South Africa’s per capita health spending flatlining since 2012: Report
While the health budget has risen at an average rate of 2.5 per cent per year, it has not translated into equitable access
COVID is officially no longer a global health emergency — here’s what that means
COVID will still have pandemic status, and countries will continue to have their own authority as to whether to treat COVID as an emergency …
Taxing sugary drinks can tackle obesity, diabetes: WHO
A new report by the international health agency proposes fiscal policies that lead to at least a 20 per cent increase in the retail price of …
Investment in health sector needed to create jobs, achieve SDGs
Ageing populations and increasing rates of non-communicable diseases are projected to generate the demand for 40 million new health workers …
Medical draft Bill will commercialise education, say doctors
NITI Aayog is championing privatisation and commercialisation of medical education in India, says the Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Healthcare
Iraq eliminates trachoma as a public health problem
Becomes 50th country globally to eliminate at least one neglected tropical disease
Health inequities to be blamed for premature deaths among people with disabilities: WHO
They are at a two-fold risk of contracting chronic illnesses like asthma, depression, diabetes, obesity, dental disorders and stroke
Pandemic treaty: Draft urges cooperation, equity, transparency but misses independent monitoring
Draft has evolved from a working document circulated earlier this year in July and builds on the comments made by member states, domain experts …
Anganwadi centres rush to verify children beneficiaries’ Aadhaar
Only 1/3rd of children have cards; Expert worries it may lead to millions losing access to food and nutrition
Lassa fever: Why there’s a call to declare a health emergency in Nigeria
The Nigerian Academy of Science has called for the current outbreak of Lassa fever in Africa’s most populous nation to be declared a …
What’s ailing Delhi’s health sector? Decline in crucial infrastructure
There is a significant dip in the number of maternity homes and hospitals in the national capital
What Africa still needs to do to eliminate malaria
Eliminating malaria in Africa has been held back by a range of factors, including a lack of funds and drug and insecticide resistance challenges
Child and adolescent mortality declined globally from 1990 to 2015
But countries with a low socio-demographic index saw about 75 per cent of deaths in 2016 as compared to 61 per cent in 1990
World no tobacco day: Push for plain packaging to save lives
Plain packaging of tobacco products restricts advertising and promotion and increases the effectiveness of health warnings
Cough resistance
Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment in India is plagued by delayed diagnostics and inaccurate treatment procedures. An initiative in …
US drug firms put Third World lives at risk
Inadequate information on the labels of US drug products sold in the Third World have put many lives at risk, concludes a US government study
Have lead, will damage
The first episode of an S&T serial on STAR Plus takes a hard look at the havoc caused by lead emissions and strategies to counter this.
Within the enemy
Humankind faces the most prolonged and worst exposure to pollution within the four walls of its homes - indoors - where biomass combustion spells …
All gold and hellish litter
Beyond all that glittering in the congested streets of Calcutta's sex districts, is defiled environment and morbid health conditions
Protected by pregnancy
A protein produced by pregnant women is found useful in preventing the development of skin tumours
South Asia: A Trash Can?
It's time South Asian countries took Iaction to tackle the POP menace. To begin with, they should tell the West that South Asia is not a dirty …
Return of the smog
Experts believe that the smog which enveloped Indonesia last year may return to aggravate the economic crisis that has engulfed the country
Danger on the high seas
Environment groups say that Japan's impending shipment of plutonium poses a grave environmental threat
Some key questions answered on COVID-19 vaccines for African countries
Vaccines for COVID-19 are generating a lot of talk. To shed some light on which vaccines are available for countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and …
India has the highest population with household exposure to pulmonary TB
At least 38 million people live in households across 20 high-burden countries, where at least one person has incident pulmonary TB