Health

In 2023 alone, roughly 260,000 women worldwide died during or shortly after childbirth, with 22 per cent (about 58,000 maternal deaths) occurring in the Asia-Pacific – many of which were preventable with timely midwife-led care.

The World Health Organization on Monday announced Nepal has eliminated rubella as a public health problem, a remarkable achievement for a country making concerted efforts to protect its people from vaccine preventable diseases.

The research surveyed 313 doctors using anonymous, self-administered questionnaires. Results are stark: 81.2 per cent of participants scored below the acceptable threshold for knowledge of medical ethics – defined as less than 60 out of 100 – for routine clinical ethical guidelines.

According to the study, which surveyed 2,000 workers from 290 units, 93 per cent of workers’ ESI contributions are not deducted, 92 per cent are excluded from PF benefits, and 90 per cent are not issued salary receipts.

The report underscores the importance of regular, population-based health surveys to track progress and ensure accountability.

Notably, five of the infected are children, and data show that those aged 15 and above face a higher mortality risk—especially if unvaccinated.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has sounded a dire warning about Afghanistan’s escalating hunger crisis, as an economic downturn, recurring droughts, and the forced return of thousands of Afghan migrants strain the country’s fragile infrastructure and limited resources.

UNICEF also called for more humanitarian aid and commercial traffic to come in to stabilise the situation and reduce the desperation of the population.