West Bengal silicosis policy a welcome step with few aberrations

By Jagdish Patel* Health and Family Welfare department, Government of West Bengal declared policy for relief, rehabilitation and treatment of silicosis victims on February 25, 2022 is a welcome step by the State government to give justice to the silicosis victims who were not paid an attention so far. The policy offers Rs 2 lakh …

Why safety concerns should get more attention in COVID vaccine: Lessons from comparative study

 Bharat Dogra COVID-19 vaccines have been widely discussed, but still safety aspects need more attention. Generally in the case of all vaccines adverse events recorded constitute an important part of discussion relating to them, and this is all the more so in the case of COVID-19 vaccines which were developed and distributed in unprecedented hurry. …

VS Hospital’s budget does not correctly portray the appropriate usage of Ahmedabad’s tax paying public

By Rupa Chinai, Brijesh China, Jay Sheth, Dr. Nishith Shah* This is with reference to the Budget of over Rs.173 crores (Rs.17331.96 lakhs as stated) for the financial year 2022-23 for Sarabhai General and Chinai Maternity Hospitals, Ahmedabad.  We are constrained to point out, as we have done regularly in recent years, that this budget does not …

Rise in institutional deliveries as well as average OOPE per delivery in public health facilities: Findings from NFHS 5

By Sampurna Kundu, Prof. Sanghmitra Sheel Acharya* Despite the efforts of the Reproductive and Child Health Services (RCH), that provided free or nominal cost public health services, the average out of pocket expenditure (OOPE) per delivery in public health facilities has increased for many states. States like Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram and Assam, which are in …

Allow consumers to correctly identify products that contain excessive amount of sugars, fats, sodium

Consumer organisations unanimously demanded for immediate notification of FoPL Regulations in the interest of public health. A note:  In a bid to allow consumers to correctly, quickly, and easily identify products that contain excessive amount of sugars, fats, and sodium, consumer organisations across the country unanimously adopted an eight point Charter of Demands in the National Consumer Convention …

How Big Pharmas benefited from the COVID-19 crisis, and why TRIPS agreement should be scrapped

Excerpts from the publication by Peoples Over Profit and Asia Pacific Research Network, produced with the financial assistance of the European Commission: The world is in dire need of vaccines. Close to two years into the coronavirus crisis, the global death toll has reached 5 million. Deaths are feared to be higher than recorded. Despite …

Healthcare expenditure through the lens of Health Satellite Accounts

By Dr Poonam Munjal, Dr Palash Baruah* The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” The role of health as an engine of economic growth is not entirely unsubstantiated. Investments in health care lead to better, healthier …