An infection of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) that originated from Wuhan city of China in December 2019 converted rapidly into pandemic by March 11, 2020. To date, the number of confirmed cases and deaths has risen exponentially in more than 200 countries, with an estimated crude mortality ratio of at least over 2%. The unpreparedness to tackle the unprecedented situation of coronavirus has contributed to the rising number of cases, which has generated an immense sense of fear and anxiety amongst the public. It has further resulted in the inadequacy and unavailability of essential medical supplies, physicians, and healthcare workers (HCW). Although the chief focus is on minimizing transmission through prevention, combating infection, and saving lives by ramping up the development of treatment and vaccines, very little attention is on the critical issue of physician burnout, resident burnout, and the psychological well-being of HCW. Until now, no significant steps have been taken by the authorities to minimize the COVID-19 specific contributing factors for burnout. The COVID-19 has posed strain on the entire healthcare system already, and it is vital to remediate the issue of physician and resident burnout urgently with concrete actions to avoid subsequent potential short-term and long-term adverse implications.

Psychological first aid (PFA) is one of the vital tools in delivering psychological interventions to those who have undergone or experienced traumatic events. Traumatic experiences during calamities, outbreaks of infections, and war can induce a significant amount of stress in the absence of early and effective intervention provided by trained caregivers. The coronavirus pandemic has caused significant levels of fear as governments impose quarantine and lockdown to contain the infection. Countries around the globe have halted several social and economic operations to curb the spread of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). However, panic, helplessness, and horror aided by the infection due to the lack of a definitive cure has exposed the population to significant mental distress, thus warranting psychological intervention.

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India contributes to around one-fifth of the global under-five mortality and also maternal mortality besides one-third of the neonatal mortality. Since any reduction in child mortality in India is crucial for the global decline, therefore, the Indian Government decided to undertake massive correction of the health system. This led to the launch of National Rural Health Mission in the year 2005. Since then, significant progress has been made and child mortality rates have shown a sharp decline. On comparing the progress made by the world toward Millennium Development Goals, India fares better by showing a decline of 46.5% in comparison to 41% for the entire world during the same period. In order to assess the state-wise reduction, data from sample registration system of the Registrar General of India which is available for most of the States/Union Territories (UTs) have been analyzed. States such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala have shown an impressive decline but some states such as Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Mizoram, and Delhi still have a long way to go to reach the state specific goals and targets. Any further decline would only be possible by addressing inter-district variations that are still lagging behind and focused efforts need to be made, in order to reach these desired goals. This analysis would be valuable in planning future program implementation plans.

Birth defects consisted of a group of diverse clinical conditions categorized on the basis of a congenital presentation and a partly or wholly genetic etiology. Although individually rare, birth defects affect 2-3% of all births in India. As India has the largest global annual births, in absolute numbers, India may harbor the largest number of affected children worldwide. There is a need of strategic research and interventions to bring down the rate of birth defects and associated economic burden and also a need to actively screen and identifythem at early stage so necessary intervention (medical or surgical) could be initiated so as to reduce lifelong disability as a result of such defects. The recent child health screening and early intervention service initiative by the Government of India, the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram under the National Health Mission is the first attempt in the direction toward providing services for some of the more prevalent birth defects and has the potential to alleviate suffering of affected children especially from rural areas. The data collected from this program could help policy makers to allocate sufficient funds aimed at treatment of birth defects and also develop behavior change communication strategies for prevention of the same.

Depression is one of the highest prevalent mental illnesses and is one of the common illnesses that can have its onset during childhood or adolescence. It is estimated that up to 20% of children experience mental illness worldwide. Preventing the onset of depression in children and adolescents should be a vital public health goal that will improve public health and decrease health care costs. We reviewed literature that described school-based interventions to prevent the onset of depression, reduce the severity of depressive symptoms, and enhance global functioning in adolescents. Our research also provides strategies for school-based intervention programs that are mainly categorized into three main subtypes. We also discussed each subtype and its advantages and limitations. The goal is to bring the readers an understanding of the importance of preventing depression on a community level, beginning at schools.

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Background: Racial and ethnic minorities (such as Chinese-speaking (CS)) are known to have less equitable access to mental health services than Caucasians. These disparities have a powerful influence on minority groups that already endure a greater burden from mental health needs. Aim: The aim was to identify perceived provider barriers to care for CS patients. Methods: The study involved an 11-item web-based survey to multidisciplinary health professionals in the department of psychiatry at a 75-bed teaching community mental health center. Results: More than half the respondents agreed that there are disparities in the management of CS versus non-CS patients primarily due to the language barrier (46%). However, older participants and participants who worked fewer hours per week in patient care were less likely to agree (rho = −.27, p = .05 and rho = .33, p = .015, respectively) that these perceived difficulties prevented them from caring for these patients. Conclusion: The study revealed that certain modifiable factors like the limited availability of interpreters and culturally appropriate services, rendering psychoeducation and forming therapeutic alliances with CS patients, posed the greatest challenges on inpatient units. In light of these findings, we aim to make recommendations to remediate concerns of limited provider availability by proposing ways to efficiently utilize current resources and advocate for better staffing to improve the overall well-being of this challenging patient subset.