President Pranab Mukherjee said present ratio of six doctors for a population of 10,000 in India is a big challenge for growing patient care demand. This must be enhanced by training and preparing more doctors and paramedics in order to serve the needy specially in rural areas. President was addressing 8th convocation of King Gorge Medical University in Lucknow today.

President emphasised the need of integration of AYUSH (Ayurveda Yoga Unani Siddh and Homeopathy) and capacity development of the traditional healthcare system. He said positive healthcare practices and local remedies need to be encouraged.

he Centre has sanctioned 4200 crore rupees to Uttar Pradesh under National Rural Health Mission, NRHM, for the current financial year 2012-13.

A proposal for sanctioning 350 crore has also been sent to the Centre for Action Plan-2 under NRHM. This was informed by Mr. Amit Kumar Ghosh, Mission Director NRHM at a state level meeting convened and chaired by Mr. Alok Ranjan, the acting Chief Secretary, in Lucknow yesterday.

Quoting official sources, AIR Correspondent from Lucknow reports that 1000 Basic Ambulances will be pressed into service for ferrying expecting mothers and newborn babies to hospitals. Besides, Queen Mary Hospital of Lucknow will be equipped with a 100-bed maternity ward.

The State government has decided to begin a drive from next month for health check up of approximately two crore students of one lakh schools of the state between class one to ten, under the 'Child Health Guarantee Scheme'. It has also decided sudden checking of projects run under NRHM besides routine monitoring.

 The President, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee has called for more investment from public and private sector to ensure better health facilities. Inaugurating a private hospital in Howrah district of West Bengal this afternoon, Mr. Mukherjee said that substantial amount have been allocated in education and health sector in 11th and 12th five year plan besides different government initiatives for health care.

The President said that in spite of these efforts there is still gap between demand and delivery system. Mr. Mukherjee advocated for advance health care facilities for poor and urged the private institution come forward to provide the same at a affordable price.

 he Centre has informed the Supreme Court that it is bringing new notification to regulate smoking scenes in films and television programmes.

The government told a bench headed by Justice P Sthsivam that it would bring the notification next week and it would override all earlier notifications issued by Union ministries of the Health and the Information & Broadcasting.

The court was hearing the Centre's 2009 appeal against the Delhi High Court order, which had quashed its earlier notification banning depiction of smoking scenes in films and television programmes. The apex court had earlier suspended the high court's order. The government had enacted the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Regulation Act in 2003 for ban on tobacco promotion and advertising of tobacco products. In 2005, the rules were made to combat smoking in films on the ground that surrogate advertising was done through films. Surrogate advertising is when an advertisement has the logo or brand of another company advertised within it.

 President Mr Pranab Mukherjee today called upon all stakeholders in the health sector to make universal healthcare a reality. Mr Mukherjee was speaking on the occasion of the inauguration of the 6th FICCI HEAL 2012, Annual International Conference in New Delhi.

The President stated that a healthcare system should be country-specific and India will need to look at achieving universal health coverage based on its own perspective and requirements. He said India’s medical healthcare system has to be developed to cater to medical requirements of all sections of society, in rural as well as in urban areas.

President Mukherjee also highlighted the issue of affordability of universal healthcare. He said that technology based initiatives including telemedicine could be employed to broaden the reach of healthcare. Ways to encourage cooperation between the public and private sectors in achieving health goals also need to be identified and preventive healthcare emphasized. He also expressed the hope that the Conference would comprehensively look at all these and other inter-related issues for making available accessible, affordable and effective healthcare to people.

The Maharashtra government has decided to ban the production, sale, distribution and storage of gutkha and paan masala in the state. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan. The ban on gutkha and paan masala will result in revenue loss of 100 crore rupees per annum for the state exchequer, but the decision has been taken in larger public interest.

Maharashtra has joined a handful of states, among them Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, to ban gutkha, blamed for oral diseases such as cancer.

Maharashtra had imposed a ban on the two products in 2002 and 2008 also but the decision could not pass legal scrutiny.

The Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has indicated that the centre will soon launch a unified National Health Mission to ensure all round development of the country’s health care system. Delivering the convocation address of the Jawarharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research in Puducherry today, he said the successful implementation of the National Rural Health Mission in the last seven years has yielded results as health indicators have improved at primary and secondary levels.

Stating that much more needs to be done as there is a large unfinished agenda of providing affordable healthcare for all, the Prime Minister said the centre has decided to continue the National Rural Health Mission for the next five years. He said a new National Urban Health Mission will be launched shortly in order to focus on the health challenges in towns and cities.

Referring to deteriorating standards in Medical Education, the Prime Minister said there is a need to take a serious look at the curriculum for medical education so that doctors are trained to look at health in a holistic manner that goes beyond a narrow clinical and technology-driven approach.

Dr Manmohan Singh said the centre would extend all support to the Union territory to develop Puducherry as a hub for higher and professional Education. He also urged the Puducherry government to explore the possibility of developing eco-friendly tourism.

Union Health Minister Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister of State in PMO Mr V.Narayansamy, Lt Governor Iqbal Singh, Chief Minister Mr N.Rangaswamy attendedthe function.

Union Minister for Health Mr Gulam Nabi Azad in his address said that the government had taken a number of steps to increase the availability of health care professionals in the country. He said the centre has accorded sanction to 66 New medical colleges in the last 3 years.

The Minister said the government will turn its focus on the emerging challenge of non communicable diseases which has not been addressed so far.

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday offered special incentives to the doctors in Jammu and Kashmir for serving in rural areas. He also announced increase in the Central share of funds for the state under National Rural Health Mission from earlier eighty five percent to ninety percent. 

Union Health Minister said that as an extraordinary measure to improve the health services in Jammu and Kashmir, centre has decided to pay special incentives to the doctors serving in rural areas over and above the salary.

The Union Minister also announced that henceforth Jammu and Kashmir would get ninety percent central share under the flagship National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) while the state government had to contribute only ten percent of the total allocations. He said in other states of the country Central share under the scheme was only seventy five percent. 

The Union Minister was addressing a public meeting at Nowshera to mark the seventh death anniversary of former Minister and senior Congress leader Master Bali Ram. Responding to the local demands, Azad also announced a hundred bedded hospital for Nowshera to be funded by the centre.

Health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today honoured nine voluntary blood donors who have donated blood more than seventy five times, and eleven organizations which have organized 100 to 3000 blood donation camps last year in the country. Speaking at a function, in New Delhi, Mr. Azad congratulated the voluntary donors and exhorted the youth to come forward and voluntarily donate blood. Mr Azad said that the act of donating blood depicts humanism and nationalism. He said it is an act which bonds societies and communities.

The Health minister said that the demand for blood has gone up in the past few years, whereas the supply to meet the increasing demand is not sufficient. Mr. Azad lauded the efforts of the Indian Red Cross Society, several voluntary organizations and National Aids Control Organisation for continously working towards the aim of blood donation

Union Health Minister Gulam Nabi Azad laid foundation stone of Outreach O P D of All India Institute of Medical Sciences in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupender Singh Hooda Wednesday evening at village Badhsa of Jhajjar district.

After laying the foundation stone Mr Azad said that the General OPD would start working with in four months.

In OPD of AIIMS -2 facility of treatment of various type of ailments including General Medicine, Orthopaedics, Gyaenocolgy , ENT , Dermatology and General Surgery would be made available.

Minister said that it would decrease the enormous pressure on AIIMS at New Delhi . He said that the work on construction of AIIMS at Bhopal, Bhubneshwar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur and Rishikesh is also in progress.

The Congress-led UDF Government in Kerala today announced a ban on the manufacture and sale of gutka and pan masala containing tobacco in the
state with immediate effect.

Announcing the decision at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the ban on gutka and pan masala containing tobacco and nicotine was enforced under the provisions of Food Safety and Standards Regulation Act, 2011.

Kerala is the second state to ban the use of gutka and pan masala after Madhya Pradesh.

The increasing incidence of gutka-induced diseasse like oral cancer had prompted the government to ban the products. He said, the government would strictly enforce the ban and take strong action in case of any violation.

A resolution moved by India to develop a common action plan to address the issue of mental health was approved by member countries and World Health Organisation, at the 65th World Health Assembly. New Delhi had played a leadership role in promoting the global debate on the need for urgent action plan for the promotion of mental health at the ongoing World Health Assembly in Geneva.

The government has been separately working on strengthening interventions in the 12th Plan for the care of people with mental illness, including emphasis on family and community care and training of health and community workers, and short and long stay homes.

The Delhi government has decided to convert the shelter homes, constructed last year to provide roof to homeless people in winter, into all-weather accommodation. 

CEO of Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), Chetan Sanghi said, in the first phase, 30 homes out of 150 will be upgraded by next month so that homeless people can stay there throughout the year. 

He said, work on improving the shelter homes has already started and all of them are expected to be ready by June 15. The CEO said, apart from upgrading existing homes, a number of new facilities will be built for accommodating homeless children, women, physically challenged and people affected by substance abuse. 

He said government has decided to provide electricity and water connections to all shelter homes. The possibility of providing health and educational facilities to the occupants of shelter homes is also being explored.

In Madhya Pradesh, a consolidated scheme has been introduced to provide health services in all 52 thousand villages of the state.

Sampoorna Swasthya Sabke liye scheme contains all the health scheme of the central and state government.

AIR correspondent reports that in this scheme the smallest unit Gram Arogya Kendra will be work at village level.

These centre will be operated by an ad-hoc committee constituted by Gram Sabha. In next step a sector will be work for group of 10 kendras and a Doctor will be responsible for this sector.

This sector will be accountable for block level. An officer on block level will be responsible for all the activities.

About six lakh representative of Health Committees will participate for the direct health services. These representative would imparted training also. An encouragment system will also set up under the scheme.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has been announced that a Aayush wing will be also set up under this scheme ,which will provide health services in Ayurvedic pathy. Satyandra Sharan.

The West Bengal Government has decided to bring the women of Self Help Groups (SHG) under Helath Insurance Scheme.

Launching a project under National Rural Livelihoods Mission “Anandadhara” the Chief Minister, Miss Mamata Banerjee said in Kolkata on Thursday that the Helath Insurance Scheme for Self Help Groups will be implemented within next three months.

Miss Banerjee also announced that the State Government’s subsidy to this sector will be hiked to thirty percent from present’s twenty percent.

The Chief Minister said Marketing Centres for selling the products of SHGs will be opened at all State Capitals and each District of West Bengal.

The Centre has issued advisory to all the states and union territories to intensify surveillance on vector-borne diseases like Malaria, Dengue, Chikngunya and Japanese Encephalitis. Giving this information in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today, Health and Family Welfare Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad said the advisory was given with a view to improving preparedness for effective prevention and control of vector-borne diseases before the onset of the monsoon. 

He said the state governments have prepared area-specific action plans for vector borne diseases as part of the disease control component of Programme Implementation Plan (PIP).

Former President Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam today stressed the need for setting up maximum number of eye care centres in the country especially in the rural areas. Addressing the 45th foundation day celebration of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences of AIIMS in New Delhi, Kalam said that fighting Glaucoma disease is a major challenge for the entire Ophthalmic community.

Kalam said besides new eye care centres and mobile clinics, the existing ones need to be equipped with the latest technology. He called for the use of nano-technology for research purposes. He added that the use of stem cell research can help restore vision of eye patients. Dr. Kalam urged doctors and nurses to take part in eye care programmes in rural areas to help poor and needy people.

Earlier Dr. Kalam inaugurated a new facility at the centre. The facility has services like Glaucoma reasearch laboratory,ocular radiology and video angiography unit.

The World Malaria Day is being observed today across the globe to recognise global efforts to control the disease. The aim of the day is to provide education and understanding on malaria as a global scourge that is preventable and curable. 
This year the theme for the Day is "Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria". AIR Correspondent reports that 25th of April was announced as the World Malaria Day in May 2007 by World Health Organization (WHO).

To mark the World Malaria day Union Health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad will launch an anti malaria drug developed by Indian Doctors. This drug will be an alternative to the global drug of choice Artemisinin. The raw material of the new drug is synethetic. Malaria is an infectious disease that is caused by plasmodium parasite through bites of infected mosquitoes.

It infects red blood cells in a human body and is characterised by fever, body ache, chills and sweating. India accounts for 70 percent of Malaria in South -East Asia Region.

Annually over 2 million cases and one thousand deaths are reported in the country. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are two basic elements to control the disease.

In a major breakthrough in the fight against Malaria, India has unveiled the first indigenously developed anti-Malarial drug Synriam. Launching the drug at a function in New Delhi on Tuesday, Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said that it is land mark achievement in the entire pharmaceutical sector . Mr Azad said the next generation drug is safe and there will be no problem in its production of in sufficient quantity. Mr Azad urged the manufacturing company to keep the price of the drug at affordable levels so that poor and needy people are able to access the drug in remote and backward districts of the country.

The minister said the country's pharmaceutical industry is now the third largest in the world in terms of volume and 14th in terms of value, maintaining a growth rate of 12 to 14 per cent annually. Mr Azad said India has emerged as a major leader in world drug industry as it supplies drugs to about 211 countries apart from supplying vaccines to over 150 countries.Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the function, Mr Azad said that the government will this year implement the Clinical Establishment Regulation Act to prevent undesired operations and tests in hospitals.
Speaking on the occasions, Minister for Science and Technology Vilasrao Deshmukh stressed the need to introduce more schemes for affordable health care in the country.

Government has taken several new initiatives particularly during the last three years to provide better health care services to the people and improve overall health outcomes in the country. Addressing the eighth meeting of the Mission Steering Group of the National Rural Health Mission, NRHM, in New Delhi, Health Minister Gulam Nabi Azad said, the country has achieved a big success in Polio Eradication and has not seen a single wild polio virus case for the last 15 months.

Mr. Azad said, Maternal and Child Health has been a key focus under NRHM and Infant Mortality Rate and Maternal Mortality Ratio have started showing consistent decline. He said, the NRHM has made a remarkable beginning and started to address the issues of physical infrastructure, human resources, ambulances and other logistics. He said the Centre will give more impetus to health sector in the 12th Plan five year Plan. The Centre has also approved over four thousand crore rupees for Polio Eradication Campaign in the country.