Author: kirankumbhar

I am a medical doctor and health policy graduate, and currently PhD student at Harvard University (history of science). I write primarily about public health and history of medicine in India.
Medicine & Doctors · Public health

Targeting doctors and hospitals is an unproductive ‘solution’ for unnecessary C-sections – it is time we enlisted them as partners

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This was published in The Swaddle on October 1 2017. Here is the link and below is an extract: The government, having already displayed interest in addressing this issue, must arrive at an evolving strategy through a general consensus of patient advocates, doctors, nurses and midwives, public health experts, and social workers. It could begin… Continue reading Targeting doctors and hospitals is an unproductive ‘solution’ for unnecessary C-sections – it is time we enlisted them as partners

Medicine & Doctors · Public health

Why the MTP Bill 2014 favors AYUSH docs and nurses as abortion providers

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This was published in The Swaddle on September 3. Here is the link, and below is an extract. “One way to do that is to expand the number of trained abortion practitioners. Women in India undergo unsafe abortions for several reasons, but a major factor is the unavailability of safe and legal abortion services in most… Continue reading Why the MTP Bill 2014 favors AYUSH docs and nurses as abortion providers

Culture & Life

The ‘Nirman’ Initiative: The Happy Pursuit of Meaningfulness

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This was published in The Wire on Sept 2, 2017. Here is the link, and below is an extract. “Our conventional education system… is mainly geared towards filling job vacancies, not sociopolitical vacuums. It is this serious deficiency that doctors and public health scientists Rani Bang and Abhay Bang decided to address about a decade… Continue reading The ‘Nirman’ Initiative: The Happy Pursuit of Meaningfulness

Culture & Life · History · Politics

We need to teach kids to feel responsible, not proud, to be Indian

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This piece was published in The Wire on Independence Day 2017. Here is the link, and below is an extract: “While some may argue that it is possible to be ‘proud and responsible at the same time’, pride is too personal and egoistical to allow for the nuance that responsible citizenship entails. Besides, when we… Continue reading We need to teach kids to feel responsible, not proud, to be Indian

Medicine & Doctors · Public health

India’s efforts to make medicines affordable for citizens

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This was published in The Better India on June 13 2017. Here is the link, and below is an extract: “Looking at the bigger picture, it is important that India does not stop here, but that we aim for prioritizing and making, at the soonest, all healthcare services (and not just generic medicines) accessible and affordable for all… Continue reading India’s efforts to make medicines affordable for citizens

History · Politics · Recommended movies, books etc.

Saving yourself from govt propaganda and fake news in India

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The recent book I am a Troll: Inside the secret world of the BJP’s Digital Army was instrumental in exposing a trend in India which had been going on for the past few years – that of the BJP (and its co-ideologists like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh – RSS) employing thousands of young men and women… Continue reading Saving yourself from govt propaganda and fake news in India

Culture & Life · Politics

How confirmation bias dictates our social media responses, and what to do about it

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This was published in HuffPost India on May 22, 2017. Here is the link, and below is an extract: “As responsible digital citizens, we need to cautiously tread the maddeningly insane social media. Instead of jumping to conclusions about serious issues in a matter of seconds, we should make our conclusions only after weighing all… Continue reading How confirmation bias dictates our social media responses, and what to do about it