Central Mini Ratna PSU HLL broadens population health role

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Thiruvananthapuram, July 10 (IANS) Marking World Population Day, Central government PSU HLL Lifecare Ltd on Friday announced a significant expansion of its mandate, broadening its mission beyond population control to embrace the larger goal of population health, while continuing to play a pivotal role in India’s family planning programme.

The strategic shift reflects the growing emphasis of HLL, a Mini Ratna PSU under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on preventive healthcare, affordable medical services and innovation aimed at improving the overall health and well-being of the population, particularly women and young people.

“World Population Day 2026 is a reminder that investing in people’s health, especially that of young people, is essential for building healthier and more resilient societies,” it said, adding that innovation would remain central to its mission of developing affordable, accessible and high-quality healthcare products and services.

While reaffirming its decades-long commitment to the Centre’s family planning initiatives, HLL said it has substantially expanded its healthcare portfolio to address emerging public health challenges.

The company today manufactures and supplies a comprehensive range of reproductive and maternal healthcare products, including condoms, oral contraceptive pills, emergency contraceptive pills, pregnancy detection kits, intrauterine contraceptive devices, and maternal healthcare solutions.

The PSU has also strengthened its focus on sustainable healthcare with the development of HappyDays Earth, a compostable sanitary napkin that complies with the latest BIS-2025 standards.

The product is designed to significantly reduce plastic waste and eliminate microplastic generation while ensuring safe disposal and maintaining high performance standards.

Beyond manufacturing healthcare products, HLL has considerably expanded access to affordable healthcare through its nationwide network of AMRIT Pharmacies and HINDLABS.

While AMRIT Pharmacies offer life-saving medicines, implants and medical consumables at discounts of up to 50 per cent, HINDLABS provides quality diagnostic services at prices generally 30 to 60 per cent lower than prevailing market rates, reducing healthcare costs for thousands of patients.

Building on this model, the company has further diversified into AMRIT Plus Pharmacies, Specialty HINDLABS, and HLL Home Healthcare Services.

The newer initiatives include advanced genomic and molecular diagnostic services, next-generation sequencing, skilled nursing, physiotherapy, rehabilitation, chronic disease management, elderly care, and teleconsultation, enabling quality healthcare to reach patients in their homes.

With its expanded mandate, HLL is positioning itself not merely as the government’s family planning agency but as a comprehensive public healthcare institution, aligning its future growth with India’s evolving healthcare priorities and the broader objective of ensuring healthier lives for all.

–IANS

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Inaugurating a Chintan Shivir on Medicinal Plants here, the minister observed that the theme perfectly aligns with the government’s focus on Viksit Bharat at 2047 and the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision by empowering rural communities through sustainable livelihoods.

He emphasised that the medicinal plants sector provides unique opportunities for farmers, entrepreneurs, and researchers to collaborate for a healthy, self-reliant India.

The National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of Ayush, organised a one-day Chintan Shivir here.

The minister appreciated the dedicated efforts of NMPB in strengthening backward and forward linkages, expanding market access, and ensuring quality and authenticity in the supply chain.

The minister urged all stakeholders to continue their collective work toward developing a globally competitive, environmentally sustainable, and economically vibrant medicinal plants sector that serves both the nation’s farmers and the health needs of society.

Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, underlined that NMPB’s silver jubilee is not just a milestone of achievement but also an opportunity for introspection and innovation.

He said that the next phase of the journey must focus on scientific validation, traceability, and climate resilience to ensure that India’s diverse medicinal flora is conserved and optimally utilised in alignment with international standards.

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India’s life-insurance sector makes a strong rebound in Nov, LIC leads

New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) India’s life-insurance sector made a strong rebound in November, with new-business premiums increasing by 23 per cent year-on-year to Rs 31,119.6 crore, according to a new report.

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A favourable base effect and a smoother adjustment following the GST waiver for individual life policies further supported this upswing, helping to maintain the industry’s growth momentum, said the report by CareEdge Ratings.

LIC continued to lead the market, supported by strong momentum in both individual and group segments, while private insurers sustained double-digit growth.

Individual non-single premiums posted notable gains, highlighting resilient recurring inflows, and the group business benefited from a revival in institutional activity.

Although the annual renewal rate for group policies eased due to an exceptionally strong prior-year base, the sector’s overall trajectory remains positive.

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According to Sanjay Agarwal, Senior Director, CareEdge Ratings, India’s life-insurance sector made a strong rebound in November.

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Blood pressure patterns in early pregnancy can predict hypertension risk years later

New Delhi, April 3 (IANS) Blood pressure patterns observed in the first half of pregnancy, even among women without hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), can predict the risk of developing hypertension up to 14 years after giving birth, according to a study.

High blood pressure is a risk factor for heart disease, the leading cause of death.

The study, appearing in the journal Hypertension, focusses on a group of postpartum women who are not currently recognised as being at high risk for future hypertension and cardiovascular disease because they did not develop HDP during pregnancy.

HDP includes serious complications such as preeclampsia and gestational hypertension during pregnancy and is known to increase the risk of heart disease later in life.

The team led by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, in the US, found that women who showed certain blood pressure patterns during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy were more likely to develop hypertension later in life.

The study followed 174,774 women who received prenatal care at a US-based healthcare non-profit Kaiser Permanente Northern California between 2009 and 2019.

None of these women had hypertension, kidney, liver, or heart disease, or a history of preeclampsia before pregnancy. Researchers tracked their health records up to 14 years after delivery to identify new cases of hypertension.

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This study shows that blood pressure trajectories during early pregnancy can stratify this risk, even for women without HDP.

The study showed that these blood pressure patterns could differentiate risk levels among women with and without HDP.

Among groups of women who did not develop HDP, those with higher-risk blood pressure patterns — including elevated-stable patterns — during early pregnancy were still 11 times more likely to develop hypertension years later than those women with less risky blood pressure patterns.

The researchers called for identifying women at higher risk, offering targeted surveillance and early interventions, potentially preventing future heart problems.

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