Prathiba Raju
Assistant Editor- Digital Content Producer | ET HealthWorld
-
Why the Ross Procedure shouldn’t be India’s best-kept cardiac secret?
For young Indians grappling with aortic valve disease, the Ross procedure offers a lifeline—one that restores vitality without lifelong medical baggage. Dr Varun Shetty, Consultant – Cardiac Surgery, Narayana Health City demystifies this transformative surgery that uses the patient’s own valve to offer growth, durability, and a second chance at a normal life.
-
The Ross Procedure: India's Heart Valve Health Reimagined
With traditional valve replacements often tied to a lifetime of medication and limitations, Dr Varun Shetty, Consultant – Cardiac Surgery, Narayana Health City champions the Ross procedure—a transformative technique that uses the patient’s own pulmonary valve to replace a damaged aortic valve, offering growth, durability, and freedom from lifelong blood thinners.
-
Let Purpose, Not Profit, Drive Healthcare: Dr Naresh Trehan
In this exclusive ETHealthworld interaction, Dr. Naresh Trehan — renowned cardiovascular surgeon and Chairman and Managing Director, Medanta — shares his bold vision for a healthier, more inclusive India. With over four decades of experience, he reflects on bridging the healthcare gap in underserved areas and the power of public-private partnerships in transforming access and trust in the system. Explore valuable insights from one of Indian healthcare’s most influential voices.
-
Inside India’s Healthcare Inequity: Experts Expose Cracks, Costs, and the Call for Coherence
India’s healthcare system is at a tipping point. World-class hospitals co-exist with those that are reaching small towns. Flagship schemes like Ayushman Bharat is filling the affordability gap for the middle class and underserved populations. However, there are red flags. Experts have warned that India is veering toward a reactive “sick-care” model, hampered by chronic underinvestment in public health, a fee-for-service setup that incentivizes illness over wellness and prevention, rising land and tech costs, and weak regulations. Green shoots are emerging in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, where innovative, low-cost, high-volume models are taking roots. The message from well-known health experts is clear: India doesn’t just need more healthcare—it needs smarter, fairer, and more accountable healthcare. The clock is ticking.
-
Healing India’s underserved is a moral imperative, believes Dr Naresh Trehan
In an exclusive conversation with ETHealthworld, Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairman and Managing Director of Medanta Hospitals, outlines his vision for building a resilient, inclusive, and innovation-driven healthcare ecosystem in India. He stresses that reaching underserved and rural populations is a moral imperative, not just a strategic goal. Dr Trehan shares how healthcare must be guided by purpose, not just profit, he advocates for India to emerge as a global leader in healthcare innovation, leveraging its strengths in IT, talent, and generics.
-
True healthcare success is building lasting systems, driving innovation and expanding access:Dr. Azad Moopen
Dr. Azad Moopen discusses the digital transformation and innovative financing models revolutionising healthcare. Aster DM Healthcare's journey from a single clinic to a global powerhouse includes expansions in tier 2 and 3 cities, telemedicine, and strategic mergers to improve access and affordability in India.
-
India’s Fertility Crisis: Can Policy, Technology, and Innovation Reverse the Decline?
India’s declining Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has raised concerns about demographic shifts, with experts stressing the need for greater awareness, government-backed initiatives, and financial support for fertility treatments. Despite 25 to 30 million Indians facing infertility, only 2% seek medical help, highlighting accessibility challenges. Industry leaders advocate for expanding IVF services beyond metro cities, leveraging AI and digital health solutions, and enhancing public-private partnerships. While technology promises to improve success rates and affordability, ethical concerns remain. Strengthening policy support and innovation can help bridge the fertility treatment gap and secure India’s demographic future.
-
Upholding Ethics, Fast-Tracking Science: Experts Weigh In on Balancing Innovation in the IVF Revolution
As reproductive technologies evolve, innovations like CRISPR gene editing, artificial wombs, and AI-driven embryo selection offer hope for higher IVF success rates and genetic disorder prevention. However, they also raise ethical concerns about 'designer babies,' the redefinition of motherhood, and potential misuse. Experts at the 5th ETHealthworld Fertility Conclave emphasized the need for robust regulations, ethical safeguards, and responsible adoption to balance scientific progress with societal well-being, ensuring a sustainable future for fertility treatments.
-
BPaLM Regimen: A Lifesaving Breakthrough or Just Another Medical Mirage Awaiting Political Will?
The BPaLM regimen promises a breakthrough in MDR-TB treatment with a shorter, all-oral approach. However, high costs, limited access, and supply challenges threaten its impact. While experts hail its potential, success depends on rapid deployment, strong political will, and robust infrastructure. On World TB Day, as India strives to eliminate TB by 2025, the question remains—can BPaLM deliver on its promise, or will systemic barriers hinder progress?
-
HKU1 a well-known virus resurfaces — No Panic, Just Precaution, inform Experts
HKU1 infection typically presents as an upper respiratory tract illness with symptoms like cough, cold, sneezing, and throat irritation. While most cases are self-limiting within 5-6 days, children and those with weakened immunity are more vulnerable. Experts emphasize that HKU1 causes milder symptoms than SARS and MERS, with no need for panic. Amid a global surge in influenza cases, doctors advise standard preventive measures and timely vaccination for influenza.
-
US exit from pandemic treaty talks worrisome, India’s health programs unaffected: Dr. K. Srinath Reddy
The withdrawal of the US from ongoing negotiations on the global pandemic treaty will be particularly detrimental to pathogen surveillance and is worrisome in an era of heightened pandemic threats, informed Dr K Srinath Reddy. Highlights India's health programs remain unaffected by the US withdrawal from WHO, as funding flows directly rather than through the organisation and how this shift also presents an opportunity for India to lead in global health, particularly in South-South cooperation, shaping international policies and strengthening collaborations with developing nations.
-
Beyond roses and romance: Coping with love, loneliness, and expectations on Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day, often a celebration of love, can also bring feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and self-doubt, intensified by social media. Experts suggest emphasising self-care, genuine connections, and mental well-being, making the day more inclusive and mindful by shifting focus from societal expectations to personal well-being.
-
WHO without the US : Crisis or India’s leadership moment?
The US exit from the World Health Organisation (WHO) creates a funding gap but also opens doors for India to lead in global health governance. With its strong pharmaceutical sector, digital health advancements, and global alliances, India has the opportunity to transition from an aid recipient to a key policy architect. Strategic investment, partnerships, and WHO reforms will be crucial in shaping the future of global health leadership, experts suggest.
-
Russia's mRNA Cancer Vaccine: Big Claim, Bigger Questions—Experts Urge Need for Rigorous Data
Russia's announcement of a personalised mRNA cancer vaccine has generated excitement, but experts urge caution. While mRNA technology shows potential, the lack of clinical data and the gap between preclinical and human trials raises concerns. Only through rigorous research and trials will we know if this vaccine can truly transform cancer care, inform experts.
-
Union Budget’s Cancer Care Centers: A Step Forward or Another Hollow Promise?
The government's plan to establish 200 daycare cancer centers across India raises doubts about its effectiveness, with experts warning that without proper infrastructure, staffing, and a multidisciplinary approach, it risks becoming just another unfulfilled healthcare promise. While decentralization may ease logistical burdens, comprehensive cancer care demands more than outpatient chemotherapy services to truly make an impact, inform experts
-
Healthcare Experts Disappointed by Union Budget 2025-26: A quick fix, not a long-term solution
Experts have expressed disappointment with the Union Budget 2025-26, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, calling it more of a quick fix than a long-term solution for India’s healthcare crisis. The modest ₹98,000 crores allocated for healthcare falls short of the sector’s urgent needs. While some positive steps, like reducing customs duties on cancer drugs and expanding the Patient Assistance Program, are noted, experts emphasize that critical issues such as funding for Ayushman Bharat, and GST rationalization in healthcare, particularly medical devices, remained unaddressed.
-
Experts Weigh In on Healthcare Allocations in Union Budget 2025-26: A Mixed Bag of Progress and Misses
Union Budget 2025-26 allocates ₹98,311 crore for the healthcare sector, signaling a significant push for growth, with key measures like customs duty exemptions on life-saving drugs and the establishment of daycare cancer centres. However, experts remain concerned over the lack of action on GST rationalization for medical devices and the absence of long-awaited reductions in customs duties on essential medical equipment.
-
Amid Workweek Debate Economic Survey links Workplace Culture with Mental Health & Productivity
The Survey expresses concern about the low levels of mental well-being and underlines the negative economic ramifications of these trends. It also highlights that excessive work hours can adversely affect mental well-being and, ultimately, slow economic growth.
-
Govt making policy reforms to ensure affordable and accessible Healthcare: President
"The government’s focus on preventive healthcare is evident in the large-scale screening programs undertaken, with nearly nine crore women screened for cervical cancer and the launch of the U-WIN portal has streamlined the tracking of vaccination programs for pregnant women and children, with nearly 30 crore vaccine doses already recorded on the platform" she said.
-
Centre Confirms HPV Vaccine Addition to UIP, timeline yet to be finalised
The health secretary did not provide an exact timeframe and solely stated that the ministry is strategising the way forward, with the vaccine set to be rolled out in a few months' time.
