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Global banks expand maternity benefits to retain women in India
Banks are hungry for talent in India. With US-China tensions...
India’s first transgender OPD inaugurated at Delhi’s RML hospital
"Transgender individuals were facing numerous difficulties in...
India’s Covid deaths could double in coming weeks, forecasters warn
While coronavirus cases can be hard to predict, particularly in a sprawling nation like India, the forecasts reflect the urgent need for India to step up public health measures like testing and social distancing. Even if the worst estimates are avoided, India could suffer the world’s biggest Covid-19 death toll. The U.S currently has the largest number of fatalities at around 578,000.
Two pandemics clash as doctors find that Covid spurs diabetes
Among Covid-19’s many ripple effects, the worsening of the global diabetes burden could carry a heavy public-health toll. The underlying mechanisms stoking new-onset diabetes aren’t clear, though some doctors suspect the Sars-CoV-2 virus may damage the pancreas, the gland that makes insulin which is needed to convert blood sugar into energy.
Sedentary lifestyles brought on by lockdowns could also be playing a role, as might late diagnoses after people avoided doctors’ offices. Even some children’s mild coronavirus cases can be followed by the swift onset of diabetes, scientists found.
73-yr-old Australian stuck in Bengaluru sues Morrison govt for ban on flights from India
The lawyers of Gary Newman, who is stranded in Bengaluru since March last year, have argued in the federal court in Sydney that the ban was “unconstitutional”.
The application firstly said that the Commonwealth was acting outside its powers and secondly, Health Minister Greg Hunt’s declaration was in breach of an implied freedom to return home,
Death of Covid patients due to oxygen crisis ‘not less than genocide’: HC
“We are at pain in observing that death of Covid patients just for non supplying of oxygen to the hospitals is a criminal act and not less than a genocide by those who have been entrusted the task to ensure continuous procurement and supply chain of the liquid medical oxygen,” read the order by a bench of Justice Ajit Kumar and Justice Siddhartha Varma.
As COVID-19 sweeps rural India, sick struggle to access healthcare
India’s COVID-19 crisis has been most acute in the capital, New Delhi, among other cities, but in rural areas – home to nearly 70% of India’s 1.3 billion people – limited public healthcare is posing particular challenges. Ill-equipped hospitals, staff shortages and long journeys to dedicated COVID-19 wards are making it harder for village patients to access treatment as a second wave pushed India’s total coronavirus cases to more than 20 million this week.
Third wave of COVID ‘inevitable’: Government
“Phase three is inevitable given the higher levels of circulating virus, but it is not clear on what time-scale this phase three will occur.We should be prepared for new waves,” said K Vijay Raghavan, the principal scientific advisor to the Centre.
Khuntia panel submits report to centre on increasing country’s insurance penetration
Subhash Chandra Khuntia, chairman, IRDAI, revealed that a proposal to initiate pilot projects covering some states or districts prone to natural disasters like cyclone and flooding has been sent to the government and the National Disaster Management Authority(NDMA).
The idea is to cover all dwelling units in a vulnerable geographical area against natural catastrophes. The cost of coverage upto a limit can be funded by the Government and the owners can pay additional premium for higher coverage. Since dwelling unit insurance is very cheap, this is quite affordable and feasible and will save Government expenditure in terms of compensation to the affected after the incident,’..
Looking at the size of India in terms of population, geographical spread, diversity and low insurance penetration, there is tremendous scope to have more insurance companies. The market is far below the saturation point.
Scientists find dangerous chemical pollutants in disposable face masks
Aa full investigation is necessary to determine the quantities and potential impacts of these particles leaching into the environment, and the levels being inhaled by users during normal breathing. This is a significant concern, especially for health care professionals, key workers, and children who are required to wear masks for large proportions of the working or school day.”
WTO mulling intellectual property waivers for vaccines
The argument, part of a long-running debate about intellectual property protections, centers on lifting patents, copyrights, and protections for industrial design and confidential information to help expand the production and deployment of vaccines during supply shortages. The aim is to suspend the rules for several years, just long enough to beat down the pandemic.
The issue has become more pressing with a surge in cases in India, the world’s second-most populous country and a key producer of vaccines, including one for Covid-19 that relies on technology from Oxford University and British-Swedish pharmaceutical maker AstraZeneca.
SC asks Centre to inform about settlement of insurance claims of healthcare professionals
“We direct the Central Government to inform this Court as to how many claims are pending under the Scheme, and the timeline within which the Central Government expects to settle them,” the bench, also comprising L Nageswara Rao and S Ravindra Bhat, said in its order uploaded on late Saturday night.