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  • Aarogyasri dues reach ₹1,000cr; Telangana hospitals threaten to stop service

    Aarogyasri dues reach ₹1,000cr; Telangana hospitals threaten to stop service

    Telangana Arogyasri Network Hospitals have warned the state government that they will stop providing services under the Arogyasri scheme from January 10 unless their pending dues are cleared. The hospitals are facing severe financial strain as they have not been paid for over a year.

    The Telangana Arogyasri Network Hospitals Association (TANA) has informed the Arogyasri CEO about this issue, citing over Rs. 1000 crore in arrears, including dues from the Government Employees Health Scheme (EHS) and the Journalists Health Scheme (JHS). Hospitals say they can no longer continue Arogyasri services due to these financial problems.

    The government has released Rs. 820 crore for Arogyasri treatments in the last year, but TANA claims that Rs. 672 crore of dues were left unpaid during the previous BRS government, and the situation has worsened since the Congress took power. While government hospitals have been paid first, private hospitals receive smaller payments, leading to increasing arrears.

    The Health Department states that Rs. 40 crore was released recently, and the total outstanding dues are under Rs. 400 crore. However, hospitals insist they cannot continue without full payment. The Hans India

  • DoB asks researchers, scientists, clinicians to collaborate on cardiovascular health

    DoB asks researchers, scientists, clinicians to collaborate on cardiovascular health

    The Department of Biotechnology has invited researchers, scientists and clinicians to collaborate in multicentric projects focusing on ‘Cardiovascular health and diseases’ as part of chronic and lifestyle disease program.

    The aim is to gain insights into the pathophysiology of cardiovascular complications and understanding cardiac functions and develop early risk-assessment strategies to prevent the multi dimensional complexities associated with CVD, the Expression of Interest (EOI) document said.

    Recent comprehensive research analysis on Global burden of the Diseases for the period from 1990 to 2019 has identified cardiovascular disease as the topmost causes of morbidity and mortality in India.

    It is found that besides the role of metabolic drivers in cardiovascular events, economic, social and environmental factors also contribute to biological pathways leading to cardiovascular diseases, the document said.

    Long-term cardiac complications have been learnt to be associated with post Covid-19 pandemic with worse outcomes in many cases.

    This also envisages the need for better biological models of the myocardium for understanding cardiac functions and to study CV consequences of viral infections, individuals for CVD for early-risk assessment reduce the disease burden, the document said.

    Against this backdrop, the Department of Biotechnology invited EoI from the private and public academic institutions.

    The Expressions of Interest (EOIs) has been invited for developing multi-centric collaborative projects involving basic scientists and clinicians in specific areas such as cardiovascular consequences of viral infection, including post Covid impact and Models for understanding cardiac function and drug discovery.

    The projects can also be developed for Cardio-metabolic Health-Unmet Need and prevention strategies which can include identifying the highest risk populations (in the paediatric, adolescent and adult populations among others ) for CVD and heart failure and earlier identification of patients at risk novel biomarker identification or predictive algorithms to assess changes in risk. PTI

  • MP flags off 66 MMUs

    MP flags off 66 MMUs

    Chief Minister Mohan Yadav flagged off 66 mobile medical units under the ‘PM Janman Yojana’ from CM Residence on Monday. The mobile units will be operational in over 1000 villages and will provide required medical attention to over 3 lakh people.

    The mobile units are equipped with state-of-the-art x-ray machines, oxygen cylinders, stretchers, and other required medical equipment. The government has started this scheme to aid people living in remote areas of the state. Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla and other members of the government were present on this occasion.

    According to information, districts such as Anuppur, Ashok Nagar, Balaghat, Chindwara, Datia, Dindori, Guna, Gwalior, Katni, Mandla, Morena, Narsinghpur, Satna, Shahdol, Sheopur, Sidhi, Shivpuri, Jabalpur, Raisen, Umaria, and Vidisha will get benefits from the new Medical Mobile Unit. This initiative aims to provide medical facilities to remote and underprivileged areas of the state.

    With the Medical Mobile Unit, villagers would no longer need to travel long distances for minor health check-ups, as these services will now be available directly in their villages. The scheme is expected to benefit over three lakh residents living in over 1.2K villages. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav with Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla and other members of the government flagged off the medical units. Free Press Journal

  • PMC fails to use ₹7.5cr CSR funds collected during pandemic

    PMC fails to use ₹7.5cr CSR funds collected during pandemic

    The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is receiving flak for its failure to utilize ₹7.5 crore collected under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) during the Covid-19 pandemic. These funds, donated by various companies to improve healthcare facilities in civic hospitals, remain unused. Activists have raised concerns about the administration’s inefficiency in handling such resources.

    Activist Vivek Velankar expressed his disappointment, stating, “Despite the hardships faced by citizens during the pandemic, the PMC failed to utilize the donated funds. This negligence raises serious concerns about the administration’s accountability. The civic body is taking people’s generosity for granted.”

    ₹7.43 unused
    In March 2020, at the peak of the Covid-19 crisis, PMC appealed to citizens and corporations to contribute towards strengthening healthcare infrastructure.

    This appeal resulted in donations of ₹4.89 crore in 2020-21 and ₹3.10 crore in 2021-22. However, not a single rupee from the 2020-21 fund was spent, while only ₹1.30 crore from the 2021-22 contributions was utilized for purchasing hospital beds and oxygen supplies. The remaining funds earned ₹70 lakh in interest, and ₹7.43 crore now remains unused in the Covid-19 CSR account.

    In July 2023, Velankar obtained information about this matter under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. However, as of the latest RTI update, no significant steps have been taken to utilize these funds in the past 18 months.

    Velankar has further demanded that, “The unused ₹7.43 crore be allocated towards upgrading medical facilities in PMC-run hospitals and clinics so that underprivileged patients can get better healthcare in Pune.”

    PMC Health Chief, Dr Neena Borade, did not respond when contacted for a comment. Free Press Journal

  • HMPV: Gujarat sets up isolation wards in 3 cities

    HMPV: Gujarat sets up isolation wards in 3 cities

    Isolation wards have been created in Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad and Rajkot civil hospitals as a precautionary measure after Gujarat registered its first case of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) — a respiratory illness with flu-like symptoms, officials said on Tuesday.

    The development came a day after the state government revealed a two-month-old boy admitted to a private hospital in Ahmedabad was detected with the HMPV infection nearly two weeks ago.

    To deal with any health emergency, isolation wards having 15 beds each (total 45) have been created in three major civil hospitals of Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad and Rajkot, said a statement by the health department.

    All these wards are currently vacant as no new cases of suspected (HMPV) infection has been detected, said the statement.

    On Monday, the health department issued a circular asking all government hospitals to take necessary steps to handle (HMPV) cases. Additional testing kits will be procured and distributed to these hospitals in coming days to speed up detection of the HMP virus, a department release said.

    “We have created a 15-bed isolation ward at Ahmedabad civil hospital to meet any emergency in the future. Since there is no specific vaccine or medicine for this infection, patients will be given treatment as per their symptoms. Our staff is fully prepared to tackle any situation. We have also procured testing kits for detection,” said civil superintendent Dr Rakesh Joshi.

    Health Minister Rushikesh Patel on Monday said his department held a meeting on January 4 and instructed chief district health officers, civil surgeons, superintendents of sub-district hospitals in the state to pay full attention to matters related to the virus.

    The department has also issued an advisory asking people to cover their face while sneezing, avoid going to crowded places, keep distance from flu-infected persons, get adequate sleep and drink water as much as possible and contact a doctor for any respiratory issues.

    The Union health ministry has emphasised that HMPV is already in circulation globally, including in India, and cases of respiratory illnesses associated with the virus have been reported in various countries.

    Furthermore, based on current data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) network, there has been no unusual surge in Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) or Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases in the country, it said.

    HMPV is a respiratory disease that causes flu or cold-like symptoms, but can increase risks or lead to more serious complications like bronchitis or pneumonia, particularly among the elderly, young children, and immunocompromised people. PTI

  • Tubi hits 97 million users, shaking up FAST streaming race

    Tubi hits 97 million users, shaking up FAST streaming race

    Tubi experienced strong momentum in 2024, with Fox Corporation’s free ad-supported streamer reaching 97 million monthly active users, with over 10 billion hours streamed during the calendar year.

    “Tubi’s momentum is growing as audiences increasingly value a premium entertainment experience that is also 100% free, fun and reflective of culture,” Tubi CEO Anjali Sud said in a statement. “Our strategy is simple yet powerful: put viewers first by offering unique stories from unique storytellers, a vast selection of content to choose from and a delightful experience across devices. We let our viewers guide us and obsess over their engagement, and we are seeing the results.”

    While Tubi has seen significant growth since being acquired by Fox Corporation for $440 million in 2020, the monthly active user metric is not universally agreed upon due to different platforms having different definitions for what constitutes an active user. A Tubi spokesperson did not immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment on how it calculates the MAU figure.

    In addition to its user growth, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch told Wall Street during the company’s first quarter earnings call in November that Tubi is on track to cross the $1 billion revenue mark this fiscal year.

    Tubi, which accounted for a 1.8% share of TV viewing in November according to Nielsen’s latest Gauge report, offers 275,000 movies and TV episodes and over 300 Tubi originals, which are viewed by nearly 1 in 4 viewers

    Tubi’s chief content officer Adam Lewinson previously told TheWrap that about 63% of Tubi’s audience is made up of cord-cutters and cord-nevers, and 40% is “unreachable” on other ad-supported SVODs. More than 90% of that audience’s consumption comes from the service’s on-demand programming, he added.

    In comparison, Samsung TV Plus reported 88 million monthly active users in October. Pluto, which stopped reporting its MAU figure back in 2023, last disclosed a total of 80 million monthly active users. Pluto made up 0.9% of TV viewing in November, according to Nielsen.

    Roku, which reported a total of 85.5 million streaming households in its third quarter of 2024, will stop disclosing the metric starting in the first quarter of 2025. The Roku Channel reported a share of 1.9% of TV viewing during the month of November, according to Nielsen.

    The post Tubi Hits 97 Million Monthly Active Users appeared first on TheWrap. MSN

  • Discovery+ prices go up by a dollar in first hike by streaming service this year

    Discovery+ prices go up by a dollar in first hike by streaming service this year

    Warner Bros Discovery’s streaming platform Discovery+ is increasing its monthly subscription price by $1, the company said on Tuesday, becoming the first streaming service to raise rates in the new year.

    Last year, several streaming services, including Warner Bros Discovery’s flagship service Max, Paramount+, and Peacock, increased subscription prices to focus on profitability as the market matures and subscriber growth slows.

    Discovery+’s ad-supported plan will now cost $5.99 per month, up from $4.99, while the ad-free plan will increase to $9.99 from $8.99.

    New subscribers will see the price change immediately, with existing subscribers affected during their next billing cycle or from February 7.

    Warner Bros Discovery does not break out the number of subscribers for Discovery+, but it’s believed to have a smaller user base than Max.

    The service offers content from channels such as Food Network, Animal Planet, and Magnolia Network, with most of its programming also available on Max.

    It streams adventure reality shows such as the “Deadliest Catch” and “Dual Survival”.

    Warner Bros Discovery is undergoing a restructuring and announced in December its plans to separate its declining cable TV businesses, such as CNN, from streaming and studio operations like Max, setting the stage for a potential sale or spinoff of its TV business as more cable subscribers cut the cord. MSN

  • V Narayanan takes charge as ISRO Chairman, succeeding S Somanath

    V Narayanan takes charge as ISRO Chairman, succeeding S Somanath

    Rocket scientist V Narayanan was on Tuesday appointed Secretary of the Department of Space, succeeding S Somanath, who will complete his tenure next week.

    “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved appointment of Shri V. Narayanan, Director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Valiamala as Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, Space Commission for a period of two years with effect from 14.01.2025, or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” an official order said.

    Secretary of the Department of Space also holds the charge of chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

    Somanath assumed charge as the Secretary of the Department of Space on January 14, 2022, for a three-year term.

    Narayanan, a distinguished Scientist at the ISRO, has nearly four decades of experience and has held various key positions within the Indian space organisation.

    Narayanan’s expertise lies in rocket and spacecraft propulsion. He was the Project Director for the C25 Cryogenic Project of the GSLV Mk Ill vehicle.

    Under his leadership, the team successfully developed the C25 Stage, a vital component of GSLV Mk III.

    Narayanan, a Rocket & Space Craft Propulsion Expert, joined the ISRO in 1984 and functioned in various capacities before becoming Director of the Centre.

    During the initial phase, for four and a half years, he worked in the Solid Propulsion area of Sounding Rockets and Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).

    In 1989, he completed his M.Tech in Cryogenic Engineering with First Rank at IIT-Kharagpur and joined the Cryogenic Propulsion area in the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC). The Hindu BusinessLine

  • Bharti Airtel to lead subscriber growth in Q3FY25

    Bharti Airtel to lead subscriber growth in Q3FY25

    After a brief impact of SIM consolidation, subscribers are likely to grow again from Q3FY25, according to ICICI Securities (ISec) in their telecom report. Bharti Airtel is projected to benefit the most, with subscriber additions estimated at around 5 million, while Reliance Jio’s subscriber additions are estimated at 3 million. Meanwhile, Vodafone Idea (Vi) may lose up to 4 million subscribers, the report said.

    “Subs base that dipped in Q2FY25 on SIM consolidation, may resume growing. Airtel’s 4G/5G net add should remain stable at 6mn; Vi’s 4G subs may dip by 1mn, which should grow from Q4FY25E on network expansion benefits,” said the report.

    ARPU to grow QoQ on the back of tariff hike but with lower intensity
    Stating that the residual ARPU benefits from teclos’ earlier tariff hikes will continue in Q3FY25, ISec estimated Airtel’s ARPU to grow 5 per cent QoQ/17.7 per cent YoY to ₹245. In terms of mobile services revenue growth, Airtel is estimated to increase 5.3 per cent QoQ, partly due to Indus Towers’ complete consolidation, changing company status from associate to subsidiary.

    Jio’s ARPU may jump 3.8 per cent QoQ/11.5 per cent YoY to ₹203. Commenting on the comparatively lower growth, the report said, “Optically, growth may appear lower vs Airtel, as Jio has a higher proportion of long validity subs; hence, tariff hike translation is staggered over three quarters.”

    Vi’s ARPU is expected to rise 3 per cent QoQ/10.8 per cent YoY to ₹161 but revenue to grow 1 per cent QoQ/3.5 per cent YoY to ₹110 billion due to subs losses. The report also expects a dip in 4G subs, as network rollout started from November 2024. The Hindu BusinessLine

  • Sluggish Q3FY25, ad revenues to improve in FY26, say broadcasters

    Sluggish Q3FY25, ad revenues to improve in FY26, say broadcasters

    Broadcasters are likely to report subdued ad revenues in the third quarter on a year-on-year basis, as per analysts. At the same time, multiplex companies are expected to report expansion in revenues on the back of hits such as Pushpa 2, Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 in the December quarter. This was even as October was a washout month due to lack of any big releases.

    Abneesh Roy, Executive Director, Nuvama Institutional Equities, in a report said media companies are likely to report a muted Q3FY25. “Broadcasters shall continue to suffer a year-on-year dip in ad revenues due to muted ad spends by FMCG companies. However, their subscription revenues are likely to improve year on year aided by price hikes and an increase in subscriber base,” he added. He said that ad revenues are expected to improve in FY26 as pricing power comes back for consumer companies and due to a likely reversal in urban slowdown in the second half of 2025.

    Karan Taurani, Senior Vice-President, Elara Capital, said in a report that FMCG sector’s share of TV ads is estimated at about 47 per cent. He added that slowdown in FMCG sector has led them to cut back on spending which has hit traditional broadcast players. Echoing a similar sentiment, he said that broadcasters are likely to report drop in ad revenues, but growth momentum in subscription revenues.

    Box-office results
    Meanwhile, multiplex players, which have been facing a volatile FY25, are expected to ride on a healthy box-office performance during December quarter to report expansion in revenues year on year.

    Elara Capital’s Taurani said that overall net Hindi box-office collections jumped nearly 40 per cent quarter on quarter and 7 per cent year on year to ₹1,510 crore. “Sequentially, key metrics such as average ticket price, spend per head may script a strong comeback for the multiplex industry,” he added.

    Roy said that while October was a washout, November and December were decent for the domestic box-office performance. However, analysts believe that multiplex players may report flattish occupancy numbers due to the adverse impact of October. The Hindu BusinessLine