'The Narendra Modi government has missed several targets it had set for 2019 to tackle tuberculosis (TB). According to a reply given by Minister of State, Health and Family Welfare, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, in Rajya Sabha Tuesday, India has managed to achieve only 6.8 lakh notifications last year — not even half of the set target — from the private sector. The government had set a target of receiving 18 lakh notifications in 2019. The notifications from the private sector are important as around 50 per cent of patients with TB are diagnosed and treated in the private sector.
'As the experience of countries around the world shows, transparency is the best way to fight the coronavirus outbreak. While the Indian government has published several advisories for the public, it has not released enough granular information for journalists, researchers and the larger health community to assess the effectiveness of its strategy to test, detect and track cases of Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Public knowledge is essential to contain the spread of the disease. Here are 10 questions the government must answer...'
'A 34-year-old home guard, who had his first sip of cow urine in a north Kolkata neighbourhood on Monday, was admitted to hospital on Tuesday after he complained of vomiting and nausea. But Pintu Pramanik did not let that come in the way of his duty. He filed a complaint from his hospital bed against the BJP functionary who “induced” him to drink the gaumutra — as “prasad and preventive medicine” against Covid-19 — following which cops arrested Narayan Chatterjee on Tuesday...'
'Even as the government of India launched Swachh Vidyalaya scheme in 2014 to construct separate toilets for girls and boys in every school, 6790 schools in Andhra Pradesh still have dysfunctional toilets, Parliament was informed on Monday. Of the total schools with non-functional toilets, majority (4746) are government-run schools...'
'...Kalla Ram is 68. He lives in a one-bedroom apartment with his three sons in Delhi. There are hundreds of others who live like him in close quarters, no more than a few feet away. He leaves home early every morning on his rickshaw, and ferries passengers to and fro, interacting with at least two dozen of them and earning about Rs400-500 per day ($5.40-6.75). He’s the sole breadwinner in his household, even supporting extended family hundreds of miles away in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh in central India, where he grew up.
'While most of China’s neighbours have been able to contain the spread of COVID-19, countries far from it are seeing an exponential surge in cases. Early testing and wider coverage distinguish such Asian countries from Western countries. However, India is dangerously placed as it has among the lowest testing rates...'
'As the world grapples with the coronavirus, people in most countries are turning to their governments and public healthcare systems to battle the pandemic. In India, however, the situation is different. With a public healthcare system that is in a shambles, many Indians are looking with suspicion at the state’s efforts to battle the Covid-19 disease, creating complications for health authorities to grapple with. This was illustrated by the case of the Agra woman who hit the headlines last week after media reports falsely reported that she had fled quarantine.
'Even as state governments are working at war-footing to identify active cases and contain the novel coronavirus in India, one section of people, while indispensible, continue to remain more vulnerable to the disease: civic workers and those engaged in solid waste management. Activists in Bengaluru are advocating for fair work conditions for pourakarmikas – the city’s civic workers – and allege that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is not doing enough to protect these workers who are responsible for maintaining everyday health and hygiene in the city...'
'On 15 March, the Indian Council of Medical Research convened a meeting with national health experts about the rising cases of COVID-19 in the country, and the way forward for the healthcare system to address the growing crisis. “I know for a fact that India does not have testing kits,” a public-health expert who attended the meeting told me, on the condition of anonymity.
'Going against their own advice, Karnataka ruling party BJP's top leaders took part in a massive gathering for BJP leader Mahantesh Kavatagimath's daughter's wedding. The wedding took place on Sunday in Shagun gardens in the Udyambagh industrial area in Belagavi district. Among the eminent guests at the wedding were Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai... The wedding was held in an open lawn under a canopy. The Karnataka MLC's daughter's wedding saw close to 2000 people, reports suggest. Visuals show people thronging at the wedding.
