Escalating costs of commonly used drugs across the country has consumers complaining about health care slowly but surely becoming unaffordable. With costs of drugs used by heart patients, diabetics and those used by persons with high blood pressure and cholesterol levels registering a upward trend, drug market watchers state that the Government will need to intervene fast to remedy the situation.

“BJP must add environment growth in manifesto for MCD polls”

Environment groups and waste-recycling workers have demanded that the Bharaitya Janata Party change its stands on operating waste-to-energy plants in the Capital and include measures that promote sustainable environmental growth in its manifesto for the upcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi polls.

Bombay Natural History Society ropes in citizens for online survey

In an effort to document the population and distribution of sparrows and compare it with the situation in the past, nature and conservation organisations across the country have joined efforts with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) to launch an online survey titled “citizen sparrow”.

Many protests, agitations and petitions later, the residents of Sukhdev Vihar – one of the most densely-populated residential colonies located next to the Okhla-Timarpur waste-to-energy incinerator – have a unique proposition for Delhi environment officials and politicians: “Come spend a day at our homes”.

“Every single environment official and politician claims that all is well at Sukhdev Vihar. How can they certify this when the residents here have consistently been telling them about the pollution levels because of the plant, the bio-medical waste incinerator and the compost plant. Together these plants have polluted the ground water, poisoned the air and forced us to live with constant noise pollution,” says Asha Arora, an area resident.

Despite sustained public protests and lawsuits against the Timarpur-Okhla waste-to-energy incinerator in Sukhdev Vihar, the beginning of trial runs this January 2 has invited the ire of the residents of this densely populated area.

“The incinerator is located in a residential area which is surrounded by university, schools, hospitals and a bird sanctuary. It is huge health and environmental hazard and the residents have been protesting for a long time. But it seems that the Delhi Government has turned a deaf ear to the protest and plea of the over one million people who will be adversely affected by the plant.

The State Health Department has decided to give wider publicity to the provision of free treatment available for economically weaker section category patients at various private hospitals in the city.

The exercise is being undertaken to ensure that EWS category patients are able to reap the full benefits of the scheme and that beds reserved in various private hospitals under this category do not remain unoccupied despite the existence of a large number of poor patients who are eligible for free medical treatment.

Already grappling with various allergies and viral fever, Delhi has registered 479 dengue cases, 218 malaria cases, 12 cases of chikungunya and five confirmed cases of Japanese Encephalitis this season.

Though Delhi Health Minister Dr. A.K. Walia said the figures were not alarming and that the situation was under control, he, however, admitted that there was a need for more aggressive public participation in ensuring that breeding of disease-causing mosquitoes stays under control.

The new station to come up in Anand Vihar

With the Capital's ambient air quality approaching its crunch time during Diwali, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee has decided to add one more ambient air monitoring station to its existing five.

Expressing doubts over timely implementation of effective pictorial health warnings from December 1, various non-government organisations working in the area of tobacco control have written to Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad requesting him to issue operational guidelines for its enforcement.

Government agencies not taking action against defaulters: study

More than five months after the ban on use of plastic pouches for sale of tobacco products came into effect on March 1 this year, small and big manufacturers of pan masala and chewing tobacco are still violating the rule openly, a recent survey by Voluntary Health Association of India and eight other partners has found.