-The Hindu Dharmapuri (Tamil Nadu): An emaciated Kumudha looks the very symbol of women who have no reproductive agency or bodily rights, one of the many reasons for the neonatal deaths that occurred at the government hospital here last weekend. A week after losing her two-day-old son to preterm-low birth weight complications, Kumudha just returned home after administration of intravenous fluids at the primary health centre at Palayamapudur, some six km from...

-Economic and Political Weekly   This paper proposes an approach to periodically measure the extent of progress towards universal health coverage using a set of indicators that captures the essence of the factors to be considered in moving towards universalisation. It presents the rationale for the approach and demonstrates its use, based on a primary household survey carried out at the district level. Discussing the strengths and limitations of the approach, it...

-The Hindu Kochi (Kerala): A day after the government declared its intention to crack down on sale of unsafe vegetables in the State, experts have called for realistic measures such as regular statutory sample collection and testing as well as steps to trace vegetables sold in the State to their origin. An official familiar with the developments on Tuesday said the test results cannot be obtained quick enough to prevent the sale...

-The Hindu The Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) launched in 2011 to enumerate castes along with socio-economic data, is progressing, and is likely to be completed soon. A stand-alone caste headcount may not normally be desirable in a country grappling with the adverse consequences of social hierarchy and caste-based divisions. However, in conjunction with socio-economic data, a caste census may yield quantifiable data that could be used to evaluate measures such...

-The Hindu They will assess the situation at GH, where 11 babies died of complications from low weight The State government on Monday assigned two senior doctors with experience in handling newborns to assess the situation at the Dharmapuri government hospital, where 11 babies died of complications from low birth weight. S. Srinivasan, coordinator, State Nodal Centre-National Rural Health Mission at the Institute of Child Health, and neonatologist R. Narayana Babu, dean of...