-The Times of India MANDLA/JABALPUR: Tribals in Kundam, a settlement 40 km off Jabalpur, call it a black demon, one who strikes select families and ensures an early and agonizing death by sucking its victims white. For once, medical experts couldn't agree more with this home spun wisdom that aptly describes sickle cell - an incurable genetic disorder which damages vital organs like liver, kidney, heart and spleen. The disease manifest at...

-The Indian Express The 23-year-old woman, battling for life in Safdarjung hospital after being tortured and gangraped on board a bus in south Delhi, had her statement recorded for the second time in a week on Tuesday. Doctors had to explain to her the need for a fresh statement. On Monday, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit wrote to union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde that the sub-divisional magistrate who had recorded the victim’s initial...

-The Indian Express Ganga Ram docs link ‘benign’ parasite with platelet drop, liver problems. A malaria parasite responsible for the milder form of the disease — Plasmodium vivax — has been linked with severe complications in patients. A new study by Sir Ganga Ram Hospital doctors on 165 patients, published in the journal Tropical Doctor, says the parasite may be deadlier than thought. Of 121 patients diagnosed with vivax malaria, three died of...

London, June 11: An investigation has exposed the organised criminals who secretly trade organs for British transplant patients for as little as £4,500 (Rs 3.85 lakh). The gangs, operating in eastern Europe and the Indian subcontinent, prey on the desperation of patients requiring organs and the poverty of donors who often earn less than £1,000 (Rs 85,754) from the exploitative deals. The so-called organ brokers have developed a network of corrupt officials...

While welcoming the report of the High Level Expert Group on Universal Health Coverage for India for its comprehensive vision and many well-conceived recommendations, this article focuses on the conditions needed for its promise to bear fruit. Towards this, it explores the political dimension, which comprises the forces and interests that come into play to shape and reconfigure administrative policy and its implementation.   We are grateful to Anand Zachariah and Susie...