Health

New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) India highlighted progress on universal health coverage, hepatitis elimination and sickle cell care at two global health events on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, an official statement said on Thursday.Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava highlighted Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, AB‑PMJAY and e-Sanjeevani as tools bringing healthcare services closer to communities, the statement from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.Srivastava at the Seventh Annual Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) & Global Health highlighted India’s efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery across primary, secondary and tertiary health care, while protecting people from financial hardship."India ...

New Delhi, Sep 23 (IANS) The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed a single-phase implementation of Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling (FoPL), introducing prominent warning labels on packaged food products that are high in salt, sugar or fat. The proposal was submitted through an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, which had sought a clear timeline from the food regulator and the government on the rollout of front-of-pack warning labels.Under the proposed framework, packaged food products exceeding prescribed thresholds for nutrients of concern would be required to display a red hexagon on a white square background on the front of the pack.The warning label is intended to provide consumers with clear and easily identifiable nutritional information at the ti...

Chennai, Sep 22 (IANS) With dengue and other fever cases rising in parts of Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Tuesday directed district administrations to intensify disease-prevention measures and strengthen preparedness for the Northeast Monsoon. Vijay issued the instructions while chairing a review meeting at the Secretariat for the second consecutive day to assess precautionary and disaster-management measures in Coimbatore, Dindigul, Erode, Karur, Madurai, the Nilgiris, Sivaganga, Tenkasi, Theni and Virudhunagar districts.The Chief Minister asked the district Collectors to prepare location-specific plans after evaluating the vulnerability of individual areas. He said particular attention should be given to rain-prone and hilly regions in the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Dindigul, ...

New Delhi, Sep 22 (IANS) The Centre has released Rs 6,406.99 crore through the National Ayush Mission (NAM) to States and Union Territories between financial years 2014–15 and 2025–26 to expand and integrate Ayush healthcare into conventional medical systems, an official factsheet said on Tuesday.The funding, with further support from the National Health Mission (NHM), has financed modernisation of local Ayush clinics, co‑location of services in public health facilities and the establishment of new traditional medical colleges.Nearly 12,260 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (Ayush AAMs) were functional as on September 19, 2026, against a NAM target of 12,500, and that NHM now offers Ayush services alongside standard care in 13,249 public health facilities.The government funds salaries for 25,322 Ayu...

New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) The Central government on Monday launched the 7th Edition of the National Formulary of India (NFI) and the ADR-PvPI 2.0 Mobile App for iOS users at the 6th National Pharmacovigilance Week programme organised by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) here.Union MoS Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilisers Anupriya Patel also unveiled new initiatives to strengthen patient safety and pharmacovigilance and released the guidance document for hospitals in India for 'Safety Monitoring and Reporting of Medical Device-Related Adverse Events.'The 6th National Pharmacovigilance Week, being observed from 17–23 September 2026, drew senior government officials, regulators, healthcare professionals, academicians, researchers and other stakeholders working t...

New Delhi, Sep 19 (IANS) Ayush Ministry is now advancing artificial intelligence (AI) as the next frontier for Ayurveda and the wider Ayush sector, it said on Saturday.The ministry said it has been exploring AI across healthcare, research, education, information services and investment facilitation, with an emerging ecosystem that includes both specialised AI applications and broader collaborations with national AI initiatives.The ministry's broader AI ecosystem is being advanced through participation in the IndiaAI Innovation Challenge, with a focus on developing AI-enabled solutions tailored to the Ayush sector.Key use cases include voice-based Electronic Health Records, disease-trend detection, and personalised treatment-support solutions, aimed at leveraging Artificial Intelligence to ...

New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Friday said that it has initiated three separate adjudication cases against Nestlé India over alleged regulatory non-compliance involving its infant nutrition products, including NAN Excella Pro Stage 1 and Lactogen Pro 1.According to a notice shared by the food regulator on Instagram, FSSAI examined the products and promotional material listed on e-commerce platforms and flagged certain claims associated with the infant nutrition products.In the case of NAN Excella Pro Stage 1, the regulator raised concerns over claims related to “5 HMOS” and “Whey Protein”. For Lactogen Pro 1, FSSAI flagged a claim describing whey protein as being easy to digest.The food regulator said it had sought clarifications from N...

New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) Patient safety cannot be the responsibility of a single programme or department and needs to be embedded across the health system, particularly in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and long-term management of noncommunicable diseases, a senior government official has said.Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary and Mission Director (NHM), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, reiterated the government’s commitment to strengthening patient safety, improving quality of care and building safer health systems across the country. The ministry, commemorated the ‘World Patient Safety Day 2026’ with the theme “Safe Care for Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs)”. Addressing the gathering, Patnaik said that nearly 63 per cent of all deaths in India are attributed to NCDs, maki...

New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) The government on Thursday said it has proposed amendments to strengthen regulatory oversight over Schedule H, H1 and X drugs, along with recommending mandatory CCTV surveillance at medical stores as an additional regulatory safeguard.Health Ministry proposed amendments to the “Drugs Rules, 1945,” through a draft gazette notification dated September 8. The proposed amendment seeks to address concerns relating to unauthorised access to and sale of Schedule H, H1 and X drugs.After implementation, the amendments are expected to help strengthen monitoring of the sale and distribution of Schedule H, H1 and X drugs and curb their unauthorised access and sale without valid prescriptions.“The proposed CCTV surveillance mechanism will also enhance transparency and accountab...

Seoul, Sep 16 (IANS) The government on Wednesday announced plans to formally allow the use of abortion pills by women up to nine weeks pregnant, as related regulations remain unrevised following the Constitutional Court's 2019 striking down of the abortion ban.The ministries of gender equality, health and food and drug safety reported the plans at a government policy coordination meeting, noting the institutional vacuum has created risks to women's health and safety.Under the plan, abortion pills will be introduced in phases, with both prescription and dispensing taking place directly at hospitals for the first two years, reports Yonhap news agency.When necessary conditions are fulfilled, the system will shift to doctors prescribing and pharmacies dispensing.The food and drug safety minist...