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.
CHENNAI: Over 100 breast cancer survivors from all over the state gathered for the 'Beyond Breast Cancer: Rebuilding Lives' event organised by the Chennai Breast Centre to raise awareness about breast cancer and reconstruction on the occasion of World Breast Reconstruction Day 2025. Breast cancer, the most commonly occurring cancer among women, accounts for nearly 30 per cent of all female cancers. Most cases are detected only at stage 3 or 4, when mastectomy (removal of the entire breast) often becomes necessary. In India, only one per cent of breast cancer patients choose reconstruction, while the rest are deterred by cultural norms, financial constraints, and lack of awareness. Breast reconstruction is a surgical procedure to restore the shape of a breast after a mastectomy (removal of the entire breast), using implants or the patient's own fat from the abdomen, back, or thighs. Dr Selvi Radhakrishna of Chennai Breast Centre said, "In the West, women recommended mastectomy are routinely offered immediate reconstruction, but it is often omitted in India. And, many survivors live with disfigurement, psychological distress, and loss of confidence -- highlighting the urgent need to integrate reconstruction into cancer care."
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 >
Rakesh Roshan, a veteran Bollywood actor and director best known for helming blockbusters like Krrish and Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, recently had surgery on his neck. The 74-year-old, who is also the father of Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan, had an angioplasty performed to address a health concern. While the news understandably stirred concern among fans, his daughter Sunaina Roshan has stepped forward to assure well-wishers that there is absolutely no cause for alarm. Speaking to Amar Ujala, s ...Read More >
Himachal Pradesh faced nature's fury. Bridges collapsed in Shimla, Lahaul, and Spiti. Cloudbursts and flash floods caused widespread damage. Over 300 roads closed, disrupting travel. A police post swept away, shops damaged. No casualties reported yet. Orange alert issued for more heavy rain. The state has suffered significant financial losses this monsoon. Many people have died in rain-related incidents. Several bridges were washed away in Shimla and Lahaul and Spiti districts, while over 300 roads, including two national highways, have been closed across Himachal Pradesh following fresh inci ...Read More >
Dehradun: A probe has been ordered after a man alleged that his 26-year-old wife died nine months after childbirth as doctors left a bandage inside her abdomen. Officials confirmed on Wednesday that a committee, headed by the chief medical officer of Dehradun Manoj Sharma, will probe the death of Jyoti Pal at a private hospital in the city. In his complaint, Prajjwal Pal has claimed that Jyoti delivered a son via cesarean section at the Eye and Mother Care Centre in January this year. He alleged that doctors left a bandage inside her abdomen during the surgery and stitched her up, a lapse th ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 2 (ANI): The world's first robot-assisted cementless medial pivot knee replacement surgery was performed on a 54-year-old man at a private hospital in Delhi, doctors said. According to doctors, the patient, a resident of Jharkhand's Dhanbad, had been suffering from debilitating knee pain for over eight years and was diagnosed with advanced osteoarthritis in both knees, along with complex deformities such as varus (bow-legged) and flexion (bent-knee). Also Read | Opium in Anardana Goli: Delhi Police Bust International Drug Cartel, Kingpin Among 2 Arrested for Smuggling ...Read More >
The Army Hospital in Delhi achieves a significant medical milestone by performing a rare hearing implant on a young child and introducing cutting-edge technology for complex eye surgeries like Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery, setting benchmarks for Armed Forces medical facilities in India. The Army Hospital (Research and Referral) in Delhi has successfully executed a rare and intricate hearing implant surgery on a 1.8-year-old girl plagued by Michel Aplasia. This condition involves an underd ...Read More >
Delhi : Apollo Home Healthcare, India's leading home healthcare provider, has announced the launch of its pioneering 'Integrated Palliative Care at Home' program in Delhi, in association with Apollo Indraprastha Hospital, Delhi. The initiative will soon be extended to the newly launched Apollo Athenaa, a dedicated center for cancer care for women in Delhi, and will roll out across other major cities to address India's growing need for accessible, quality palliative care at home. Palliative care is a specialized medical care for people living with serious, life-limiting illnesses. It focuses o ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: India accounts for 17% of the world's population and 20% of the global disease burden, yet fewer than four percent of international clinical trials are conducted in the country. This gap means Indian patients often wait years after global approvals to access breakthrough therapies. Now, a new initiative, aligning it with Central Drugs Standard Control Organisations (CDSCO) priorities to boost participation of government sites in Phase 3 and 4 trials, has trained nearly 400 professionals, including investigators, ethics committee members and support staff to meet the global Good Cl ...Read More >
New Delhi, Sep 16 (PTI) Veteran actor and politician Nafisa Ali Sodhi on Tuesday shared a new update in her cancer battle, saying that she is resuming chemotherapy after undergoing a PET scan. Sodhi has been battling stage-three peritoneal and ovarian cancer since 2018. After the scan, doctors have ruled out surgery as an option. Sodhi shared a quote in her Instagram post which read, "'Who will we turn to when you're gone?' I told them, 'Turn to each other. That is my greatest gift- siblings who share the same love and memories. Protect one another, and remember: your bond is stronger than a ...Read More >
Cancer NEXT 2024, co-hosted by Bharath Advanced Therapeutics and the Federation of Asian Biotech Associations, is set for 30th November 2024 in Hyderabad. The conference will highlight cutting-edge oncology advancements, featuring breakthrough therapies in AML and CML, sentinel research presentations, and awards celebrating impactful contributions to cancer research. Cancer NEXT 2024, a significant oncology research conference, will take place on 30th November 2024 at Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad. Organized by Bharath Advanced Therapeutics (BAT) and the Federation of Asian ...Read More >
Mumbai: Dr Reddy's Laboratories has entered into a collaboration with Reykjavik, Ireland-based biotech company Alvotech to co-develop, manufacture and commercialise a biosimilar version of blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda for the global markets. Keytruda (generic name is pembrolizumab), manufactured and marketed by Merck & Co, is the most successful medicine, recording worldwide sales of $29.5 billion in 2024. It is used to treat multiple forms of cancer. Under the terms of the agreement, both companies will be jointly responsible for developing and manufacturing the biosimilar candidate and ...Read More >
New Delhi: India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has undergone a successful surgery for a sports hernia in his lower right abdomen in Munich, Germany. PTI had reported last week that Suryakumar was suffering from sports hernia in his right lower abdomen and will go under the knife if required. "Life Update: Underwent surgery for a sports hernia in the lower right abdomen. Grateful to share that after a smooth surgery, I'm already on the road to recovery. Can't wait to be back," the 34-year-old batter wrote on his social media handle on Wednesday. ...Read More >
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Cancer Conclave 2025, organised by the Association of Medical and Pediatric Oncologists of Kerala (AMPOK), concluded in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. The two-day event brought together over 200 experts from India and abroad for a series of high-impact discussions on pressing issues in oncology. The conclave featured eight key sessions addressing the growing cancer burden in the state, with a focus on emerging trends, future strategies, and barriers to optimal care. Topics included the role and misuse of media in cancer control, challenges in access and afforda ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: A student of Fakir Mohan College in Balasore, who set herself on fire on the campus over alleged sexual harassment on Saturday, has been put on ventilator support at AIIMS Bhubaneswar after she sustained 95 per cent burn injuries. A 12-member team of doctors is closely monitoring her health condition. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi along with his deputy Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo visited AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Sunday to inquire about her condition. Majhi interacted with doctors and spoke to her family. Former CM and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik has appealed the Governor to ...Read More >
HAPUR: In a startling medical case, surgeons in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, removed 50 objects, including 29 steel spoons, 19 toothbrushes, and two sharp pens, from the stomach of a 40-year-old man from Bulandshahr. The emergency surgery, led by Dr. Shyam Kumar on September 17, revealed an extraordinary collection of everyday objects inside one person's body. The man, who had been admitted to a de-addiction centre in Ghaziabad a month earlier, complained of severe abdominal pain before being rushed to the hospital. Doctors explained that his behavior was linked to a psychological condition where in ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The incidence of cancer in India has gone up by 26%, from 84.8 per 1 lakh population in 1990 to 107.2 in 2023, according to a new study. Published in The Lancet, it shows deaths due to cancer increased by 21% during this period, despite advances in treatment. In comparison, both incidence and mortality have declined significantly in US and China over the 33-year period. The reason behind this is strong tobacco control, universal vaccination and organised screening in these two countries, Dr Abhishek Shankar, radiation-oncologist at AIIMS Delhi, said. India, he added, continues to fa ...Read More >
Kolkata: Retired schoolteacher Mousumi Banerjee from Siliguri, former banker Goutam Roychowdhury from Behala, and guitarist Neeta Dutta of Kasba didn't know each other even two months ago. Bound by a common thread and a new calling, when the three, along with 15 others, took to the stage on Saturday evening, they left the audience awestruck with their courage, resilience and hope.Presented by Medica Oncology in association with Natyaanan, the show opened with Arya-Anarya to rousing applause from the packed audience at Kala Mandir. They are cancer champions who refuse to look back and celebrate ...Read More >
New Delhi: The GST rate cuts announced last week will make medicines used for the treatment of critical conditions like multiple myeloma, lung cancer, blood cancer, lymphoma, Gaucher disease, Pompe disease and haemophilia significantly cheaper and help more patients to avail of treatment, health experts said. A pack of leukaemia drug asciminib 60 (40 mg tablets), which used to cost ₹2,35,000 with GST, will become cheaper by ₹25,000, as per data from market research firm PharmaTrac. Obinutuzu ...Read More >
The latest therapeutic cancer vaccines are designed to prevent cancer recurrence in patients who have already received treatment. These vaccines represent a form of immunotherapy that trains the immune system to target and destroy cancer cells. Experts emphasized the need for personalized treatment approaches in a rapidly evolving field. In a groundbreaking development, new therapeutic cancer vaccines have emerged, aimed at preventing the recurrence of cancer in treated patients, as explained by ...Read More >
Mumbai, Sep 30 (PTI) Radiation therapy after surgery safely reduces the risk of 'pelvic relapse' in patients with locally advanced, muscle-invasive bladder cancer, Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) Mumbai said on Tuesday. Pelvic relapse refers to the return or progression of cancer within the pelvic area after a patient has initially responded to treatment or achieved remission. A research study led from India, the 'Bladder Adjuvant Radiotherapy (BART) trial', is the largest randomized trial in the world to evaluate the role of radiation therapy after bladder cancer surgery, the TMC said. For the ...Read More >
The MAHACARE Foundation will be established to provide manpower, funding and guidance to these L-2, L-3 centers as per the requirement. Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday cleared a cancer cure policy to ensure quality treatment for cancer patients in the state. For this, Maharashtra Cancer Care, Research and Education Foundation (MAHACARE Foundation) will be established and through this, cancer-related specialty treatment will be provided in 18 hospitals across the state. As per this policy, cancer ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram: Speaker A N Shamseer will inaugurate a two-day Kerala Cancer Conclave 2025, aimed at exploring new challenges and possibilities in cancer treatment, on Saturday in the state capital.Dr Suresh H Advani, widely regarded as the father of cancer treatment in India, will be the chief guest on the occasion. Organised under the leadership of the Association of Medical and Pediatric Oncologists of Kerala, the conclave will see participation from over 200 cancer treatment experts from within and outside the country.The event will feature discussions across seven key sessions on crit ...Read More >
Gurgaon: Two days after a law student died and his friend suffered critical injuries when a car knocked them down as they stood near railing on the service lane of Delhi-Jaipur highway in the early hours of Tuesday, a civil engineer was arrested on Thursday.Mohit (31), an employee of a private company in the city, told police that he got drowsy while driving. He is staying at a PG facility in Sector 14.The student who died, Harsh Singhal (25), was a resident of Om Nagar colony. His friend Abhishek Kumar (23), who is from Shanti Nagar in Sector 11, is undergoing treatment at a private hospital ...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 >
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR) projects that by 2030, every year cancer will affect 45,813 women and 43,930 men in Kerala. This forecast, shared at the Kerala Cancer Conclave organised by the Association of Medical and Pediatric Oncologists of Kerala (AMPOK), reflects growing concerns among medical experts regarding the increasing cancer burden in the state. In 2024, 43,110 men and 45,008 women were diagnosed with cancer, making the projected rise seem relatively modest. However, Dr. Prashant Mathur, Director of ICMR-NCDIR, which oversees ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 11 (PTI) Shares of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd on Friday jumped 10 per cent after the firm said it has signed a deal with AbbVie to commmercialise its underdevelopment drug aimed to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases in an up to USD 2 billion deal, one of the largest transactions in the pharma sector. The stock surged 9.99 per cent to hit its 52-week high as well as the upper circuit limit of Rs 2,095.65 on the BSE. At the NSE, the stock zoomed 10 per cent to Rs 2,094.40 -- its 52-week high as well as upper circuit level. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals' arm Ichnos Glenmark Innov ...Read More >
Hyderabad, Oct 27 (UNI) The Telangana Raj Bhavan was illuminated in pink today evening, marking International Breast Cancer Awareness Month for the sixth consecutive year. The symbolic gesture, continued since 2020, reflects the State's commitment to spreading awareness about early detection and support for those battling breast cancer. The initiative was organised in collaboration with the Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation. Governor of Telangana, Jishnu Dev Varma, commended Dr P Raghu Ram, Founder and Chairman of the Foundation, for his 18 years of tireless work in breast cancer educati ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 15 (VOICE) New machine learning-based screening method is 98 pc effective in detecting the earliest sign of breast cancer, according to a study.Developed by researchers at the University of Edinburgh the fast, non-invasive technique combines laser analysis with machine learning. It is the first of its kind to identify patients in the earliest stage of breast cancer, they said, noting that it may pave the way for a screening test for multiple forms of cancer. The technique can pick up subtle changes that occur in the bloodstream during the initial phases of the disease -- known ...Read More >
Mumbai, Jul 10 (PTI) With cervical cancer claiming nearly 75,000 lives each year, there is a need for women to take charge of their health by overcoming hurdles like doubts, silence and hesitation and go for regular and timely screening, experts said on Thursday. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Indian women, claiming nearly 75,000 lives each year, often due to late detection. Despite being highly treatable in its early stages, with 95 per cent of cases successfully managed if detected early, many women do not get screened in time, Tata Memorial Centre Deputy Director, ...Read More >