In the wake of references being made to investigate the health issues of mine workers, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) proposes to establish a statutory authority.

Cancer, tuberculosis, silicosis, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders and pulmonary function impairment such as asthma affect mine workers. The proposed authority will coordinate with the Ministries and authorities concerned for taking administrative, legal and medical action.

New Delhi: As many as 211 people died between January and June 2012 due to serious adverse events (SAE) during clinical trials.

An expert team will be constituted to look into the allegations of unethical clinical trials being carried out in hospitals and private research centres in the State in violation of the norms sets by the Indian Council for Medical Research, the Health Minister, V. S. Sivakumar, has said.

This was in reaction to the reports regarding the same, which appeared in a section of the media on Thursday. Following the media reports, activists of the All India Youth Federation marched to the Health Research Centre near the Medical College Hospital, alleging that the Centre was carrying out various clinical drug trials without proper consent from patients.

The Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) V M Katoch on Thursday said the HIV vaccines being developed by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, is set

It wants health booklets and smart cards issued to patients

To ensure proper implementation of the relief and rehabilitation programme and regular health care facilities for the Bhopal gas leak victims, the Supreme Court on Thursday ordered that all medical records of patients be computerised and health booklets and smart cards be issued to each victim. A Bench of Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia and Justices A.K. Patnaik and Swatanter Kumar gave this directive on a petition filed by the Bhopal Gas Peedith Mahila Udyog Sanghathan.

Mandatory ethics panel oversight, explanation within 30 days of a death & compensation rules coming

The Union health ministry and the drug regulator’s office are preparing to introduce norms and notifications to monitor clinical trials in a better way. In the wake of criticism of the existing guidelines, the ministry has planned to make it mandatory for every clinical trial site to have an internal ethics committee. It wants these committees to be registered with the drug regulator. The ministry is also working on norms for payment of timely compensation to victims in such trials.

Itanagar: Over a hundred people were affected by an undiagnosed disease at Pasighat town and its adjoining areas in East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh since early this month.

The disease is like viral fever but no medicine available in the district to fight the symptoms have helped those ailing from it. Tako Dabi, political advisor to chief minister, who is also a victim of the disease said in a statement on Tuesday that the symptoms were neither that of malaria nor of typhoid which are prevalent in Arunachal Pradesh. This has drawn the attention of the state government for early solution to the problem.

GUWAHATI: The Nartional Rural Health Mission (NRHM) organized a meeting for the Northeastern States on Thursday which was chaired by special secretary, Government of India Heshab Desiraju.

The purpose of carrying out the meeting was deliberate on the implementation of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products act, Food Safety and Standard Act, Regulations, Tobacco Tax and other important issues related to health and sociio-economic burden of tobacco consumption.

Phone towers in India emit very strong radiations. With rising concern about their role in certain types of cancer, government has decided to cut radiation limits to a tenth from Sept 1.