-The Indian Express International experience points to the dangers in moving towards a system of health insurance coverage. Improving government services is the answer. Last month, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan offered a glimpse into the new government's universal health assurance scheme, of which insurance will be an important component. Health insurance is also part of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, the NDA government's financial inclusion programme. But international experience does...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Union health ministry is considering a plan to build an email repository of doctors across the country to directly reach out to them with information relating to healthcare, including standard guidelines to treat tuberculosis. The Medical Council of India estimates that India has over 600,000 practising doctors. "I expect most doctors today will have email (addresses)," health minister Harsh Vardhan today said. "Such an email repository would help...

-Down to Earth Experience shows free medicines help more, say some experts Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan announced on Wednesday that his government will launch the National Health Assurance Mission in the current fiscal year. The idea, the minister said, is to "assure" every Indian citizen with appropriate health care. Speaking at the 8th Health Insurance Summit, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), he said everyone should have access to...

-Down to Earth Doctors will now have to prescribe only those medicines and procedures that have been listed under schemes Here is some good news for all the senior citizens in Delhi. From September 1, 2014, they can avail free consultation under 20 Central Government Health Schemes (CGHS). On Friday, the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Harsh Vardhan, unveiled a pilot project that can be extended further in future. "This is...

-The Telegarph New Delhi: India has asked its citizens to defer non-essential travel to four West African nations struck by outbreaks of the Ebola virus and has alerted its health surveillance system to track travellers arriving from these countries for up to four weeks. Health minister Harsh Vardhan today said people should defer "non-essential travel" to Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria that have cumulatively reported 1,603 Ebola patients, including 887 deaths. The...