Aarogya Setu 2.0 Launched: India's Digital Health Push
India has launched Aarogya Setu 2.0 and a suite of new digital health tools, with over 90 crore ABHA accounts created and 100 crore health records linked so far.
5 min read
Neha Sharma
Health Correspondent
36 articles · Writes about Health
Neha Sharma writes about health, medicine and public health policy for The NE Times, turning research and official guidance into clear, practical reporting.
Latest by Neha Sharma
India Bans 16 Fixed-Dose Combination Drugs Over Safety
The health ministry has banned 16 fixed-dose combination drugs, saying they lacked therapeutic justification and posed avoidable health risks.
5 min read
Mumbai Dengue, Malaria Surge in 2026 Monsoon: BMC Data
BMC figures show Mumbai dengue up 27.8% and malaria up 18.2% by mid-July 2026, as the civic body ramps up fogging, house surveys and monsoon disease control.
5 min read
WHO: Cancer Cases to Near Double by 2050, Asia Hit Hard
A new WHO and IARC report warns annual cancer cases could hit nearly 35 million by 2050, with Asia carrying more than half of the world's growing burden.
5 min read
Jharkhand Teen Dies During Fracture Treatment; CM Orders Probe
The death of a Jharkhand teenager during treatment for a reported fracture has led to family allegations of medical negligence and an official probe ordered by the Chief Minister into what went wrong.
6 min read
Aarogya Setu 2.0 Returns as India's Personal Health Record App
The pandemic-era contact tracing app has been relaunched as a personal health record platform, betting that portable medical data can find a place in India's growing digital health ecosystem.
7 min read
India Bets on AI to Catch the Next Outbreak Under One Health Mission in 2026
Drawing on the hard lessons of COVID-19, the ICMR is inviting proposals for AI systems to detect emerging pathogens across people, animals and the environment, in a bid to predict outbreaks rather than react to them.
7 min read
Maharashtra Orders Statewide Blood Centre Checks After FDA Shutdowns
After the Food and Drug Administration shut two blood centres, Maharashtra has ordered inspections of every facility in the state, putting blood-bank safety, licensing and public trust in health infrastructure under fresh scrutiny.
5 min read
NMC Move to Phase Out PG Medical Diplomas Reshapes Specialist Training Debate
The National Medical Commission's reported plan to discontinue postgraduate medical diplomas and convert eligible seats into MD and MS programmes is stirring debate over India's specialist training and seat availability.
6 min read
Health Insurance: Why Hospital Cashless Status Matters Before You Buy
Whether a hospital sits inside an insurer's cashless network can decide if a family pays lakhs upfront during an emergency or walks in with paperwork alone, making it a first-order question for policy buyers.
6 min read
Pune Toddler's Death Renews Focus on India's Snakebite Reporting and Treatment Rules
A cobra bite that killed a toddler in Pune district has reopened questions about hospital reporting, fast anti-venom access and the deadly cost of delayed treatment in rural India.
3 min read
CDSCO Flags 159 Substandard Drug Samples in May, One Found Spurious
India's drug regulator CDSCO has marked 159 medicine samples as not of standard quality for May 2026, with one declared spurious, renewing scrutiny of batch-level quality control across the pharmaceutical supply chain.
3 min read
Centre Mandates Periodic Renewal for ART and Surrogacy Clinics
The Union government has mandated periodic registration renewal for ART and surrogacy clinics, tightening oversight of India's fast-growing fertility sector to protect patients, donors and surrogates.
6 min read
Jodhpur C-Section Complications Trigger Probe as Eight Women Fall Ill
Eight women developed serious complications, including kidney failure, after Caesarean deliveries at a Jodhpur district hospital, prompting a high-level probe and the closure of its operation theatre.
3 min read
A blood test for endometriosis edges closer, raising hope of ending years of diagnostic limbo
New validation data and menstrual-blood research suggest a future where a condition that takes years to identify could be flagged from a simple sample rather than surgery.
4 min read
India Braces for Monsoon Disease Season as Cities Ramp Up Vector Surveillance in 2026
With dengue, malaria and chikungunya cases historically peaking after the rains, civic bodies led by Delhi are activating sentinel hospitals and stepping up mosquito control ahead of the dangerous monsoon months.
3 min read
NMC to Phase Out PG Diploma Medical Courses, Shift Seats to MD and MS
The National Medical Commission says 2026-27 will be the final admission cycle for postgraduate diploma medical courses, with seats set to convert into MD and MS degree programmes from 2027-28.
7 min read
FSSAI Notices Put Packaged-Food Health Claims Under Sharper Scrutiny
Food regulator FSSAI has reportedly issued notices over health and nutrition claims on packaged foods, sharpening scrutiny of labels like 'no added sugar', 'high protein' and 'immunity support'.
6 min read
India's Organ Donation Pledges Cross Five Lakh Milestone
India has crossed five lakh organ donation pledges, a landmark for transplant awareness, but doctors warn the real test is converting promises into timely, ethical and well-coordinated donations.
6 min read
Medicine Price Checks and Complaints Move to a Single Citizen Platform
India's drug pricing regulator has merged its grievance portal with its price-checking tool, letting citizens verify medicine prices and file complaints from one place.
6 min read
Digital Health Push Brings Telemedicine to More Towns and Villages
A nationwide effort to connect clinics digitally is widening access to doctors and diagnostics far beyond the big cities.
7 min read
Workplace therapy use jumps across India Inc as younger employees lead a quiet shift
A new corporate mental health report finds counselling sessions rising sharply since 2023, with workers in their early twenties driving the change and finance emerging as an unexpected hotspot.
4 min read
Weight-Loss Drugs May Slow the Spread of Some Cancers, Early Data Suggests
Real-world data presented at a major oncology meeting hints that GLP-1 medicines, already widely used for diabetes and obesity, may reduce the odds of certain cancers advancing.
3 min read
Cheaper Generics Reshape India's Booming Weight-Loss Drug Market
With semaglutide patents beginning to expire, a wave of low-cost Indian generics is widening access to GLP-1 weight-loss and diabetes drugs, even as doctors urge caution against misuse.
7 min read
India's Hospital Bed Gap Back in Focus as Public System Strains
Fresh data underscoring India's shortage of public hospital beds has reignited debate over whether the country's health infrastructure can keep pace with rising demand and a fast-growing private sector.
7 min read
Dengue Loosens Its Grip on the Monsoon as India Reports Early Cases
Health officials say the once-predictable rainy-season cycle of dengue is blurring, with infections surfacing earlier in the year and surveillance now stretching across almost all twelve months.
3 min read
Sleep, Longevity and Gut Health Define India's Wellness Reset in 2026
India's wellness conversation is maturing from quick fixes to prevention, with better sleep, longevity tracking, gut-friendly diets and sober-curious living emerging as the dominant health priorities of 2026.
7 min read
States Brace for Monsoon Fevers as Early Dengue Surge Worries Health Officials
With the southwest monsoon advancing, health departments across India are scrambling to contain dengue, malaria and chikungunya after an unusually early spike in cases reported before the rains even arrived.
3 min read
India's Second National Mental Health Survey Reframes Wellbeing as the Goal
As NIMHANS conducts India's second National Mental Health Survey, researchers are shifting the lens from illness to wellness, amid mounting evidence that young Indians are struggling more than ever.
7 min read
Indian Study Links Everyday Vitamin Gaps to Higher Dementia Risk
Researchers at the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition found that adults with poorer vitamin status carried a markedly higher predicted risk of dementia, pointing to diet as a lever for healthy ageing.
3 min read
Showing the 30 most recent of 36 articles by Neha Sharma.