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.
New Delhi, Aug 6 (UNI) A study conducted by India that demonstrated the positive impact of nutrition on tuberculosis (TB) outcomes has drawn the attention of the World Health Organisation (WHO) which has described it "as a global guidance on combating the world's most infectious disease." Led by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the study -- conducted in Jharkhand -- provided the first evidence that offering additional nutrition helps prevent TB cases and reduces mortality in India. "The findings from India's RATIONS study on the impact of nutrition on TB outcomes and incidence have contributed to global guidance," the WHO said during a three-day virtual workshop. The study, "Nutritional support for adult patients with microbiologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis: outcomes in a programmatic cohort nested within the RATIONS trial in Jharkhand, India" is published in The Lancet Global Health in 2023. The researchers of the study had provided nutritional support to a cohort with a high prevalence of severe undernutrition in the State. The results were encouraging. "Weight gain, particularly in the first 2 months, was associated with a substantially decreased hazard of tuberculosis mortality. Nutritional support needs to be an integral component of patient-centred care to improve treatment outcomes in such settings," said the study. Asserting the member nations to share such innovative practices, the WHO has urged the South-East Asia Region -- which accounts for the highest share of TB cases and deaths globally -- to also urgently scale up research and innovation to meet End TB goals. "In our region alone, nearly 5 million people developed TB and close to 600,000 died from the disease in 2023," said Dr. Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge, WHO South-East Asia Region in a statement here. She further added, "Achieving the ambitious targets of the WHO End TB Strategy requires collaboration to accelerate research and innovation. This includes adopting and using new tools, technologies, and drugs. Ensuring timely and equitable access to these innovations is critical to achieving impact at scale, leaving no one behind." The WHO noted that the South-East Asia Region has made notable progress, including a rise in TB case notifications in 2023 -- a sign of recovery following COVID-19-related setbacks, however, progress remains insufficient to meet End TB Strategy targets. Following the pandemic, noted the WHO, as per the statement, TB has re-emerged as the world's leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. The disease disproportionately affects the poorest and most vulnerable, deepening existing inequalities. To counter this, "countries in the region are increasingly leveraging new approaches such as artificial intelligence for case detection, computer-aided diagnostics, digital adherence tools, and direct benefit transfers for patients to streamline social support," the WHO said. "Our progress is uneven. Research and innovation capacity varies across the region, and the results of these efforts are often siloed and inaccessible for collaborative use. The rise in drug-resistant TB remains very concerning," said Boehme. UNI AJ SSP
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: Resignation is the only option before Justice Yashwant Varma to avoid impeachment by Parliament as the government pushes for bringing a motion to remove the Allahabad High Court judge over alleged corruption. Officials aware of the procedure to appoint and remove Supreme Court and high court judges pointed out that while defending his case before lawmakers in any of the House, Justice Varma can announce that he is quitting and his verbal statement will be considered as his resignation. ...Read More >
Ahmedabad, June 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) The MSC IRINA, recognised as the world's largest container ship by TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) capacity, is set to dock at the Adani Group's Vizhinjam International Seaport on Monday and will be berthed till Tuesday. The monumental arrival marks a significant milestone for the seaport, which was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 2. The MSC IRINA boasts an impressive capacity of 24,346 TEUs, making it a formidable player in global shipping. With a length of 399.9 metres and a width of 61.3 metres, the vessel is approximate ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Axiom-4 crew members, including Shubhanshu Shukla, were welcomed with hugs and drinks as they stepped into the International Space Station on Thursday. The newly launched spacecraft -- the fifth in the Dragon series and named Grace -- successfully completed a soft docking with the International Space Station at 4.01pm while orbiting above the North Atlantic Ocean."At 6:31 am EDT (4:01 IST) on Thursday, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station for the fourth private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 4," the National Aeronautics ...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 >
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charged five individuals, including goldy Brar, in relation to the 2024 Gurugram club bombing plot, as revealed in a recently filed chargesheet. This case involves a conspiracy to bomb two clubs, aiming to disrupt communal harmony in Haryana, with the banned terrorist group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) implicated. The NIA's investigation highlights the severity of the plot. Those charged include satinderjit Singh (Goldy Brar), Sachin Talian, Ankit, Bhavish, and Randeep Singh. News Directory 3 provides crucial updates on sensitive cases such ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday emphasised that women's empowerment is vital to India's growth, highlighting a shift in societal perspective where women are no longer limited to traditional roles. Instead, they are recognised as key drivers of progress, contributing significantly to the nation's development. The BJP-led NDA government at the centre released a book highlighting its achievements in empowering women over the last 11 years. As the NDA completes its 11 years in government, the book highlights various key schemes, such as Beti Bachao Beti Pa ...Read More >
Morigaon, Assam [India], June 8: In a significant boost to Anganwadi workers, Assam's Water Resources, Information and Public Relations Minister, Pijush Hazarika, handed out smartphones at a special event in Morigaon district's District Library Auditorium on Sunday. Kaushik Rai, the district's Guardian Minister, joined Hazarika in the initiative organized by the District Women and Child Welfare Department under the POSHAN Abhiyaan. Minister Hazarika commended the crucial role of Anganwadi workers in nurturing a healthy society. He remarked, "These frontline workers are integral to early child ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry in collaboration with key stakeholders is all set to launch a 100-day TB elimination campaign focussing on enhancing detection, reducing diagnostic delays and improving treatment outcomes. The initiative, set to be implemented across 347 districts in 33 states and Union Territories, aims to strengthen programmatic activities and reduce disparities in TB outcomes across diverse regions of the country to achieve the aim of TB elimination, a health ministry statement said. The campaign envisages improving programme performance on key output indicators like T ...Read More >
Rajouri: State Health Department teams are continuing door-to-door surveillance in Badhal village as the mystery illness in Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir continues to claim lives. This after an 'unidentified' disease has claimed 16 reported fatalities and 38 affected individuals According to reports, NCDC (National Centre for Disease Control), ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) teams have been deployed for investigation as 16 deaths have been reported in Budhal village since December 2024 due to a 'mysterious illness.' Dilmir Choudhary, ADC Kotranka said, "Since December, we h ...Read More >
Haridwar: A woman politician has been arrested for allegedly letting her boyfriend and others repeatedly rape her 13-year-old daughter in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. The horrifying crime, which occurred between January and March, was exposed when the minor bravely confided in her father, prompting a police investigation that led to the arrest of the accused. The accused was arrested with her boyfriend and one more. According to police reports, the minor was gang-raped multiple times, often in the presence of her mother. The minor, who had been living with her father following her parents' separat ...Read More >
New Delhi: Three Indian citizens vanished mysteriously in Tehran. Darkness closed in as hope seemed lost. A ruthless Pakistani gang with potential links to ISI snatched them away, casting a shadow of fear. But relentless Indian diplomats refused to back down. Against all odds, a daring rescue mission ignited. Now, the captives are free, and a chilling game of espionage comes to light. The Punjab-based trio - Amritpal Singh from Hoshiarpur, Jaspal Singh from SBS Nagar and Hushnapreet Singh from Sangrur - had landed in Iran on May 1. Promised a clandestine route to Australia via Dubai and Tehra ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram: In his budget for 2025-26, Finance Minister K N Balagopal emphasised on technology, research, jobs, and education, positioning the state as a knowledge powerhouse. Here are key allocations and initiatives that could fuel the state's knowledge economy vision. Technology & AI * Rs 10 crore for establishing a world-class GPU cluster in Thiruvananthapuram to develop AI and AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics) industries. Unlike a CPU (Central Processing Unit), optimised for sequential tasks, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) excels at parallel processing, maki ...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 >
NEW DELHI: Former head of Air India and chairman of the Railway Board Ashwani Lohani is the new Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) director. The official order for his appointment was issued on Wednesday. A 1980-batch officer of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME), Lohani is known for turning around various organisations during his illustrious career. Following his retirement from IRSME service, he joined the GMR Group as the CEO. According to the order dated June 4, his appointment to the post of director, Prime Ministers Museum and Library in the rank and pa ...Read More >
Srinagar, June 7: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, on Saturday, congratulated the University of Kashmir for getting an A++ grade in the NAAC inspection. The Lt Governor extended his heartiest congratulations to the Vice Chancellor, faculty, staff, and students of the University of Kashmir for attaining the prestigious A++ Grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), and securing an outstanding Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.68 on a seven-point scale. Calling it a proud moment for J&K UT, the Lt Governor said, "The A++ Grade places the Un ...Read More >
Mumbai: The number of severely malnourished (SAM) children in Maharashtra has significantly declined over the last two years from 80,248 in 2023 to 29,107 in 2025.Similarly, the number of moderately malnourished (MAM) children declined from 2.12 lakh or 5.09% to 1.49 lakh or 3.11% over the same period.Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis attributed the achievement to coordinated efforts by various state departments and welfare agencies.According to official data, the percentage of severely malnourished (SAM) children in the state has fallen from 1.93% to 0.61% in the last two years.A total of over ...Read More >
Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], June 7 (ANI): Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, while inaugurating the new Development Center of Infosys at GIFT City, reaffirmed the State Government's commitment to advancing the AI industry by implementing artificial intelligence-based systems across the state. He stated that the establishment of an AI Centre of Excellence at GIFT City is aimed at creating a unified platform that brings together solution developers, experts, professionals, and startups under one roof. Also Read | Latur Shocker: Man Kidnaps Woman's Child for Rejecting His Proposal for A ...Read More >
New Delhi: India's active COVID-19 case tally crossed the 6,000 mark with 769 new infections being reported in the last 48 hours, according to the Union health ministry data released Sunday. Kerala continues to be the most affected state, followed by Gujarat, West Bengal and Delhi, according to the ministry. Due to the rising COVID-19 cases, the Centre is conducting mock drills to check facility-level preparedness and has instructed all states to ensure availability of oxygen, isolation beds, ventilators, and essential medicines, official sources had said. There are 6,133 active COVID-19 ca ...Read More >
Mumbai: The number of severely malnourished (SAM) children in Maharashtra has significantly declined over the last two years from 80,248 in 2023 to 29,107 in 2025.Similarly, the number of moderately malnourished (MAM) children declined from 2.12 lakh or 5.09% to 1.49 lakh or 3.11% over the same period.Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis attributed the achievement to coordinated efforts by various state departments and welfare agencies. According to official data, the percentage of severely malnourished (SAM) children in the state has fallen from 1.93% to 0.61% in the last two years.A total of ove ...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 >
New Delhi [India], December 15 (ANI): A friendly cricket match between Parliamentarians under Rajya Sabha Chairman XI and Lok Sabha Speaker XI is being played at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Sunday. BJP MP Anurag Thakur captained Lok Sabha Speaker XI while Union Minister Kiren Rijiju led Rajya Sabha Chairman XI. The friendly affair has been named 'TB Mukt Bharat awareness cricket match'. Speaking to ANI, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju says, "Several of our MP colleagues have come here. With the mantra of fitness...this event has been scheduled to fill people with vigour through sports. ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 6 (PTI) Almost every manufacturer in India, across various segments covered in a survey, has either invested in artificial intelligence and machine learning technology or is planning to do so, a senior officer from Rockwell Automation said on Friday. While sharing details of the survey, Rockwell Automation India Managing Director Dilip Sawhney told PTI that in a survey on smart manufacturing conducted two years ago, about two-thirds of organisations said they would either have already invested in AI or planned to do so in the next 12 months or thereafter. This figure crossed th ...Read More >
New Delhi: India registered 8.6 million deaths in 2022, the least deadly year of the Covid-19 pandemic. This represents a 15% decline from 2021, the deadliest pandemic year, with the death rate likely returning to pre-pandemic levels. This suggests mortality was normalising as Covid-19 infections became less severe and vaccines were deployed. However, signs of health system stress persisted due to the virus. Excess deaths, or the surplus over the number of deaths that would have happened at the death rate seen in 2019, were higher than the Covid-19 tally issued by states in 2022. This suggest ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): BJP MP Gulam Ali Khatana, who was part of the all-party parliamentary delegation to Europe, said that during their recently conclued visit they successfully communicated India's development story and its resolute stand against terrorism, particularly emanating from Pakistan. Highlighting the delegation's key discussions during the tour, Khatana told ANI, 'We discussed how we dismantled the terrorism factory in Pakistan by responding... We also talked about tourism infrastructure, G20 Summit, and projects like the six-lane roads, bridges, solar initiatives, our ...Read More >
Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday warned educational institutions that cases would be booked against them if drugs were found in their premises. The CM announced that the state's Anti-Narcotics Bureau would henceforth be known as Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE) and was tasked with curbing the menace of narcotics in the state. Speaking at an event marking the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2025 at Shilpakala Vedika here, Reddy placed an onus on educational institutions to ensure their campuses were free of drugs. "It is the ...Read More >
The total cost of the second phase of the project is estimated at $83.3 million, with the Tanzanian government contributing $8.33 million in counterpart funding. The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $75 million loan to Tanzania for the second phase of the Centre of Excellence for Skills and Tertiary Education in Biomedical Sciences project, aimed at tackling the growing burden of cardiovascular disease in the country and the broader East African region. The total cost of the second phase of the project is estimated at $83.3 million, with the Tanzanian government contributing $8 ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: India's active Covid case tally crossed the 6,000 mark with 769 new infections being reported in the last 48 hours, according to the Union health ministry data released on Sunday. Kerala continues to be the most affected state, followed by Gujarat, West Bengal and Delhi, according to the ministry. Due to the rising Covid cases, the Centre is conducting mock drills to check facility-level preparedness and has instructed all states to ensure availability of oxygen, isolation beds, ventilators, and essential medicines, official sources had said. There are 6,133 active Covid cases in ...Read More >
Union Secretary for Electronics and Information Technology (IT) S. Krishnan said on Monday (December 9, 2024) that as India's Internet grows further, investments in reliability would be required. "Yesterday, I was walking through Old Delhi, and if you look up and see the kind of cables carried along the sides of the roads, along the streetlights and lampposts, you wonder, is this what we are relying on?" he said, adding, "It's worse than a spaghetti bowl of cables." Mr. Krishnan said the Interne ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], January 31 (ANI): The clarion call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fight obesity and reduce oil consumption has received wide support as people from different walks of life, including actor Akshay Kumar, sportspersons and people from medical fraternity lauded the message to follow healthy routine. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently gave a clarion call to fight obesity and reduce oil consumption. This has received wide support from doctors, sportspersons as well as people from different walks of life. Prime Minister, Narendra Modi inaugurated the 38th National G ...Read More >