Health

Mangaluru, Sep 30 (IANS) A major blast, followed by a fire, was reported at the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd in Karnataka's Mangaluru on Wednesday, but the blaze has been brought under control, Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy said.According to the Commissioner, two persons were seriously injured in the incident.One of them, identified as Rajesh Baptist, who was present inside the plant, suffered burn injuries to around 35 per cent of his body. He was shifted to Srinivasa Hospital for treatment and is currently in the ICU. Doctors have said that he is out of danger.Six other persons who sustained minor injuries in an adjacent office were given treatment and underwent check-ups on an outpatient basis, the Commissioner said.The Police Commissioner, the Deputy Commissioner...

New Delhi, Sep 30 (IANS) The Ayush services sector contributed an estimated $36.92 billion in FY25 to India's economy and could scale to $216 billion–$318 billion by 2047, the government said on Wednesday, citing a study by the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS).The statement from the Ministry of Ayush said the sector has recorded a 16.91 per cent compound annual growth rate since FY23, supports about 1.76 million livelihoods and generated $1.77 billion in Medical Value Travel revenue. The sector is increasingly contributing to India’s economic growth through healthcare, wellness, employment generation and Medical Value Travel, according to the report released during the 11th Ayurveda Day celebrations in Nagpur.“The findings of this landmark study affirm that Ay...

Srinagar, Sep 30 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said on Wednesday that ‘Operation Drishti’ was not just a medical camp, but a reflection of the Army’s courage, dedication, and resolve to serve the nation.The L-G addressed the closing ceremony of Phase-II of the Mega Cataract Surgery Camp under ‘Op Drishti’ at Chinar Auditorium, Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar.He said the 11th mega surgery camp had brought together patients, doctors, medical teams and the Army to provide quality eye care to people who otherwise face difficulties in accessing advanced treatment.He said ‘Op Drishti’ was not merely a medical camp but reflected the Army’s service, courage, resolve and commitment to restoring dignity and improving the lives of people living in remote and border areas.“I expr...

New Delhi, Sep 29 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned the huge disparity between the maximum retail price (MRP) of medicines and the price at which they are supplied to retailers, asking the Centre why a uniform margin cap could not be prescribed for pharmaceutical products. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta raised particular concern over cancer medicines carrying an MRP of Rs 27,000 while their price to retailers (PTR) was around Rs 3,000.The apex court also flagged the practice of corporate hospitals requiring patients to purchase medicines from their in-house pharmacies, observing that patients who procure medicines from outside may not be assured treatment."Corporate hospitals say you have to buy from our chemist. If you bring it from outside, we are not assu...

Kolkata, Sep 29 (IANS) The West Bengal Health Department is considering disciplinary action against government doctors attached to state-run medical institutions who allegedly attended and treated patients at Sebashray health camps organised by Trinamool Congress National General Secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee without obtaining prior approval from competent authorities.Sources in the health department said a four-member probe committee, formed to investigate alleged irregularities at the Sebashray health camps, has already begun questioning some government doctors who attended the camps without prior permission from higher authorities. “Depending on the satisfactory level of their replies, the four-member probe committee will decide whether disciplinary proceedings will...

Kochi, Sep 28 (IANS) The Kerala High Court on Monday asked the Centre to examine whether its powers under Section 100 of the Patents Act could be used to improve access to costly patented life-saving medicines, particularly when such drugs are priced beyond the reach of patients.Justice Harisankar V. Menon observed that invoking the provision was ultimately a policy matter but noted that government intervention could be considered where medicines were being sold at exorbitant prices.Section 100 empowers the Central government to authorise the use of a patented invention for government purposes without the consent of the patent holder.The court did not direct the Centre to invoke the provision in the present case involving expensive breast cancer medicines but asked the government to coll...

New Delhi, Sep 28 (IANS) A large multicentre clinical study published in Frontiers in Medicine found daily administration of a standardised Ashwagandha root extract for 24 weeks was well tolerated with no evidence of treatment‑related hepatic or renal injury, the government said on Monday.The statement from the Ministry of Ayush said the study published on August 20 is based on a multicentre, randomised, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled trial of a safe prolonged prophylactic use and tolerability of Ashwagandha following COVISHIELD vaccination over 24 weeks.The study found a favourable safety and tolerability profile for the standardised Ashwagandha root extract over the 24-week intervention period, the statement said.“Liver and kidney function parameters remained within the reported refere...

New Delhi, Sep 25 (IANS) The Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes have succeeded in strengthening India’s pharmaceutical, bulk drugs and medical devices manufacturing ecosystem, which has helped to reduce import dependence and encouraged technology adoption to build globally competitive capabilities in the pharma and medtech sector, according to a factsheet issued by the government on Friday.The government approved the 'PLI Scheme for Bulk Drugs' in 2020, with a total financial outlay of Rs 6,940 crore. The scheme was launched to strengthen domestic manufacturing of 41 identified critical products and reduce dependence on imports, particularly for APIs and other essential pharmaceutical building blocks.An investment of Rs 5,210.74 crore has been made under the scheme (as on June 2026)...

Mumbai, Sep 24 (IANS) Shares of insurance distribution platforms PB Fintech and Turtlemint witnessed heavy selling pressure on Thursday after the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) proposed sweeping changes to insurance distribution economics, raising concerns about the future earnings prospects of intermediaries.PB Fintech, the parent company of Policybazaar, plunged 34 per cent to close at Rs 1,244.50, compared to its previous close of Rs 1,886.30. The stock had gained 4.5 per cent in the previous session. Turtlemint shares also came under severe pressure and ended the day 20 per cent lower at Rs 109.04 apiece.The sharp decline followed the release of IRDAI's consultation paper titled “Recalibrating Economics of Insurance Distribution”, which proposes signifi...

New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) India’s food regulator has proposed to prohibit manufacturing and sale of analogue paneer across the country, notifying draft amendments for consultations.According to the FSSAI draft, “the amendment is proposed in the following regulation to restrict manufacturing and sale of analogue product as paneer so as to prevent misleading consumers regarding the nature and composition of the product”.Products already licensed or registered under 'Analogue in Dairy Context' category shall discontinue the use of the term “Paneer” in their nomenclature, labelling or marketing. It added.Several state governments have banned the sale and manufacturing of analogue paneer.FSSAI has decided to introduce draft amendments in the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction...