Health

New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) The Centrally sponsored Mission Vatsalya scheme has supported 2,450 child care institutions (CCIs) during FY 2023-24 for providing institutional care services to children, said Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur, in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.Under the Mission, 1,21,861 children were supported for non-institutional care, while 62,594 children were given institutional care.The CCIs provide age-appropriate education, access to vocational training, recreation, health care, and counseling.The scheme was launched in 2021 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) to support children in need of care and protection (CNCP) and children in conflict with law (CCL)."The objective of Mission Vatsalya is to ensure that the best interest...

Shajapur, Dec 11 (IANS) Jan Aushadhi Kendras, in its bid to revolutionise the country's healthcare landscape by offering affordable and cheaper medicines to the poor and marginalised sections, is yielding good results and also winning wide applause from the common men.In Madhya Pradesh's Shajapur district, Vikram Bhavsar is ecstatic and optimistic about his future after getting a job at one of the city's Jan Aushadhi centres, being operated under Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya JanAushadhi Pariyojana (PM-BJP).The Jan Aushadhi Kendra was opened sometime ago, and he is happy and relieved about finding permanent employment under the scheme.Speaking to IANS, he said that the Jan Aushadhi Kendra, operating from the city's hospital is selling generic medicines to hordes of patients on a daily basis, as...

Mumbai, Dec 11 (IANS) Indian regulator Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has approved Cipla to exclusively distribute and market inhaled insulin in the country, the drugmaker said on Wednesday.The insulin called Afrezza is created and manufactured by MannKind Corporation, and is used to improve glycemic control in adults with diabetes mellitus.“Afrezza is a rapid-acting insulin delivered through an inhaler as compared to current insulins which are given as injections. Taken at the beginning of a meal, Afrezza dissolves rapidly upon oral inhalation into the lungs and delivers insulin quickly to the bloodstream,” the company said.Cipla aims to make the drug accessible to all and empower millions to take control of their health with greater ease.The company noted that Afrezz...

New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) The Centre has sold 12.41 lakh tonne of 'Bharat' dals at subsidised prices to consumers to ease the burden of inflation on households, the government told the Parliament on Wednesday. Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, B.L. Verma said in the Lok Sabha that 12.35 lakh tonnes of Bharat chana dal, 5,663.07 tonnes of Bharat moong dal, and 118 tonnes of Bharat masur dal have been sold at subsidised prices till now.The government introduced Bharat dal in July 2023 by converting chana stock from the price stabilisation buffer into chana dal for retail sale to consumers at a maximum retail price (MRP) of Rs 60 per kg for 1 kg pack and Rs 55 per kg for 30 kg pack till September 30, 2024.Bharat chana dal has been extended and expanded by al...

New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) Indian pharmaceutical companies, which benefited from sector tailwinds such as stable generic pricing and shortage-led opportunities and stable costs of raw materials in the past 18-24 months, will make further progress in differentiated and complex generics in the US market in 2025, a report showed on Wednesday. According to a note by HSBC Global Research, these tailwinds are projected to continue in 2025 as well given that “we don’t see major changes on the demand-supply dynamics.”“In 2025, we assume Indian companies will make further progress in differentiated/complex generics (peptides, inhalers) in the US with the potential launches of gAbraxane, gAdvair inhaler and peptides, etc,” according to the note.Progress in complex generics and biosimilars will likely...

New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) At least one person each second, or 42 million people annually worldwide is estimated to acquire a new genital herpes infection, according to new estimates by the World Health Organization on Wednesday.It showed that about 846 million people or more than 1 in 5 people aged between 15 and 49 are living with genital herpes infections.Herpes simplex virus (HSV), known as herpes, is a common infection that can cause painful blisters or ulcers. It primarily spreads by skin-to-skin contact. It is treatable but not curable.Usually, these infections cause no or few symptoms, in some cases they lead to painful genital sores and blisters that can recur throughout life, causing significant discomfort and often requiring multiple healthcare visits.The estimates, published in t...

Bhopal, Dec 10 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla on Tuesday said he has urged the World Bank to conduct a thorough assessment of the state’s current healthcare challenges. He said the World Bank's study would provide a solid foundation for understanding the existing gaps in the healthcare system and implementing corrective measures. Shukla, who is also the Health minister of Madhya Pradesh, informed that the delegation has assured to conduct an in-depth study on the state's healthcare system and will provide its report by March 2025.Shukla made this statement after chairing a meeting with a delegation of the World Bank representatives here in Bhopal on Tuesday. "World Bank will conduct a comprehensive assessment and propose reforms to empower the state’s healthc...

Phnom Penh, Dec 10 (IANS) Cambodia on Tuesday banned energy drinks at schools as the Southeast Asian country has seen a significant rise in diabetes among young people.Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Youth and Sport Hang Chuon Naron said the move was aimed at preventing the risk of non-communicable diseases, especially diabetes, which was caused by the consumption of sugary and energy drinks."The consumption, distribution, sale, and advertisement of all kinds of energy drinks in and around schools' campuses are strictly prohibited," he said in a directive, Xinhua news agency reported.He said the prohibition was applied to all public and private educational institutions as well as technical education institutions across the country.Naron advised all schools to remind studen...

New Delhi, Dec 10 (IANS) The global community experienced extensive lockdowns nearly five years ago to combat the lethal coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, commonly referred to as Covid-19, which was initially identified in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. This pandemic resulted in approximately 6.6 million fatalities worldwide and prompted China to implement a stringent 'Zero-Covid' policy aimed at controlling the virus' spread. During the first wave, this approach led to over 60,000 deaths within China. Although the policy initially appeared effective, its prolonged enforcement has had detrimental effects on the nation's socio-economic landscape and public health, consequences that China has yet to fully address.The execution of this 'Zero Covid' strategy by the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) ultimately...

New Delhi, Dec 10 (IANS) About 123 regular Ayush visas and 221 e-Ayush visas have been issued to foreigners seeking treatment in India, between July 2023 and December 2024, said the Union government on Tuesday.During the same period, 17 e-Ayush attendant visas have also been issued, said Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush Prataprao Jadhav in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.On July 27, 2023, the Government introduced a separate category of Ayush Visa for foreigners visiting India for availing treatment under the Ayush system of medicine.Ayush Visa is available under four sub-categories namely: Ayush visa; Ayush attendant visa; e-Ayush visa and e-Ayush attendant visa.An Ayush Visa is granted to a foreigner whose sole purpose is to seek treatment through Ayush systems."A to...