Banega Swasth India Podcast

On the #BanegaSwasthIndia podcast, Dr. Arumugam Kalimuthu, Executive Director, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Institute, answers your questions on the crucial link between sanitation, health, and hygiene.

On World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day, Dr NK Ganguly, Former Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), talks about India's progress in eliminating the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) like Elephantiasis and Kala Azar on #BanegaSwasthIndia podcast. Dr Ganguly also discusses the measures required to strengthen the healthcare system to eradicate NTDs like Dengue and Leprosy.

On the #BanegaSwasthIndia podcast, Avantika Goswami, Programme Manager, Climate Change, Centre For Science And Environment (CSE) answers all questions about the recently concluded COP28, its key announcements and how it is impacting the lives and livelihoods on the ground.

On the #BanegaSwasthIndia podcast, we spoke to Dr Vivek Anand Padegal, Senior Consultant, Pulmonology, Fortis Hospital to answer all your questions about JN.1 sub-variant and how serious a threat is this spike in COVID cases.

On the #BanegaSwasthIndia podcast, we spoke to Rajit Sengupta, Associate Editor, Down to Earth to discuss the extent of climate change and its impact on lives and livelihoods of people living in India.

As food and agriculture took centre stage at the COP28 summit in Dubai, we spoke to Takayuki Hagiwara, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative, India, about the agriculture-related climate issues, challenges faced by farmers and measures to scale up climate resilience efforts for them.

Ulac Demirag from International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), discusses the impact of climate change on agriculture in India and the measures required to address it

Did you know, India is the world's second most polluted country? Fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) shortens an average Indian's life expectancy by 5.3 years, relative to what it would be if the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline of 5 micrograms per cubic meter was met, states the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) produced by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC). Breathing toxic air can have varying health impacts - ranging from cold and cough to severe respiratory disorders. Dr Sachin D, Consultant - Interventional Pulmonology, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Fortis Hospital shared the impact of pollution and ways to protect oneself from it.

It's the air pollution season in India, which has come with varying health impacts - ranging from cold and cough to severe respiratory disorders. The hospitals are seeing a spike in the number of patients and emergency visits. "At least 15-30 per cent of the surge in patients can be attributed to air pollution," said Dr Sachin D, Consultant - Interventional Pulmonology, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Fortis Hospital. In this interview, Dr Sachin shares the health impacts of air pollution and how one can try and minimise the impact of breathing polluted air.

"Mental health does not just mean the absence of mental illness or disorder. Just like good physical health, we must talk about good mental health. At any point in life, one shouldn't feel they are up against a wall," says Dr Pratima Murthy, Director and Senior Professor of Psychiatry at NIMHANS, on #BanegaSwasthIndia podcast.

Climate change has put agricultural production and food security under threat. Elisabeth Faure, Representative and Country Director, World Food Programme, details out how to mitigate the climatic effects on #BanegaSwasthIndia podcast.

On #BanegaSwasthIndia podcast, Nutritionist Ishi Khosla emphasised on improving gut health to achieve a healthy lifestyle, especially among women and children as they are more vulnerable to the vagaries of the gut. Dr Khosla listed down various food groups that are essential for combating Anaemia and multiple lifestyle diseases.

India has witnessed a rise in the Dengue cases. On Banega Swasth India, Dr Ajay Agarwal, Director, Internal Medicine at Fortis Hospital, Noida, details the causes, symptoms and prevention measures of the vector-borne disease.

On August 15, the NDTV-Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign, one of India's longest-running public health initiatives, successfully wrapped up season 9 with Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya along with Padma Awardees doctors, who discussed India's progress in healthcare.

As the cases of conjunctivitis are on rise in India, especially Delhi, we spoke to Dr. Kamal B Kapur, eye-specialist, Director and Co-Founder, Sharp Sight Eye Hospital, Delhi, about the causes, symptoms of the infection and the preventive measures one can take.

World Breastfeeding Week celebrated from August 1-7 aims to disseminate knowledge and information on breastfeeding and promote the practice of breastfeeding for both mother and child's well-being. In India, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) conducted during 2019-21, the percentage of children under age six 6 months who are exclusively breastfed has increased from 54.9 per cent (2015-16) to 63.7 per cent now. Breastfeeding children aged 6-23 months receiving an adequate diet has also seen an uptick from 8.7 per cent (2015-16) to 11.1 per cent. But this is not enough. This World Breastfeeding Week, we speak with Dr. Tushar Parikh, Senior Consultant Neonatologist and Paediatrician at Motherhood Hospital in Pune to understand all about breastfeeding and the need to promote it.

Cases of Dengue, Malaria, and Conjunctivitis are on the rise. What causes the rise in these diseases during monsoon and how can we protect ourselves? Dr. Lancelot Pinto, Consultant Pulmonologist and Epidemiologist, P.D. Hinduja Hospital, explains.

This is the story of Uma, 42-year-old Transgender. Uma was assigned male at birth and was named Umesh but very early in her life, at the age of four, she accepted herself as a girl. It was a long and arduous journey for Uma to claim her identity but she stood her ground. Today, she heads a non-profit organisation Jeeva in Bengaluru, which is a platform for the LGBTQ community, where they can come out openly and be accepted for who they really are. In this episode of Banega Swasth India podcast, we take you through the journey of Uma and how she is helping her community.  

As we mark Pride Month in the month of June to uplift LGBTQ voices, support their basic rights and celebrate the community, Team Banega Swasth India speaks with a special guest - Dr Sakshi Mamgain, Founder, UTH-United for Transgender Health to understand the need for tackling the challenge of equal healthcare for the community.

Till the age of 16-years, Ojjusvi was raised as Upadhyay family's male child, until one night of 2018, when Ojjusvi decided to come out to her mother. As a part of our Pride Month special episode, which is marked throughout the world in the month of June, we speak with the mother-daughter duo - Meenakshi and Ojjusvi Upadhyay on their journey of acceptance and the challenges they faced.