-The Hindu In Madhya Pradesh, COVID-19 health priorities lead to 18.6% drop in institutional deliveries in April. Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh recorded a fall of 18.6% in institutional deliveries in April, the first month of the COVID-19 lockdown, casting a shadow on an improving trend, National Health Mission (NHM) data show. Private and government-run health centres recorded 97,881 births in April 2019, around 18.1% more than the previous year. However, the count dipped to...

-The Hindu It is imperative to promote community-based care rather than relying only on hospital services The deaths of 154 children in Bihar due to acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) has laid bare the precarious capacity of the State’s healthcare apparatus to handle outbreaks. AES has been linked to two factors: litchi consumption by starving children and a long, ongoing heat wave. As promises of bolstering the health infrastructure are being made, it...

-IANS NEW DELHI: To ensure timely health assistance in traffic-congested areas and small lanes, the Delhi government on Thursday launched bike Ambulance services. The bikes, to be known as the First Responder Vehicles, will have a portable oxygen cylinder, first aid kit and dressing materials, air-splints, GPS and communication device, among others. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched the fleet of 16 bikes at Delhi Secretariat along with Health Minister Satyendar Jain. This will...

-Newsclick.in According to patients’ accounts, the 108 helpline either did not respond, or the condition of the ambulance was reported to be ‘not fit’ to ferry patients. The All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) staged demonstrations on December 10 in Shimla outside the district commissioner’s (DC’s) office, against the deteriorating health facilities for women in government hospitals in Himachal Pradesh. There are three government hospitals in the state capital – Indira Gandhi Medical...

-The Indian Express Dr Venugopal, an obstetrician and secretary general of KFOG, said the state's health apparatus showed progress as a result of 'systemic actions' adopted by doctors and government officials. Kochi: Kerala’s superior health infrastructure and its advances in improving delivery care facilities and nutritional level among pregnant women have resulted in further reduction of the maternal mortality rate (MMR) (proportion of maternal deaths per 1 lakh live births) in the...