Public Health
Global concerns about a new viral pandemic have started making headlines barely weeks after resolution of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. The virus responsible for panic buttons being pressed, with the WHO declaring a … Read moreThe Zika Crisis Needs a Global Response
The Fourth National Family Health Survey (NFHS 4) was conducted in 2015 and preliminary results from a few states are now available. NFHS 4 follows similar countrywide surveys conducted in 1992 (NFHS 1), 1998 (NFHS … Read moreLessons from the National Family Health Survey
The tragic events culminating in the suicide of the parents of Avinash, a seven year old child who had succumbed to dengue fever, largely due to the apathy of a number of private hospitals, have … Read moreThe Dengue Epidemic and Demise of Public Healthcare
Mired by controversies and scandals, the NDA Government has now secured another rare achievement. Recent disclosures, first reported in the ‘Economist’ magazine, indicate that the government has taken great pains to suppress a survey on … Read moreSuppression of Child Malnutrition Survey Data to Shield Gujarat
The recent spate of infections and deaths, caused by the H1N1 strain of the influenza virus across many states in India has once again brought into focus India’s ailing health care system. It is unfortunate … Read moreSwine Flu – Extraordinary Breakdown of Public Health
The premise of sustainable development is that it should be non-discriminatory and equitable as well. Discriminatory practices in the name of development have disastrous consequences as the people of Bhopal had experienced at the hands … Read moreThe Path to Sustainable Development: Lessons from the Bhopal Disaster
The shocking incident in Chhattisgarh, where thirteen women died and many more fell severely ill after undergoing an operation for female sterilisation (tubectomy), shows a mirror to all that is wrong with the public health … Read moreCoercive Population Control Claims Thirteen Lives in Chhattisgarh
Capital’s greed to maximize profits respects very few boundaries. If the pharmaceutical industry were to be used as an example, it would seem that greed that is predicated on the helplessness of the sick and … Read moreHepatitis and the Thousand Dollar Pill
On August 8th the World Health Organisation declared the West African Ebola outbreak a ‘public health emergency of international concern’. The declaration came four months after the WHO reported a major Ebola outbreak in Guinea in … Read moreEbola Epidemic Exposes the Pathology of the Capitalist System
Since being installed in government the BJP’s ministers have announced a slew of measures to usher in “better days”. True to this pattern, the new government’s health minister – Dr.Harsh Vardhan – has articulated a … Read moreBetter Days Ahead – for Insurance Companies and Corporate Hospitals
In India, as well as in many developing countries, there is wide acceptance that the present health care system needs serious reforms. There is, however, very limited consensus on the shape and extent of reforms … Read moreImportance of Public Services in Health Care
A recent notification, dated September 25, 2013, by the ministry of personnel of the government of India is virtually a vote of no-confidence on India’s health system. The notification amends existing laws regarding entitlements available … Read moreIndian Bureaucrats Vote with Their Feet Against India’s Health System