District Collector S. Venkateswar inaugurating a mobile medical clinic launched by HDFC Bank and Smile Foundation in Tirupati on Monday.
| Photo Credit: K.V. Poornachandra Kumar

Spotlighting the “distressing situation” outside Delhi AIIMS, a premier medical institution, where hundreds of patients are often seen huddled on the footpath and subway, Rahul Gandhi urged Health Minister JP Nadda and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi to help resolve this “humanitarian crisis”.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha also urged the central government to take concrete steps to strengthen the public healthcare system in the upcoming budget and increase the necessary resources for it.

Pointing out the large “systemic issues”, Mr Gandhi urged in his letter to JP Nadda that Delhi AIIMS is overburdened because “crores of people do not have access to affordable and high-quality healthcare where they live”.

“I urge you as Health Minister, to recognise and address this systemic issue. As a first step, the new AIIMS facilities across the country should be operationalised at the earliest. In addition, the public healthcare infrastructure should be strengthened at all levels, from primary to tertiary, in partnership with the state government,” said Mr Gandhi in his letter dated January 18.  

देशभर से दिल्ली AIIMS आने वाले मरीजों और उनके परिवारों को बेहतर सुविधाएं उपलब्ध कराने के लिए दिल्ली की मुख्यमंत्री और केंद्रीय स्वास्थ्य मंत्री को पत्र लिखा है।

पिछले दिनों मैंने देखा कि ठिठुरती ठंड में ये मेट्रो स्टेशन के नीचे सोने को मजबूर हैं, जहां न तो पीने के पानी की… pic.twitter.com/WVldBRCwan

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 20, 2025

“Central healthcare schemes such as Ayushman Bharat should be reviewed to reduce patient out-of-pocket expenses as much as possible, by expanding eligibility, hospitals enrolled, and conditions covered. The sharp rise in the costs of private healthcare also deserves detailed scrutiny. I hope the Government will use the upcoming Budget to review its overall approach, and substantially increase its investment in public healthcare,” said Mr Gandhi.

Reducing the long wait times, said Mr Gandhi, at each step of treatment, and providing patients information about wait times, would help reduce patients’ uncertainty.

Earlier, on Thursday, the Congress leader met several patients and their families camping on the road and subways around the AIIMS and inquired about their problems and grievances. He accused the Centre and the Delhi government of showing “insensitivity” towards them.

AIIMS के बाहर नरक!

देशभर से आए ग़रीब मरीज और उनके परिवार AIIMS के बाहर ठंड, गंदगी और भूख के बीच सोने को मजबूर हैं।

उनके पास न छत है, न खाना, न शौचालय और न पीने का पानी।

बड़े-बड़े दावे करने वाली केंद्र और दिल्ली सरकार ने इस मानवीय संकट पर आंखें क्यों मूंद ली हैं? pic.twitter.com/wwnm8Fc3i8

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 18, 2025

Most of the patients and their family members had complained to him about the lack of a place to stay while getting their treatment done and a long waiting time for appointments at the AIIMS.

Mr Gandhi had shared a video of his interaction with patients and their families camping on roads near AIIMS.

In his letter to Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, Mr Gandhi said he was “saddened” to see scores of patients outside the facility and on the subway in the bitter cold with only thin blankets and without drinking water or sanitation facilities.

“I urge the government of Delhi to take immediate and timely steps this winter to provide heating, bedding, water and shelter to the patients seeking medical care from AIIMS Delhi. More permanent solutions to accommodate patients by building and expanding permanent facilities should also be explored,” wrote Mr Gandhi.

“While AIIMS Delhi delivers excellent and affordable care, the condition of patients and their families shows that health-care is still out of reach for crores of Indians. As public representatives, we must all work together to address these issues,” he said, assuring his “full support in any endeavour to reduce the suffering of countless patients and their families”.

New Delhi:

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today unveiled AAP’s ’10 guarantees’ if his party wins the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Mr Kejriwal’s assurances encompass a broad spectrum of public welfare initiatives, including pledges for free electricity and improved healthcare.

“BJP has always failed on its promises; my guarantees have proven track record,” Mr Kejriwal said. “People have to take a call whether to go for ‘Kejriwal ki Guarantee’ or ‘Modi Guarantee.”

At the forefront of Mr Kejriwal’s electoral promises is the assurance of free electricity for all, particularly targeting the economically backward sections of society. The AAP chief advocated for replicating Delhi’s model of uninterrupted power supply nationwide. 

“Out of the 10 guarantees, the first guarantee is that we will provide 24-hour electricity in the country. The country has the capacity to generate 3 lakh MW of electricity but the usage is only 2 lakh MW. Our country can produce more electricity than the demand. We have done it in Delhi and Punjab, we will do it in the country also. We will provide up to 200 units of free electricity to all the poor. It will cost Rs 1.25 lakh crore, we can arrange it,” Mr Kejriwal said. 

Second on Mr Kejriwal’s poll guarantees list is revamping education in government schools. The Delhi Chief Minister claimed that Rs 5 lakh crore will be required to remedy that and that state governments and the Centre should pay Rs 2.5 lakh crore each to make up for the total cost. 

“Today, the condition of our government schools is not good. Our second guarantee is that we will arrange good and excellent free education for everyone. Government schools will provide a better education than private schools. We have done it in Delhi and Punjab. Rs 5 lakh crore will be required for this. State governments will give Rs 2.5 lakh crore and central government will give Rs 2.5 crore for this,” he said. 

The AAP national convener also put a Rs 5 lakh crore price tag to overhaul government hospitals and improve India’s healthcare infrastructure. 

“The condition of our government hospital is not good in our country. Our third guarantee is better healthcare. We will arrange good treatment for everyone. Mohalla clinics will be opened in every village, every locality. District hospital will be converted into a Multispeciality Hospital. Every person born in this country will get free treatment. Treatment will not be done on the basis of insurance as this is a big scam. We will create infrastructure. Rs 5 lakh crore rupees will be spent on healthcare,” Mr Kejriwal said. 

Other guarantees on the list, according to Mr Kejriwal, are “freeing” Indian land from Chinese control, shutting down the Agniveer scheme, providing farmers MSP as per the Swaminathan Commission report and a full statehood to Delhi. 

“Our fourth guarantee is ‘Nation first’. China has occupied our land but our central govt is denying it…There is a lot of strength in our army. All the land of the country which has been occupied by China will be freed. For this, efforts will be made at the diplomatic level on one side and the Army will be given complete freedom to take whatever steps it wants to take regarding this. A scheme like Agniveer is harmful for the army and the youth are also troubled by it. The Agniveer scheme will be withdrawn,” Mr Kejriwal said. 

Mr Kejriwal, who was arrested by the probe agency Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam case, was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on Friday.

Natco Pharma subsidiary in the U.S. is facing a complaint from global healthcare company Fresenius over marketing of Diazepam injection prefilled syringe in the country.

“Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC and Fresenius Kabi Deutschland GmbH have filed a complaint against Natco Pharma USA LLC [formerly known as Dash Pharmaceuticals LLC] in the District Court of Delaware relating to the marketing of Dash Pharmaceuticals diazepam injection prefilled syringe in the United States,” Natco Pharma said on April 18.

Fresenius has not yet effectuated service of the complaint which is required to commence the lawsuit. Natco Pharma intends to defend the matter accordingly, the Hyderabad-based drugmaker said in a filing. The company’s share were trading 1.97% higher at Rs.1,006.10 apeice around 1.40 p.m. on the BSE.

Natco Pharma, which had acquired Dash Pharmaceuticals LLC through a subsidiary in the U.S., had changed name of Dash Pharmaceuticals to Natco Pharma USA LLC. Fresenius specialises in lifesaving medicines and technologies for infusion, transfusion and clinical nutrition.

For approximately 80% of the world’s population, the first stop after catching a cold or breaking a bone isn’t the hospital — maybe because there isn’t one nearby, or they can’t afford it. Instead, the first step is consulting traditional medicine, which cultures around the world have been using for thousands of years.

Traditional medicine encompasses the healing knowledge, skills and practices used by a variety of cultures and groups.

Examples of traditional medicine include herbal medicine; acupuncture; Tui Na – which is a type of massage originating in China; Ayurveda – which is an ancient system of promoting health through diet, exercise and lifestyle from India; and Unani – which is another ancient system of health from South Asia, balancing key aspects of the mind, body and spirit.

In recognizing that traditional medicine and other alternative forms of healing are critical sources of health care for many people worldwide, the World Health Organization and the government of India co-hosted their first-ever Traditional Medicine Summit. The summit took place in August 2023 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.

The summit brought together health care policymakers, traditional medicine workers and users, international organizations, academics and private sector stakeholders from 88 WHO member states. Leaders at the summit aimed to share best practices and scientific evidence and data around traditional medicine.

Also Read | India’s traditional medicine discourse: less about medicine, more about India 

As researchers interested in how to provide patients both in the U.S. and around the globe with the best possible medical care, we were interested in the summit’s findings. Understanding traditional medicine can help health care professionals create sustainable, personalized and culturally respectful practices.

Critical health care for many

In many countries, traditional medicine costs less and is more accessible than conventional health care. And many conventional medicines come from the same source as compounds used in traditional medicine – up to 50% of drugs have a natural product root, like aspirin.

Many factors may influence whether someone chooses traditional medicine, such as age and gender, religion, education and income level, and distance to travel for treatment. Cultural factors may also influence people’s use of traditional medicine.

In China, for example, as more people have embraced Western culture, fewer have chosen traditional medicine. In contrast, many African migrants to Australia continue to use traditional medicine to express their cultural identity and maintain a cohesive ethnic community. A patient’s preference for traditional medicine often has significant personal, environmental and cultural relevance.

A framework for traditional medicine

Countries have been pushing the WHO to study and track data on traditional medicine for years. In the past, WHO has developed a “traditional medicine strategy” to help member states research, integrate and regulate traditional medicine in their national health systems.

The WHO also created international terminology standards for practicing various forms of traditional medicine.

The practice of traditional medicine varies greatly between countries, depending on how accessible it is and how culturally important it is in each country. To make traditional medicine safer and more accessible on a broader scale, it’s important for policymakers and public health experts to develop standards and share best practices. The WHO summit was one step toward that goal.

Also Read | WHO asks countries to work towards unlocking the power of traditional medicine

The WHO also aims to collect data that could inform these standards and best practices. It is conducting the Global Survey on Traditional Medicine in 2023. As of August, approximately 55 member states out of the total 194 have completed and submitted their data.

Acupuncture – a case study in safety and efficacy

Some traditional medicine practices such as acupuncture have shown consistent and credible benefits, and have even started to make it into mainstream medicine in the U.S. But leaders at the summit emphasized a need for more research on the efficacy and safety of traditional medicine.

Although traditional medicine can have a range of benefits, some treatments come with health risks.

For example, acupuncture is a traditional healing practice that entails inserting needles at specific points on the body to relieve pain. But acupuncture can cause infections and injuries if the practitioner doesn’t use sterile needles or if needles are inserted incorrectly.

Still, acupuncture is the most commonly used traditional medicine practice across countries, with 113 WHO member states acknowledging their citizens practiced acupuncture in 2019.

Interestingly, battlefield acupuncture has successfully treated many U.S. military members, for example, for pain reduction. It is simple to use, transportable and has no risk of addiction.

There’s also some evidence supporting the use of traditional medicine, including acupuncture, meditation and yoga to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

However, acupuncture practitioners aren’t trained in a uniform way across countries. To provide guidelines for best practice, the WHO developed standardized benchmarks for practicing acupuncture in 2021. The WHO aims to develop similar standards for other forms of traditional medicine as well.

Interest in traditional medicine is growing among those who have mainly used conventional medicine in the past. More research and collaborative efforts to develop safety standards can make traditional medicine accessible to all who seek it.