Former Senior Reporter, Down To Earth
Government proposes a ban on commercial surrogacy
The new Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016, allows surrogacy only in the case of married couples with medically proven infertility
Quality healthcare can prevent mothers, babies from dying
According to WHO, the day of birth was potentially the most dangerous time for mothers as well as babies
Insurance not a good way to improve health infrastructure
On Monday the Prime Minister once again reiterated the provision of healthcare insurance up to Rs 1 lakh per year to citizens living below …
Current distress
Six states, 30 villages, 13,000 kilometres. Down To Earth travelled to some of the most remote villages of the country to assess India's progress …
Indigenous peoples’ health needs special attention: UN
A report blames political marginalisation and loss of autonomy for the deteriorating health condition of indigenous people
Rajya Sabha passes Mental Health Bill
Under the legislation, every individual will have the right to get affordable and good quality treatment with easy access to services
Migration for work is making matters worse for poor tribals
As people leave their villages, they also leave behind the support system of government programmes
Land grab forcing Madhya Pradesh tribals to migrate
The struggle for land recognition is still on with tribals denied rights to own and cultivate even ancestral lands
Reality of floods
Rivers breached danger mark, lakhs of hectares of standing crops were destroyed and millions were displaced. It's time we stepped back and …
Hepatitis C: India has failed to tackle the deadly disease
Chronic HCV infection accounts for 12-32 per cent of liver cancer and 10-20 per cent of cirrhosis cases in India. Most people with chronic …
Dengue strikes early yet again
Dengue is known to spread after monsoon, but in the past couple of years, cases of the disease have been recorded in summer as well. This year …
Panna tribals denied forest entry in the name of animal conservation
Women are now overburdened with the responsibility of fetching food for the family. Earlier, tribals would collect food and firewood from …
The curious case of missing children at anganwadis
The names of malnourished children are missing from the registers at several anganwadis in Madhya Pradesh
Report pitches for nuclear energy in future
India is undergoing negotiations to unlock long-standing agreements with French, Russian and US companies to build nuclear power plants across …
Vaccine-derived polio virus found 50 times in India in six years
The vaccine-derived polio virus is a rare strain of polio virus that has genetically mutated from the strain contained in the oral polio vaccine
Victims of rehabilitation
To swindle money from the Narmada dam rehabilitation scheme, lands of thousands of tribal families have been given to the dam-displaced people …
A model to predict diseases that transfer from animals to humans
The study tested the model with Lassa fever, a disease endemic to western Africa and is caused by the Lassa virus which passes on to people …
Dousing flames
The Uttarakhand forest fires that lasted for over 100 days should come as a warning to the rest of India since half of its forests are vulnerable …
Two years of Modi government: A civil society review
According to a report, government allocation in most social sectors do not address critical concerns in health, education and civic …
World not prepared to cope with re-emerging infectious diseases: WHO Director General
Director General Margaret Chan was addressing the World Health Assembly being held in Geneva
Childhood stunting affects future success in life, say experts
According to a study, stunting causes physical and neurocognitive damage that is irreversible in most cases
Centre overrules Supreme Court directive on combined medical entrance test
The latest Union government’s rule intends to allow the states to conduct their own medical entrance exams for the current academic year
World’s life expectancy up but gains uneven finds World Health Statistics 2016
A child born in a high income country is expected to live till 80 but life expectancy in sub- Saharan Africa is less than 60 years
India, China share global burden of mental illnesses
The overall population growth in India explains a greater proportion of the increase in mental, neurological and substance-use disorders
Almost half of the population of Kashmir Valley mentally ill, claims survey
According to the survey, 41 per cent of people exhibit symptoms of probable depression, 26 per cent show symptoms of probable anxiety and 19 per …