-The Indian Express On Monday, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) sent notices to the central and state governments over reports of increasing AES-linked deaths of children in Muzaffarpur, and sought a report within four weeks. Muzaffarpur, Patna: FROM THE intense summer heat this year to lack of nutrition programmes, effective awareness campaigns and a full-fledged local health facility. According to medical experts and officials, these are the key reasons behind a...

-The Telegraph Call to govt to adopt 'cost-based' control The 30 per cent cap on profit margins imposed by India’s drug pricing authority on 42 anti-cancer drugs will have a limited impact on patients’ expenses because many of these medicines’ prices remain “prohibitive”, a network of patients’ rights groups said on Saturday. The All India Drug Action Network (Aidan) said the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority’s cap on profit margins in effect “legitimises” the...

-The Hindu Important bills were passed; but going forward there must be debate on the anti-defection law The 16th Lok Sabha had its final sitting last Wednesday, marking an end to a disappointing five-year period. This Lok Sabha was surpassed only by the preceding one in terms of the low number of hours it worked. It met for 1,615 hours, 40% lower than all full-term Parliaments. This shows a decline in the...

-The New Indian Express In a major relief to in-patients, the Kerala High Court on Friday said medicines, implants and other materials used during procedures at hospitals do not constitute sale and sales tax cannot be levied KOCHI: Medical bills in hospitals across the country are skyrocketing, but Kerala may see a downward trend. In a major relief to in-patients, the Kerala High Court on Friday said medicines, implants and other...

-The Hindu Instead of surveillance technologies, help TB patients by providing rights-based interventions Decades of global neglect have resulted in tuberculosis (TB) becoming the leading cause of adult deaths in most of the global south — it kills nearly two million people a year. This is shocking given that TB is curable and preventable. But there are signs of change as the spotlight shines on TB; including the United Nations Declaration of...