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Category: Editorials
October 10, 2016
In 1956, the four-year-old republic of India replaced the colonial Indian Medical Council with the Medical Council of India (MCI). This institution was meant to guide the young republic in establishing a modern system of medical education and developing the human resources to provide the most app...
June 30, 2016
In early May 2016, reports of a bizarre study to attempt a reversal of brain death made the headlines, but there was not even a squeak from the authorities. The "Reanima Project" is a collaboration between an Indian surgeon, Himanshu Bansal, and a US-based biotech company, Bioquark Inc. The re...
May 05, 2016
On March 8, 2016, the 92nd report on the functioning of the Medical Council of India (MCI) was placed before both Houses of Parliament by Professor Ram Gopal Yadav, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Health and Family Welfare.
May 05, 2016
The Chennai floods of 2015 were a calamity of unexpected proportions. The impact on the lives of the poor has been immense. Thousands needed to abandon their already precarious dwellings on the banks of the Adyar River, and other low-lying areas for temporary shelters. The differential experience...
January 21, 2016
Measuring academic achievements is never an easy task. This is particularly so when individuals are assessed for promotions in several fields with differing job descriptions. Assessment by peers is time-consuming and may be prone to bias; thus, objective criteria are required to minimise these co...
January 21, 2016
The articles in this special issue have emerged from work towards the sixth National Bioethics Conference entitled "Healing and dying with dignity: Ethical issues in palliative care, end-of-life care and euthanasia". These contributions from physicians and social scientists touch upon three close...
October 04, 2015
The Medical Council of India (MCI) has taken a regressive step. Its circular (No. MCI-12(1)/2015-TEQ/131880, dated September 3, 2015), which is entitled "Clarification with regard to research publications in the matter of promotion for teaching faculty in medical colleges/institutions", is regres...
April 24, 2015
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recently unveiled a draft "National Health Policy (NHP)", which was available for public comments till March 10, 2015. Arguably the exercise of crafting a national policy on health is an important and necessary step towards universalising access to health...
July 03, 2015
In April 2015, the Union Cabinet approved the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014, which proposes to bring about regressive changes in the law, that would not only be unconstitutional but also unethical. In May 2015, the Ministry of Women and Child Development introduced...
July 03, 2015
Trust is an essential component of good healthcare. If patients trust their physicians, then the relationship between them can be a richer and more meaningful one. The patient is more likely to feel confident and able to disclose symptoms, helping diagnosis and future care. If public health and c...