Women and impoverished, illiterate tribals fall prey to Madhya Pradesh’s overweening family planning zeal Birth Control 1951 Family planning as a policy is launched in independent India 1978 Rechristened Family Welfare after the emergency 2000 National Population Policy aims at stable population by 2045 2010 Madhya Pradesh launches targeted family planning NPP says sterilisation should be last resort in family planning. *** When Shyam Lal* walked into a primary health centre at Rewa, a dusty little town in...

The Swiss-based pharmaceutical giant Novartis is taking the state of India to court in a case that has, after rumbling about in the lower courts for six years, wound up as a very public litmus test of the legal framework sustaining India’s generic drugs revolution.  With the case due before the Supreme Court on 28 March, the fate of millions who depend on affordable Indian medicines may soon hang in the...

-The Hindu Show-cause for whistle-blower, Naga Mothers Association Unhappy with the implementation of the National Rural Health Mission, the Naga Mothers Association (NMA) — an apex body of women of different tribes in Nagaland — has called for a full-fledged inquiry into the scheme to eliminate shortcomings and ensure transparent and effective health delivery service. In a memorandum submitted to Governor Nikhil Kumar, a copy of which has been sent to the Union...

-The United Nations An estimated 910, 000 lives were saved globally in six years due to guidelines intended to ensure that people living with HIV/AIDS are protected from tuberculosis, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said today, releasing an updated policy on joint prevention, diagnosis and treatment of both diseases. TB is a leading cause of death among people living with HIV/AIDS, which weakens the immune system, making those infected much...

Vitamin D deficiency on the rise; tests to identify it inaccurate AIR-CONDITIONED homes and offices and AC vehicles with dark glasses that protect from UV rays are now integral parts of our lifestyle. But by avoiding sunlight by using sunscreens and umbrellas one denies the body an important nutrient—vitamin D. All forms of life exposed to sunlight can produce this vitamin, which plays a vital role in the growth and maintenance of...