Union Budget 2011: Health insurance to be extended to MGNREGA beneficiaries

NEW DELHI: The Union Budget stepped up plan allocation for the health sector by 20 per cent with a focus on health insurance , which Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced would be extended now to unorganised sector workers in hazardous mining and associated industries.The total allocation for the health sector has been hiked to Rs 26,760 crore from Rs 23,530 crore last year.

While urban family welfare services gave got an increased budget of Rs 203 crore from Rs 172 crore, the total allocation contraception project has seen a decrease to Rs 298 crore from Rs 358 crore. The allocation for reproductive and child health projects have been increased from Rs 3 crore to Rs 4.5 crore.

Routine immunisation has seen a boost from Rs 417 crore to Rs 511 crore while pulse polio immunisation has been decreased from Rs 1017 crore to Rs 663 crore. The UPA Government's flagship National Rural Health Mission has seen a hiked budget allocation from Rs 2100 crore to Rs 2356 crore.

Read More: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/personal-finance/insurance/insurance-news/union-budget-2011-health-insurance-to-be-extended-to-mgnrega-beneficiaries/articleshow/7595342.cms

Success Story:'Yes, we can'

NEW DELHI: Her face breaks into a smile when Rukhma Lakshman Kale sees herself on the giant screen in a Unicef film screened at the release of the State of The World's Children report. In the film, the 27-year-old mother of one is shown engaging with girls in village Antapur in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district. Rukhma is a source of strength for these girls, 14 of whom she's ensured go to school.

Read more: She taught village girls to say 'Yes, we can' - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/She-taught-village-girls-to-say-Yes-we-can/articleshow/7590864.cms#ixzz1FGowSiPh

children's health needs attention'

NEW DELHI: As the Union Budget draws near, activists have demanded increase in the spending on children. As a proportion to the total government expenditure, share of health, nutrition, water supply and sanitation stood at 5.48% on an average during 2005-2009. India spends less than 2% of GDP on health while out-of-pocket spending on health is 73%.

Read more: 'This Budget, children's health needs attention' - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/This-Budget-childrens-health-needs-attention/articleshow/7590988.cms#ixzz1FGo6hWfR

Cancer cases in Bhopal have tripled: ICMR study

NEW DELHI: Cancer cases in Bhopal -- the city which saw one of the world's worst industrial disasters -- have more than tripled among men and more than doubled among women between 1988 and 2007.

A 19-year-long study, conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research, has found that overall, cancer in men in all sites increased by 3.4 times while in women, the increase was 2.5 times.

Significantly, the study that compares cancer patterns in MIC (Methyl Isocyanate) affected and MIC unaffected areas between 1988 and 2007 found that cancer incidents in men living in MIC affected areas of Bhopal increased by 72% during this period. While 95.86 men per 100,000 population in MIC affected areas of Bhopal were suffering from cancer in 1988, the number stood at 164.82 men per 100,000.


Read more: Cancer cases in Bhopal have tripled: ICMR study - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Cancer-cases-in-Bhopal-have-tripled-ICMR-study/articleshow/7582090.cms#ixzz1FAkgRF00

Google tweaks search to weed out drivel

By ;Claire Cain Miller

In a tacit admission that web publishers are flooding its search engine with low-quality pages,Google has revised its methods to improve the usefulness of its results.
Google said the change would raise the rankings of high-quality websites and reduce those of lesser sites,affecting 12% of search queries.Sites known as content farms,which churn out sometimes mindless articles based on what people are searching for,have recently worked their way to the top of search results,frustrating some Google users.High rankings in search results are crucial because they allow Web sites to get more traffic and bring in more business,either through sales of goods and services or through advertising.I havent seen as much negative attention on Googles results as I have in the last month or two its been fairly unprecedented, said Danny Sullivan,editor of search engine land and an industry expert.

Source: TOI

Barcode on pill strips

NEW DELHI: You could soon find out whether the drug you just bought from your pharmacy is original or counterfeit/spurious through a single SMS.

Drug Consultative Committee (DCC) -- in its last meeting on Febuary 15 -- has approved the proposal that for every strip of medicine available in India ought to have a 2D bar code and a unique randomly generated numeric code (UID).

Read more: Soon, bar code & unique no. on pill strips to check fakes - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Soon-bar-code-unique-no-on-pill-strips-to-check-fakes/articleshow/7529728.cms#ixzz1EZtDf0e2

HIFA 2015

A global campaign Healthcare Information For All by 2015

Read More http://www.hifa2015.org/

HINARI and the dream of free journal access

A dispute over the HINARI scheme, which gives poor countries free access to journals, has exposed the sensitive border between aid and commerce, finds Yojana Sharma.
Read more :http://www.scidev.net/en/features/hinari-and-the-dream-of-free-journal-access.html

Amazing - Spiders that like smelly socks

London: Researchers says It is Human Scent To Help Attract Mosquito-Eating Arachnid to fight malaria

Source :http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=21&edlabel=CAP&mydateHid=17-02-2011&pubname=&edname=&articleid=Ar02101&format=&publabel=TOI

New drug policy to curb misuse of antibiotics

NEW DELHI: A formal proposal to create India's first ever antibiotic policy will be submitted to the Union health ministry soon.A high-level panel of experts including the drug controller general of India, Dr Surinder Singh, additional director general of health services H Jani and health ministry joint secretary Arun Panda, for the first time on Monday made a formal presentation of the draft antibiotic policy to Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Read more: New drug policy to curb misuse of antibiotics - The Times of India

Supreme Court shuts escape routes on gutka packs

Gutka and pan masala will not be sold in plastic sachets from March 1. The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Rs 300 billion gutka, pan masala and tobacco industry to get reconciled to the Centre's February 4 order banning plastic sachets widely used to sell their products

Read more: SC shuts escape routes on gutka packs - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SC-shuts-escape-routes-on-gutka-packs/articleshow/7518634.cms#ixzz1EHdZqK00

How safe is an aspirin? Trial to tell

Aspirin, the painkiller-turned-heart protector being used by millions of people, is now under scrutiny. Even after 100 years of use, doctors across the world have no clue how it exactly works in protecting against heart attack and stroke and what would be its right dosage.

India, therefore, will soon be part of a trial that is looking to better understand aspirin's effect on the body and optimal dosing. Medanta Medicity, which joined hands with Duke Medicine, North Carolina, to create the Medanta Duke Research Institute, will be the trial site to unravel the mystery behind aspirin.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/How-safe-is-an-aspirin-Trial-to-tell/articleshow/7448805.cms

Drugs under the scanner

After the recent ban on nimesulide, India is looking to clamp down on three other controversial drugs -- Gatifloxacine, Tegaserod and Deanxit.

Read more: 3 popular drugs face ban for serious side-effects - The Times of India

Govt bans plastic sachets for gutka, tobacco

NEW DELHI: The ubiquitous gutka and tobacco sachets may soon disappear from paan shops across the country. With the Supreme Court leaning hard to curb use of plastics, the environment ministry on Monday banned the use of plastic in packaging of tobacco goods.

The order, which also bans provision of free plastic bags by shopkeepers, is bound to hit the gutka, pan masala and other tobacco products market hard with the small sachets likely to go out of business with the introduction of the rules.

Gutka and other non-smoking tobacco products being sold in plastic packages have been the major cause behind India's increasing mouth cancer cases. The recent adult tobacco use survey in India showed a tremendous rise in non-smoking tobacco use. The latest order may now cut down on chewing tobacco use by rendering gutka and other chewable tobacco products costlier for addicts. The order will also make logistics more difficult for tobacco manufacturers.

Read more: Govt bans plastic sachets for gutka, tobacco - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Govt-bans-plastic-sachets-for-gutka-tobacco/articleshow/7448478.cms#ixzz1DLp7HFgt

NHS Direct

These are UK National Health Service initiatives.
NHS Direct is a telephone-based service,
NHS Direct Online is an Internet-based service,
both offering health information and advice direct to patients and the public.

Visit : http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/

Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET) Centre

It is an Autonomous Inter-University Centre (IUC) of University Grants Commission (UGC) involved in creating infrastructure for sharing of library and information resources and services among Academic and Research Institutions. INFLIBNET works collaboratively with Indian university libraries to shape the future of the academic libraries in the evolving information environment.

Read more:www.inflibnet.ac.in

Clinical trials: US, China ahead

India is far behind US and China when it comes to hosting global clinical trials, contrary to popular belief. According to data released by the US National Institutes of Health (USNIH), India is currently hosting 1,400 clinical trials compared to 52,107 in the US and 7,356 in China

Read more: Clinical trials: US, China ahead - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Clinical-trials-US-China-ahead-/articleshow/7428435.cms#ixzz1D5qC7hbj

Average blood pressure falls globally, shoots up in India

NEW DELHI: Nearly 139 million Indians were suffering from high blood pressure (BP) at the end of 2008 — 14% of the global burden of uncontrolled hypertension. From 1980-2008, the number of Indians suffering from high BP rose by 87 million, while the percentage of population suffering from the ailment rose from 21% to 26%.

The latest data of the "Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors" study, published in the British medical journal The Lancet on Wednesday, shows that while the average BP of humans declined globally, it actually increased among both men and women in India.

Read More:http://m.timesofindia.com/PDATOI/articleshow/7422494.cms

Open Access Journals by SAGE-HINDAWI

Advances in Orthopedics
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/aop

Advances in Preventive Medicine
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/apm

Autoimmune Diseases
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/ad/

Biotechnology Research International
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/btri

Cardiology Research and Practice
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/crp/

Chromatography Research International
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/cri

Enzyme Research
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/er/

Genetics Research International
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/gri

Human Genomics and Proteomics
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/hgp/
International Journal of Alzheimer's Disease

http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/ijad/

International Journal of Breast Cancer
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/ijbc

International Journal of Electrochemistry
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/ijelc

International Journal of Evolutionary Biology
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/ijeb/

International Journal of Hepatology
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/ijhep

International Journal of Hypertension
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/ijht/

International Journal of Inflammation
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/iji/

International Journal of Nephrology
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/ijn/

Journal of Aging Research
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/jar/

Journal of Amino Acids
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/jaa/

Journal of Dental Biomechanics
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/jdb/

Journal of Nucleic Acids
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/jna/

Journal of Osteoporosis
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/josteo/

Journal of Pathogens
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/jpath

Journal of Thyroid Research
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/jtr/

Journal of Tissue Engineering
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/jte/

Journal of Transfusion
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/jtf

Lung Cancer International
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/lci

Lymphoma
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/lymph

Malaria Research and Treatment
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/mrt/

Molecular Biology International
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/mbi/

Parkinson's Disease
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/pd/

Pathology Research International
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/pri/

Stem Cells International
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/sci/

Stroke Research and Treatment
http://www.sagehindawi.com/journals/srt/

Further information on SAGE-Hindawi journals can be found at: http://www.sage-hindawi.com/

Mobiles pose health risk, says govt panel

Radiation from mobile phones and towers poses serious health risks, including loss of memory, lack of concentration, disturbance in the digestive system and sleep disturbances, according to an inter-ministerial committee formed by the ministry of communications and information technology to study the hazards posed by mobile phones.

Source: http://m.timesofindia.com/PDATOI/articleshow/7415288.cms

The Pew Research Center Reports ..

Health information remains one of the most important subjects that internet users research online.This report is based on the findings of a daily tracking survey on Americans' use of the internet.

Source: http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/HealthTopics/Summary-of-Findings/Food-safety.aspx

Find linkages between NCHER and NCHRH: PMO

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has asked the Ministries of Human Resource Development and Health and Family Welfare to identify linkages between the two proposed regulatory bodies — National Commission for Higher Education and Research (NCHER) and the National Commission on Human Resource for Health (NCHRH) — being promoted by them respectively to speed up the process of setting up the two authorities.
Read more:http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1134771.ece

Polio Eradication

India could see zero transmission of the crippling polio virus in the next two years, according to business magnate turned philanthropist Bill Gates.

Eradication of polio globally could save the world up to $50 billion over the next 25years, he said.

Read more: India can achieve zero transmission of polio in 2 yrs: Gates - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-can-achieve-zero-transmission-of-polio-in-2-yrs-Gates/articleshow/7399249.cms#ixzz1CmM5Unr4

All newborns to get hepatitis-B vaccine

All children born in India will now get a vaccine shot against Hepatitis B — the cause of 80% of all liver cancer and about 1% of all adult deaths.

The health ministry has finally given the go-ahead to introduce the shot in the country's national immunisation programme (NIP). Annually, India records 26 million births. At present, these children are given diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT) vaccine shots along with BCG, measles and oral polio vaccine under NIP annually.

Read more: Shot at life: All newborns to get hepatitis-B vaccine - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Shot-at-life-All-newborns-to-get-hepatitis-B-vaccine/articleshow/7400913.cms#ixzz1CmHYt1q4