Health

Eight out of ten Indians currently lack the financial safety nets required to manage sudden medical emergencies, even as climate change and environmental volatility emerge as primary drivers of national anxiety. According to the `a Nishchit Index 2.0` by Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance, India`s national uncertainty score has reached 79, reflecting a deep-seated concern over the intersection of health and financial stability. The study, based on a survey of 3,583 respondents across 20 towns, suggests that health is no longer viewed as an occasional medical concern but as a continuous financial risk. Approximately 81 per cent of the population expects pollution levels to worsen, while 82 per cent worry about how rising healthcare costs will impact their long-term financial security. Envir...

The World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region on Tuesday called for urgent, science-led action and a stronger One Health approach to address increasingly complex and interconnected health risks, marking World Health Day 2026. "Across the Region, health risks are increasingly driven by climate variability, environmental change, and evolving disease patterns. Responding effectively requires stronger, science-led and cross-sectoral approaches grounded in a One Health perspective," said Dr Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge, WHO South-East Asia Region. The theme of this year`s World Health Day is "Together for Health. Stand with Science", which underscores the need to place science at the centre of policies, preparedness, and public health action, to ensure that evidence transl...

As the mercury climbs toward 35-degree Celsius, the hum of an air conditioner becomes the soundtrack of survival. Indians retreat into our chilled sanctuaries, seeking refuge from the sweltering humidity. But for many, that relief comes at a cost: a scratchy throat, a persistent sniffle, and a foggy head—the dreaded summer cold. Is the AC actually making you sick, or is it just a coincidence? This World Health Day, Dr. Divya Gopal, additional director of internal medicine at Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, and Dr. Nilesh Sonawane, consultant pulmonologist at Apollo Clinic, decode why our cooling systems sometimes turn into irritant machines. The thermal shock The most common cause of feeling sick from an AC isn`t a germ at all—it`s physics. When you move between the 35 degrees Ce...

Renowned doctor and Padma Shri awardee Mani Chhetri has passed away, his family members said on Monday. He was suffering from old age-related ailments.  The Padma Shri awardee doctor breathed his last at 10:15 pm on Sunday at his home in Ballygunge Place. He was 105 years old. According to the family, he had suffered a head injury fifteen days ago. After this, the eminent cardiologist`s physical condition deteriorated rapidly. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to social media to condole the death of the renowned doctor. "I am saddened by the passing away of renowned physician Dr. Mani Chhetri. A chapter in the medical world of Bengal and India has come to an end. I pray for the peace of his departed soul and express my condolences to his family and countless students, patients and adm...

With Mumbai`s weather, many Mumbaikars are often concerned about their skin as they are exposed to not only sun but also dust and pollution, and are left wondering about getting their right skincare routine right. However, they may not always realise that it is not very complicated.  In a new video on Instagram, city-based cosmetologist Dr. Madhu Akhouri Chopra has said, "Glowing skin doesn’t come from expensive products alone — sometimes, the simplest home remedies can work wonders." Dr Chopra, who is from Studio Aesthetique, Juhu shares an easy, effective tips and a simple routine you can follow at home to keep your skin healthy, fresh, and radiant.  The expert suggests a mixture of besan, malai, curd (preferably not sour) and turmeric, with cold milk. This, she says is perfect for dr...

She`s Nigerian, but Lebanese by origin and a football star in a conservative country`s even more conservative north. Hidaa Ghaddar is unconventional -- but her approach might be just what`s needed in a city buckling under the weight of drug abuse and unemployment. Ghaddar`s athletic academy aims to keep youth off drugs in football-crazy Kano, the cultural capital of Muslim-majority northern Nigeria. "Drug abuse and playing football don`t go together. It`s either you do this or that," she told AFP of her Breakthrough Football Academy, established two years ago, which also aims to develop future talent for foreign clubs. The 27-year-old has become something of a local celebrity as the country`s only woman coach of an all-male team, defying cultural norms in Kano. She`s more than qualified f...

In a significant advancement for knee preservation surgery in India, Mumbai doctors have successfully performed a meniscus allograft transplant using a graft that was donated, processed, and implanted entirely within the same institution. The surgery at Jaslok Hospital was performed on a 21-year-old engineering student who had lost his meniscus following a sports injury. Despite undergoing multiple procedures earlier, he continued to experience disabling pain that affected both his mobility and long-term joint health. The patient also worked as a part-time sportsman to support his livelihood, and over time even routine walking had become difficult before he arrived at Jaslok for treatment.The procedure was performed by a surgical team led by Dr Prasad Bhagunde, consultant Orthopaedics &am...

A doctor from Manipur’s Senapati district saved the life of a 21-year-old passenger during a mid-air medical emergency on an Air India flight from Tokyo to New Delhi.   Dr Loni Lirina, a critical care specialist at the American Oncology Institute, Babina Specialty Hospital in Imphal, was on board the flight when a young woman began experiencing severe breathing difficulties.  Following an announcement by the flight crew requesting medical assistance, Dr Lirina promptly attended to the passenger.  Upon examination, she immediately recommended oxygen support, nebulisation, and essential medications to stabilise the patient’s condition.  Thanks to her swift and decisive intervention, the woman’s condition improved significantly within 30 minutes, eliminating the need for an emergency land...

Scientists have found that those living with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have a 71 per cent higher risk of cardiovascular events (CVEs) or death from any cause (all-cause mortality) compared with those not living with OSA.  New research, to be presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026, Istanbul, Turkey, May 12-15), is a collaboration between Imperial College Health Partners; Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK; and Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly). “In adults, obstructive sleep apnea is linked to higher risk of cardiovascular events or all-cause mortality, especially among those with obesity, even after adjusting for confounders,” said study co-author Heather Fitzke of Imperial College Health Partners, London. OSA is characterised by recurrent upper airway obs...

Tuberculosis is one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases and now, a team of scientists has discovered a fundamental flaw in a long-standing model of how bacteria control gene expression that can form the base for innovative strategies to combat tuberculosis and other bacterial infections, an official statement said on Thursday.  Scientists believed that a protein called ‘σ factor’ binds RNA polymerase, initiates bacterial transcription and is then released once the enzyme begins elongating RNA.  This process, known as the ‘σ-cycle’, was assumed to be universal across bacteria, including TB bacteria. For years, scientists believed that a protein called σ factor binds RNA polymerase, initiates bacterial transcription and is then released once the enzyme begins elongating RNA. This...