• The Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare inaugurated the National Workshop on Accelerating Patient Safety in India in collaboration with WHO, held to sensitise various stakeholder departments on their role in implementing the National Patient Safety Implementation Framework.

• It recognizes the importance of patient safety as a subject of public health importance. 

• Under this comprehensive policy framework programs like the National Health Mission, Clinical Establishment Act, Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI), Pharmacovigilance Programme, Hemovigilance are all synchronized. 

• The MoS, reiterated the steps taken by India towards ensuring patient safety including adopting the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021-2030.

• The Central Government implements Strengthening of Tertiary Cancer Care Centres Facilities Scheme in order to enhance the facilities for tertiary care of cancer. 

• 19 State Cancer Institutes (SCIs) and 20 Tertiary Cancer Care Centres (TCCCs) have been approved.

• The Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, provides technical and financial support to the States/UTs under the NPCDCS, as part of National Health Mission (NHM), to strengthen State Cancer Institutes (SCIs) and Tertiary Care Cancer Centres (TCCCs). 

• There is also focus on Oncology in new AIIMS and many upgraded institutions under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna (PMSSY). 

• Setting up of National Cancer Institute at Jhajjar (Haryana) and second campus of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata are also steps in this direction. 

• Treatment of Cancers is also available under Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). 

• Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) Pharmacy stores have been set up in some hospitals/institutions, with an objective to make available Cancer drugs at a substantial discount.

• ODF plus village is defined as “a village which sustains its Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, ensures solid and liquid waste management and is visually clean” 

• Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen Phase-II was launched with the aim that all villages in the country can declare themselves as ODF Plus by the end of 2024. 

• Over 1.8 lakh villages in the country have achieved Open Defecation Free-Plus (ODF+) status so far, and the govt will attempt to double the number this year, according to an official of the Drinking Water and Sanitation department.

• On 6th February, 2023 when two powerful earthquakes hit Syria and Turkey, 3 truck load of relief materials were arranged at Hindon airbase consisting of life saving emergency medicines and protective items within 12 hours. 

• The consignment consisted of 5,945-ton emergency relief material which included 27 life-saving medicines, two kinds of protective items and three categories of critical care equipments, valued at approximately Rs 2 crore. 

• The consignment for Syria consisted of 72 critical care drugs, consumables and protective items of 7.3 tons, valued at Rs 1.4 crore. Relief materials sent for Turkey included 14 types of medical and critical care equipments, valued at Rs 4 crore.

• Use of mercury in skin lightening products is a serious public health issue requiring urgent attention. Limit of mercury in these products has been set at 1mg/1kg (1ppm) by Minamata Convention on Mercury. 

• Test of skin products from 22 countries have found that approximately 10% of these products exceeded limits of which many contained mercury around 100 times more than the approved amount. 

• The 14-million US$, "Eliminating mercury skin lightening products" project, led by UN Environment Programme (UNEP), with support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), World Health Organization (WHO) and Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI), brings Gabon, Jamaica and Sri Lanka together with an aim to enable policies towards best practices in cosmetic sector and phasing out mercury in skin products.

• The Lancet Global Health has published the first global study to provide estimates of the number of new cases of preventable NCDs, and associated public healthcare costs that would occur from 2020 to 2030, that could be prevented if levels of physical inactivity are reduced or eliminated. 

• The research findings estimated 499.2 million new cases of preventable major NCDs to occur globally by 2030, and put the global cost of inaction on physical activity at $47.6 billion per year. 

• Although 74% of estimated cases occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), a larger portion of the economic cost (63%) would fall on high-income countries. 

• A population-attributable fraction formula was applied to outcomes of diseases such as cancers, stroke, hypertension, type-2 diabetes, dementia and depression. 

• “Swastha Mann, Swastha Ghar” is a year-long campaign from November 2022 to October 2023. It will promote the theme of Health and Wellness to commemorate the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. 

• As part of the ongoing campaign, Health Melas will be organized on 14th of every month in 1.56 lakh Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centre (AB-HWC) across the country. 

• Activities like Yoga, Zumba, Teleconsultation, Nikshay Poshan Abhiyan, Non-Communicable Diseases screening and Drug Distribution, Sickle Cell Disease screening will be undertaken as part of these countrywide health melas. 

• This is in line with the new National Health Policy, 2017 which focuses on preventive and promotive healthcare, and the Fit India Movement, 2019.

The Government has taken several steps to combat pollution in the country, which include:

1. Notification of National Ambient Air Quality Standards

2. Notification of Emission standards for industrial sectors from time to time

3. Setting up of monitoring network for assessment of ambient air quality Introduction of cleaner / alternate fuels like gaseous fuel (CNG, LPG etc.)

4. Launching of National Air Quality index

5. Leapfrogging from BS-IV to BS-VI fuel standards. 

Notifications of waste management rules/regulations which were issued include:

1. Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016

2. E-Waste Management Rules, 2022

3. Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016

4. Bio-medical Waste Management Rules, 2016

5. Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules 2016

6. Utilization of Ash from Coal and Lignite based Thermal Power Plant 2021.