Exclusive: India aims to revamp health scheme, lower costs after criticism
India's health ministry has trimmed its cost estimates for extending its main public health program by 25 percent after criticism from a federal think-tank over inefficiency and slow progress, according to government documents seen by Reuters.
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Exclusive: India aims to revamp health scheme, lower costs after criticism
India's health ministry has trimmed its cost estimates for extending its main public health program by 25 percent after criticism from a federal think-tank over inefficiency and slow progress, according to government documents seen by Reuters. The new estimate of $25 billion for a three-year extension of the flagship health program, down from an initial figure of about $33 billion, comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushes a multi-pronged agenda to revamp health services.
Murders surge in Florida in decade after `Stand Your Ground' law
Murders climbed 22 percent in Florida in the decade after the state enacted its `Stand Your Ground' self-defense law, even after accounting for the expected spike in justifiable homicides, a new study suggests. Before the law took effect in October 2005, Florida residents had a right to use lethal force when they felt their life was endangered by a home intruder. The `Stand Your Ground' law extended this right beyond the home, justifying deadly force for self-defense in other situations.
Can drinking a little bit help you live longer?
Having a little wine or beer to unwind most days may help lower the odds of a premature death as long as that drink or two doesn't routinely turn into more, a new study confirms. Researchers examined health survey data on more than 333,000 U.S. adults, following them for an average of about eight years to see how their drinking habits influenced their survival odds.
William Demant may make over-the-counter hearing aids if U.S. demand develops
William Demant, the world's largest producer of hearing aids, said it could start producing cheaper over-the-counter hearing devices for the U.S. market if demand rises sharply once new legislation comes into effect. Shares in William Demant and other hearing aid makers GN Store Nord and Amplifon plunged earlier this month after the U.S. Senate voted to approve the FDA Reauthorization Act which paves the way for over-the-counter (OTC) sale of hearing aids, among other things.
Air pollution ups stress hormones, alters metabolism
Breathing dirty air causes stress hormones to spike, new research suggests, which could help explain why long-term exposure to pollution is associated with heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and a shorter life span. Dr. Haidong Kan of Fudan University in Shanghai, China, and colleagues looked specifically at the health effects of particulate matter (PM), small particles less than 2.5 millimeters in diameter, from industrial sources, that can be inhaled and become lodged in the lungs. While PM levels have gone down in North America in recent years, they are on the rise worldwide.
Gates foundation to spend over $300 million in Tanzania in 2017
Bill Gates has told Reuters his foundation plans to spend more than $300 million in Tanzania this year on public health and poverty reduction programs. In an interview, the billionaire said aid was now being spent "in a smarter way" in some parts of the world.
Marijuana products sending more French kids to ERs
Increased availability of potent marijuana products in France may be driving an increase in emergency room visits by intoxicated toddlers, a new study suggests. Yearly admissions for accidental marijuana intoxication at pediatric emergency departments in France more than doubled between 2004 and 2014, researchers found.
Austria finds some egg products contaminated with insecticide
Tests show that some imported egg products in Austria have been contaminated with a potentially harmful insecticide, Austria's food safety agency said on Monday, adding to the list of countries affected by an international health scare. Millions of chicken eggs have been pulled from European supermarket shelves as a result of the scare over the use of the insecticide fipronil, and hundreds of thousands of hens may be culled in the Netherlands.
Yemen records 500,000 cholera cases, nearly 2,000 deaths: WHO
More than half a million people in Yemen have been infected with cholera since the epidemic began four months ago and 1,975 people have died, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. Each day there are more than 5,000 new cases of the waterborne disease, which causes acute diarrhoea and dehydration, in the country where the health system has collapsed after more than two years of war, it said.
(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
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