Over 1,00,000 children, below the age of 11 months, die of diarrhoea annually in India which is the second leading killer of young children globally, after pneumonia.

Expressing concern over the growing problem of vitamin-D deficiency across the globe, the second international conference on “Vitamin-D deficiency and its health consequences”, held recently in Abu Dhabi, has stressed on creating awareness and education among the masses, especially women, to control this global pandemic.

The prime objective of the conference was to identify the reasons of vitamin-D deficiency in the UAE, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the world; discuss issues related to laboratory measurement of vitamin, deliberate on consequences of vitamin D deficiency in bone and bone-related diseases like rickets, explain various biological roles of vitamin D in cancer, diabetes and depression and current clinical practice guidelines and their relevance.

Turkish Woman Born Without Uterus Is 6 Weeks Pregnant

London: In January 2014, the world may see a child born to a woman who has undergone the first ever successful womb transplant. The breakthrugh procedure was carried out last year by Turkish surgeons on 21-year-old Derya Sert, who was born without a uterus. Doctors from Akdeniz University Hospital in the Turkish city of Antalya announced this week that Sert is now six weeks pregnant and doctors have been able to hear a heartbeat.

Health Policy To Be Out For Debate Today

The health policy prepared by a panel of experts has recommended a complete reorganization of the government health system by introducing primary care providers along the lines of the family physician concept. The policy, which would be released for public debate on Saturday, points out the inadequacy of the presentday primary health care system to respond to certain challenges such as non-communicable diseases, mental health issues and geriatric care.

With an aim to identify and preserve the medicinal plants in the State, the Society for Promotion of Indigenous Knowledge and Practice (SPIKAP) is in the process of documentation and mapping of local health traditions in Meghalaya.

“The process also includes prioritisation, identification and mapping of medicinal plants used in the traditional medicine systems of the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo tribes of the State”, SPIKAP Chairman John F Kharshiing said on Thursday.

Mumbai: The insurance regulator has cleared a hike in health insurance rates for policies issued by New India Assurance, the country’s largest non-life insurer. The new rates are on an average 20% higher than the old ones which were in force from 2007 and will come into effect from next month.

The rate hike could trigger similar revisions among other state-owned non-life insurers since New India, being the largest, sets the benchmark for rates. TOI had reported in its January 26 edition that public sector insurers are set to revise health insurance rates by 20-25%.