New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) India has demonstrated tremendous progress in maternal and child health, said Union Health Minister JP Nadda on World Population Day on Thursday, calling for achieving the family planning goals.

Highlighting the success of India’s family planning programme, the Union Health Minister in a blog post, said, “Millennial women in India are opting for smaller families, averaging just two children each” — a shift in trend from the past decade. He said that 57 per cent in their reproductive age (15 to 49 years) have actively used modern contraception”.

“India has demonstrated tremendous progress on the ground through improved family planning services and dramatically improving health outcomes, especially maternal health and child health,” he said.

Nadda said that family planning empowers women, girls, and youth by providing them with rights and choices.

While “India has already achieved replacement level of fertility at National level (TFR 2.0) and 31 States/UTs have already achieved this milestone as per NFHS-5 (2019-21) constituting a success story in its journey”… the aim is to “maintain and achieve this both nationally and sub-nationally”.

He stressed the need for “healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy for the health and well-being of mother and child.”

Nadda pointed out that the National Planning programme currently offers a variety of reversible modern contraceptives encompassing condoms, intrauterine contraceptive devices, oral pills, injectable contraceptives, etc.

“The government is committed to overcoming barriers related to access, misconceptions about contraceptive methods, and lack of awareness among clients, geographical and economic challenges, and restrictive social and cultural norms,” he noted.

Further, substantial investments are being made to improve family planning service delivery. The programme is also being extended to the last mile through Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.

Nadda called to strive “for a future where every citizen has access to quality healthcare, and where the health and well-being of our people are the foundation of our nation’s progress and prosperity”.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) It is imperative to focus on the needs of women, youth, and marginalised communities that remain inadequate owing to the rising population, said experts on World Population Day on Thursday.

World Population Day is observed every year on July 11 to raise awareness about global population issues and their impact on society. The theme for this year is “Leave no one behind, count everyone”.

With about 142.86 crore population, India overtook China to become the world’s most populous nation, according to the UNFPA’s State of the World Population Report in 2023.

Speaking to IANS, Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director of the Population Foundation Of India (PFI), said even though India became the world’s most populous nation, “we have attained the replacement-level fertility rate.”

“This means that the average number of children born per woman is sufficient to keep the population size stable from one generation to the next,” she explained.

Yet, due to a large proportion of young people, the population in India will continue to grow.

“Nonetheless, we have made remarkable progress towards population stabilisation,” Poonam said.

However, she called for a shift in focus — on reaching the unreached, that is, the women, young people, and marginalised communities.

“The reproductive rights, access to resources, and health and well-being outcomes of these groups remain inadequate,” Poonam said.

There are approximately 24 million women with an unmet need for family planning, meaning they want to stop or delay childbearing but lack the access or agency to use contraception.

“The upcoming budget must increase the investment in family planning, especially in long-lasting modern contraceptives, as addressing these needs is crucial for achieving equitable and sustainable development,” the PFI chief said.

This was also advocated by the Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda, who called for “healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy for the health and well-being of mother and child.”

Population increases also create congestion and deplete human health resources.

“It also adds load to our already overburdened infrastructure, deprives people of basic amenities, causes scarcity of water, problems related to hygiene and sewage,” M Wali, Senior Consultant, Department of Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, told IANS.

Overpopulation can also worsen health care indices like morbidity and mortality as preventive and screening health care needs of the population (especially the vulnerable sections like women, children, and elderly) are not adequately met.

“Uplifting women is an efficient strategy to keep the overpopulation problem in check. Educated women are more likely to exercise their reproductive rights, that is, use contraception and motivate their partners for the same, plan families, and consider termination of undesired pregnancies. They are also more likely to understand the importance of having small and healthy families,” Isha Wadhawan, from Fortis Faridabad, told IANS.

–IANS

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Agartala, July 10 (IANS) Tripura government on Wednesday said that 1790 persons were infected by HIV/AIDS with a positivity rate of 0.92 per cent during 2023-24.

The officials said as part of the National AIDS Control Programme, the government has taken a series of measures to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in the state.

Tripura State AIDS Control Society Project Director Samarpita Dutta said that in 2022-23, sixty seven people including two students died and in 2023-24, forty four people died after being infected by HIV/AIDS.

During 2022-23, new HIV/AIDS infection was detected among 1847 people with a positivity rate of infection was 0.89 per cent.

Dutta said that the National AIDS Control Programme has been implemented in Tripura since April, 1999.

Between April 2007 and May 2024, 828 students registered as PLHIV (People Living With HIV/AIDS) and 47 of them died during the period of 17 years.

“Tripura State AIDS Control Society has taken all initiatives to control the menace as per specific guidelines and action plan designed by National AIDS Control Organization,” Dutta told the media.

She said that 828 students registered over the last many years in ART centres are all getting free Anti Retroviral Treatment as per NACO guidelines.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, who himself is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and served in a key position at a medical college here before becoming Chief Minister, said that the state government has taken various measures to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in the state.

“It has come to our notice that some recent media reports have led to misgivings on the number of infected students and fatalities. It has been clarified by the department concerned that a total of 828 students in Tripura have tested HIV positive and 47 have lost lives over a period of 17 years (from April, 2007 to May, 2024).

“All affected students have received or have been receiving free Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) as per the NACO guidelines,” Saha, who also holds the Health and Family Welfare portfolio, said in a post on the X.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) In a first, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday prequalified the hepatitis C virus (HCV) self-test that will help expand access to testing and diagnosis and accelerate global efforts to eliminate the disease.

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver caused by a variety of infectious viruses and non-infectious agents leading to a range of health problems.

An estimated 354 million people worldwide live with hepatitis B or C, and for most, testing and treatment remain beyond reach.

The new product, called OraQuick HCV self-test, manufactured by US-based OraSure Technologies is designed for use by anyone, without any expertise.

The WHO had, in 2021, recommended HCV self-testing (HCVST) to complement existing HCV testing services in countries, and may help increase access to and uptake of services, particularly among people who may not otherwise test.

“Every day 3,500 lives are lost to viral hepatitis. Of the 50 million people living with hepatitis C, only 36 per cent had been diagnosed, and 20 per cent have received curative treatment by the end of 2022,” said Dr Meg Doherty, WHO Director for the Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes.

“The addition of this product to the WHO prequalification list provides a safe and effective way to expand HCV testing and treatment services, ensuring more people receive the diagnosis and treatment they need, and ultimately contributing to the global goal of HCV elimination,” she added.

Importantly, the WHO prequalified HCV self-test will help “low- and middle-income countries have access to safe and affordable self-testing options — essential to achieving the goal of 90 per cent of all people with HCV to be diagnosed”, said Dr Rogerio Gaspar, WHO Director for the Department of Regulation and Prequalification.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) The Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD) on Wednesday urged the government to make a strategic hike in customs duty on medical devices “to a nominal 10-15 per cent.”

In its pre-budget memorandum, submitted to the Ministry of Finance, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda, Secretary Apurva Chandra; and Arunish Chawla, Secretary, Department of Pharmacy, the industry body urged to increase the customs duty from the current 7.5 per cent.

“This will foster a more balanced trade environment, encouraging domestic manufacturing and reducing reliance on imports, which currently still constitutes a staggering 70 per cent of the sector,” said Rajiv Nath, Forum Coordinator, AiMeD.

“The imports of medical devices are consistently over Rs 61,000 crore for the last three years and regretfully this year, increased by 13 per cent to Rs 69,000 crore,” he added.

A significant concern flagged by AiMeD in the memorandum is the prevailing inverted duty structure. To address this, AiMeD proposed the implementation of a 5 per cent health cess on custom duty for the remaining medical devices as this was earlier applied to a limonite’s medical devices, and this health cess was used to fund resources for Ayushman Bharat.

“This correction is expected to harmonise the duty structure, making it more conducive for local manufacturers to thrive and be competitive globally and locally,” Nath said.

Another pivotal aspect highlighted by AiMeD is the necessity for trade margin capping.

“By monitoring the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of imports, the government will curb the excessive mark-ups often seen in the market. This measure will make medical devices more affordable and accessible to the Indian populace, ultimately benefiting public health as consumers are affected not by import duty protection as much as by artificially inflated MRP of medical devices,” he said.

Further, Nath said that the Union Budget for FY 2024-25 must also announce income tax benefits specifically tailored for capital expenditure (CAPEX) and research and development (R&D) investments within the medical devices sector.

“Such fiscal incentives are crucial for fostering innovation, enhancing production capabilities, and propelling India towards self-reliance in medical technology,” he said.

Nath also urged the government to raise basic customs duty from 0-7.5 per cent to 15-20 per cent for non-Information Technology Agreement-1 devices, encourage quality production and exports, and should also remove input tax credit for Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) on items with zero import duty to prevent unfair advantages over domestic producers.

He said that the Centre must halt the import of used or old medical devices, ensuring safety, environmental protection, and domestic industry growth, and should introduce a Performance Linked Incentive scheme to promote value-added production for high-import products.

–IANS

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