Latest news with #NMR
The Hindu
10-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu attain U.N. Sustainable Development Goals in MMR, U5MR, NMR, says report
Three States in India — Kerala, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu — have attained the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets in Maternal Mortality Rate or MMR (<=70 by 2030); Under-Five Mortality Rate or U5MR (<=25 by 2030); and Neonatal Mortality Rate or NMR (<=12 by 2030), according to the Sample Registration System Report 2021 released by the Registrar General of India earlier this week. According to the report, eight States have already attained the MMR SDG target, including Kerala (20), Maharashtra (38), Telangana (45), Andhra Pradesh (46), Tamil Nadu (49), Jharkhand (51), Gujarat (53), and Karnataka (63). Twelve States/Union Territories have already attained the U5MR SDG target — Kerala (eight), Delhi (14), Tamil Nadu (14), Jammu & Kashmir (16), Maharashtra (16), West Bengal (20), Karnataka (21), Punjab (22), Telangana (22), Himachal Pradesh (23), Andhra Pradesh (24), and Gujarat (24). Also Read | India's latest Maternal Mortality Ratio shows a declining trend Six States/Union Territories have already attained the NMR SDG target — Kerala (four), Delhi (eight), Tamil Nadu (nine), Maharashtra (11), Jammu & Kashmir (12), and Himachal Pradesh (12). India has continued to see significant improvement in key maternal and child health indicators, the report said. A special bulletin on MMR in India in 2019-21, based on data from the Sample Registration System, found India's MMR had shown a marked reduction, declining by 37 points from 130 per lakh live births in 2014-16 to 93 in 2019-21. The downward trend in child mortality indicators also continues. India's Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) declined from 39 per 1,000 live births in 2014 to 27 per 1,000 live births in 2021. The NMR declined from 26 per 1,000 live births in 2014 to 19 per 1,000 live births in 2021. The U5MR declined from 45 per 1,000 live births in 2014 to 31 per 1,000 live births in 2021. The Sex Ratio at Birth improved from 899 in 2014 to 913 in 2021. The Total Fertility Rate has remained consistent at 2.0 in 2021, a significant improvement from 2.3 in 2014. 'India's progress in the reduction of maternal and child mortality indicators outpaces global averages,'' a senior Union Health Ministry official said. According to the current UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-agency Group Report 2000-2023, published on April 7, India's MMR fell by 23 points from 2020 to 2023, the official said. With this achievement, India's MMR has declined by 86% when compared with global reduction of 48% over the past 33 years (1990 to 2023), he said. 'India is among the top performing countries with reduction in Child Mortality Rates. As per the [Sample Registration System] report, India achieved a 78% decline in the U5MR surpassing the global reduction of 61%, 70% decline in the NMR compared to 54% globally, and 71% decline in the IMR compared to 58% globally, over the past 33 years from 1990 to 2023,'' a release issued by the Health Ministry on Saturday said. Health data systems are being reinforced and real-time surveillance for maternal, newborn, and child health carried out through digital platforms, thereby facilitating data-driven, evidence-based policy decisions, the Ministry said. 'Focused interventions ensure that every pregnant woman is entitled to free institutional delivery, including caesarean sections, along with complimentary transport, medication, diagnostics, and nutrition support in public health facilities. Key clinical practices such as the administration of antenatal corticosteroids for preterm labour, use of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), and structured follow-up for hearing and vision screening contribute to improved newborn survival outcomes. These measures support approximately 300 lakh safe pregnancies and 260 lakh healthy live births annually,'' the Health Ministry said in its statement.
Hans India
10-05-2025
- Health
- Hans India
India continues to witness significant improvement in key maternal, child health indicators: Report
New Delhi: India is witnessing a steady downward trend in maternal and child mortality towards the achievement of UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030 targets, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Saturday. Citing Registrar General of India's (RGI) recently launched Sample Registration System (SRS) Report 2021, the Ministry stated that there has been a significant reduction in Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) and Under-Five Mortality Rate (U5MR). "India's progress in reduction of maternal and child mortality indicators outpaces global averages,' the Ministry said. "These sustained improvements are a result of strategic interventions and the unwavering commitment of the government," it added. While the MMR declined by 37 points from 130 per lakh live births in 2014-16 to 93 in 2019-21, the IMR declined from 39 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 27 per 1000 live births in 2021. NMR declined from 26 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 19 per 1000 live births in 2021, and U5MR declined from 45 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 31 per 1000 live births in 2021. Notably, the sex ratio at birth saw an improvement from 899 in 2014 to 913 in 2021. Total Fertility Rate is consistent at 2.0 in 2021, which is a significant improvement from 2.3 in 2014, according to the SRS report. Further, it showed that eight states have already attained the SDG target of MMR: Kerala (20), Maharashtra (38), Telangana (45), Andhra Pradesh (46), Tamil Nadu (49), Jharkhand (51), Gujarat (53), Karnataka (63). Twelve states/UT have already attained SDG target of U5MR: Kerala (8), Delhi (14), Tamil Nadu (14), Jammu and Kashmir (16), Maharashtra (16), West Bengal (20), Karnataka (21), Punjab (22), Telangana (22), Himachal Pradesh (23), Andhra Pradesh (24) and Gujarat (24). Six states/ UT have already attained the SDG target of NMR: Kerala (4), Delhi (8), Tamil Nadu (9), Maharashtra (11), Jammu and Kashmir (12) and Himachal Pradesh (12). The ministry attributed the improvements to "the flagship health schemes which have seamlessly integrated to guarantee dignified, respectful, and high-quality healthcare services -- completely free of cost, with zero tolerance for denial of care". The Ministry said it is also reinforcing health data systems and real-time surveillance for maternal, newborn, and child health through digital platforms, thereby facilitating data-driven, evidence-based policy decisions.
The Hindu
07-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
CCMB scientists discover proteins flexibility, could lead to new advances in medicine
Scientists at the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) have shown that proteins do not always rely on their fixed three-dimensional shape for function, but their structures are flexible to carry out multiple tasks. These findings have the potential to pave the way for new advances in medicine, agriculture and biotechnology in helping scientists to design proteins that can multitask more efficiently, said an official release on Wednesday. In a latest study, scientists — Mandar V. Deshmukh, Debadutta Patra and Jaydeep Paul — using a powerful Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and computational methods, have detected tiny populations of protein structures (just 1%) that switch into different shapes for short periods. These rare shifts are vital for recognising different RNA forms and help explain how plants manage complex gene control. 'What we have shown is that a protein's ability to change shape, even slightly, can be just as important as its structure,' said lead author Mr. Deshmukh. 'By capturing the fleeting, dynamic states of these proteins, we have shown that their ability to rearrange their structure transiently gives them a functional edge in complex cellular environments,' he said. 'This enables organisms to regulate genes efficiently under varying conditions and could change the way we think about designing new medicines or improving plant traits,' added the scientist. The study shows how subtle changes in a protein's sequence can lead to significant differences in function, emphasising the need for a combined study of both structure and dynamics, particularly for proteins that are drug targets. 'Our results reveal nature's originality in designing a unique approach to grant promiscuity to a few proteins,' remarked joint first authors of the study Mr. Patra and Mr. Paul. This study, published in the latest issue of 'Journal of the American Chemical Society', also offers a plausible explanation for how plants fine-tune RNA processing without expanding their protein repertoire, added the press release.
New Indian Express
02-05-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Chennai Mayor hands over Rs 7L aid to sanitary workers
CHENNAI: On the occasion of May Day, Chennai Mayor R Priya distributed welfare kits worth Rs 7.41 lakh to 400 sanitation and malaria workers at an event held at the Ripon Building. The mayor also took part in a feast organised for the workers. Currently, 3,959 permanent sanitation workers, 420 Non Muster Roll (NMR) workers and 4,990 workers from SHGs are employed in Chennai corporation. The welfare kits, which include two uniforms, towels, a cap, tiffin box, water bottle and a bag, will be distributed to all of them. Addressing the workers, the mayor said based on Chief Minister MK Stalin's directive, identity cards were issued last month through Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing and Development Corporation (TAHDCO) to both permanent and temporary sanitation workers in government and private sectors. The ID cards will enable them to access various welfare schemes. The mayor also highlighted the establishment of one-stop centres for cleanliness workers in all 15 zones to offer support services for the workers.
New Indian Express
01-05-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
NMR yet to take off; less than 1% of doctors have applied for enrollment so far
NEW DELHI: The National Medical Register (NMR), a centralised database of registered medical practitioners in modern medicine in the country, has received less than one per cent of doctor applications for enrollment in the last eight months despite it being mandatory for registered doctors in India to enrol in the central registry. But what is shocking is that out of the less than one per cent of doctors who have so far applied for NMR, which was launched with great fanfare by Union Health Minister J P Nadda on August 23, 98 per cent of applications have not been approved. There are over 13 lakh registered medical practitioners (RMPs) in India. According to an RTI, the National Medical Council (NMC) received 10,411 applications till April 24. The RTI reply, dated April 29, said that the total number of applications not approved to date is 10,237, including 139 applications where queries were raised. 'The total number of applications rejected to date is two,' the reply said. According to Kerala-based Dr K V Babu, who filed the RTI, according to information provided by the NMC, 13,08,009 allopathic doctors were registered with the State Medical Councils (SMCs) and the NMC as of June 2022. 'The RTI has revealed that 10,411 applications were submitted, of which the NMC has not approved 10,237. The NMC should understand the implications of 98% non-approval of the applications. Of the over 13 lakh doctors, over 10,000 applicants have even applied for the registration in about eight months. It is just 0.8% of the total doctors in India,' Dr Babu told this paper. He said what is ironic is that 98% of applications have not been approved. The NMR is mandated under Section 31 of the NMC Act, 2019, which states that the Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) of NMC shall maintain a national register in electronic form containing the name, address, and all recognised qualifications possessed by a licensed medical practitioner. As per the gazette notification of May 10, 2023, enrolling is mandatory in NMR, which Nadda had described as a comprehensive and dynamic database for allopathic (MBBS) registered doctors in India at the time of its launch. The RTI activist said there are a few takers for NMR because the registration process has become very complicated. He said that once the registration number and degree certificates are verified by the SMCs, the NMC should automatically enrol doctors, as the erstwhile Medical Council of India (MCI) did in the past. But in the new process, the doctors are asked not only to upload Aadhar but also to submit an affidavit if their names or state medical council names do not match the current data. 'NMC should withdraw the direction to upload the affidavit,' said Dr Babu, one of the doctors who faced immense problems getting himself registered because the name on his Aadhaar and his certificate was different. Dr Babu said the situation was brought to the attention of the NMC chairman last year in October. 'Instead of rectifying the mistake, NMC is continuing the ineffective method of NMR registration, which will be disastrous. If this continues, it will take 100 years for doctors to be registered.' The Indian Medical Association (IMA), which has four lakh members, also took up the matter with the NMC last year.
