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.
India coronavirus update: India is witnessing a significant resurgence of Covid-19, with active cases rising 58-fold over the past 20 days, according to data from the Union Health Ministry. On May 16, the country reported just 93 active Covid cases, but that number has now jumped to 5,364. The virus has resurfaced across 29 states and union territories, raising concern among health authorities and prompting renewed preventive measures. In the last 24 hours alone, over 500 new infections were reported. Kerala leads the count with 1,679 active cases, followed by Gujarat (615), West Bengal (596), Delhi (592), and Maharashtra (548). Since January, India has recorded 55 Covid-related deaths, 53 of which occurred in the past 15 days, underscoring the impact of emerging new variants. On Thursday, two more deaths were confirmed in Delhi, including a five-month-old infant. Additional fatalities were reported from Kerala (2 deaths), Karnataka (1), Punjab (1), and Maharashtra (17) -- the highest among all states. ICMR identifies 4 new Covid variants The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has identified four new Covid variants spreading across southern and western India: LF.7, XFG, JN.1 and NB.1.8.1 While the World Health Organization (WHO) has not classified them as variants of concern, it has placed them under monitoring. According to Dr Rajiv Bahl, Director General of ICMR, NB.1.8.1 contains mutations like A435S, V445H, and T478I, which may allow it to spread faster and evade existing immunity. The JN.1 variant, a sub-lineage of Omicron's BA.2.86, is currently the most prevalent strain in India, found in over 50% of tested samples, followed by BA.2 (26%) and other Omicron sub-lineages (20%). Despite its rapid spread, JN.1 is not associated with severe illness but may weaken immunity. The strain, which surfaced globally in August 2023, was declared a "variant of interest" by WHO in December 2023. Experts from Johns Hopkins University have noted that while JN.1 spreads easily, it generally causes mild to moderate symptoms. However, it may lead to long Covid, with symptoms lasting weeks after initial recovery. COVID protocols across states The Health Department has mandated hospitals to strictly follow Covid protocols issued in June 2023. All healthcare workers and patients are required to wear masks, and testing is compulsory for those exhibiting flu-like symptoms. Maharashtra: The state has reported 17 Covid deaths since January, with 16 victims suffering from comorbidities. Of the 13,707 samples tested this year, 1,064 were COVID-positive. Gujarat: Out of 508 active cases, 18 patients are hospitalised while 490 are in home isolation. The authorities assured the public that a rise in cases every 6-8 months is normal and not alarming. Karnataka: The Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences has prepared a 25-bed Covid ward, including 5 ICU beds, 5 high-dependency unit beds, 5 for pregnant women, and 10 general beds. Uttarakhand: The state government has issued directives to district authorities to ensure the availability of oxygen and essential medicines. Hospitals must also monitor influenza-like illnesses, severe respiratory infections, and Covid cases. Sikkim: The Health Minister reported 15 positive cases out of 526 tests conducted since May 29. Hospitals are now enforcing mask mandates and sanitization protocols. Himachal Pradesh: Following its first Covid case this season in Nahan (Sirmaur district) on June 3, the government has made mask-wearing mandatory in hospitals.
IMPHAL, Nov 17: The NPP on Sunday withdrew support from the BJP-led Government in Manipur, even as violence continued to rock the state as offices of the Congress and the saffron party were ransacked in the hill district of Jiribam where an unidentified body was found earlier in the day, officials said. Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp A BJP MLA's ancestral house was vandalised in Imphal Valley while a building owned by Ashab Uddin, the Independent legislator of Jiribam, was ransacked, officials said. The incidents occurred a day after irate mobs set fire to the residences of ...Read More >
The Cure SMA Foundation of India has praised the government’s recent efforts to address rare diseases, including Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), with over Rs 900 crore allocated for treatment procurement. The foundation urges swift action to implement the procurement process within 45 days, following the Delhi High Court’s directive. SMA, a life-threatening genetic disease, has limited treatment access in India. While the drug Risdiplam has brought hope, collaborative efforts are needed to ensure wider availability. Experts stress the importance of a holistic approach to SMA care, citing Kerala ...Read More >
Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak announced the examination of the Jhansi Medical College fire report after a tragic incident claimed 10 infants' lives. Investigations point to a short circuit as the cause. Amid electoral criticism, Congress calls for reverting to ballot papers following a recent election loss. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak confirmed on Wednesday that the report regarding the devastating fire at Jhansi Medical College has been received. An investigation into the details of the report will be conducted to determine the causes of the tragic incident. ...Read More >
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], December 11 (ANI): A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation, led by senior leaders, met Himachal Pradesh Governor Pratap Shukla recently to submit a comprehensive 106-page memorandum titled "Kachcha Chittha". The document, which alleges rampant corruption and administrative failures in the two years of Congress rule under Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, aims to hold the state government accountable for what the BJP describes as a period of "unprecedented mismanagement and destruction." Speaking to the media after meeting the Governor, Himachal Prade ...Read More >
Kolkata, Jan 21 (VOICE) The West Bengal government on Tuesday approached the Calcutta High Court, challenging the special court's verdict sentencing Sanjay Roy, convicted in the rape and murder of a junior doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, to life imprisonment. State Advocate General Kishor Datta has approached the division bench of Justice Debangshu Basak and Justice Shabbar Rashidi seeking a "death penalty" for the convict. The division bench has admitted the petition from the state government. After the court pronounced the quantum of sentence, Chief Minister Mama ...Read More >
Mumbai, May 20 (SocialNews.XYZ) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday paid tribute to veteran astronomer, science writer, and Maharashtra Bhushan awardee Dr Jayant Narlikar, acknowledging his immense contribution to popularising science through his writings. In a condolence message shared on X, CM Fadnavis said, "The news of the passing of senior astronomer and science writer Dr Jayant Narlikar is deeply saddening. He played a crucial role in spreading scientific awareness by creating rich literature on scientific subjects. For this, he received numerous accolades at the global level. H ...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 >
Uttarakhand (Dehradun) [India], May 19 (ANI): The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for heavy rain in the hilly districts of Uttarakhand, effective today and tomorrow. In light of this warning, the Uttarakhand Police have issued a safety advisory for pilgrims undertaking the Chardham Yatra. Pilgrims are advised to exercise caution while travelling, consider the weather conditions, and call 112 in case of any emergency." Authorities are working to ensure public safety and minimise disruptions," said the police authorities. In light of the forecast, the Uttarakh ...Read More >
Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) [India], May 22 (ANI): Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the current TDP-led government in the State, accusing Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of failing to deliver on pre-election promises and engaging in financial mismanagement. The former chief minister also took aim at what he called the "yellow media" for biased reporting in favour of the ruling party. "I am not only fighting against Chandrababu Naidu but also against the 'yellow media'," Reddy said in a press conference. ...Read More >
Newborn reunited with mother in Karnataka, three child lifters held Bengaluru: Karnataka Police reunited a one-day-old male baby with his mother in the Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Karnataka's Kalaburagi after arresting three child lifters. According to police, the accused women, posing as nurses, had taken the child from his mother in the hospital on the pretext of conducting a blood test and sold him for Rs 50,000 on Tuesday. The accused were identified as Umera, Nasreen and Fathima. The rescued baby was under treatment at the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) at the G ...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 >
Extensive preparations are on in Mangalagiri for the first-ever convocation of AIIMS, scheduled for December 17, where President Droupadi Murmu will be the chief guest. District Collector S. Nagalakshmi, along with AIIMS director Madhabananda Kar, Joint Collector A. Bhargav Teja and Tenali Sub-Collector V. Sanjana Simha, held a review meeting with AIIMS officials and other district officers on Thursday evening at the AIIMS auditorium to oversee the arrangements. During the meeting, Collector Na ...Read More >
RAIPUR: A furious sloth bear attack left a father-son duo dead and injured two others, including a deputy forest ranger, in Korar forest range of Kanker Forest Division in Chhattisgarh. The disturbing live video of the attack, which was captured by some journalists/villagers present at the site during the sloth bear's second attack went viral on social media. The sloth bear, believed to be infected by rabies, made the first attack on 45-year-old Sukhlal Darro around 11 am on January 18, said Divisional Forest Officer, Kanker, Alok Bajpai. Darro and another person identified as Ajju Kureti, ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar, May 22 (UNI) An elderly person with comorbidities who recently returned from New Delhi has tested positive for COVID-19, an official source said on Thursday. The 75-year-old patient has been admitted to a private hospital in the state capital. His family members have been instructed to remain in quarantine as a preventive measure. According to Health Department sources, the patient's blood sample will be sent to the Institute of Life Sciences for genome sequencing to determine the COVID-19 variant. Odisha Health Secretary S. Aswathy informed the media that the situation is bein ...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 >
Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) met the injured ASHA workers at a hospital in Hyderabad on Tuesday. December 10. ASHA workers were injured after they were manhandled by police officials during a protest at the Telangana Directorate of Medical Education (DME) demanding a salary hike of Rs 18,000 on Monday. The two injured women were identified as Raheembi and Santhoshini. After enquiring about the women's well-being, the BRS MLA condemned the police action against the ASHA workers. He extended solidarity with their fight offered all possible support ...Read More >
Bhopal: The Gita recitation programme by the Madhya Pradesh government has found a place in the Guinness World Records. "More than 7,200 'acharyas' and 'vatuks' collectively recited the third chapter 'Karma Yoga' on Wednesday, making a record," a statement issued by the government said. The event was parallely organised at Bhopal's Lal Parade Ground and Ujjain to mark the sacred occasion of Gita Jayanti. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said that the collective recitation of the Gita by thousands of Acharyas in Bhopal and Ujjain has been registered in the 'Guinness Book of World Records'. He con ...Read More >
Kochi: The High Court has directed the Kerala state government to convince the central government that the state deserves more assistance for the Wayanad landslide disaster. The division bench also expressed its readiness to mediate between the central and state governments in this regard. According to the latest figures, the state disaster relief fund holds around Rs 700 crore, but only Rs 61 crore is available for expenditure, as reported by the amicus curiae. Kerala: Court orders inclusion of abetment charges against police officers in Dalit youth suicide case The Kerala state government ...Read More >
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M Appavu walked out of a meeting of his counterparts in Patna on Monday after accusing Governor R N Ravi of continuing to 'disrespect' the people of the state, elected government and century-old TN Legislative Assembly. Ravi's activities were 'deeply worrying.' he said. Citing the recommendations of the Punchhi, Sarkaria, Rajamannar and Venkatachaliah Commissions, on the appointment of Governors, Appavu argued that the state legislature should be empowered to 'remove' the Governor through a resolution and the wording that the 'Governor shall hold office du ...Read More >
The number of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) cases continues to rise, with five new cases reported on Monday, bringing the ... The number of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) cases continues to rise, with five new cases reported on Monday, bringing the total number of suspected cases in Pune to 163. Among these, 47 patients have been discharged, 47 are in the ICU, and 21 are on ventilators. Of the infected, 32 are from the Pune Municipal Corporation area, 86 from surrounding villages, including 18 from Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, 19 from rural areas, and eight from other districts. The ...Read More >
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], May 21 (ANI): Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu paid rich tribute to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary in Shimla. He garlanded the statue of Rajiv Gandhi at Sadbhawana Chowk, Chhota Shimla. Sukhvinder Singh said, "Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed his life for the unity and integrity of this country. Whenever there was a crisis in the country, Rajiv Gandhi never stepped back from making sacrifices. Today's 21st century India, the India of information revolution and digital revolution, was imagined by Rajiv Gandhi 40 years ago... Th ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Odisha for three days, from November 29 to December 1, to attend the annual Director General of Police (DGP) conference in Bhubaneswar. Union home minister Amit Shah will accompany him at the event, which will be held at the convention hall of Odisha Lok Seva Bhawan (State Secretariat). PM Modi and Shah are expected to arrive in Bhubaneswar on Friday afternoon. Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the high-profile visit, with the city placed on high alert. Areas surrounding the event venues have been declared 'no-f ...Read More >
The United States congressional subcommittee's final report on the Covid-19 pandemic has pointed to the "lab leak" theory, making it the latest US report pinning the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to the Wuhan lab in China. "Four years after the onset of the worst pandemic in 100 years, the weight of the evidence increasingly supports the lab leak hypothesis," the 500-plus page report said, adding that since they began their work in February 2023, more senior intelligence officials, politicians, science editors, and scientists had "endorsed the hypothesis that COVID-19 emerged as the result ...Read More >
Dehradun: A person, who completes his age of 59 years and 6 months, can now apply for an old age pension on the social welfare department's pension portal. The applicants will start receiving pension from the end of the month in which he completes the age of 60 years following the approval of his application form. This is meant to ensure that the elderly people can get the benefits of old age pension on time. The department launched a campaign to identify the eligible person for the pension According to Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Neeraj Khairwal, his department launched a month-l ...Read More >
Aryan Meena, who lived in the Dausa district of Rajasthan state, was trapped in the narrow well for three days after falling into it while playing on Monday afternoon. The boy, wearing pants and a t-shirt, had to endure plummeting winter temperatures inside the well as well as hunger and thirst. Children and even adult people dying from falling into open borewells is not uncommon in rural India where they are dug to pump water for irrigation and drinking and left abandoned after they run dry. ...Read More >
Belagavi, Dec 12 (UNI) The Karnataka BJP on Thursday accused the Congress state government of secretly relocating protesters injured during a lathi charge to prevent opposition leaders from meeting them. Speaking to reporters here, Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka said BJP leaders had planned to visit the injured protesters in hospital. However, the victims were moved to an undisclosed location. "This government is acting like Hitler by not allowing us to meet the injured. We don't even know where they have been taken," he said. The lathi charge occurred during a protest by the Panchamasal ...Read More >
The West Bengal Health Department on Monday (January 13, 2024) admitted to a lapse and said that they will take strict action against anyone found guilty in the administration of expired saline at Medinipur Medical College and Hospital. The government has roped in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe the "lapse" which led to one woman's death and three others remained critical. Five women were administered Ringer's Lactate (RL) on the Intravenous (IV) fluid which had allegedly expired. All of them fell critically ill and one of them died after delivering a baby. Three of the ...Read More >
Bengaluru, 26th May 2025: The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) will convene the 38th Meeting of the Central Apprenticeship Council (CAC) on 26th May 2025 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The Council, reconstituted in October 2024 under the chairmanship of Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Hon'ble Minister of State (Independent Charge), MSDE, plays a pivotal role in advising the Government on key policies related to apprenticeship training across the country. The last CAC meeting was held in June 2021. Since then, India's apprenticeship landscape has evolved considerably -- with over ...Read More >
The Supreme Court has directed all states and union territories to form internal complaints committees in all government departments and undertakings by specific deadlines. This directive aims to ensure uniform compliance with the POSH Act across the country, highlighting lapses in its enforcement and mandating surveys and reports on adherence.With a view to ensure a nationwide compliance of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed all states and union territories to constitute an internal complaints co ...Read More >
Bengaluru, May 20 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Karnataka BJP on Tuesday slammed the Congress government for its 'Sadhana Samavesha' celebration to mark two years of coming to power, claiming that it has zero achievements and endless advertisements. State BJP President B. Y. Vijayendra said, "Beyond the glossy headlines and front-page ads, government stands exposed for rampant corruption, relentless price hikes, soaring farmer suicides, alarming maternal deaths, escalating crimes against women, Hindu lives under constant threat, deteriorating infrastructure, safe harbour for anti-national elements, sk ...Read More >