Fake news alert: A newspaper article claims astrology can ‘combat’ coronavirus
An article published today in The New Indian Express on “How to survive coronavirus” is not just rubbish but a public health hazard. I have come across a few fake…
Category: AYUSH
Coronavirus: AYUSH Ministry’s dangerous prescription
When a passenger with symptoms suggestive of novel coronavirus infection is found at an airport, should he/she be quarantined and tested/treated in a hospital or allowed to go home and…
AYUSH’s dangerous prescription: Unani medicines for ‘symptomatic management of coronavirus infection’
The AYUSH Ministry appears to be encouraging people to self-medicate. It has sent out a press release listing out specific Unani medicines that would be “useful in symptomatic management of…
Debate: Can the National Medical Commission Bill address rural healthcare deficit?
On August 1, the Rajya Sabha passed the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2019 which has a provision to train people connected with modern medical profession to practice modern medicine.…
Scientists studying AYUSH drugs must involve domain expert, advisory says
An April 2 advisory issued by the AYUSH Ministry makes it mandatory for any non-AYUSH scientists undertaking research on AYUSH drugs or treatment to involve an AYUSH expert. The provocation…
The yawning gap in tuberculosis care in India
The dismal state of tuberculosis (TB) care in the private sector in India has been exposed by a November 2015 study (The Lancet) that employed a novel strategy of using…
Trials with antibiotics lead to TB diagnosis delay
Tuberculosis patients in India who seek care in the private sector face a delay of as long as two months before they are diagnosed correctly — if at all —…
