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The changing dynamics of the world order could provide BIMSTEC the opportunity to expand beyond the South Asian region
Although biohacking offers opportunities for improved health, it raises significant ethical and safety concerns that need to be addressed via state re
India has achieved better Covid-19 vaccine coverage than most other countries in its income class, aided mainly by domestic production capacity and the government’s decision to offer the vaccines to the adult population for free. There are stark sub-national differences, however, in the pace and coverage of the vaccine rollout. This special report tells the story of the district of Raigarh in Chhattisgarh—one of the low-income, Empowered Acti
Climate change, conflicts, and various crises have exposed the vulnerabilities of global food systems. Acute food insecurity and undernourishment have become more prevalent in recent times, and the imperative is to build more robust and sustainable food systems that do not adversely impact the environment. The COVID-19 pandemic has only underlined the importance of food security in times of crises. This brief explores the promise of clima
As the Covid-19 pandemic began to unfold in February, India’s dependence on Chinese inputs for the production of pharmaceutical products was debated intensely. This special report argues that the narrow discussion has fallen short in capturing India’s crucial role in global health as a provider of health-related goods to many developing countries. The report analyses trade data on over 200 categories of health-related goods, and provides quan
Open Digital Telehealth Initiative will not only aid the pace of growth of healthcare services across India but will also help deliver a wide set of p
As the world seeks to emerge from this crisis, the real question for Ugandans to ask is: what lessons will the nation learn from this crisis. Will pub
As the world seeks to emerge from this crisis, the real question for Ugandans to ask is: what lessons will the nation learn from this crisis. Will pub
Chikungunya is an example of what public health specialists call emerging or re-emerging infectious diseases in developing countries.
Wasting is easily reversible once the impact of infectious disease recedes and health status improve. Severe wasting, however, requires concerted medical attention along with appropriate nutritional intake.
Climate change has become an even more pressing issue as it threatens public health, therefore, climate action needs to go beyond mere words
Climate change has added to the enormity of India’s food security challenges. While the relationship between climate change and food security is complex, most studies focus on one dimension of food security, i.e., food availability. This paper provides an overview of the impact of climate change on India’s food security, keeping in mind three dimensions — availability, access, and absorption. It finds that ensuring food security in the face
जलवायु परिवर्तन अब एक बहुत बड़ी चुनौती बन चुकी है और ये लो
Open defecation (OD), an age-old practice in India, impacts the health of individuals as well as their communities. To tackle the problem, the Government of India launched the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) in 2014, aimed at making the country open-defecation free (ODF) by October 2019 by giving more attention to community-based approaches. However, while such approaches have helped solve the sanitation riddle in many countries, curbing OD in India
Absence of leadership is not the only problem — the pandemic shows how the WHO failed to address deeper and chronic issues.
Pakistan has been one of the countries worst affected by COVID-19, with the economic disruption caused by the pandemic exacerbating an already existing crisis. This paper discusses how the public health crisis has affected some of the most critical sectors of the Pakistani economy. While the government has implemented some mitigation measures, they are inadequate to counter the impact of the pandemic. The paper analyses the likely fallout of a ne
The race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine is gaining ground in many parts of the world. This brief examines the challenges that India must hurdle to successfully manufacture and distribute a vaccine. It argues for a fair and equitable distribution of vaccine with an aim to save the maximum number of lives. It suggests a multi-parameter model based on age, co-morbidity, income and profession to justify one’s claim for vaccine. The imperative is to
डब्ल्यूएचओ द्वारा हाल ही में जारी की गई रिपोर्ट को भारत स�
Across the globe, more than 730 million women report ever having experienced some form of gender-based violence; those in low- and lower-middle-income countries are disproportionately affected. In the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has only increased the incidence of violence suffered by women in the hands of their intimate partners, owing to heightened stresses of loss of livelihood, disruption of social and protective networks, a
As long as you have any member of society, any demographic group, who is not seriously trying to get to the endgame of suppressing this, it will conti
It is essential to focus on tailored policies and prevention strategies that India must adopt to continue its fight against HIV/AIDS
2030 तक एड्स का उन्मूलन एक बड़ी चुनौती लगती है क्योंकि स्वास
In 2015, the United Nations agreed to end hunger in all forms by 2030. While India has committed itself as a stakeholder in the 2030 agenda for development, its own record in reducing hunger has been less than satisfactory. Latest data from the National Family Health Survey-4 show an improvement in nutritional indicators of children under-five. However, there are huge differences across states and social groups. Nutrition should thus remain high
The countries of BIMSTEC, or the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, are working to translate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into action plans to ensure access to adequate and nutritious food. They are transforming their food systems based on their priorities and capacities to fulfill, in particular, the 2030 SDG Goal 2 that aims to “end hunger, achieve food security, and promote sustainable
Rolling out a half-baked populist agenda is likely to backfire and be detrimental to the public health agenda.
Global institutions should adopt a rights-based paradigm that focuses on strengthening health systems and access to healthcare rather than securitised
Efforts are being made on a global scale to improve public health. One of the ini tiatives to attend to the many problems and challenges in the public health sect or is the creation of the Health Impact Fund (HIF).
The progress made through the Jal Jeevan Mission has laid a robust foundation for a transformative shift in public health dynamics, yet the journey to
Although the government has initiated schemes to extend proper healthcare, many sections of people are still excluded from its coverage or are unable
Healthcare in India could use the help of better data and analysis from both public health systems and private sector interventions.
The New Delhi Declaration’s policy commitments in the health sector emphasise the role of the G20 in revising the existing financial and global heal
Public health is identified by BIMSTEC member countries as one among its fourteen priority areas for cooperation. Such collaborations, however, have been limited around traditional medicine. This year’s launch of the JIPMER-BIMSTEC Telemedicine Network (JBTN) which combines public health, communication, and technology, is bound to change the status quo. In per-capita terms, three BIMSTEC members are wealthier than India, while three are poorer.
भारत के शहरी संकुलन में विश्वस्तरीय स्वास्थ्य सेवा होने
It is an opportune time to assess and take stock of the progress as well as the roadblocks confronted by the public healthcare sector. The challenge f
India’s geographical landscape is vast, cultural differences can be sharp, and income disparities are stark in certain regions. Access to healthcare, therefore, is varied and the on-ground gaps and challenges are complex. The NITI Aayog Health Index is an attempt by the current government to formulate a mechanism to monitor at the sub-national level the country’s performance in improving healthcare. This paper uses the findings of the Health
As the COVID-19 infection rate continues to increase in the United States (US), this brief examines the country’s social protection system and compares it to those of other rich OECD countries. It argues that implementing basic social protection measures in a time of crisis such as this, may be costly both in resources and time. While addressing immediate needs imposed by the public health emergency is priority, in the long term, institutionali
More than the inaction of the Iranian government, questions have been raised regarding the role of US sanctions in crippling Iran’s economy, infrast
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented stress on India’s urban public health infrastructure, underscoring the need for urban planning to account for increased demand for health amenities during crises. This paper evaluates the city of Mumbai’s 1991 and 2034 development plans and finds inherent infrastructural inadequacies. It calls on urban-policymakers to complement development plans with robust dynamic health strategies that conside
BIMSTEC member states have issued, on occasion, joint statements recognising the importance of holistic public healthcare and the need for alliances. Yet, intra-BIMSTEC collaborations so far have been limited, mostly focused on traditional medicine. Amidst COVID-19, the region’s states have an opportunity to take their health-sector partnerships to a “new normal”. Given the highly endemic nature of communicable diseases and the porous bor
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fragility of healthcare systems and strained economies across the globe. India and countries in Africa have emerged as hotspots due to the dual burden of large populations and weak health infrastructure. This lack of infrastructure, coupled with decreasing investments in healthcare over the years, has left their societies and governments underprepared and potentially overwhelmed by COVID-19. As developing reg
India and the United States (US) have been cooperating in the health sector since the late 1960s. The cooperation has intensified in the past decade, riding on institutional structures established following the launch of the US-India Health Initiative in 2010. It has seen further expansion since the COVID-19 pandemic, and today covers a wide range of areas including disease prevention and combating infectious diseases, maternal and child
Sustained India-Gulf engagement builds habits of cooperation and sheds light on each other’s strategic concerns and capabilities.
The ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 (caused by the novel coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2) has exposed glaring gaps in India’s domestic laws. Absent a rationally structured legislation to fall back on, the Union government in March advised states to invoke the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 to tackle the pandemic in their jurisdictions. The 123-year-old colonial law, however, does not even define what a disease is, let alone an epidemic or a pandemic. Ind
जब समूची दुनिया में भू-राजनीतिक अस्थिरता का दौर है ऐसे वक�
