Health

In a major step towards strengthening the quality, safety and integrity of India's pharmaceutical supply chain, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday notified amendments to the Drugs Rules, 1945, to expand the ambit of Schedule H2 and bring additional categories of drugs under the QR Code-based track and trace framework. According to the release, "Under the amended provisions, all vaccines, antimicrobials, narcotic and psychotropic drugs covered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and all anti-cancer drugs have been included under Schedule H2 of the Drugs Rules, 1945." With this amendment, manufacturers of these drug formulations will be required to print or affix a Bar Code or Quick Response (QR) Code on the primary packaging label of t...

Doctors in Navi Mumbai have successfully given a new lease of life to a 71-year-old woman with a critical heart condition, avoiding high-risk heart surgery in the process. Sheshabai S. Toraskar from Nerul lived with constant fear and discomfort. Simple daily activities like walking a short distance or carrying out household work had become exhausting because of severe chest pain, breathlessness, restlessness, and extreme fatigue. Despite taking all prescribed medications regularly, her symptoms continued to worsen, deeply affecting her quality of life and independence. He was severely breathless on routine aerated, requiring family members' help. The man was in follow-up with Dr Keshav Kale for two years. His health worsened recently. Hence, he was advised to undergo open surgery and Alco...

Healthy choices made at the start of the day can have a significant impact on overall health and well-being, with nutrition experts stressing that simple and sustainable morning eating habits often lay the foundation for long-term wellness. Building healthier habits does not have to be complicated, said Ritika Samaddar, Regional Head of Dietetics at Max Healthcare. "In my experience, the most successful nutrition routines are often the simplest ones that people can follow consistently. Starting the day with wholesome foods and making mindful choices, such as including almonds as part of a balanced breakfast or morning snack, can help people stay on track with their overall wellness goals," Samaddar said. It is these small, sustainable habits that often make the biggest difference over t...

Once known as the poor man’s fruit as it filled the plates of ordinary households across Keralam, jackfruit could soon get a new identity as a health and wellness food, with the state government planning a programme to highlight its medicinal properties.  Announcing the move, state Agriculture Minister T. Siddique said the government would prepare an effective plan in consultation with the Health Department to popularise the health benefits of jackfruit, Keralam’s state fruit. The minister was inaugurating a seminar on ‘Medicinal properties of raw jackfruit, research findings and possibilities’ organised by the Jackfruit Promotion Council. Keralam produces around 14.3 lakh tonnes of jackfruit annually, but only a small portion of it reaches commercial utilisation. The minister said the ...

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has made an amendment to the Drugs Rules, 1945 to exclude the word “Syrups” from Entry 7 under Serial No. 13 of Schedule K of the rules under the heading 'Class of Drugs'. Schedule K of the 1945 rules provides exemptions from certain provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.  It simply means that before the amendment, a provision allowed cough syrups to be sold in smaller villages with a population of less than 1,000, without requiring compliance with some retail sale licensing norms. However, now the sale will be required to take place only through duly licensed pharmacies in accordance with the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the Rules framed within it.  The Health Ministry has said that the amendment has been done to...

Nearly 46 per cent of cardiac investigations conducted among men aged 30 years and above in Delhi-NCR over the last six months showed abnormal findings, highlighting a significant burden of undetected cardiovascular risks, according to an analysis. The analysis, released by Mahajan Imaging and Labs, was based on nearly 78,000 diagnostic investigations across cardiology, pathology and radiology services and identified more than 13,000 abnormal or critical findings among men in the region. According to the findings, 46 per cent of cardiac investigations reported abnormalities, while 27 per cent of chest X-rays showed abnormal findings. About two per cent of pathology investigations yielded critical results requiring immediate medical attention. The review found that 24,951 cardiac investi...

Doctors at a hospital in Delhi have successfully performed a rare life-saving procedure on a 66-year-old man by carrying out a heart bypass surgery and a robot-assisted lung cancer operation in a single session, treating two life-threatening conditions without compromising either. The patient, who was being examined for lung cancer, complained of persistent breathlessness during investigations. Further examination revealed severe blockages in his coronary arteries in addition to cancer in the upper lobe of his left lung. Doctors at the HCMCT Manipal Hospital, Dwarka said managing both conditions required careful planning as the heart and lungs are closely interconnected within the chest cavity and depend on each other for routine functioning. This meant that surgery on one could have in...

The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations organised the 12th International Day of Yoga celebrations at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, bringing together around 800 yoga enthusiasts from diverse backgrounds to mark the global observance of the ancient Indian practice. Sharing details of the event in a post on X, the Indian Mission to the UN said, "#IndiaAtUN @IndiaUNNewYork organised the 12th #InternationalDayofYoga at @UN Headquarters today. PR @AmbHarishP highlighted the growing global reach of #Yoga at the event. UNSG @antonioguterres delivered a special message on the occasion." The event featured sessions based on the Common Yoga Protocol and an advanced yoga demonstration by the Art of Living Foundation. Yogmata Keiko Aikawa, recognised as the first female an...

In a remarkable feat of surgical precision and expertise, Mumbai doctors have successfully removed a rare tumour from one of the most anatomically complex regions of the human body, "the parapharyngeal space”, offering a new lease on life to a 65-year-old woman from Mumbai who had been experiencing persistent throat symptoms and voice changes.   The woman had been suffering from a persistent sore throat and cough for nearly two months. She had also recently noticed changes in her voice. Although she did not experience pain or difficulty swallowing, doctors found an unusual swelling inside her throat during examination. Her MRI scans revealed approximately 5 cm in length tumour located in the left  parapharyngeal region, a deep area behind the throat surrounded by important nerves and majo...

Commemorating the International Day of Yoga, UN chief Antonio Guterres has said that from its deep roots in ancient India, yoga has become truly universal, helping millions of all faiths. The Permanent Mission of India to the UN marked the 12th International Day of Yoga at the world body's headquarters on Thursday on the theme of ''Yoga for Healthy Ageing''.  Vibrant yoga mats were neatly arranged at the North Lawns of the UN headquarters in the vicinity of the iconic Gandhi statue, as yoga practitioners, diplomats, UN officials, members of the diplomatic corps and the Indian-American community participated in the Yoga Day celebrations.  On the stage, a special banner announcing India's candidature as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2028-29 term was also display...