42% medicos fail final exam, IGIMS stakeholder questions system

In his February 8 letter to health minister Mangal Pandey, also the BoG chairman of the IGIMS, Dr Singh cast aspersions on the capability of its teachers or their competence to conduct fair examination.EDUCATION Updated: Feb 12, 2019 11:13 IST

Ruchir Kumar 

Hindustan Times, Patna

This is the first time in the annals of the IGIMS medical college, established in 2011, that so many students have failed the final examination. Last year, too, 13 medicos had flunked.(HT file)

A member of the supreme administrative and policy making body of the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), an autonomous medical college, has questioned the teaching prowess of its faculty members as also its examination system after 40 of its 96 students flunked the recent MBBS final examination.

Dr Sunil Kumar Singh, a member of the institute’s board of governors (BoG) and also the state spokesperson of the ruling JD(U), has demanded that the responsibility of conducting examination be vested with some other university.

In his February 8 letter to health minister Mangal Pandey, also the BoG chairman of the IGIMS, Dr Singh cast aspersions on the capability of its teachers or their competence to conduct fair examination.

He suggested that like other medical colleges in Bihar, the responsibility to conduct examination be given to some other university. He even cited the example of the Aryabhatta Knowledge University (AKU), which conducts examination of most medical colleges in Bihar, including the Patna Medical College Hospital.

Dr Singh, who is also the vice-president of the Indian Medical Association’s Bihar chapter, and secretary of the Bihar Ophthalmological Society, drew reference to the controversy surrounding question paper leak in the IGIMS due to which its M.Ch (MagisterChirurgiae, an advanced qualification in surgery) exam had to be cancelled some years back.

“Recently, a nursing student committed suicide on charges that the authorities deliberately failed her,” Dr Singh added.

IGIMS director, Dr N R Biswas, refused to be drawn into the controversy.

“Ours is an autonomous institute and we have a foolproof system of conducting examination. I have constituted a committee to look into the matter. Based on its recommendations, we will take a call on February 15,” he said.

IGIMS principal Dr Ranjit Guha said, “We are looking into the demands of the students and are doing retotalling. We are checking answersheets for evaluation mistakes, if any, of students who have failed. Our examination mechanism is foolproof, with externals setting question papers, answer sheets being coded before being sent to external examiners.”

IGIMS dean of academics, Dr SK Shahi, also did not find anything wrong either with institute’s teaching or examination system. Dr Shahi did not mince his words when he said, “The result of a particular batch depends on the students. Those who do not study will fail. We cannot lower our standard for those who do not study.”

This is the first time in the annals of the IGIMS medical college, established in 2011, that so many students have failed the final examination. Last year, too, 13 medicos had flunked.

Of the 56 medicos who passed this year, 16 were awarded up to 5 grace marks, as allowed by regulator the Medical Council of India.

First Published: Feb 12, 2019 11:13 IST

The number of medical students headed abroad is rising fast. Here’s why

Steep fees in private medical colleges, limited seats in govt ones, and the increase in IB schools are some of the factors responsible.

EDUCATION Updated: Feb 13, 2019 15:12 IST

Dipanjan Sinha 

Hindustan Times


The number of students applying for admission to medical courses abroad is high, and rising steeply. A response to a recent Right to Information (or RTI) application stated that the Medical Council of India (MCI) has issued 3,386 more eligibility certificates to foreign medical aspirants in 2018 than in 2017, a rise of about 24%. The year before, the number had nearly doubled.

The mandate of getting an eligibility certificate to study medicine abroad came into force only from January 2014 and ever since the numbers have been rising sharply every year.

“One set of students applying abroad are those aiming for top colleges in countries like the UK, but a chunk of aspirants are those who could not manage a seat in a government medical college. Private medical colleges are sometimes so expensive that students prefer to study in China, Russia and more recently in countries like Nepal and Bangladesh,” says Dr Jayashree Mehta, former president of the Medical Council of India.

These students usually pick institutes and countries recognised by India so that, on their return, they can clear an eligibility test and begin practising. “A lot of the colleges that students opt for in Asia have ties with Indian institutions. Hence, these places also prepare the students for the eligibility test back home,” says Dr KK Agarwal, president of Heart Care Foundation of India and former president of the Indian Medical Association.

MED STUDENTS HEADED OVERSEAS

Here are the number of certificates of eligibility granted by the Medical Council of India to Indian students wishing to study medicine abroad
March 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016: 3,398
2016- 2017: 8,737
2017- 2018: 14,118
January 2018 to December 2018: 17,504

For Dr Abdul Mateen, who studied medicine in the Philippines in 2011, it was just a cheaper option than a private medical school in India. “Also, the spectrum of disease there, unlike in Russia, is very similar to the spectrum of disease in India,” he says.

Agarwal points out that, as the number of medical colleges in neighbouring countries such as Nepal and Bangladesh grows, the number of students applying to study medicine there will likely rise too.

“With the kind of technology and connectivity we have now, there’s little difference between moving cities within India and moving to a neighbouring country like Bangladesh to study,” Dr Agarwal says. “Moreover, there are employment opportunities in these countries too.”

For students studying in the growing number of IB schools, applying abroad is often the simpler and surer path.

“To be eligible to study medicine in India, a student needs to have a combination of physics, chemistry and biology. IB students cannot take more than two science subjects, except with special permission,” says Kimberly Wright Dixit, president of study-abroad consultancy Red Pen.

A student must apply to the Board saying they’d like to study an extra Science subject, or do a non-regular diploma, if they want to qualify for India’s medical entrance exam. “For many students, this is a daunting, time-consuming and uncertain prospect; it’s easier to just apply abroad,” Dixit says.

Raashi Shah, a Class 12 student at the Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai, for instance, has applied only to medical colleges in the UK. “The special permission from the Board can take a lot of time. Then you have to study an extra subject, and you may end up not qualifying anyway, because you didn’t score well enough,” she says.

Given the steep competition and limited seats, many students feel it is better to focus on the board results, whether SSC, ICSE, IB or other, because to study abroad, your Board results count for a lot, Dixit adds.

For the rest, Dr Mehta points out that the only way to arrest the trend is to have more affordable medical colleges in India. “That way students from all sections of society can study medicine,” she says.

Tamil Nadu health secretary of 7 years shunted out

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

PublishedFeb 17, 2019, 2:11 am IST

UpdatedFeb 17, 2019, 2:11 am IST

This 1992 batch officer Radhakrishnan was transferred to the Transport Department on Saturday.

State health secretary Dr J. Radhakrishnan

CHENNAI: In a major transfer in top bureaucracy in Tamil Nadu, health secretary Dr J. Radhakrishnan has been shunted out after a record seven-year stint in his position.

This 1992 batch officer Radhakrishnan was transferred to the Transport Department on Saturday.

He had assumed charge in the health and family welfare department in September 2012.

He will now hold charge as principal secretary, transport department, according to a Government Order issued here.

He will be succeeded by Dr Beela Rajesh, who is commissioner of Indian medicine and homeopathy.

Also, D. Karthikeyan, Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner, has been transferred and posted as commissioner of municipal administration.

J. Kumaragurubaran IG of Registration has been transferred and posted as director, disaster management

Other IAS officers transferred include: K. Rajamani Tiruchi collector as collector of Coimbatore, S. Sivarasu joint commissioner of commercial taxes, Coimbatore, as collector of Tiruchy, T.N. Hariharan, Coimbatore collector as special secretary to government municipal administration and water supply department, K. Vijayakarthikeyan Coimbatore corporation commissioner as director of Tamil Nadu Institute of Urban Studies, Coimbatore, P. Uma Maheswari project director of TN Health Systems Project, Chennai, as Pudukkottai collector, T. Anand joint MD of TWAD as Tiruvarur district collector, G. Ganesh Collector of Pudukkottai as director of Indian medicine and homeopathy and B. Gayathri Krishnan sub collector Pollachi as joint commissioner of commercial taxes Coimbatore.

Thailand offers e-visa on arrival service for India

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

PublishedFeb 17, 2019, 3:08 am IST

It can be obtained on email between 24 - 72 hours.

The new eVOA service offers travellers the conveniences of avoiding long queues, and eliminates the need to fill up application forms on arrival and arrange for paper documentation or local currency which travellers find challenging after a long flight. (Representational Image)

Chennai: Thailand’s new eVisa On Arrival (eVOA) service enables a faster, more convenient arrival into Thailand for travellers from India and 20 other countries. The service made available from Feb. 14 offers a whole new experience when entering the country at the Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueng airports in Bangkok, as well as at Phuket and Chiang Mai airports.

The service is part of the Government of Thailand’s initiative to promote tourism, and has been developed by the Immigration Bureau of Royal Thai Police and VFS Global. Of the over 1.5 million Indians who visited Thailand in 2018, over 9,00,000 used the old, time consuming Visa On Arrival service at Thailand airports. The new eVOA service offers travellers the conveniences of avoiding long queues, and eliminates the need to fill up application forms on arrival and arrange for paper documentation or local currency which travellers find challenging after a long flight.

It can be obtained on email between 24 - 72 hours. In case there is an urgent visa requirement to travel to Thailand, travellers can also avail online the express eVOA service for quicker processing. By paying an additional service fee, eligible travellers can get their eVOA decision within 24 hours for any short notice travel requirements.

Commenting on the new initiative, Pol. Lt. Gen. Surachate Hakparn, Commissioner of Immigration Bureau, said, “with the eVOA service, we are proud to offer a new age digital solution which enhance the overall experience for the modern day traveller who seeks to visit Thailand from 21 countries across the globe.We aim to effectively meet the objective of increasing tourism to the country through this solution especially taking into consideration the all-important security aspect that allows pre-check of travellers prior the arrival, as it offers time to the Immigration Bureau for effective assessment.”

Zubin Karkaria, CEO, VFS Global Group, said, “With our experience and reliability in providing seamless visa application services across the world, I am confident that the Thailand eVOA service will further enhance ease of travel to Thailand, and thereby facilitate increase in travel and tourism to the country.”

Tamil Nadu CM Palanisami announces Rs 20 lakh each to kin of two CRPF troopers

He expressed his grief at the death of the two troopers from Tamil Nadu - G. Subramanian and C. Sivachandran - in the Thursday suicide bombing in Pulwama district.

Published: 15th February 2019 05:06 PM | Last

By IANS

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palanisami on Friday condoled the death of 45 CRPF troopers in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir and announced a solatium of Rs 20 lakh each to the families of two troopers from the state who died.

ALSO READ: Pulwama terror attack: Yogi announces Rs 25 lakh each to next kin of 12 martyrs from Uttar Pradesh

He expressed his grief at the death of the two troopers from Tamil Nadu - G. Subramanian and C. Sivachandran - in the Thursday suicide bombing in Pulwama district.

Female surgeons break myth at Eve Endoscopy

It was all women power. Though a majority of gynaecologists are women, endoscopic and laparoscopic surgeries are carried out by men.

Published: 17th February 2019 01:48 AM 

Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan speaks at Indian Association of Gyne-cological Endoscopy 

National Conference in Chennai | Nakshatra Krishnamoorthy

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: It was all women power. Though a majority of gynaecologists are women, endoscopic and laparoscopic surgeries are carried out by men. To set the record straight, Eve Endoscopy-2019 was organised that laid a perfect platform to showcase how efficient women surgeons can be.
In a first of its kind initiative held under the aegis of Indian Association of Gynaecological Endoscopists (IAGE), 15 surgeries conducted by women consultant surgeons from across the country and one from London were relayed live from Sri Ramachandra University.


Organising chairperson Rekha Kurian, organising secretary Sumana Manohar and scientific chair A Jaishree Gajaraj said the aim of the conference was to encourage and support more women surgeons to take to endoscopic surgery. “What better way to encourage young women gynaecologists to take to endoscopic surgery than to watch expert women surgeons operate,” they said.

Adeola Olaitan, consultant gynaecological oncologist at University College London Hospital, performed one of the surgeries. She also delivered Ornella Sizzi oration. “There is no reason why women cannot become better surgeons than men. We are to do multi-tasking all day, have better hand eye coordination. More women gynaecologists should become surgeons,” she said. Rishma Dhillon Pai, president, IAGE, said, “This year we focused a lot on practical hands on training through different workshops and training programmes.”

Tamil Nadu anti-corruption bureau can probe Cognizant paying bribe to state officials

Bribing of foreign government officials is an offence in the US under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Published: 17th February 2019 12:25 AM



A view of Chennai Cognizant IT Company. (File | EPS)

By IANS

CHENNAI: Even though Cognizant Technology Solutions has resolved with the US authorities the case of bribing Tamil Nadu government officials with $2 million, the Directorate of Vigilance & Anti-Corruption (DVAC) can start a probe to find out the corrupt officials, said serving and a retired top official of DVAC.

According to a DVAC official, the agency can probe the issue.

"Even a press report is enough for us to look into the matter. In the Cognizant case, we will have to see the US court order. We will also have to get the government permission to proceed further into the issue," said a DVAC official.

"It is not mandatory for DVAC to wait for a formal complaint to start an inquiry. Any credible information is enough to start an initial probe. So even a newspaper report is an information for DVAC. In such a situation, the DVAC Director can call for records, peruse, assess and proceed with future course of action," S.K. Dogra, former DVAC Director, told IANS.


"The DVAC head can proceed on a matter like this in consultation with the Vigilance Commissioner in the state if facts of the case so warrant."

In a statement Cognizant said it has agreed to settle the case of bribing Tamil Nadu government officials by agreeing to pay about $28 million (about Rs 200 crore) to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC).

Bribing of foreign government officials is an offence in the US under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

"In total, the resolutions require the company to pay approximately $28 million to the DOJ and SEC. This amount is consistent with the accrual previously recorded by the company," Cognizant said.