Health

Supreme Court seeks Union’s response on measures to address hardships faced by cadets suffering disabilities during military training

The bench of Justices Nagarathna and Mahadevan mulled over measures such as enhancing monthly compensation of the cadets and extending their protections under the RPwD Act.

Reframing India’s student suicide crisis as a ‘constitutional injury’

As tragic stories from Odisha to IIT Delhi fill our newspapers, the Supreme Court formed National Task Force on mental health and discrimination must treat these deaths not merely as administrative lapses, but as constitutional infractions.

Legal, but out of reach: Medical termination of pregnancy remains arduous for India’s young people

Despite progressive changes introduced by the MTP Act, procedural rigmarole and biases remain obstacles to access. A case study by CEHAT raises the most important questions.

Why can’t we defeat the oldest disease known to humankind?

Over a hundred and forty years since discovering the Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we have not yet eradicated the disease. As we continue to embrace a “wasteful, inefficient” treatment method and now face serious cuts to TB research expenditures by the United States, a renewed commitment to a community-driven, people-centred, response is crucial.

Global health without America: What is at stake for WHO and the world?

The Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the WHO weakens the international system of global health cooperation and undermines global pandemic preparedness. But it is also an opportunity to innovate a new paradigm of global health governance - of increased regional collaborations and critical reforms in the WHO

Ten years after the General Assembly resolved for 'Zero Hunger', where does India and the rest of the world stand?

Governments around the world are obligated to eradicate hunger, an inextricable facet of global impoverishment and inequality. Ten years ago, the UN General Assembly resolved to achieve ‘Zero Hunger’ by 2030. Long before that, India enacted the National Food Security Act. Yet over 700 million people worldwide go hungry every day, and famines have ravaged India even in the 21st century. A timely, collective reflection could save us.

A law blocked for a decade: Old imperatives and newer initiatives for regulation of private healthcare

Diverse sections of society need to raise their voices on unaffordable healthcare expenses, and the time to translate existing laws and rules into real change is now, writes Dr Abhay Shukla.

India's pharmaceutical regulation crisis: An interview with Prashant Reddy

In this The Leaflet exclusive, Prashant Reddy Thikkavarapu discusses India's pharmaceutical regulation crisis, highlighting corruption, lack of transparency, and compromised public health.

How a new waste-to-energy plant in Bawana threatens to endanger the lives of a nearby resettlement colony

Why is the new waste-to-energy plant in Bawana bad news for the residents of the resettlement colony in Bawana and the subject of a public notice by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee?

On International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, a look at their precarious lives in Delhi

All women have the right to safe and legal abortion, so goes the assertion. Is this a myth for the sex workers in the national capital of India?

India’s confusing legal landscape does not serve persons with intellectual disabilities

How do India’s legal guardianship laws— and the confusion therein— dictate autonomy for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities?

Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Forty years of struggle for justice—Part 7

Seventh part of a twelve-part series to commemorate forty years of the quest for justice for the Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims.

Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Forty years of struggle for justice—Part 6

Sixth part of a twelve-part series to commemorate forty years of the quest for justice for the Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims.

Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Forty years of struggle for justice—Part 5

Fifth part of a twelve-part series to commemorate forty years of the quest for justice for the Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims.

Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Forty years of struggle for justice—Part 4

Fourth part of a twelve-part series to commemorate forty years of the quest for justice for the Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims.

Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Forty years of struggle for justice—Part 3

Third part of a twelve-part series to commemorate forty years of the quest for justice for the Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims.

Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Forty years of struggle for justice—Part 2

Second part of a twelve-part series to commemorate forty years of the quest for justice for the Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims.

Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Forty years of struggle for justice—Part 1

First part of a twelve-part series to commemorate forty years of the quest for justice for the Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims.

Beyond noble intentions: The Supreme Court’s quest for healthcare safety

As the issue of the safety of healthcare professionals remains in a policy ICU, will the government and the judiciary be able to perform a successful operation in time, asks Debarshi Chakraborty?

Your right to privacy does not win under U-WIN

How does the privacy policy of the U-WIN immunisation platform fare on the right-to-privacy test?  

Why India urgently needs a Union law to protect healthcare workers

It is ironic that in an era where the government is obsessed with the Uniform Civil Code’, ‘One Nation, One Poll’ and other centralising policies— it hesitates to apply the same logic to safeguarding those who risk their lives for public health, writes Jehosh Paul.

Lack of Braille-embossed packaging on medicines hampers accessibility among India’s visually impaired population

R.G. Kar murder and rape case: SC issues slew of directions, some missing from the written Order

The Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the R.G. Kar murder and rape case. Today, it instituted a series of directions and formulated a National Task Force to form protocols on the issue of safety in hospitals.

Kota story redux: UMMEED will be hopeless without wider social changes

In October 2023, the Union ministry of education unveiled the draft guidelines Understand, Motivate, Manage, Empathise, Empower, Develop (UMMEED). Are they enough to stop the suicide epidemic among students in India? 

Ensuring fairness in e-pharmacies

How much can the Draft Digital Competition Bill address anti-competitive practices in the Indian e-pharmacy landscape?

An analysis of how ill-managed the Covid pandemic was in India

Results of an investigative analysis of government circulars and notifications for Delhi to assess governmental actions and transparency during the first and second waves of Covid.

Legal pitfalls in combatting manual scavenging: A critical analysis

Some personal reflections on prison medical care

Accused in the Bhima Koregaon case and released on bail by the Supreme Court last year after having spent five years in prison without a trial, Vernon Gonsalves narrates a sordid tale of pathetic medicare in Indian jails. 

Flagging policy of ‘systemic discrimination’ against HIV patients in armed forces, SC awards compensation to havaldar

A critical analysis of the Supreme Court’s report on accessibility

No Smoking Day: India’s e-cigarette ban goes up in smoke as vape sale persists

Vaping is perceived as the cooler cousin of smoking, yet that is not true, as its negative effects on health testify. Despite being banned in India, why does vaping see an uptick among the urban youth?

Why India needs urgent policy changes to combat the menace of antimicrobial resistance

Systemic abuse at Burari Hospital exemplifies larger patterns of exploitation in India’s healthcare sector

Does the interim budget for 2024–25 offer anything beyond an election pitch?

Five years of the HIV/AIDS Act, 2017: An assessment— Part 2

Five years of the HIV/AIDS Act, 2017: An assessment— Part 1

A disturbing judicial trend to inhibit access to abortion services in India

It is high time we legalise and regulate cannabis in India

Calcutta High Court hears case where an accused in peddling fake Covid vaccines names Mamata Banerjee