-Livemint The health ministry will also digitize various govt-run health centres including primary health centres, community health centres and hospitals New Delhi: The Union health ministry is rolling out an online database of Medicines stocked at government-run health centres and a centralized agency to procure drugs as patient groups and civil society organizations highlight shortages triggering greater drug immunity and higher treatment costs. The ministry will also digitize various government-run health centres...

-The Hindu Obamacare and other such examples make a compelling case for seeking the right combination of roles for the public and private sector in health reform in India Nail or screw? Which is best to join pieces of wood? In carpentry, the answer is that each offers benefits depending on the application. With health care reform, the choice of public or private sector financing, delivery and regulation is subject to a...

-Outlook Washington: An Indian medical researcher has been awarded the US-based Institute of Medicine's (IOM) 2014 Sarnat Prize for his contributions to improving mental health care in developing countries. Vikram Patel yesterday was presented with the Sarnat Prize, which consists of a medal and USD 20,000, at IOM's annual meeting in Washington. "Through his research, Vikram Patel not only brought a largely unacknowledged problem - mental health disorders in developing nations - into...

-Economic and Political Weekly   The decision to reduce the powers of the drug pricing body goes against the interest of public health. The decision of the Government of India to withdraw the power of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to set price controls on drugs that are not on the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) raises questions on the Narendra Modi regime's commitment to people's welfare. One must ask if...

-The Hindu Business Line   The media have got it wrong on price control reversal Recently, there has been a flutter in various media channels and newspapers as to how the Modi Government has reversed certain drug price control measures announced in July 2014. As a result, we are told, prices of these drugs would increase much more than pre-July levels. This was supposed to be a sequel to Modi's visit to the...