Lifestyle

Ranchi, April 10 (IANS) The Jharkhand government has taken a strict stance on the disposal of bio-medical waste, making it clear that untreated waste must not be stored for more than 48 hours under any circumstances.

At a high-level meeting held on Friday, chaired by Ajay Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary of the Department of Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare, Jharkhand, it was decided to formulate a comprehensive new framework for bio-medical waste management in the state.

Under the proposed government guidelines, the existing barcoding and GPS-based tracking systems will be further strengthened to ensure end-to-end monitoring of waste handling.

The government said special emphasis has been placed on enforcing the 48-hour disposal deadline to reduce the risks of infection and environmental contamination.

Additional Chief Secretary Ajay Kumar Singh stressed that negligence in bio-medical waste management will not be tolerated, citing its direct impact on public health and the environment.

He directed officials to ensure that the entire process -- from collection to final disposal -- is carried out scientifically and transparently.

Officials informed the meeting that five Common Bio-medical Waste Treatment Facilities are currently operational in the state and are handling waste disposal safely. The new measures are expected to further improve the system’s efficiency in the state.

They said strict action will be taken against hospitals and healthcare institutions found violating the norms, including the imposition of environmental compensation and possible cancellation of registration.

Additionally, directions have been issued to ensure scientific disposal methods, such as deep burial, are followed in remote and inaccessible areas.

Officials expressed confidence that the new guidelines will make Jharkhand’s bio-medical waste management system more effective, accountable, and secure.’

Bio-medical waste management is a systematic process of segregating, collecting, transporting, treating, and safely disposing of waste generated during the diagnosis, treatment, or immunisation of humans/animals at a health facility.

--IANS

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New Delhi, April 8 (IANS) The government is set to celebrate the 8th edition of ‘Poshan Pakhwada’, reaffirming the commitment to improving nutritional outcomes across the country.

According to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Pakhwada from April 9-23 focuses on “Maximising Brain Development in the First Six Years of Life”, recognising that early childhood — particularly the first 1,000 days — is critical for brain development, physical growth, and overall well-being.

Scientific evidence indicates that over 85 per cent of brain development occurs by the age of six, underscoring the importance of optimal nutrition, responsive caregiving, and early learning.

Underscoring the importance of nutrition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasised that “a well-nourished child is the foundation of a strong nation. Poshan Abhiyaan is not just a government programme, but a people’s movement to ensure holistic nutrition for every mother and child.”

The national launch of ‘Poshan Pakhwada 2026’ will take place in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, under the visionary leadership of Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Annpurna Devi, in the presence of Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Savitri Thakur.

The key focus areas under this year’s theme include Maternal and Child Nutrition; Early Stimulation for Brain Development (0–3 years); Play-Based Education in Early Years (3–6 years); Role of Parents and Community in Minimising Screen Time; and Strengthening Anganwadi Centres through Community Participation – Enhancing infrastructure and service delivery through Jan Bhagidari and CSR.

During the Pakhwada, activities will be organised across states and Union Territories through Anganwadi Centers, with participation from mothers, caregivers, families, community institutions, and local bodies. These will include Poshan Panchayats, awareness sessions, early stimulation activities, play-based learning initiatives, and campaigns promoting healthy lifestyles and reduced screen time among young children, according to the government.

--IANS

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Ulan Bator, April 8 (IANS) At least 20,000 women in their 30s and 40s will undergo screening for the human papillomavirus (HPV), a leading cause of cervical cancer, in Mongolia this year, local media reported, citing the country's health ministry.

The ministry emphasised that cervical cancer is preventable and urged women in the targeted age group to actively participate in the screening programme.

According to the National Centre for Communicable Diseases, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in Mongolia and the fourth most common cancer nationwide.

In 2025, Mongolia, with a population of 3.5 million, recorded 551 new cases of cervical cancer and 171 related deaths, Xinhua news agency reported.

HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection. Almost all sexually active people will be infected at some point in their lives, usually without symptoms.

HPV can affect the skin, genital area and throat.

Condoms help prevent HPV but do not offer total protection because they do not cover all the genital skin.

HPV usually goes away on its own without treatment. Some HPV infections cause genital warts. Others can cause abnormal cells to develop, which go on to become cancer.

Cancers from HPV can be prevented with vaccines.

The vaccine does not contain any live virus or DNA from the virus so it cannot cause cancer or other HPV-related illnesses. The HPV vaccine is not used to treat HPV infections or diseases caused by HPV, but instead to prevent the development of cancers.

Currently, cervical cancer is the only HPV-caused cancer for which screening tests are available. Screening tests are used to check for disease when there are no symptoms. The goal of screening for cervical cancer is to find precancerous cell changes before they become cancer and when treatment can prevent cancer from developing. Screening for cervical cancer is an important part of routine health care for people who have a cervix. This includes women and transgender men who still have a cervix.

Cervical cancer is the most common type of cancer caused by HPV, other less common cancers affecting men and women, including anal, vulvar, vaginal, mouth/throat and penile cancers.

--IANS

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Hyderabad, April 7 (IANS) The government of Telangana has declared cancer a notifiable disease, making it mandatory for all government and private hospitals to report all cases of cancer.

The Department of Health, Medical and Family Welfare issued a Government Order in this regard on Tuesday, providing a mandatory reporting mechanism for all diagnosed cancer cases in the state to ensure availability of reliable and timely data for public health action.

As per the order, all cases of cancer including in situ and invasive cancers, diagnosed or registered at any healthcare facility, laboratories, or Registrar of Births and Deaths in the state must be reported within one month of such diagnosis or registration, through the portal in the prescribed format.

The objective of making cancer a notifiable disease is to create a robust surveillance system for cancer in the state which estimates cancer incidence, prevalence and mortality, augments preventive screening and early detection measures, assists planning for diagnostic and treatment facilities, palliative and rehabilitative care services, and evidence-based policy formulation, monitoring and research.

A uniform Cancer Registry for the state will serve as a centralised platform for estimation of cancer incidence and prevalence, reads the order.

The District Medical and Health Officer shall ensure all hospitals, institutions, bodies, and laboratories (both government and private) under his or her jurisdiction mandatorily report all diagnosed cases of cancer in their facility.

In order to facilitate this, each facility shall maintain a designated cancer register in the prescribed proforma, to record both existing and new cases from the date of this notification.

The Director of Public Health and Family Welfare shall monitor the timely submission and quality of such information submitted.

All hospitals empanelled under Rajiv Aarogyasri Health Scheme will be auto-registered and provided with login credentials to submit cancer case details through the state online portal.

All other hospitals, institutions, bodies, and laboratories should register online for login credentials to submit cancer case details through the state online portal.

The Mehdi Nawaz Jung Institute of Oncology and Regional Cancer Centre, Hyderabad shall function as Centre of Excellence for cancer care in Telangana and be responsible for periodical scrutiny and validation of individual cancer case information submitted, to ensure purified data is available with the state.

The order noted that the burden of non-communicable diseases is increasing steadily and has become a major public health concern.

Cancer has emerged as a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, underscoring the need for a systematic and institutional mechanism to capture reliable and timely information on the disease burden in the state.

Accurate and comprehensive data on cancer incidence and prevalence, distribution and types are essential for assessing the magnitude and pattern of disease in the state, identifying risk factors, geographical and demographic variations, and for evolving an effective screening strategy, reads the order.

Cancer registration will provide information on diagnosis, treatment, palliative care, rehabilitative services and long-term follow-up. T

argeted policies and evaluation of interventions undertaken will channel effective resource management.

Presently, only institution-level registries are maintained at Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad and Mehdi Nawaz Jung Institute of Oncology and Regional Cancer Centre, Hyderabad under the state government.

The notification is applicable to all government (including autonomous), private and cooperative hospitals, including medical college hospitals, Employees’ State Insurance, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, railways, industry, military hospitals and any other private clinics, nursing homes and hospices providing cancer treatment or care; AYUSH hospitals providing cancer care; Non-Governmental Organisations; Insurance Companies (government or private); Pathology and Radiology imaging laboratories; Vital Statistics Department or Registrar of Births and Deaths; and any other government or private sector scheme or programme collecting data on cancer cases.

--IANS

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New Delhi, April 7 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will hear, on April 28, a batch of pleas challenging the reduction in the qualifying cut-off percentile for the NEET-PG 2025–26 examination.

During a brief hearing, senior advocate Gopal Sankarnarayanan, appearing for the petitioners, submitted that a sufficient number of candidates had already qualified the NEET-PG examination to fill all available postgraduate seats, and that a reduction in the cut-off was unwarranted.

He argued that vacant seats persisted not due to a lack of eligible candidates, but because many qualified aspirants were unable to take admission owing to high fees.

On the other hand, senior advocate D.S. Naidu, appearing for a candidate supporting the cut-off reduction, backed the Centre’s stand and contended that lowering the percentile would not dilute academic standards, as all candidates are required to clear the MBBS qualification examination.

However, the bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe did not go into the merits of the controversy and posted the matter for detailed hearing on April 28.

The issue stems from a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the decision to drastically reduce the qualifying cut-off percentiles for NEET-PG 2025–26.

Earlier, the Justice Narasimha-led Bench had issued notice to the Union government, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), the National Medical Commission (NMC), and the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC).

The plea, filed by advocate Satyam Singh Rajput, contended that the decision to lower qualifying standards to abnormally low, zero, or even negative percentiles after declaration of results and completion of two rounds of counselling is arbitrary and unconstitutional, violating Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.

It cautioned that allowing candidates with such scores to enter postgraduate medical training could compromise patient safety, public health, and the integrity of medical education.

Describing the move as "unprecedented and extreme", the petition argued that NEET-PG, meant to act as a national screening mechanism, had been reduced to "an instrument certifying failure as eligibility" and further contended that the "rules of the game" cannot be altered after the selection process has commenced.

Defending the decision, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare told the Supreme Court that the cut-off reduction was taken after detailed deliberations by expert bodies in view of a large number of vacant postgraduate seats and to ensure optimal utilisation of healthcare infrastructure.

In an affidavit, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said the challenge was misconceived as it pertained to an academic and policy decision taken within the statutory framework of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019.

Placing data on record, the Centre said that for the academic session 2025–26, around 70,000 seats were available, including 31,742 under the All-India Quota (AIQ), of which 9,621 remained vacant after the second round of counselling.

It added that nearly 20,000 postgraduate seats were likely to remain unfilled nationwide, prompting a review of the cut-off.

According to the Union government, the decision rendered over one lakh additional candidates eligible for the third round of counselling, without altering inter se merit or compromising standards.

It also highlighted that similar reductions had been undertaken in previous years, including lowering the qualifying percentile to zero across categories in 2023.

Arguing that courts should refrain from interfering in academic and policy matters unless decisions are shown to be arbitrary or unconstitutional, the Centre urged dismissal of the petition as devoid of merit.

Separately, the NBEMS clarified that it had no role in the decision to reduce the qualifying percentile, stating that its mandate is limited to conducting the examination and publishing results as per directions of the competent authorities, including the DGHS, the Union Health Ministry, and the NMC.

It informed the apex court that the revised cut-off, notified on January 13 following government directions, made 95,913 additional candidates eligible for counselling.

The NBEMS further said that any interference by the top court would affect these candidates, who are not parties to the proceedings, and referred to a Delhi High Court decision in Sanchit Seth vs NBEMS & Ors, which upheld the cut-off reduction and found concerns regarding patient safety and dilution of merit to be unfounded.

--IANS

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New Delhi, April 7 (IANS) The Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for the food processing industry has attracted investments of Rs 9,207 crore and generated around 3.29 lakh jobs so far, the government said on Tuesday.

Launched by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, the scheme is being implemented over six years from FY 2021-22 to FY 2026-27 with a total outlay of Rs 10,900 crore.

It aims to increase value addition, expand processing capacity and generate employment, particularly in rural and off-farm sectors.

The scheme covers key segments such as ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat (RTC/RTE) foods, processed fruits and vegetables, marine products and mozzarella cheese. It also supports innovative and organic products from MSMEs, along with branding and marketing initiatives to strengthen the global presence of Indian food products.

A total of 128 companies have been approved under the scheme, covering 274 units across the country, with strong participation from the MSME sector. As many as 68 MSME applicants and 40 contract manufacturing units are part of the programme.

The government said the scheme has led to significant capacity creation, technology upgradation and modernisation of food processing units across multiple states.

Investment under the scheme has exceeded initial commitments, with cumulative investments reaching Rs 9,207 crore against a committed Rs 7,722 crore across 22 states.

Moreover, around 34 lakh metric tonnes per annum of processing and preservation capacity has been added.

The government also stated that sales of PLI-supported products have grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.58 per cent, while exports have registered a CAGR of 7.41 per cent despite global challenges.

Millet-based products have seen a sharp rise under the scheme, with sales increasing from Rs 345.73 crore in FY23 to Rs 1,845.25 crore in FY25. Procurement of millets has also surged significantly during the period.

--IANS

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New Delhi, April 6 (IANS) The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, on Monday launched the VR training centre for medical and nursing education, a step towards adopting immersive technologies in healthcare learning.

The prominent health institute set up the facility at the SET Facility of AIIMS in collaboration with MediSim VR, and will enable structured, simulation-based training for students and healthcare professionals.

The partnership will focus on researching and evaluating the use of AI-enabled VR solutions in medical curricula, including their impact on skill development, assessment, and training standardisation, with the long-term goal of integrating such technologies into mainstream education.

AIIMS -- a premier medical education and research institution in India -- is expected to play a major role in setting benchmarks for the adoption of new learning methods across the healthcare ecosystem.

Speaking at the launch, AIIMS Director M. Srinivas said: "If the country as a whole is to be in the best league, that has to extend to all spheres, including medical innovations, medical teaching, training and learning as well."

He added that VR-based simulation training enables an immersive learning environment that closely mirrors real clinical settings, helping enhance skill development, assessment and training standardisation.

AIIMS Professor of Cardiology and Head, SET Facility, Ambuj Roy, said the integration of VR could redefine medical education by equipping healthcare professionals with greater precision and confidence, while setting new benchmarks in training standards.

From the industry side, MediSim VR COO and co-founder Adith Chinnaswami said the collaboration aims to build a structured pathway for integrating VR into standard medical training, backed by research and long-term validation.

MediSim VR CEO and co-founder Sabarish Chandrasekaran added that the initiative reflects a shared commitment to leveraging technology to improve teaching practices and prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals.

In February, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said the number of AIIMS institutions in the country has increased from 6 to 23 over the past decade, reflecting a significant expansion in healthcare infrastructure.

--IANS

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New Delhi, April 6 (IANS) Financial protection gap for critical illnesses is widening even as employers and insurers ramp up preventive care and cost sharing mechanisms to shield workers and families from rising treatment costs, a report said on Monday on eve of World Health Day.

The professional services firm Aon said that employers in India are increasingly investing in preventive care, outpatient benefits, and digital health and wellness solutions, reflecting a broader shift toward proactive health management due to this gap.

"Employers are increasingly recalibrating plan structures, introducing cost-sharing mechanisms such as voluntary top-ups, co-pay models, and employee-funded riders," the report said.

The firm highlighted that India’s protection gap is high when compared to peers globally creating a huge room for insurance industry growth.

While employer-provided health insurance is widespread, it is typically focused on inpatient care, with average coverage levels of Rs 3–5 lakh. Critical illness riders, where available, tend to be limited to Rs 5–10 lakh amounts that are often inadequate for serious health events involving prolonged treatment and recovery.

The report flagged a widening gap between the true cost of critical illnesses and the financial protection available to individuals and families.

The critical illness protection gap is the shortfall between the actual financial impact of a serious illness and the protection available through insurance, employer benefits, and personal savings.

Globally, the gap is widening, and especially in high-growth regions such as Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America, where medical inflation continues to outpace wage growth and benefit expansion.

Healthcare inflation in India — estimated at around 11.5 per cent — creates hurdles for employer-sponsored health plans to provide adequate coverage.

The report urged a holistic approach that integrates insurance design, employer benefits, and individual financial planning to close the gap.

—IANS

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New Delhi, April 6 (IANS) A population-based study in Japan has revealed a gradual increase in the rates of therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (tAML) in recent years, especially after breast cancer treatment, a study showed on Monday.

The findings, published by Wiley online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, showed that some therapies used to treat cancer may increase the risk of later developing cancers that affect the blood.

“tAML” is an aggressive cancer of the blood and bone marrow that develops after prior chemotherapy or radiation for an earlier, primary cancer, likely arising in part due to DNA damage from these treatments.

“The study provides an important step towards better understanding how the nature of tAML is changing with the increasing number of cancer survivors,” said lead author Kenji Kishimoto, of the Osaka International Cancer Institute.

To assess whether “tAML” is increasing as a post-cancer therapy complication as the number of cancer survivors increases, investigators analysed data from the Osaka Cancer Registry pertaining to patients in Japan who were diagnosed with AML between 1990 and 2020.

Nearly 9,841 patients with AML, 636 (6.5 per cent) had tAML. The annual tAML incidence increased from 0.13 per 100,000 population in 1990 to 0.36 per 100,000 population in 2020. The proportion of tAML cases in overall AML cases almost doubled.

The most common primary cancer that was treated before tAML developed was another form of blood cancer (23.1 per cent), followed by breast cancer (14.6 per cent), colorectal cancer (11.5 per cent), and gastric cancer (8.7 per cent).

The distribution of primary cancers changed over time, with a prominent increase in breast cancer and a decrease in gastric cancer, said the study.

--IANS

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New Delhi, April 5 (IANS) India’s pharmaceutical exports reached over $28 billion up to February in the current financial year, registering a growth of more than 5 per cent compared to the same period last year, a senior government official has said.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the ‘Chintan Shivir: Scaling Up Pharma Exports’, the official highlighted that the growth was led by formulations, biologicals, vaccines, and Ayush products.

“Despite global challenges, pharmaceutical exports have been among the few sectors to maintain growth momentum,” he said, noting that exports from April to February FY26 stood at $28.29 billion -- reflecting a 5.6 per cent increase over FY25.

Rajesh Agrawal, Secretary in the Department of Commerce, added that even if the set targets in dollar terms are difficult to achieve, export performance would show growth in rupee terms due to the continued weakening of the Indian currency against the US dollar.

The official recalled that India’s pharmaceutical exports had reached $30.47 billion in FY24–25, marking a year-on-year growth of 9.4 per cent despite global pricing pressures and trade volatility.

India ranks third globally in pharmaceutical production by volume, exporting to over 200 markets worldwide.

More than 60 per cent of India’s pharmaceutical exports are directed towards highly regulated markets, underscoring the industry’s strong compliance and quality standards.

The United States accounts for 34 per cent of exports, followed by Europe at 19 per cent.

Meanwhile, an earlier report by Rubix Industry showed that India’s medical devices industry is projected to reach $50.1 billion by 2030 from $15.2 billion in 2025, at a compound annual growth rate of 26.9 per cent.

The report attributed the growth to government initiatives such as the National Medical Devices Policy, Production‑Linked Incentive Scheme, Scheme for Promotion of Medical Devices Parks, and MedTech Mitra.

The report noted that medical devices exports reached $4.1 billion in FY25 while imports touched $8.6 billion, leaving 70-80 percent of domestic demand being met through imports, particularly for technologically advanced devices.

--IANS

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