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.
Bengaluru: A 38-year-old woman from Kolar district in Karnataka has been identified with a previously unknown blood group, now officially recognised and named CRIB by the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT). CRIB stands for Cromer India Bengaluru. "Cromer" refers to the blood group system under which the antigen has been classified. "India" indicates the country of discovery and "Bengaluru" marks the city where the blood sample was studied. The discovery was made during routine testing before the woman was scheduled for cardiac surgery. Doctors at RL Jalappa Hospital in Kolar faced difficulty finding compatible blood, prompting further investigation. When no match could be found from blood banks or among 20 family members, her sample was sent to the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL) in Bristol, the United Kingdom. After 10 months of analysis, the IBGRL confirmed the presence of a previously unidentified antigen in the Cromer blood group system. This was then reported to the ISBT, whose Red Cell Immunogenetics and Terminology Working Party approved the new antigen and added it to the Cromer system as the 21st known antigen. According to Dr. Ankit Mathur, additional medical director at the Rotary-TTK Blood Centre in Bengaluru, the patient's red blood cells reacted abnormally in all compatibility tests. "We could not match her blood with any known group. After extensive testing and global reference checks, a new antigen was confirmed," he said. The patient underwent successful heart surgery without needing a transfusion. Due to the unknown blood group at the time, doctors avoided using stored donor blood. The case highlights potential challenges in emergency transfusion scenarios involving patients with rare or unknown blood types. Dr. Mathur explained that in such cases, autologous blood transfusion, wherein the patient's own blood is collected and stored before surgery, becomes essential. The CRIB antigen is not present in any of the woman's family members. Genetic analysis indicates the antigen developed due to partial expression of genes from one parent, with no known complete match so far. India has previously reported rare blood groups, including the Bombay blood group (hh), first discovered in 1952. CRIB is now added to the list of globally recognised rare blood antigens originating from India. Dr. Swati Kulkarni, former deputy director at ICMR-NIIH, highlighted the importance of building a national rare blood donor registry. The registry would help match rare blood group patients with compatible donors, especially in high-risk or repeat transfusion cases like thalassemia. The discovery was formally announced in June 2025 at the 35th International Congress of the ISBT held in Milan, Italy.
CHENNAI: Two hospitals in Coimbatore collaboratively performed the country's first inter-hospital swap liver transplant on two patients suffering from end-stage liver disease. The complex procedure was executed between GEM Hospital and Sri Ramakrishna Hospital in Coimbatore. The patients, a 59-year-old man from Salem admitted in GEM and a 53-year-old man from Tirupur in Sri Ramakrishna, were both in need of liver transplants. Their wives were willing to donate, but blood group incompatibility ruled out direct donation. In a rare stroke of opportunity, doctors identified that a 'swap transpla ...Read More >
Chaibasa: Five children suffering from thalassaemia have tested HIV-positive in Jharkhand's Chaibasa town, leading to allegations of medical negligence at a government hospital. Families of the affected children claim that contaminated blood supplied by the local blood bank at Sadar Hospital may have caused the infection. Probe Ordered, Discrepancies Found in Blood Bank Following the allegations, the Jharkhand government has set up a five-member medical team from Ranchi to investigate the case. The team, led by Director of Health Services Dr Dinesh Kumar, inspected the Sadar Hospital blood ...Read More >
Chaibasa, October 26: At least five thalassemia-affected children in West Singhbhum district have reportedly tested HIV positive following routine blood transfusions at Sadar Hospital, prompting a high-level investigation by the Jharkhand Health Department. The first case came to light when a child who received a transfusion on September 13 tested HIV positive during a follow-up on October 18. The child's father subsequently filed a complaint alleging negligence by a blood bank technician. Following media coverage, the Jharkhand High Court took suo motu cognizance, and a team from the Jharkha ...Read More >
Satna, Madhya Pradesh: In a disturbing case of medical negligence, four children suffering from thalassaemia were allegedly transfused with HIV-positive blood at a government hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Satna district. A routine, life-saving procedure turned into a nightmare for four families after the children, aged between eight and 11, battling thalassaemia, were found to be HIV-positive after receiving blood transfusions. The serious lapse has compounded the woes of the children who depend on regular transfusions to stay alive. The transfusions in question took place nearly four months ...Read More >
Four children, suffering from thalassemia, have tested HIV positive after receiving blood transfusions at the District Hospital blood bank in Madhya Pradesh's Satna. The incident reportedly took place around four months ago but came to light recently, triggering panic among families and raising serious questions over blood safety protocols. Children suffering from thalassemia require regular and life-long blood transfusions to survive. The affected children received blood transfusions on multipl ...Read More >
CHENNAI: Two liver failure patients in Coimbatore -- a 59-year-old in GEM Hospital and a 53-year-old in Sri Ramakrishna Hospital -- were desperate when doctors told them a transplant would be complicated as their wives' organs were incompatible. However, their doctors found a possibility for a swap transplant, which allows patients to exchange donors with another family in a similar situation.Both hospitals performed the surgeries simultaneously in two different operation theatres located 5 km ap ...Read More >
New Delhi, August 25: In a major step forward for veterinary healthcare, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying on Monday released India's first comprehensive national guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for blood transfusion and blood banks for animals. Blood transfusion is widely recognised as a life-saving intervention for managing trauma, severe anaemia, surgical blood loss, infectious diseases, and coagulation disorders in animals. However, until now, India did not have a structured national fr ...Read More >
Jharkhand: At least five children with thalassemia in Chaibasa tested HIV-positive on Saturday, following an investigation by a five-member medical team from Ranchi. The probe was launched after a family alleged that a local blood bank had transfused HIV-infected blood to their seven-year-old child. Officials said the child had received around 25 blood transfusions from the blood bank. District Civil Surgeon Dr. Sushanto Majhee stated the child had tested HIV-positive over a week ago and noted that HIV infection could also occur from other sources, such as contaminated needles. ALSO READ: Au ...Read More >
Ranchi, Oct 26 (PTI) Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Sunday ordered the suspension of the West Singhbhum Civil Surgeon and other officials concerned after five children suffering from thalassemia tested HIV-positive following blood transfusions. The action came after the family of a seven-year-old thalassemia patient alleged that the local blood bank in Chaibasa, the district headquarters of West Singhbhum, had transfused HIV-contaminated blood to their child. During an inquiry by a five-member medical team from Ranchi on Saturday, four more children were found to be HIV-positive. ...Read More >
Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], October 27 (ANI): Ajoy Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Health, Jharkhand on Sunday highlighted that HIV tests can miss recent infections (window period: up to one month) and new tests can shorten this window to one week. Speaking with ANI, Singh said the government plans to procure machines to shorten HIV detection windows and health officials are reviewing and tightening blood transfusion protocols. Also Read | Delhi Shocker: UPSC Aspirant Murdered in Gandhi Vihar; Woman Among 3 Arrested As Police Unravel Chilling Plot. The Jharkhand Healt ...Read More >
Chaibasa: (Jharkhand): Preliminary Inquiry into the HIV infection of five thalassemia-affected children, who underwent blood transfusions in Jharkhand's Chaibasa Sadar hospital in West Singhbhum district, has revealed glaring lapses at the blood bank run by the government hospital. Initial reports suggest that the hospital's blood bank had been operating without a valid license since 2008, or for 17 years. The revelation has shaken the health department and state health administration. According to the rules, it is mandatory for any blood bank to obtain necessary approval from the State Healt ...Read More >
CHENNAI: GEM Hospital and Sri Ramakrishna Hospital, located five-kilometre apart in Coimbatore, have pulled off simultaneous liver transplants for two men in their fifties, involving an inter-hospital swap of organs from donors, who were each other's wives. Addressing the media here on Friday, the hospitals claimed that this was the first time in India that such liver transplants involving inter-hospital swap were done. The patients, aged 59 from Salem and 53 from Tiruppur respectively admitted in GEM and Ramakrishna hospitals, were in dire need of liver transplants. Although their respective ...Read More >
Medak: Telangana State BJP President N. Ramchander Rao on Friday appealed to the people to give the committed party an opportunity to meet the aspirations of the poor and downtrodden. Addressing a large gathering of party workers in Medak, the BJP chief remarked that citizens have experienced the rule of the BRS and the Congress party and have had bitter experiences with the deceitful practices of both. He urged people to support the BJP wholeheartedly in the upcoming local body elections as a way to teach the ruling Congress party a lesson for its unfulfilled promises. Rao emphasized that t ...Read More >
Satna/Bhopal, Dec 16 (PTI) Four children suffering from thalassemia have tested HIV positive at Satna District Hospital in Madhya Pradesh allegedly due to contaminated blood transfusions, officials said on Tuesday. The case is four months old and an investigation is underway into it, an official said. Officials suspect the use of contaminated needles or blood transfusions for the spread of infection to the children. MP Health Minister Rajendra Shukla told reporters in Bhopal that he has ordered a probe into the matter and sought a report. "It is also being investigated whether the blood tr ...Read More >
NewsVoirBengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 12: DKMS Foundation India, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the fight against blood cancer and other blood disorders such as thalassemia and aplastic anemia, celebrates siblinghood this marks Raksha Bandhan, with two unique brother-sister pair.Two young children, Ayan Khan and Papali Gaan were battling with a blood disorder called thalassemia major, but their siblings saved them by donating their blood stem cells.India faces a pressing healthcar ...Read More >
Chaibasa (Jharkhand), Oct 30 (PTI) Three donors of Chaibasa blood bank in West Singhbhum district were detected to be HIV-positive, Jharkhand Health minister Irfan Ansari said on Thursday. Altogether 259 people had donated blood in Chaibas blood bank between 2023 and 2025, and the administration is trying to contact each donor over the phone, the minister said, after inspecting the blood bank following the detection of five minor thalassemia patients with HIV-positive last week. Family members of one of the thalassemia patient had accused the blood bank of transfusing HIV-infected blood to h ...Read More >
Satna: An incident of four children suffering from thalassemia testing positive for HIV after blood transfusions has come to light at the Satna District Hospital in Madhya Pradesh, causing a stir across the state. With officials making evasive answers, an investigation into the blood donors has been initiated. The bizarre case, which took place four months back, came to light on Monday, prompting Satna collector Satish Kumar S to hold a meeting with the officials responsible and harshly reprimanding them for negligence. "The case of the four children who tested HIV positive is being investiga ...Read More >
In a clear case of medical negligence, a 34-year-old woman died after doctors transferred the wrong blood type at Kakinada Government General Hospital, Andhra Pradesh. On Tuesday, November 26, the deceased, Bhavana Sirisha, was given AB+ blood group instead of O+. A house surgeon mistakenly transferred the wrong blood type. Sirisha, a resident of Palakollu in West Godavari district, was suffering from kidney ailments for the last four years and was admitted to the hospital for treatment. Doctors had advised a blood transfusion with 'O positive' group blood due to low hemoglobin levels. The ...Read More >
Chaibasa: Days after a few children suffering from Thalassemia were tested HIV-positive due to blood transfusion at Chaibasa Sadar Hospital in West Singhbhum district, the Jharkhand Government formed a six-member high-level investigation committee to probe the case. After the incident, Bharti Goreti Minj has been given addistional charge of civil surgeon of the district in place of Additional Chief Medical Officer Sushanto Kumar Majhi who was suspended by the Health department. Special Secretary of Health Department Dr Neha Arora has been appointed the chairman of the committee which will in ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: In a major medical breakthrough, a city hospital has successfully performed the living donor liver transplant in combination with double heart valve surgery. The rare and high-risk procedure was conducted on a 55-year-old woman from Kyrgyzstan suffering from end-stage autoimmune liver disease and severe dysfunction in both the mitral and tricuspid heart valves. The patient, Anara M, sought treatment at Paras Health, Gurugram, on February 25, after years of hospitalisation. The pre-su ...Read More >
New Delhi: In what the hospital claimed to be a global first, doctors at the RML Hospital have successfully performed a minimally invasive heart surgery on a 31-year-old woman suffering from a rare condition in which the internal organs were arranged in a mirror image of normal organ placement. The patient from Rajasthan suffered from Situs Inversus, a congenital anomaly, and presented with a complete mirror-image reversal of her internal organs, with the heart on the right side, liver on the left, spleen on the right, and stomach to the right, etc., the hospital said. On evaluation, she was ...Read More >
Dimapur, Jul 18 (PTI) Two persons have died of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in Nagaland, a health department official said on Friday. Chief Medical Officer, Dimapur, Dr Yartenla Jamir, said that of the seven JE cases detected in Dimapur, Chumoukedima, and Niuland districts, two persons have died so far. She expressed concern over the rise in Japanese encephalitis (JE) cases in the three districts, especially during the monsoon season, which increases the risk of transmission. The Health department has urged district administrations to issue a public advisory on JE prevention measures and to i ...Read More >
Bengaluru: The tech capital witnessed a medical marathon like no other when doctors from four hospitals, aided by the city's traffic police, pulled off three heart transplants in under 12 hours. The mission: Saving three patients in their 30s, who were running out of time as their lung pressure edged towards the point of no return.All three donor hearts -- which were retrieved from Sparsh Hospital in Yelahanka, Aster CMI Hospital in Hebbal and Manipal Hospital on Old Airport Road -- were raced through the city on green corridors organised by Bengaluru traffic police. The hearts were to reach N ...Read More >
Jamshedpur: Six children suffering from thalassemia have contracted HIV after they were allegedly administered infected blood during transfusions at a hospital in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district, prompting the state government to order a high-level investigation and suspend the civil surgeon and other officials concerned, officials aware of the matter said on Sunday. The Jharkhand high court has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and sought a detailed report from the health secretary. The development comes days after a seven-year-old thalassemia patient, who had received a blood tr ...Read More >
Chandigarh: The Haryana State Blood Transfusion Council (HSBTC) on Wednesday gave significant approvals to expand and modernise blood transfusion services across the state. During the meeting chaired by ACS health and family welfare Sumita Misra, the council approved a comprehensive Annual Action Plan for 2026-27 with a total proposed outlay of Rs 11.60 crore under the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) component.It earmarked budget for procurement of blood bags and testing kits, ensuring a steady and uninterrupted supply chain across all blood centres, and allocation for mobile blood c ...Read More >
* Doctors at RML Hospital performed a minimally invasive heart surgery on a 31-year-old woman. * The patient had Situs Inversus, a rare condition with mirror-image organ placement. * She also had a partial AV canal defect causing abnormal blood mixing in the heart. Did our AI summary help? Let us know. Switch To Beeps Mode New Delhi: In what the hospital claimed to be a global first, doctors at the RML Hospital have successfully performed a minimally invasive heart surgery on a 31-year-old ...Read More >
India is home to over 537 million livestock and 125+ million companion animals, making it one of the largest and most diverse animal populations in the world. In a landmark step for veterinary healthcare, the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying has released the country's first-ever "Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Blood Transfusion and Blood Banks for Animals in India." The release fills a long-sta ...Read More >
Mumbai: Two newborns, born just a few blocks apart, one at KEM Hospital and another at Wadia Hospital, were left waiting for two days this week for O negative blood donors. Both infants needed urgent transfusions. Messages calling for donors circulated widely, and the babies were eventually saved.Dharmendra Yadav, the father of the infant admitted to Wadia Hospital, said, "My son was born with multiple complications. He underwent surgery soon after birth and needed blood. We were struggling, but eventually, the hospital managed to arrange it by Wednesday."In their case, the challenge was findi ...Read More >
Jharkhand health minister Irfan Ansari said the issue came to light two days ago and termed it an "extremely serious" matter, reported news agency ANI. "The matter of possible HIV infection through blood transfusion in children suffering from thalassemia is extremely serious. Two days ago, this issue came to my attention, after which I immediately ordered a high-level investigation," the minister said in a statement on social media platform X today adding that a "preliminary confirmation of HIV ...Read More >
Patna: With the district recording over twice the number of dengue cases till June this year as compared to the same period in 2024, hospitals have been directed to create dedicated wards and take other measures to prepare for a potential increase in the cases and other vector-borne diseases, as monsoon progresses. Patna district recorded 48 dengue cases by June 30, compared to around 20 during the same period the previous year. The district authorities anticipate that the number of cases will likely increase this year.Patna civil surgeon Dr Abinash Kumar Singh said that of the 48 dengue patie ...Read More >