Is India Winning the War Against Rising Non-Communicable Diseases? The latest health statistics paint a concerning picture: diabetes, heart disease, and cancer rates are climbing, impacting millions across the country. From rural healthcare access to the burgeoning urban health crisis, challenges remain significant. This week, we delve into the crucial initiatives underway – government policies, technological advancements in telemedicine, and the rising role of preventative healthcare – that aim to address this national health emergency. Experts weigh in on the effectiveness of current strategies and the critical need for increased public awareness campaigns targeting lifestyle diseases. Are these efforts enough? Explore Abtak.com's in-depth coverage on healthcare in India and discover the vital information you need to protect your well-being and the future of public health. Stay informed; stay healthy.
Hyderabad: Do you or someone close to you experience frequent headaches, numbness or weakness in limbs, seizures, vision or speech changes, imbalance, or sudden memory issues? These could be early symptoms of a brain tumour, a serious and potentially life-threatening neurological condition. The brain is an important part of our body. If these symptoms become more frequent or severe, it could indicate the growth of a brain tumor. Brain tumors are also a type of health emergency -- they often grow slowly but can strike suddenly. Highlighting the unparallel role brain plays and the damage tumors cause, World Brain Tumor Day is observed every year on June 8. On the occasion, CARE Hospitals, one of India's leading healthcare providers, is amplifying public awareness around brain tumor symptoms, early detection, and timely medical action. This effort is part of its larger commitment under the "Power of 3" campaign, a pledge to save lives by ensuring speed, access, and response during critical emergencies. To strengthen emergency care, CARE Hospitals has deployed 5G-enabled ambulances across its Hyderabad units. Under its 'Power of 3' campaign, the hospital pledges to answer emergency calls within three rings, dispatch an ambulance within 30 minutes, and ensure immediate attention from an ER doctor on arrival. According to the World Health Organization, brain and central nervous system tumors impact over 300,000 people globally every year. In India, nearly 40,000 new cases are diagnosed annually, and a significant number remain undetected until symptoms become severe. There are two types of Brain Tumors, Benign and Malignant. Benign brain tumors are noncancerous. Malignant primary brain tumors are cancers that originate in the brain, typically grow faster than benign tumors, and aggressively invade surrounding tissue. Although brain cancer rarely spreads to other organs, it can spread to other parts of the brain and central nervous system. Diagnosis and treatment for Brain Tumors had great advancement in last few years. People with brain tumors have several treatment options. The options are surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Many people get a combination of treatments. Treatments are suggested according to their type, grade, and position of tumor and general health of patient. "Research is ongoing into why brain tumors form. Medical researchers have identified some possible causes. People who receive radiation therapy to the head during childhood and those who work in areas with high radiation levels are more likely to develop brain tumors later in life. The disease can also run in families," says Dr. Bhavani Prasad, Senior Neurosurgeon at CARE Hospitals in Hitech City, Hyderabad. "In cases like brain tumors or neurological emergencies, delays can be life-threatening. Brain tumour outcomes depend on just two things, awareness and timely action. Through this campaign, we are not just raising awareness, we are backing it with a promise of rapid response and expert care. Appropriate treatment at the right time can save lives," Bhavani Prasad added.
CHITTOOR (Andhra Pradesh): The Apollo University, Apollo Hospitals and University of Leicester, United Kingdom, have partnered to establish the Centre for Digital Health and Precision Medicine (CDHPM) at The Apollo University campus in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh. The advanced research center will bring together the expertise and resources of both institutions to create a global hub for digital health and precision medicine. The CDHPM will be the hub in Chittoor, India. The hub at the University of Leicester will be based at the BHF Cardiovascular Research Centre at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): In a milestone for cancer care in India, President Droupadi Murmu, formally inaugurated the Sri Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) Cancer Care Centre and interacted with cancer patients on Thursday. According to an official release, the Sri Ganga Ram Hospital is a cutting-edge facility dedicated to providing comprehensive care to cancer patients. The President ceremonially visited the premises, acknowledging the hospital's pivotal role in delivering ethical and affordable healthcare, marking a presence of pride and recognition for the institution's seven-decade-long ...Read More >
Mumbai, July 11 (SocialNews.XYZ) Lower back pain is a national crisis that can affect the country's productivity, said Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani on Friday, urging entrepreneurs to build India's first AI-powered spinal diagnostic platform. He was addressing the 5th Annual Conference of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery-Asia Pacific (SMISS-AP), in Mumbai. The Adani Group Chairman expressed shock over lower back pain becoming a leading cause of disability in the country and noted how it can destroy the dreams of the nation. "I was shocked to learn that low back pain is n ...Read More >
Palakkad: A 57-year-old man from Palakkad district in Kerala, who died on July 12, is suspected to have been infected with the Nipah virus, prompting the government to ramp up contact tracing and field-level surveillance in the area. The man had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in this northern district. His samples were tested at Manjeri Medical College, where the result came back positive for Nipah, Health Minister Veena George said in a statement. She added that the government is awaiting confirmation from the National Institute of Virology in Pune. This is the second Nip ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 3 (ANI): On the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East Asia Region has called for amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities to foster an inclusive and sustainable future. WHO's Regional Director, Saima Wazed, stressed that empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring their active participation in all sectors is essential to addressing the barriers they face, particularly in healthcare and during humanitarian crises. Also Read | South Korea Unrest: Martial Law Troops Enter Nat ...Read More >
Panaji: Upset with the "degrading and arbitrary" suspension order issued by health minister Vishwajit Rane to a casualty medical officer, the Goa Association of Resident Doctors (GARD) has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to govt.In it, the association is demanding a public apology from Rane and a firm assurance that a "climate of fear and intimidation" will not be repeated.GARD has called for a fair inquiry into the episode, which was disseminated to the media. The General Practitioners Association of Goa (GPA-Goa) has backed GARD and said that Rane's "rudeness and insulting words" are an insult to ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday announced renewal of a scheme to promote registration of employers and employees to expand Employees' State Insurance (ESI) coverage across India. Originally introduced in 2016, SPREE (Scheme to Promote Registration of Employers/Employees) has facilitated the registration of over 88,000 employers and 1.02 crore employees. The renewed SPREE will be open from July 1 to December 31, 2025, offering a one-time opportunity for unregistered employers and left-out workers, including contractual and temporary staff, to enrol un ...Read More >
Kottayam: A woman died after a portion of a building collapsed at Kottayam Medical College, officials said on Thursday. The deceased has been identified as 54-year-old Bindu, a resident of Thalayolaparamba, they said. Officials said the incident took place at around 10.45 am when Bindu went to use the bathroom on the third floor of the old 14th ward building. "A section of the unused toilet area suddenly collapsed. Bindu and two others, including a five-year-old child, were trapped under the debris," they added. Bindu and her husband Visruthan had come to the medical college on July 1 in co ...Read More >
Kanpur: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has raised grave concerns regarding water contamination and health complications arising from the presence of chromium, mercury, fluoride, and iron in Kanpur, Kanpur Dehat, and adjacent Fatehpur. The tribunal has commissioned the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, to investigate these issues thoroughly, noting insufficient rigour in govt assessments.The amicus curiae advocate's findings revealed dangerous concentrations of chromium, mercury, fluoride, and iron in soil and groundwater samples. Govt health camps detected elevated ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 9 (SocialNews.XYZ) Verbal autopsy is a scientific tool that can significantly aid India in the fight against tuberculosis, as it helps identify the deep reasons for mortality caused by the world's deadliest infection, said Dr Kavita Vasudevan from Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute (IGMC&RI) in Puducherry. Speaking to IANS, Vasudevan, from the Community Medicine Department at the Medical College explained how a verbal autopsy model can help identify TB treatment delay patterns, and reasons for TB deaths and improve the referral process. "A comprehensive appr ...Read More >
Project led by Professor Sivaprakasam with international team The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has achieved a groundbreaking milestone by releasing the most detailed high-resolution 3D images of the human fetal brain. Developed by researchers at the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre, this pioneering project is the first of its kind globally, showcasing over 5,132 digitally captured brain sections at a cellular level using advanced brain mapping technology. The dataset, apt ...Read More >
Chennai: In a landmark feat, IT-Madras has released the world's first high-resolution detailed 3D images of the human foetal brain, pushing the frontiers of brain mapping technology and placing India in the global league in this segment of science. This data set, termed 'DHARANI', is open source, meaning it is freely available for all researchers world-wide. For the first time globally, 5,132 brain sections have been captured digitally using cutting-edge brain mapping technology developed by Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre at the IIT. This work will advance the field of neuroscience and pot ...Read More >
Veteran actor and former Rajya Sabha member Manchu Mohan Babu was admitted to the emergency department of Continental Hospitals, Gachibowli in Hyderabad on Monday (December 10, 2024) night. He was brought in with complaints of diffuse body pain, anxiety, and a history of loss of consciousness. Hours earlier, Mr. Mohan Babu was caught in a fracas when journalists tried to speak to him and one of the journalists suffered injuries. The actor was summoned by the Rachakonda commissioner for posing th ...Read More >
New Delhi: Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday said authorities cannot go against demolition orders issued by courts and stressed that displaced residents have been provided accommodation.Her words came in the wake of the recent Madrasi Camp demolition for which the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has criticised her. AAP has targeted Gupta, and alleged that the displaced Madrasi Camp residents were provided homes in faraway Narela, and those lack basic amenities.Attending an event to mark the construction of a Jan Sewa camp at a slum cluster in the Haiderpur area, Gupta told reporters: "In t ...Read More >
Srinagar- Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said foreign countries were told clearly during the post-Operation Sindoor diplomatic outreach that in case of a fresh provocation, India would repeat its action. Speaking at a discussion at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Tharoor said Indian delegations which visited foreign countries in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor managed to convey that India acted with restraint and responsibility. "In other places, we actually were able to get some very high-placed people to say not only that they respected and supported India's right of self- ...Read More >
Guwahati: State is witnessing a concerning surge in Japanese encephalitis (JE) cases, with Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) reporting 47 confirmed infections so far. The mosquito-borne viral disease has already claimed 13 lives across the state. Data provided by GMCH authorities shows that JE cases began emerging in April, with the first fatalities reported in June. While six patients have recovered and been discharged, three left the hospital against medical advice and several others are still undergoing treatment. The infection has been detected across several districts -- Kamrup ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 12 (PTI) The WHO has acknowledged India's efforts in integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) with traditional medicine systems, particularly Ayush systems, the Centre said on Saturday. The World Health Organization praised the country's efforts in a technical brief - Mapping the Application of Artificial Intelligence in Traditional Medicine. The release follows India's proposal on the subject, leading to the development of WHO's first-ever roadmap for using AI in traditional medicine, the Ayush ministry said in a statement. India's efforts to harness the potential of AI to a ...Read More >
New Delhi, May 29 (PTI) A genetic study has traced a 2023 outbreak of a neurological infection in Tamil Nadu to contaminated saline water used at a dental clinic, findings of which were published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia journal. Twenty-one probable cases of neuromelioidosis -- a neurological infection caused by bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei -- between July 2022 and April 2023 were identified across four districts in the northern part of the state. Seventeen of the 21 cases came from a single district, of which 10 reported undertaking treatment at a dental clinic. T ...Read More >
Ahmedabad: More than half of the total Covid-positive cases in Gujarat -- over 700 identified so far -- were recorded in the 25 to 50 years age group, or the 'working age group', state health department officials have said. About 10% of the cases were among infants under one year of age, according to govt data. Officials also said that the number of senior citizens in recent cases is relatively very low. Health experts pointed out that three patients who died of Covid -- all from Ahmedabad -- were women aged 18, 20 and 47 years. "No definite pattern is emerging yet, as cases are under control ...Read More >
Mumbai: Uddhav and Raj Thackeray will hold a joint protest march of their parties in the city on July 5 against what they allege is imposition of Hindi in the state's schools from Class 1 through the new three-language policy. This will be the first time they will come together on a political platform after Raj Thackeray's decision to quit Shiv Sena to form MNS nearly two decades ago.There has been speculation of a reunion of the estranged cousins for the coming civic polls, and the protest march is being seen as the first step in that direction, reports Chaitanya Marpakwar.Uddhav and Raj had ...Read More >
Guwahati, July 6: The outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in Assam has taken a worrying turn, with the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) reporting 13 deaths linked to the disease in the past three months. According to hospital authorities, a total of 57 encephalitis patients have been admitted to GMCH during this period. As of Friday, 47 patients are currently undergoing treatment at the hospital. In the past 24 hours alone, GMCH admitted 10 new JE cases, indicating a sharp surge in infections. However, there is some relief as 10 patients have successfully recovered and been dis ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): In a significant milestone for global healthcare innovation, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released a technical brief titled 'Mapping the Application of Artificial Intelligence in Traditional Medicine', acknowledging India's pioneering efforts in AI with traditional medicine systems, particularly Ayush systems. The release follows India's proposal on the subject, leading to the development of WHO's first-ever roadmap for applying AI in traditional medicine, the AYUSH Ministry said in a release on Saturday. The WHO publication not only validates Ind ...Read More >
Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday praised King George's Medical University (KGMU) for its pivotal role in responding to the Covid-19 outbreak, marking the beginning of the state's timely and effective pandemic response. "It was here that testing for the first 100 suspected Covid-19 patients began, making it the first institution in Uttar Pradesh to initiate the tests," said the CM, who was in KGMU to inaugurate and lay the foundation of seven major projects worth Rs 941 crore. The ...Read More >
Mumbai: Shefali Jariwala, India's pop sensation who rose to fame with her electrifying performance in the music video Kaanta Laga, died at the age of 42. According to media reports, her husband and actor Parag Tyagi, rushed her to the hospital on the intervening night of June 27 and 28. However, by the time they arrived, the actress had already passed away, and doctors were unable to revive her. Doctors confirmed that Shefali Jariwala suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, though they have not released any specific details at this time. Her untimely demise has come as a big shock to the entertain ...Read More >
Kolkata, June 28: A political slugfest has erupted in West Bengal after a woman accused Padma Shree awardee monk Kartik Maharaj, who is posted with the Murshidabad unit of Bharat Sevashram Sangha, of allegedly raping her 12 times for six months in 2013. As per the police complaint lodged by the woman, Kartik Maharaj raped her multiple times 12 years ago promising her a job at a local school. The ruling Trinamool Congress is highlighting the issue in a major way and accusing the BJP of being silent on it since the accused monk had been reportedly close to the saffron party. The woman accusin ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) South Asia has achieved its highest-ever immunization coverage for children, with notable progress in India and Nepal, according to new data released on Tuesday by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF for 2024. India reduced its number of zero-dose children -- those who have not received a single vaccine -- by 43 per cent, from 1.6 million in 2023 to 0.9 million in 2024. Nepal achieved a 52 per cent reduction, from 23,000 to 11,000, a WHO statement said. Pakistan also recorded its highest-ever DTP3 (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis) coverage at 87 per cent. Ho ...Read More >
A groundbreaking treatment at Fortis Hospital in Gurugram has made history as the first in Asia to successfully treat multiple brain lesions in a single session using advanced radiation therapy technology. The young patient, diagnosed with cancer, was treated and back home within days, thanks to the expertise of the neurosurgeon. As cancer rates in India continue to rise, with projections estimating 29.8 million cases by 2025, this innovative approach offers hope for improved outcomes. The case underscores the urgent need for enhanced prevention, early detection, and effective treatment strate ...Read More >
As the body experiences prolonged stress, the "calming neurotransmitter GABA can dip" When your body experiences prolonged stress, the supply of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) can be diminished. Nutritionist Anjali Mukerjee has said that GABA is an important neurotransmitter that helps to inhibit neural activity and calm the brain, acting as a natural tranquiliser. But, if its supply lessens, then a person starts experiencing weakness, unsteady legs, muscle tension, headache, loose motions and excessive thirst, according to the nutritionist. In a video on Instagram, Anjali Mukerjee has discu ...Read More >
Biocon Biologics, in collaboration with Diabetes Africa and St Paul’s Hospital in Ethiopia, has launched the Embedding Specialist Nurses in Diabetes Care project. The initiative focuses on training nurses to become diabetes specialists to address the country’s growing diabetes crisis. With Ethiopia ranking among the top countries in sub-Saharan Africa for diabetes prevalence, this project aims to integrate diabetes care into primary healthcare, enhancing accessibility and care quality. By upskilling nurses and establishing a structured pathway for them, the program seeks to improve diabetes ma ...Read More >
VMPL Bangalore (Karnataka) [India], December 2: HEJJE, India's first luxury transition care centre, opened their doors today, ahead of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities with an aim of revolutionizing recovery and rehabilitation, thereby setting new standards in healthcare. Dr M.R.Seetharam - Vice Chairman of Ramaiah Group of Institutions, ex-Minister and current MLA did the honours of lighting the lamp to inaugurate HEJJE. The Launch of HEJJE saw the much-anticipated panel discussion featuring luminaries such as Dr. Nandini Mundkur, Prof. Shekar Sheshadri, Dr Saraswathy Viswa ...Read More >