The Prime Minister guaranteed that the government will not proceed with or invest in health units operating under private management if they do not present the expected results.
Luís Montenegro defends that this modality represents a viable alternative to ensure the availability of healthcare, especially during a period when the population has grown due to increased immigration.
The first-ever operation to implant a fully implantable double artificial heart in a pediatric patient was performed at the Tianjin Taida International Cardiovascular Hospital in China. These devices were developed using magnetically levitated pumps from Aerospace Taixin, derived from aerospace technology.
After a phased treatment lasting 110 days, which included artificial heart implantation followed by transplantation, the child was discharged. This procedure marks the first successful case of its kind in China and the lightest successful case globally for treating end-stage heart failure in children, representing a significant breakthrough in domestic artificial heart development.
The patient suffered from restrictive cardiomyopathy—a rare disease occurring in only three out of every hundred thousand people. The child presented with simultaneous insufficiency of both the left and right ventricles, necessitating the installation of two artificial hearts to balance blood flow. Such a configuration previously lacked successful precedents among small and light pediatric patients worldwide.
The international standard for treating such patients involved using the FDA-approved Berlin Heart EXCOR external pneumatic assistance system, which is the only device suitable for infants and young children. However, the Berlin Heart design is based on first-generation technology developed 50 years ago and requires thick abdominal tubing, an external pneumatic drive the size of a refrigerator, and constant patient attachment, posing high infection risks.
Hospital Taida collaborated with Aerospace Taixin Technology to adopt a fundamentally different technical approach. Hospital President Liu Xiaocheng explained that the globally patented artificial heart abandons the complex control system utilizing coils and printed circuit boards found in most fully magnetically levitated designs. Repulsive forces from upper and lower motors directly lift the rotor, allowing for a significant reduction in the pump housing for safer implantation into a child's heart and chest cavity.
To fit the patient's tiny cardiac space, the team of medical engineers modified the second-generation HeartEngine in just 13 days, creating a fully magnetically levitated ventricular assist pump device weighing only 69 grams. The outer suture diameter was reduced from 29 millimeters to 22.4 millimeters, and the weight was lowered from 6.4 grams to 1.17 grams.
This breakthrough also fills a global gap in the development of specialized right ventricular pumps. Previously, all artificial hearts primarily supported the left ventricle, leaving patients with dual heart failure virtually no option but to await heart transplantation. The case of the pediatric double artificial heart, where both pumps operated simultaneously for over 40 days, demonstrates the world's first true dual heart device in a child and provides critical time for donor matching.
China's artificial heart industry, which began developing nearly 30 years later than Europe and the US, has rapidly closed the gap. Five Chinese companies own six approved products in the ventricular assist device market: Evaheart Medical, Suzhou Tongxin, Aerospace Taixin, Shenzhen Core Medical, and magAssist. Aerospace Taixin technology originated from magnetic levitation and high-tech control of rotating systems at the Chinese Academy of Rocketry, subsequently being integrated into medical applications through a medical engineering integration model. This deep fusion of aerospace engineering and medical systems is a capability possessed by only a few countries in the world.
According to the World Bank's 2026 World Development Report, generative artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to transform the labor market in South Asia. As a result, multinational corporations (MNCs) and firms integrated into global value chains (GVCs) are reducing staffing more actively than local companies. This indicates the early impact of this technology on the region's export-oriented service sector.
The report, published on Tuesday, showed that after the emergence of ChatGPT at the end of 2022, the number of online job postings in South Asia decreased by 1.6 percent, despite the growing demand for AI-related skills. The decrease was more noticeable among MNCs and GVC-related firms compared to local companies. This suggests that enterprises with better access to AI technologies and international operational mobility are adjusting their hiring strategies faster.
These findings are particularly significant for India, as its IT industry, business process management sector, and growing network of global centers of excellence are closely linked to multinational supply chains and heavily reliant on digital service exports.
According to the report, multinational firms can more easily automate tasks or move work across borders, whereas local companies are slower to adopt AI technologies. Consequently, the initial employment consequences are primarily seen among internationally connected enterprises, rather than across the entire economy. The report notes: 'Due to the effects of job displacement and job loss, AI has a strong negative correlation with the wage share of high and medium-skilled workers, mainly through wage reduction as AI usage increases.'
The World Bank also warned that AI could gradually undermine the outsourcing advantages that have supported economic growth in countries like India and the Philippines over the last two decades. While the report emphasizes that data on AI's impact on the labor market remains ambiguous and evolving, it points to early signs that some routine digital tasks are already being replaced.
Inderjeet Gill, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist of the World Bank Group, stated: 'AI could close a promising path to middle-class employment in many developing economies, threatening call center jobs and entry-level positions in software, finance, and business services. It could exacerbate shortages of electricity and water. It could deepen dependence on foreign technology—and force poor countries to choose between competing AI systems controlled by the most powerful nations. It could bring a host of other undesirable consequences: greater income inequality, covert disinformation, and political repression.'
Referencing data from an online freelancing platform, the report demonstrated that the volume of work outsourced to developing countries decreased by 39 percent in 2025, with the sharpest decline observed in professions most susceptible to AI automation. It was noted that sectors such as call centers, customer support, data processing, and back-office services, which contributed to growth in countries like India and the Philippines, may come under pressure as AI becomes capable of performing more office and knowledge-based tasks.
Despite these changes, the World Bank believes that fears of widespread job losses in developing countries are exaggerated. Estimates suggest that less than one in ten jobs in developing countries are subject to AI-driven automation, compared to more than one-third of jobs in high-income countries. Conversely, it is expected that about one in six jobs in developing countries will be enhanced by AI-driven productivity gains, rather than being completely replaced.
The report argued that the greater opportunity for countries like India lies not in creating cutting-edge AI models, but in adapting existing technologies to local languages, institutions, and business needs. It recommended that governments and businesses prioritize the broad implementation of small, specialized AI applications that can boost productivity across various sectors, including agriculture, healthcare, education, and public administration, instead of concentrating resources on developing large language models.
The report also provided examples from India where AI is already providing tangible benefits. As evidence that locally adapted AI applications can generate significant economic returns even without advanced computing infrastructure, it cites an example of AI-based weather forecasting in Telangana, which helped small farmers save up to $560 per farmer by improving agricultural decision-making.
Gill concluded: 'Developing countries should leave the wealthy world to worry whether AI will ever doom humanity. Their own question is more pressing: will they miss the technological revolution again? Or will they use it this time to improve the lives of millions? Today's developing economies missed the first industrial revolution and paid for it for two centuries. They cannot afford to miss this one.'
The Michigan Department of Health reported on Monday that the cyclosporosis outbreak in the United States has resulted in two deaths. These are the first cases reported nationwide since the infection began spreading across the country in May.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that both deaths are linked to cyclosporosis—an intestinal disease caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis. This parasite can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fatigue. The CDC also noted that both patients had serious underlying health conditions.
In recent weeks, the number of cyclosporosis cases continues to rise across the United States. The CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and public health agencies in several states are investigating a multi-state outbreak associated with iceberg lettuce. This outbreak has been recorded in nine states, with Michigan being the most affected region.
According to the latest data published by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, as of Monday, the state has registered 11,234 cases of cyclosporosis, including 193 hospitalizations and two deaths.
The FDA investigation established a link between the outbreak and recalled iceberg lettuce supplied by the private company Taylor Farms operations in central Mexico and served at Taco Bell restaurants owned by Yum Brands. Meanwhile, authorities continue to search for other possible sources of infection.
Cyclosporosis generally does not pose a life threat. The infection can be transmitted through contaminated food or water. Some infected individuals may have no symptoms, while others may experience watery diarrhea, frequent stools, abdominal cramps, and nausea, according to the official CDC website. Without treatment, symptoms can persist from several days to several months and may appear periodically.
The CDC recommends thoroughly washing hands with soap and water before handling food. All food should be rinsed under running water, even those labeled as pre-washed. However, since washing alone does not guarantee the removal of the parasite, the agency advises cooking food at a temperature of at least 70°C (158°F).
