Page 3 - Health Ministry

Bill Gates meets health minister, appreciates pandemic management

Mandaviya showed him the dedicated War Room, which is now known as Health Emergency Operation Centre and the National Public Health Observatory (NPHO) which was shaped during Covid times

Ensure sustainable funding for Lysosomal Storage Disorders, says MPs

Patients diagnosed with ultra-rare genetic conditions, including Lysosomal Storage Disorders, require sustainable funding support, 24 Parliamentarians from across party lines wrote to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, seeking his intervention in the matter. Under the aegis of the Parliamentary Support Group for Rare Diseases, the MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha said this in a memorandum to the health ministry on Rare Disease Day, stressing the need for a sustainable fund to manage certain diseases under the National Policy for Rare Diseases, 2021. Rare Disease Day is observed every year on the last day of February. "Classified as Group 3a conditions in the National Policy for Rare Diseases, 2021, we would like to draw your attention and seek measures in putting up a mechanism to ensure continuity to all these patients, subject to a review of the progress of these patients by competent members of the Central Technical Committee on rare diseases set up by Ministry of ..

Centre asks states to spruce up healthcare facilities as temperatures rise

The Centre has said that daily surveillance on heat-related illnesses under National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) in all states and districts

'Centre, states should take steps to tackle drug abuse among children'

The regional judicial colloquium on "POCSO Act (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act), Juvenile Justice & Drug Abuse among Children" organised by the Kerala High Court has decided to make recommendations to the Central and State governments to adopt certain measures for tackling the issue of drug abuse amongst children.

Centre forms panel to prepare road map for health care regulations

The committee will present a road map within the next one month

Chintan shivir on drugs to diagnose and treat issues of trust, quality

Proposals to be discussed at Hyderabad conclave include having a centralised drug registration system under CDSCO

Low breastfeeding rates in infants born to mothers with Covid-19: Research

An international investigation found that during the height of the pandemic, breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact rates were low

Health min urges stakeholders to build trust in quality of Indian drugs

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya urged all the stakeholders on Sunday to steadfastly work towards building trust and confidence in the quality of Indian drugs, cosmetics and medical devices in domestic and export markets. It is of critical importance to ensure that the country's regulatory mechanisms are of impeccable standards that are sustained over time and space, Mandaviya said as he inaugurated a two-day "chintan shivir" on "Drugs: Quality Regulations and Enforcement" in Hyderabad. "How can we ensure that the confidence of the consumers of pharmaceuticals manufactured in India is upheld? I urge all the stakeholders to steadfastly work towards making the Indian drugs regulatory system among the best in the world, which could be emulated by other countries," he said. In his inaugural address, Mandaviya underlined the focus of the deliberative forum, saying, "The chintan shivir is a platform for all the stakeholders in the pharma and health sectors to deliberate on pathways

Govt to organise 'Chintan Shivir' with focus on drug quality regulation

New Delhi [India], February 24 (ANI): Union Health and family welfare Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya will chair a two-day 'Chintan Shivir' at Telangana's Hyderabad with a focus on Drug Quality Regulation and Enforcement."Eminent speakers along with Domain experts from government, industry fora, startups, and academia will be participating," official sources told ANI.The Chintan Shivir will be held for two days from February 26- 27, 2023 at Shanti Vanam in Hyderabad.Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Bhagwant Khuba, Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilizers along with Dr V K Paul, Member (Health) NITI Aayog will attend the meeting. Senior officials including Union Secretary (Health), Secretary (AYUSH), Secretary (Pharmaceuticals), DGHS along with representatives from National Health Authority, NPPA, CDSCO, NIB, Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission, NIPERs, State functionaries and officials including ACS/Principal Secretary will be present ..

Scan, share service for faster OPD registrations gaining success: NHA

The National Health Authority's Scan and Share service for faster OPD registrations has been adopted by 365 hospitals within five months of its launch, an official statement said on Thursday. The service has helped over five lakh patients save time by drastically reducing wait times in OPD registration areas, it said. The Scan and Share service is currently live in 125 districts across 25 states and UTs in the country. Karnataka (2.5 lakh tokens), Uttar Pradesh (1.1 lakh users) and Delhi (72,000 users) are the leading states in the adoption of this service for better patient experience, the statement by the NHA said. The QR code-based rapid OPD registration service is being implemented by the National Health Authority (NHA) under its flagship scheme Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya hailed the quick and queue-less OPD registration. "Quick & Queue Less OPD Registration! Under Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, more than 5 lakh patients ..

Govt focussing on production of high-value pharmaceuticals: Health Minister

The government is taking steps to produce "high value pharmaceuticals" in the country to reduce import dependency for such critical articles, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday. Manufacturing of components of high-end medical devices in the country will be another big step in moving towards self reliance, the Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers noted. "Working on the vision of reducing import dependency through indigenous production, the government is focussing on production of high value pharmaceuticals and high-end medical devices," he said. Mandaviya said the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has released the first tranche of incentives under the Product Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme of pharmaceuticals amounting to Rs 166 crore to four selected applicants. Under the Atmanirbharta initiative of the government, DoP launched the PLI scheme for pharmaceuticals in 2021. The financial outlay under this PLI scheme is Rs 15,000 crore over a period of six years.

Punjab branding Ayushman Bharat centres as Mohalla Clinics: Health Minstry

The Union Health Ministry has said the Punjab government was converting Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres into Mohalla Clinics, a pet project of the Aam Aadmi Party, and has warned of stopping the funds for the scheme. The Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centre (AB-HWC) is formulated with 60:40 contribution ratio by the Centre and state. In a letter written to the state government on February 6, the ministry said that the state has vitiated the spirit of the scheme and "defaulted" on its commitment by branding AB-HWCs as Aam Aadmi Clinics and "not adhering' to the provisions of the memorandum on the implementation of the scheme. "The state has violated the provisions of Clause 10.3 and 10.10 of MoU and has stopped implementing the AB-HWC component of NHM (National Health Mission), therefore releases to the State under NHM do not appear feasible as per provisions of Clause 13 of the MOU," NHM Additional Secretary and Mission Director Roli Singh said in the letter. A to

Lupin Pharma launches Lurasidone Hydrochloride Tablets in US

The generic equivalent of Latuda tablets has been launched in the US markets

India reports 95 new coronavirus cases; active tally rises to 1,921

India logged 95 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases increased to 1,921, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday. The death toll stands at 5,30,761, the data updated at 8 am stated. The virus case tally was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,85,132) while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.81 per cent, the ministry said. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,52,460 and the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.63 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.

Cooperation between neighbours vital to prevent spread of disease: Kerala

As various infectious diseases are throwing up unprecedented challenges across the world, the Kerala government has emphasised upon cooperation between its health department and those of the neighbouring states to prevent spread of communicable ailments. State Health Minister Veena George said it was necessary for the health departments of the bordering states to work in cooperation with each other to prevent spread of infectious diseases effectively. The minister was speaking at an inter-state meeting of various states inaugurated by her on Monday, a government release said. At the meeting, George said that health workers in border districts, when required, should coordinate with each other in the areas of data sharing, early warning, preparation of strategic action plans, development of local awareness materials, implementation of containment and quarantine guidelines. She said that climate change, antimicrobial resistance, and pesticide resistance have all contributed to disease

Covid pandemic has not taught the world how to beat the next deadly virus

Even governments that decided against elimination, opting instead to flatten the curve, struggled to persuade people to follow basic control methods

India records 120 new coronavirus cases; active tally increases to 1,916

India saw a single-day rise of 120 fresh COVID-19 cases, while the active cases have increased to 1,916, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Monday. The death toll stands at 5,30,761 with one death reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. The country's infection tally stands at 4.46 crore (4,46,85,037). The active cases now comprise 0.01 per cent of the total cases, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.81 per cent, according to the health ministry website. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,52,360, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent in the country. According to the ministry's website, 220.63 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive.

Ayushman Bharat health, wellness centres giving new life to rural patients

The total functional AB-HWCs in Haryana are 2407, which includes 1833 SHCs, 391 Primary health care (PHCs), and 183 urban primary health centres (UPHCs)

India saw record transplants of over 15,000 organs in 2022: Health Secy

India has witnessed a fast resurgence in organ transplant activities post COVID-19 and, for the first time, achieved more than 15,000 transplants a year in 2022, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said on Sunday. Along with this, there was an annual increase of 27 per cent in the transplant numbers, Bhushan said at the "National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) Scientific Dialogue 2023", organised by the Union Ministry of Health. The event was organised to bring all the stakeholders under one roof to brainstorm ideas about interventions and best practices in the field of organ and tissue transplant that can be taken up for saving lives. Bhushan said there has been a fast resurgence in organ transplant activities post Covid, and for the first time, the country has achieved more than 15,000 transplants a year (2022). There was an annual increase of 27 per cent in the transplant numbers, he added. The health secretary underlined three priority areas -- programmatic

Need to probe into avoidable expenses by health dept: CAG to Mizoram govt

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has observed that there is a need to investigate into avoidable expenditure of Rs 5.3 crore incurred by the Mizoram health and family welfare department. The CAG report tabled in the assembly by Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Thursday said that the Directorate of Hospital and Medical Education (DHME) had entered into a memorandum of understanding with Intergen Energy Limited (IGEL) in 2012 for the installation of renewable energy and water treatment plants at nine hospitals based on suo-motu proposals submitted by the Delhi-based firm. According to records of the DHME, water treatment plants were installed by the firm in five hospitals at a total cost of Rs 50 lakh and payments were made to the entity between March 2012 and February 2014, the report said. The private entity provided water to four hospitals for a short duration, ranging from four months to two years, and failed to supply water to a hospital even though the MoU stated