Category:

Health

Latest

New healthcare investment policy approved to attract investors: J-K LG

Terming the healthcare sector as imperative for the development of the Union Territory, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said J&K is spending 2.86 per cent of its GSDP on public health, which is the best in the country.

”Special attention is being paid to three areas – prevention, better treatment and care,” he added.

“Five new medical colleges, two AIIMS, nearly 1,000 healthcare and wellness centres, five new nursing colleges, BSc paramedical course as well as more than 100 per cent increase in medical seats are contributing towards the development and advancement of the healthcare sector in the UT,” he added.

read more

Govt fixes Covid vaccine price at Rs 250 a shot for pvt hospitals

The Union Government has fixed the price of vaccines at Rs 250 for a dose which would be available at private hospitals for people above 60 years of age and those above 45 years of age with comorbidities, and will be vaccinated starting March 1, sources said.

The government has decided that the people will be vaccinated free of cost at the government hospitals.

The cost break-up is Rs 150 for a dose plus Rs 100 as a service charge which the private facilities can charge from the beneficiaries.

read more

Rare Disease Day: Health advocacy groups press for govt policy, say India’s numbers unknown

Rare diseases, including genetic disorders such as Hunter syndrome, Gaucher disease and Fabry’s disease, are expensive to treat, difficult to identify and extract a huge toll, mostly on the young, the experts said ahead of Rare Disease Day on Sunday.

Rare diseases are also not covered by insurance policies. It is imperative the government steps in to help these patients so they can lead a near normal life, Health groups in India said.

They have also urged the government to make newborn screening mandatory to be able to identify genetical problems at an early stage. The monthly treatment cost of such diseases can be anywhere between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 50 lakh, they said.

read more

Govt plans two-day halt in vaccinations for software upgrade to widen campaign

“The countrywide vaccination exercise is being exponentially expanded,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that a new version of its Co-Win digital platform was being rolled out at the weekend.

Co-Win, wrapped into a government mobile telephone app, is being widely used to fix vaccination appointments, allow health authorities to monitor supplies and download proof of immunisation.

read more

Indians allowed to choose vaccination sites as government seeks faster roll-out

But the inoculation campaign has progressed slower than expected due to a reluctance of health and front-line workers to take the home-grown COVAXIN shot that was approved without late-stage efficacy data. Only 11% of vaccinated people have opted for the product developed by Bharat Biotech and the state-run Indian Council of Medical Research.

With the world’s highest tally of infections after the United States, India wants to vaccinate 300 million of its 1.35 billion people by August. The decision to give people a choice of vaccines could now speed up the roll-out, officials believe.

read more

India’s economy exits from recession, recovery seen gathering pace ​​​​​​​

Gross domestic product grew 0.4% in October-December compared with the same period a year earlier, data released by the National Statistics Office on Friday showed. That compared with revised contractions of 7.3% in July-September and 24.4% in April-June.

Investment recorded its first growth since December 2019, growing at 2.6% compared to a revised 6.8% fall in the previous quarter, while weakness in consumer demand eased.

read more