implement uniforms for its employees from March 1, Health Minister Anil Vij said on Monday. Vij chaired a meeting with officials of various associations related to the Health and Family Welfare Department on Monday. According to an official statement, Vij said that uniforms for employees in various categories will be implemented in all government hospitals and health institutions across the state from March 1. Last year, the health minister had announced a dress code for healthcare professionals, which barred funky hairstyles, makeup, long nails, denim clothing, T-shirts, skirts, among others at government healthcare centres. Vij had said that a hospital requires its employees to follow certain conduct, and a dress code is an essential component which gives the organisation a "professional touch". At Monday's meeting, the health minister expressed his desire for National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibratio

Meity's Republic Day tableau focuses on AI for social empowerment

India leveraging the power of artificial intelligence in healthcare, logistics and education to further social empowerment was the theme of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology's Republic Day parade tableau. The tractor portion of the tableau, which rolled down the Kartavya Path on Friday, showcased a "female robot" in a thinking posture. The base of the tractor depicted a 3D scale model of a chip. Circuit design on the sides with LED lights showcased the energy that artificial intelligence carries to take India towards development. Artificial intelligence is a kinetic enabler to leap-frog traditional development barriers and catalyse large-scale socio-economic transformation in India, according to an official statement. It said artificial intelligence is expected to add USD 967 billion to the Indian economy by 2035 and USD 450-500 billion to India's GDP by 2025, accounting for 10 per cent of the country's USD 5 trillion GDP target. The front of the float portraye

Committed to enhance eye care infrastructure across nation: Nitin Gadkari

Sharp Sight Eye Hospital's new facility is spread across 45,000 square feet hospital and can serve over 1000 patients daily in its Outpatient Department (OPD)

Health sector's Budget wishlist: Increase spending to 2.5% of GDP

Key demands include rationalising GST rates, investment in skilling professionals, building local capabilities

Ozempic's massive bills: Weight loss drugs will be billed to US taxpayers

State and local governments across the US are grappling with a growing problem: Expensive drugs to treat diabetes and obesity are threatening to drain their health-care budgets

Apollo Hospitals plans to invest Rs 3,000 cr, add 2,000 beds in 3 years: MD

Free cash flows will enable health care chain to grow, says Suneeta Reddy

New AI model could be used to predict Covid-variant waves, finds research

An artificial intelligence (AI) model can predict which variants of the Covid-causing SARS-CoV-2 virus will likely bring about fresh waves of the infection, a new research has found. The model can detect around 73 per cent of the variants in each country that will cause at least 1,000 cases per 10 lakh people in the three months, following an observation period of one week, and over 80 per cent after two weeks, researchers said. The team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US, and The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Israel, analysed 9 SARS-CoV-2 million genetic sequences across 30 countries, collected by the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID). This was combined with data on vaccination rates, infection rates, and other factors. The initiative "promotes the rapid sharing of data from priority pathogens including influenza, hCoV-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hMpxV as well as arboviruses including chikungunya, dengue and zika," ...

Increase budget allocation on health to 2.5 pc of GDP: NATHEALTH

NATHEALTH-Healthcare Federation of India on Tuesday asked the government to increase budget allocation on health to 2.5 per cent of GDP while also calling for a restructuring of the healthcare GST framework. In its pre-Budget recommendations, NATHEALTH underlined the need for the government to embark on transformative measures that prioritise bolstering healthcare infrastructure and making strategic investments to overcome supply side constraints. "India's public healthcare spending remains low, at only around 1.6-1.8 per cent of GDP. These allocations are insufficient to tackle the magnitude of healthcare challenges," NATHEALTH said in a statement. It recommended "increasing budget allocation to 2.5 per cent of GDP to augment the social insurance schemes, boosting healthcare reforms and infrastructure and fast-tracking digital health services across India." On the need for rationalisation of GST for the healthcare sector, it said, "Although increased budget allocation has been a .

Reliance General Insurance launches new policy for overseas treatment

Reliance General Insurance Company Ltd (RGICL) on Saturday said it has launched a new policy to make global healthcare accessible to Indians. The policy, Reliance Health Global, provides comprehensive cover not only within the borders of India but across the world, RGICL said in a statement. The policy will cover expenses for overseas treatment, including critical illnesses like cancer and bypass surgery, it added. It also encompasses travel, accommodation, and end-to-end Visa and assistance services, addressing emergencies like lost passports or emergency cash, apart from sum-insured coverage of up to USD 1 million, the company said. The new product also offers benefits ranging from air ambulance to organ donor expenses with no restrictions on room rent. "As India globalises and a lot of Indians keep travelling abroad for work or leisure it's imperative to remove their pain of buying multiple policies separately for India and overseas," Reliance General Insurance CEO Rakesh Jain