Rema Nagarajan
Doctored & Dangerous, Everywhere In India
A registry of doctors that’s neither updated nor detailed is a recipe for fraud, as demonstrated in recent case in MP
Ask Who Sold You The Mithai & Namkeen
Festivals are reminders that bingeing on sweets & fried stuff is a ruinous food culture. But lecturing consumers isn’t enough. Regulation must bite down on makers of ultra-processed food
Doctors On Junkets & The Meds We Take
Govt rules are clear on banning Pharma Inc offering hospitality to medical professionals. But as Abbott Nutrition’s plan for a plush Dehradun 5-star hotel ‘summit’ showed, no one takes those rules seriously
Refer a patient, get a cut: Commission game is back in a murkier avatar
Despite curbs, hospitals find ways to give payouts for referrals. The patient is left footing the bill
- Rema Nagarajan
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
In Kerala, a village panchayat shows the way in palliative care
Families of those bedridden or needing end-of-life care in Venganoor get free home visits from nurses and physios, as well as equipment like wheelchairs and oxygen support.
Trachoma explained: The infectious disease that causes blindness and how India eliminated it
WHO has validated India as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness globally
The Kolkata horror: How unsafe are our hospitals
A doctor’s rape-murder has led to calls for a central law to protect health workers. Many states already have a stringent law in place. And absent in this conversation is the risk faced by women patients
What do unfilled SC/ST posts tell us about creamy layer?
A parliamentary standing committee report shows that even with some ‘dominant’ scheduled castes or tribes taking advantage of quotas, many vacancies remain unfilled
The rural experience that young docs are jumping to sign up for
Unlike rural postings that are forced on them, a voluntary programme that started in TN introduces medicos to a people-centric model of healthcare
Neat solution for NEET
Allow more local input in medical education, let states tailor admission to their govt colleges per their needs. But continue an all-India test for private colleges, which can’t be trusted to hold their own exams
TB treatment is free. But are patients facing crippling costs?
Government policy is to provide free diagnosis and treatment to all registered TB cases. Yet patients pay ‘out-of-pocket’ for several other components such as consultation fees, non-TB drugs, other diagnostic tests, travel expenses in pre-treatment period etc
Hey kids, binge on sugar, no one’s watching
A common takeaway from the Cerelac & Bournvita controversies is that advertising to children is not being monitored at all strictly. FSSAI is failing at tough deterrence
‘Uttarakhand SLA did not register a single case against Patanjali’
Kerala-based ophthalmologist and RTI activist Dr KV Babu talks about the challenges he faced while trying to stop Patanjali from issuing misleading ads
Morphine mantra: Help millions in pain
Palliative care is designed to make life bearable for those suffering from chronic or incurable diseases. But govt policy is both confused and inadequate
How Chhattisgarh’s phulwaris are helping toddlers beat malnutrition
Village creches run by a nonprofit not only let parents work without worrying about safety of kids, but also ensure that they are fed three nutritious meals
- Rema Nagarajan
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Low NEET PG cut-offs mainly usher the rich into private colleges
If private colleges lower their fees, which can be as high as Rs 80 lakh per year, they can take in candidates with better marks, but lobbying for lower cut-offs suits their bottom line
- Rema Nagarajan
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
In Andhra, doctors are family now
Year after its soft launch, state govt’s family doctor programme has already benefited more than 1.2 crore residents
- Umamaheswara Rao
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Live surgeries are money spinners for conferences
The All India Ophthalmic Society (AIOS) organized live surgeries at its mid-term conference in Visakhapatnam, despite a public interest petition challenging their legality. The society charged sponsoring companies Rs 5 lakh for each live surgery session.
ICMR successfully tests first long-lasting male contraceptive
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has concluded a seven-year study on the male contraceptive RISUG, finding it to be safe and effective.
'What I saw on my visit to Moscow wasn't what was expected'
The Ukraine war has been on for 19 months. Pundits have prophesied economic disaster for a sanctions-laden Russia many times. But this TOI journalist, who spent a week in Moscow late in September, found it was business as usual there. Museums, monuments, theatres, the opera, cafes and the metro were all running packed. She returned with many warm impressions