Page 33 - Healthcare

Apollo Connect launched to provide connected healthcare ecosystem in India

Apollo Hospitals on Monday announced a pan-India expansion of its connected care programme, Apollo Connect, to provide the largest integrated healthcare ecosystem in India, the hospital said. Through this, Apollo aims to empower hospitals and nursing homes in both metro and non-metro areas to offer holistic and superior patient care. It rolled out services like eICU, diagnostics, surgical consultations, remote monitoring, clinical and quality training as well as accreditation support across India for the benefit of its connected care partner network, a release from the hospital said. "As care providers, the imperative for us is to collaborate and support each other to ensure no sick person goes untreated for lack of access to quality care," founder and chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, Dr Prathap C Reddy, said. "Since inception, we have been committed to making India healthier by building and providing the best healthcare solutions. Apollo Connect for us is one more step in that ...

Apollo plans to expand connected care programme across the country

For the past two years, Apollo has been piloting Apollo Connect with specialty hospitals and nursing homes pan-India and has seen immense success across the board

P&G Hygiene and Health profit jumps over 3-fold to Rs 151 cr in Jun qtr

FMCG products maker Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care Ltd has reported an over three-fold rise in Profit After Tax (PAT) at Rs 151.24 crore in the June quarter. The company, which follows the July-June financial year, had reported a PAT of Rs 42.55 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal. Its net sales were 12.31 per cent higher at Rs 848.74 crore during the quarter under review, as against Rs 755.65 crore in the year-ago period, Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care Ltd (PGHH) said in a regulatory filing. "PAT for the quarter was Rs 151 crore, versus Rs 43 crore a year ago because of strong base business growth and one-time help," a PGHH earnings statement said. Its revenue from operations stood at Rs 852.53 crore, up 9.8 per cent in the June quarter. PGHH's total expense was Rs 656.05 crore in the June quarter, down 9.42 per cent as against Rs 724.31 crore a year ago. The total income of the company, which owns popular brands such as Vicks in ...

Highly mutated Covid-19 variant BA.2.86 detected in two more countries

BA.2.86 was first spotted in Denmark on July 24 when it infected a patient at risk of severe illness. Subsequently, it has been detected in symptomatic patients and wastewater samples

Country still needs to work on education, health: Delhi Minister Atishi

India has progressed in the last 76 years but there are several areas where our country still needs to work such as education, medical facilities, unemployment, and discrimination, Delhi Education Minister Atishi said on Thursday. Felicitating the winners of statewide school competition 'India of my Dream in 2047,' where students shared their vision of India's future, Atishi said, "The students themselves said during the interaction that good education and medical facilities are required. Another student mentioned there shouldn't be any discrimination. Whether someone is Hindu or Muslim or Sikh or Isai (Christian), everybody should be treated equally." The Delhi minister further said that there are many such places where people still don't have access to good education, medical facilities, and job opportunities. "There are many who are unemployed and there are places where women are scared to step out of their houses," Atishi said. "If the Delhi government school students and the .

Indians slowly gaining footing in planning for retirement: Survey

Indians are slowly making progress in retirement planning, even though the country is under-protected in terms of retirement corpus, according to a survey by Max Life Insurance. The India Retirement Index Study (IRIS), conducted in partnership with data analytics company KANTAR, showed a significant upward movement to 47 from 44. The online survey was conducted among 2,093 respondents across 28 cities in India. The index mapped respondents' views on health, finance and emotion. Max Life Managing Director & CEO Prashant Tripathy said people have started giving importance to health and are resorting to health insurance and periodic check-ups, but very few are focusing on physical activity or wellness. As per the survey, 44 per cent of the respondents have a health insurance and 58 per cent have undergone health check-ups in last three years. "People in India has been putting far greater weight to health. Zone-wise, eastern region and Tier 2 cities are making good progress in terms .

Procter & Gamble Health profit dips 27% to Rs 30 cr in April-June quarter

Procter & Gamble Health on Thursday said its profit after tax declined by 27 per cent to Rs 30 crore in the quarter ended June 2023, hit by a higher material cost and one-time employee cost. The company, which follows the July-June financial year, had reported a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 41 crore in the same quarter last year. Total income increased to Rs 307 crore in the April-June quarter from Rs 299 crore in the year-ago period, Procter & Gamble Health said in a statement. For the year ended June 30, 2023, the company reported a PAT of Rs 229 crore, up 19 per cent from Rs 192 crore in the previous fiscal. Total income rose to Rs 1,248 crore as compared with Rs 1,128 crore in the previous year. "We continued our efforts towards brand and category development and thus delivered a strong performance in the fiscal, marked by consistent growth across all our brands," Procter & Gamble Health MD Milind Thatte stated. The quarter, however, witnessed a category slowdown ...

First ABDM microsite under NHA '100 microsites project' launched in Mizoram

Mizoram became the first state in India to operationalise an ABDM microsite; under the project, all healthcare facilities including the private clinics, and labs will be made ABDM-enabled

Amid rising suicides, NITI Aayog plans healthcare programme for children

The programme, for both government and private schools, will focus on policy interventions for mental health promotion, prevention and interventions to school children

IMA writes to Mandaviya, seeks withdrawal of generic drugs mandate

The IMA has written to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya seeking withdrawal of National Medical Commission (NMC) regulations on mandatory prescription of generic drugs till there is quality assurance of all medicines. The doctors' body also expressed concern over the regulations which bar doctors from attending conferences sponsored by pharma companies saying such a prohibition warrants reconsideration. It demanded associations and organisations should be exempted from the purview of NMC regulations. Members of the Indian Medical Association and Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance on Monday had met Mandaviya and expressed their concerns over the NMC regulations. The National Medical Commission (NMC) in its 'Regulations relating to Professional Conduct of Registered Medical Practitioners' stated that all doctors must prescribe generic drugs, failing which they will be penalised and their licence to practice may also be suspended for a period. It also asked doctors to avoid prescrib

Open innovations, be ready to tackle next health emergency: PM to G20

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged G20 nations to facilitate equitable availability of technology and also appealed to them to open innovations for public good. Addressing the G20 Health Ministers' meet in Gujarat capital Gandhinagar via video link, he called upon everyone to be ready to prevent, prepare and respond to the next health emergency. Digital solutions and innovations are useful means to make our efforts equitable and inclusive, Modi said. "Global initiatives on global health will bring together various digital health initiatives on a common platform. Let's open our innovations for public good. Let us avoid duplication of funding," the prime minister said. "Let us facilitate equitable availability of technology. This initiative will allow countries in the global south to close the gap in healthcare delivery. It will take us one step closer to our goal of achieving universal health coverage (UHC)," he added. He informed the G20 members that India will eradicate

G20 Health Ministers meeting to start from August 17 in Gandhinagar

Delegates from 19 member countries, 10 invited states, and 22 international organisations will be participating in the meeting in Gujarat

Free services at government hospitals in Maharashtra from Tuesday

Free treatment and screening or testing facilities became available at government hospitals in Maharashtra from Tuesday, officials said. An order to this effect had been issued on Saturday. All services at the hospitals run by both the state government and civic bodies will be free, it said. But the order is not applicable to hospitals under the control of the Maharashtra Medical Education and Research Department. A complaint can be lodged on toll-free number 104 if a government hospital covered under the order charges a fee. Among other things, common tests and screenings such as X-ray, ECG, blood tests and CT scans will be free. If medicines are not available at the OPD, they shall be purchased locally (by the hospital) and given to patients, the order said.

Doctors to be penalised for not prescribing generic drugs: NMC regulation

All doctors must prescribe generic drugs, failing which they will be penalised and even their license to practice may also be suspended for a period, according to the new regulations issued by the National Medical Commission. The National Medical Commission (NMC) in its 'Regulations relating to Professional Conduct of Registered Medical Practitioners" also asked doctors to avoid prescribing branded generic drugs. Even though doctors are currently required to prescribe generic drugs only, there are no penal provisions mentioned in the regulations issued in 2002 by the Indian Medical Council. The NMC regulations notified on August 2, stated that India's out-of-pocket spending on medications accounts for a major proportion of public spending on healthcare. "Generic medicines are 30 to 80 per cent cheaper than branded drugs. Hence, prescribing generic medicines may overtly bring down healthcare costs and improve access to quality care," it said. Under the generic medicine and prescrip

Only 25% of semi-rural, rural population has health facilities within reach

The report indicated that an Indian household spent 15-20 per cent of their yearly income on medical expenses, while 23 per cent relied on informal loans

Long-term symptoms of Covid-19 can emerge months after infection: Study

Long-term effects of COVID-19 can persist for at least a year after the acute illness has passed, or appear months later, according to a study conducted in the US. The research, published recently in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, is the most comprehensive look yet at how symptoms play out over a year. It expands knowledge of post-COVID-19 conditions, describing trends in more detail than previous research and highlighting significant impacts the epidemic has had on health care system. The study found that for about 16 per cent of the COVID-positive people, symptoms lasted for at least a year, but for others, they appeared for a short time. The team from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and colleagues, assessed symptoms every three months, enabling them to differentiate between symptoms that improve and those that emerge months after the initial infection. "It was common for symptoms to resolve then

New Omicron sub-variant spreads in UK; no reported case in India so far

UK health agency says no indication that EG.5.1 is more severe than the others; WHO advises countries to remain cautious

Metropolis Healthcare eyes 60% revenue from B2C business in next 2-3 years

The diagnostic player has also taken price hikes in the range of 4-5 percent in the last three years

Dabur scouting for acquisition targets in D2C healthcare, personal care

Homegrown FMCG major Dabur India is looking for an acquisition in direct-to-consumer (D2C) space, particularly in healthcare and personal care, its Chief Executive Officer Mohit Malhotra said on Thursday. The acquisition will help Dabur to increase its play in the fast-growing premium segment and also to strengthen our urban play, Malhotra said in a post-results Investors' Conference Call. Besides, the company, which owns iconic brands such as Dabur Amla, Dabur Vatika, and juice brand Real, is increasing investments in branding and promotion as its margins are improving quarter on quarter amidst softening commodity prices. When asked about any D2C acquisition, Malhotra replied: "We continue to scouting on targets in the D2C space also, particularly in healthcare and personal care... We are looking for a brand that will shore up margin and not be dilutive." "If we come across a company which is synergistic with the healthcare space and personal care space, skincare Ayurvedic play, w

Pristyn Care commences operation in Bangladesh; lines up Rs 100 cr

Healthcare delivery startup Pristyn Care on Thursday said it has commenced operations in Bangladesh and will invest Rs 100 crore over the next two years to expand operations in the neighbouring country. The company plans to have five patient care centres in Dhaka and Chattogram(Chittagong) by March 2024. It also aims to hire 200 employees across various departments as part of the expansion plans. "With the country's (Bangladesh) healthcare market expected to reach USD 14 billion by the end of 2023, we are committed to the growth of healthcare in Bangladesh. Over the next two years, we'll invest Rs 100 crore to establish a robust healthcare infrastructure," Pristyn Care Co-Founder Harsimarbir Singh said in a statement. The investment would be utilised to set up patient care centres, he added. Pristyn Care caters to advanced secondary care surgeries with the help of over 400-plus in-house super-speciality surgeons across hundreds of partner hospitals and clinics.