Indian journal of medical ethics
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Indian J Med Ethics · Oct 2021
Call for emergency action to limit global temperature increases, restore biodiversity, and protect health: Wealthy nations must do much more, much faster.
The UN General Assembly in September 2021 will bring countries together at a critical time for marshalling collective action to tackle the global environmental crisis. They will meet again at the biodiversity summit in Kunming, China, and the climate conference (COP26) in Glasgow, UK. Ahead of these pivotal meetings, we-the editors of health journals worldwide-call for urgent action to keep average global temperature increases below 1.5°C, halt the destruction of nature, and protect health.
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Indian J Med Ethics · Jan 2021
Implementing the Epidemic Diseases Act to combat Covid-19 in India: An ethical analysis.
Many states in India have invoked the provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, as a major tool in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. The current review attempts to discuss the ethical challenges in implementation of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, to combat Covid-19 in India. Implementation of the Act in India has exposed its major limitations. ⋯ The Epidemic Diseases Act in its current form has the potential to cause more harm than good. Furthermore, the Epidemic Disease (Amendment) Bill, 2020, has not addressed any of these concerns. There is need for a rights-based, people-focused and public health-oriented law in India to deal with epidemics.
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Indian J Med Ethics · Jul 2020
ReviewHydroxychloroquine and Remdesivir in COVID-19: A critical analysis of recent events.
The world is going through an unprecedented medical emergency with no effective remedy for the SARS-CoV2 virus causing Covid-19. Two drugs used for other indications in the past, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and remdesivir (RDV), are sought to be repurposed to treat Covid-19. Both these drugs have received emergency use authorisation by the US Food and Drug Administration. In this review, we critically analyse the identification of and subsequent events concerning these two drugs as potential treatment options for Covid-19, and conclude by raising some ethical issues that require serious thought from the global scientific community concerned with using these two drugs against Covid-19.
Key Words: Covid-19, hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, USFDA, emergency use authorisation
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Indian J Med Ethics · May 2020
Healthcare delivery in India amid the Covid-19 pandemic: Challenges and opportunities.
In India, the Covid-19 pandemic has thrown open challenges on multiple fronts: (a) the reconfiguration of care in hospitals, in response to Covid-19, has led to many patients suffering non-Covid conditions having to delay their treatment, and (b) the lockdown which though necessary has affected people unequally, some being much worse-off than others. This article unpacks the impact of Covid-19 on healthcare systems in India by raising moral and ethical questions about the plight of patients with other medical conditions while accessing care. This article also proposes a set of actions by which healthcare systems can address Covid and non-Covid related healthcare needs.
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Indian J Med Ethics · May 2020
The Covid-19 pandemic and India's cardiovascular disease burden: Finding the right balance.
The national lockdown in India has (thus far) prevented a surge of Covid-19 cases. Due to crowded living conditions and poor social security, infectious spread may be difficult to contain and mitigate. ⋯ Neglecting chronic diseases may lead to permanent health damage and deaths that far exceed the negative outcomes of the pandemic alone. As businesses start to reopen, the healthcare system must find a balance in attending to Covid-19 rises amidst a significant chronic disease backdrop.
Keywords: India, Covid-19, cardiovascular disease, pandemic.