Despite facing financial constraints, Kerala has been able to invest in welfare schemes and targeted programmes.
Insurance regulator Irdai on Monday said health insurance policies that cover Covid treatment costs will also cover expenses for treating infections due to Omicron. "All health insurance policies issued by all general and health insurance companies that cover treatment costs of Covid-19 also cover the costs of treatment towards Omicron variant of Covid-19 as per terms and conditions of policy contract," the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) said in a release. The regulator has issued the directive to general and health insurers in view of the growing number of cases of the Omicron variant.
The need for a manufacturing policy, reining in food inflation and raising investment in the country were among key suggestions given by economists who met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and senior ministry officials in the first round of pre-Budget consultations on Friday.
AAP projects its affordable 'health model' as a success story. The BJP calls it a hoax.
Official sources said the last case of monkeypox in India was reported from Kerala in March this year.
The move to expand the health insurance scheme's coverage comes at a time when several hospitals have complained of delays in reimbursement related to the procedures performed under the scheme.
The top court dismissed a plea seeking deferment of the NEET-PG which claimed that candidates have been allocated cities that are highly inconvenient for them to reach.
Mock drills were conducted on Saturday in states and Union territories adjoining the western border -- from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat -- to enhance wartime emergency preparedness and response capabilities, officials said.
The strike will continue following the tragic incident at the RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, it said.
The health sector has been allocated Rs 89,155 crore in the Union Budget 2023-24, a hike of around 13 per cent over Rs 79,145 crore allocated in 2022-23, with the government also announcing a mission to eliminate sickle cell anaemia by 2047.
Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has said there is no need to panic over two cases of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) detected in the state, as the infections are caused by old virus strains and are not life-threatening. The minister said that the two infected infants are doing "normal" and advised people to follow general precautionary measures. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has detected the two cases through routine surveillance for multiple respiratory viral pathogens.
The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) under the Union health ministry is closely monitoring respiratory and seasonal influenza cases in the country, and is in touch with international agencies, according to official sources.
The process of identification of victims by matching the DNA samples is currently underway, and the bodies will be handed over to their relatives once the process is complete.
The unrelenting heatwave sweeping large parts of the country has claimed at least 110 lives and left over 40,000 people grappling with suspected heatstroke between March 1 and June 18 this year, health ministry sources said on Thursday.
Nine cases have been detected from Maharashtra, eight from Karnataka, six from Kerala, four from Tamil Nadu and two from Telangana, they added.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved a three-month extension in Sudan's service, beyond the date of her superannuation, i.e. April 30, a personnel ministry order said. She will continue to function as the secretary of the Department of Health and Family Welfare during the period, it said.
A suspected case of mpox infection has been reported from Malappuram district of Kerala after a man who recently returned from Dubai showed symptoms of the disease.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday suggested that stickers for houses to notify completion of both doses of COVID-19 vaccines should be given to fully vaccinated families to encourage uptake of vaccine among the population.
Ministry to amend Act to bring all oral, skin and hair care products under its purview.
However, under several external factors -- such as technological disruption or advancement, regulatory or policy changes, or economic shocks -- the gig workforce may grow only to 32.5 million by 2047, a report points out.
Actor Poonam Pandey is not being considered as the brand ambassador of the government's national campaign to spread awareness on cervical cancer, Union health ministry officials said on Wednesday.
A total of 43 districts in India are currently reporting AES cases.
The death toll due to the viral disease has climbed to 5,31,300 with 42 more fatalities, including 10 reconciled by Kerala, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.
Amid mounting concerns over the new 'XE' variant of Covid and a day after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation reported its first case in Mumbai, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Thursday said the state health department has not received any confirmation about the variant and thus cannot confirm it.
An Allahabad high court bench of Justice Shekhar Yadav had on Thursday last urged the government and the poll panel to consider postponing the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections for a month or two and banning all political rallies amid the fears of an impending third wave of Covid.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that despite the increase in COVID cases in Kerala, there was nothing to be concerned about as the hospitals were well-prepared to handle the virus infection.
The Union Health Ministry will take up initiatives to check occupational health hazards faced by employees in the IT and ITES sector.
The country's COVID-19 death toll stands at 5,30,775, while the active cases increased to 3,076, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 7.03 per cent and the weekly positivity rate at 5.43 per cent.
'If his health was good he would have become CM again after polls.' 'Those who are with Nitish Babu today will remain with him till the elections to use his name for votes and would definitely play games with him after the polls.'
'The NEET-PG is the only exam for admission to MD, MS and PG Diploma courses.' 'Many doctors take time off from work to prepare for it, while others study during their long hospital shifts.'
These modules will help in building the capacity of the doctors, nurses, paramedics and community health workers across India to deal with long-term effects of Covid.
Active COVID-19 cases in India surpassed the 10,000 mark after 134 days.
The number of active cases has increased to 44,998, the data updated on Thursday showed.
The total tally of Covid cases is 4.46 crore (4,46,82,719) and the death toll stands at 5,30,740, the data updated at 8 am stated.
A 38-year-old man undergoing treatment in Kerala's northern Malappuram district has been confirmed to have contracted Mpox infection, the state health department said on Wednesday.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,89,111, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.
India logged 157 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases increased to 1,862, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Friday.
The death toll stands at 5,30,780 with one death reported in Gujarat, data updated by the ministry at 8 am stated.
The government on Saturday said a committee will be formed to propose safety measures for healthcare professionals even as OPD services were hit across the country as doctors joined the 24-hour nationwide strike called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to protest the alleged rape and murder of a trainee medic in Kolkata.