Government News

In great relief for foreign tourists visiting India for medical and wellness travel, the government has decided to standardize the cost of such services in the country through a centralized web portal "The growth of medical tourism and wellness in the country has been between 23 and 25 percent in the country and there is a lot of potential here, so we have decided to standardize services in this sector," Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma said.

Bhutan and the Maldives have eliminated measles, a highly infectious disease that is a major child killer worldwide. The two countries have become the first in the WHO South-East Asia region to be verified for having interrupted the endemic transmission of the measles virus, before the regional target of 2020.

The Intensified Diarrhea Control Fortnight (IDCF) has been launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in order to intensify efforts to reduce child mortality from diarrhea. The Ministry has made it a national priority to bring health outcomes among children to an equitable level with the rest of the world. Through this initiative, the Ministry will mobilize health workers, state governments and other stakeholders to prioritize investment in controlling diarrhea, one of the most common childhood diseases. Its goal is to create mass awareness about the most effective and low-cost diarrhea treatment, a combination of oral rehydration salt solution (ORS) and zinc tablets.

Prices for most essential drugs will increase by as much as 2.29 percent when the goods and services tax regime starts next month. The government has set a rate of 12 percent on most essential drugs, as against the current tax incidence of around 9 per cent.

The Center has approved proposals for the creation of 100 Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) hospitals nationwide, AYUSH Minister of State Shripad Yesso Naik said.

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Intraocular lenses used in cataract surgeries are being sold at a rate that is 10 times higher than the market price, Food and Drug Administration officials said in a report presented to the department of pharmaceuticals.

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) on relaxed guidelines for the production of pediatric HIV drugs, whose supply was affected by regulatory issues. The regulator approved the child-friendly and thermally stable pellet formulation of Lopinavir / Ritonavir without feasibility studies, but said it would control post-marketing surveillance.

The government of Punjab will establish two 50-bed Ayush hospitals in the state, Health Minister Brahm Mohindra said. Standardized services of Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy would also be provided to patients indoors and outdoors in these hospitals, he added.

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The central government is firm in its plan to introduce an electronic platform to regulate the sale of drugs despite opposition from chemists.

Government of Assam and Tata Trusts, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to provide comprehensive cancer care and ensure affordable quality treatment for cancer patients in the state. Assam is one of the states that has the highest per capita cancer burden in India. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed under the presence of Shri. Himanta Biswa Sarma, Hon’ble Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Assam along with R. Venkataramanan, Managing Trustee, Tata Trusts.