Celebrating our Scientists, Reliving The Trauma

The Vaccine War: Movie Review Rating: 8/10 The latest offering by Vivek Agnihotri is a daring venture: a tribute to the scientists at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) who played a vital role in India’s battle against the COVID pandemic. The movie is an adaptation of Balram Bhargava’s book Going Viral. It sensitively […]

Thank you, FPJ and Dr Harish Shetty!

The Free Press Journal kindly listed me among the “Angels of Mumbai” in 2021 for a few things we did to help our fellow citizens during this COVID pandemic. I am pleasantly surprised, and a bit overwhelmed at the acknowledgment. It is only a small contribution in a colossal global catastrophe running over the past […]

AstraZeneca / Covishield vs Delta Variant, and Timing of 2nd dose of vaccine

The delta variant of SARS-COV2 is estimated to be 30-100% more transmissible than other prevalent variants and cause more severe infections than the original alpha-variant. At last count, it has spread to 80 countries and has rapidly become the dominant strain in several countries such as India and UK. Some concerns were expressed that the […]

COVID-19 Treatment & Vaccination: A Potential Model for Upgrading India’s Public Health System

As the nation’s COVID vaccination program takes off in earnest, a most striking feature has been the near-flawless conduction of the program at government hospitals as well as outsourced COVID facilities. The government’s rollout has received a staggeringly high 97% positive rating by healthcare workers, who were the first to receive the vaccines in the […]

GST on Doctors’ Consultation Fees?

A recent article claiming that GST officials are sending notices to hospitals with regard to doctors / consultants’ fees being taxable under GST is creating great unrest in the medical community. Healthcare, with some exemptions such as cosmetic surgery, medicines and some ancillary services such as food and equipment supplies, has largely been kept out […]