Almost one in every five suicides in the world is committed by self-poisoning with pesticide, which mostly occur in rural, agricultural areas of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), states a new publication entitled 'Preventing Suicide: A resource for pesticide registrars and regulators'. Published jointly by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the booklet says that the adoption of green revolution technology...

-The Times of India A Lancet study has pointed out that 82% cancer cases among children come from poorer countries. However, there are two bright spots as far as India is concerned. "First, there are centres such as Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, AIIMS in Delhi or PGI in Chandigarh where survival rates are almost equal to the western figure," said Banavali. Second, the incidence or rate of cancer among India's...

-The Times of India CHENNAI: In a major step to make cancer cure affordable for patients and their families, the retail prices of several anti-cancer drugs, including commonly used chemotherapy injections for lung Cancer treatment, have been slashed by up to 87% by the drug price control authority. After reviewing the data collected from drug manufacturers, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority’s May 15 memorandum has brought nine anti-cancer drugs in its price...

-Firstpost.com Sangrur (Punjab): It is difficult to imagine Jasmine Khan’s pain and agony at losing her 14-month-old son in 2016. Living in a two-room concrete house in a labyrinth of bylanes in Handiaya village of Barnala district in Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency, she wells up every time Bilal intrudes on her thoughts, no matter that it has been two years since he succumbed to blood cancer. She often tries to hide...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The government has capped trade margins of 42 cancer drugs at 30% expanding the span of price control to curtail undue profiteering by chemists and drug stockists on various medicines which were so far outside price regulation. The move is expected to bring major relief to around 1.5 million cancer patients in India reeling under exponentially high treatment cost leading to heavy out-of-pocket expenditure. In a detailed...