Neha Sharma
Health Correspondent
42 articles · Writes about Health, Opinion
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
Behind the NEET-UG Crisis, a Quieter Emergency: The Well-Being of India's Aspirants
As the NEET-UG 2026 leak row and protests deepen aspirant anxiety, here is what India's mental-health helplines offer, the warning signs, and how families can help.
The Delhi High Court's Medical-Monitoring Order Revisited After the Fast Ended
The end of the fast allows a clearer assessment of how judicial monitoring operated between respect for protest autonomy and the state's duty to
Forced Hospitalisation of a Hunger Striker: What Happened and What Indian Law Tries to Balance
Wangchuk's transfer to hospital placed autonomy, medical necessity, public order and state responsibility in direct tension
PGI Resident Doctors Back Accountability: Why Medical Professionals Joined the Debate
Doctors' involvement linked the controversy to professional ethics and the credibility of the pathway into medical education
Sonam Wangchuk Recovery After 26 Days of Fasting: Refeeding, Monitoring and the Road Ahead
Breaking a prolonged fast begins a medically sensitive recovery phase in which gradual nutrition and clinical monitoring can matter as much as the
Sonam Wangchuk Hunger Strike Latest: Day 20 Health Update, Weight Loss and the July 20 Deadline
Sonam Wangchuk enters the twentieth day of his indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar as doctors, courts and supporters focus on his health and the July 20 march
Medical Risks of a 20-Day Hunger Strike: What Doctors Monitor and Why Refeeding Is Also Dangerous
A medically cautious guide to what doctors monitor during a prolonged hunger strike, why risk varies and why restarting food requires careful supervision
Andhra Pradesh Reports 12 COVID-19 Cases and Four Deaths as Samples Go for Genome Sequencing
Twelve detected cases across several weeks and districts do not by themselves indicate a large outbreak.
Serum Institute and Gates MRI Agree to Manufacture the M72 Tuberculosis Vaccine Candidate Pending Phase 3 Success
The Serum Institute–Gates MRI agreement is unusual enough to require careful explanation.
Delhi’s Expired Food Racket Shows Why a Raid Is Not a System
A 40,000-pack seizure in Okhla proves FSSAI can catch fraud after the fact — but without traceability reform, enforcement will always be one step behind.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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'.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
India's HPV Vaccination Drive Gathers Pace in Push Against Cervical Cancer
Months after the nationwide rollout began, India's free HPV vaccination campaign for adolescent girls is reaching deeper into states as authorities race to dent the country's heavy cervical cancer burden.
An AI Helped Design This Coronavirus Vaccine. It Just Passed Its First Human Test
A needle-free, AI-designed vaccine aimed at an entire family of coronaviruses cleared an early-stage human trial, generating broad immune responses without serious side effects.
Strength and Longevity: How India's Fitness Culture Is Maturing in 2026
Indians are moving beyond aesthetics toward functional strength, mobility and recovery, as a maturing fitness culture blends gyms, apps and the outdoors in pursuit of long-term health.
As India bakes, the real test of its heat plans is protecting those who cannot stay indoors
Cooling centres, ORS distribution and time-band work rules are spreading across Indian cities this summer, but experts say informal workers and the elderly remain dangerously exposed.
WHO finds safer blood supplies worldwide, but warns millions still lack access
The agency's most comprehensive assessment yet shows voluntary donation rising past 85 percent, even as low-income countries remain far short of what their patients need.
Cheaper Weight-Loss Drugs Loom in India as Key Patent Expires
With the patent on semaglutide lapsing in 2026, Indian generic makers are lining up their own versions, and the government plans incentives to spur local production.