Madurai hospital performs liver transplantation on two children

03/12/2019, STAFF REPORTER,MADURAI

Liver transplantation was the only option available for those with end-stage liver disease, said Rajesh Prabhu, Consultant Gastroenterologist, Apollo Speciality Hospitals.

Speaking to media persons here on Friday, he said they operated on two seven-year-old children with chronic liver diseases - autoimmune liver disease and Wilson’s disease - earlier this year. While the first disease abnormally identifies its own body tissues as foreign, the second disease sees excessive deposit of copper in the liver.

One parent of each child donated their livers for the surgery. While the first surgery took place in August, the second was performed in October. Both the surgeries took between eight and 10 hours as the surgery between the donor and the recipient had to take place simultaneously, said Dr. Prabhu.

“As children need only a small size of liver, donors need to donate only a very small portion of their liver. This carries virtually no risk,” he said.

The doctor added that both chronic liver diseases will certainly be fatal if not treated on time. In case of children, the progression was generally rapid and hence need to be dealt with swiftly, he said.

J. Madhusudhanan, Consultant Liver Transplant Surgeon, said “In paediatric transplants, the blood vessels that need to be sutured are very small adding to the complexity of the operation and demands a high degree of skill and specialised equipment,” he said.

The two children who were in critical care units have recovered well. “They must only come back for consultations and check-ups regularly,” he said.

Liver disease in children was one of the most under-diagnosed and under-treated illnesses in the paediatric population in the southern parts of Tamil Nadu as there is a dearth of specialists and specialised centre dedicated for this purpose, said Murugan Jeyaraman, Senior Consultant Pediatrician & Neonatologist.

Rohini Sridhar, COO, said speedy recovery of patients was a testament to the quality of work of doctors. The hospital had received approval for living donor liver transplantation under Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme, she said.

A strange catch for Puducherry fishermen

Casing of a strap-on motor of PSLV gets caught in fishing nets, creates a sensation on shore

03/12/2019, T.K. ROHIT, RAJESH B.

 NAIR,PUDUCHERRY/CHENNAI

Net surprise: The part of a satellite launch vehicle which got caught in the nets of fishermen in Puducherry. T. SingaravelouThe Hindu

Some fishermen of Puducherry were delighted to feel the weight in their nets as they towed their catch home, figuring it might be a whale.

However, after they hauled it ashore, they discovered to their shock that their nets had been shredded, not by any fish, but by a long, rocket-like object with some markings on it.

As news spread of a rocket, battered by the waves, and a little rusty, being brought ashore, crowds, especially from nearby hamlets, began thronging the place. Children played with the object and people came to take pictures, videos and selfies.

Launch workhorse

The equipment, it turned out, was the casing of one of the strap-on motors of the PSLV, India’s trusted workhorse satellite vehicle. ‘PSOM XL 1’ was marked on top of the casing, while the bottom part on the strap-on motors was dated “22/03/19”. “This is just the casing of the strap-on motors…inside that will be the solid motor portion which would be completely burnt out,” former ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar told The Hindu.

Mr. Kumar said the date marked on the casing was the date of the final assembly.

The strap-on motors provide additional thrust to the rocket at launch and are the first to be separated after the rocket lifts off from the launch pad, following which the first and second stages separate in sequence. “These stages fall into the ocean after separation. It is very rare for them to wash ashore,” Mr. Kumar said.

The ISRO is sending a team from Sriharikota to retrieve the casing.

(With inputs from

T. Singaravelou)

CBI registers case against officials for ₹100 bribe

03/12/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,NEW DELHI

The CBI, which usually takes up high-profile cases of corruption and financial frauds, has registered an FIR against two postal officials at Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly demanding a ₹100 bribe from a commission agent.

The agency’s Lucknow unit has registered the case on a complaint from the agent’s husband who alleged that superintendent Santosh Kumar Saroj and postal assistant Suraj Mishra had demanded ₹100 as “processing fee” on every ₹20,000 deposit collected as postal savings from villagers.

It was alleged that when the agent’s husband went to deposit ₹99,400 and ₹59,920 on November 25 and 26, the postal official collected from him excess amounts of ₹500 and ₹300.

Govt. hospital gets its first transgender nurse

03/12/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

It was a day that took 25-year-old Anbu Ruby a step closer to her dream to do her bit for the transgender community: she became Tamil Nadu’s first transgender staff nurse to be appointed to a government hospital.

On Monday, Ms. Ruby received the appointment order from Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami along with several other staff nurses, village health nurses and laboratory technicians recruited through the Medical Services Recruitment Board.

A resident of Thoothukudi, Ms. Ruby wanted to pursue nursing to contribute to the transgender community and society at large.

After completing B.Sc. Nursing from a private college in Tirunelveli in 2016, Ms. Ruby pursued MBA in Hospital Management through distance education and completed the course this year.

“I want to be an example for my community. Many of them should come out and achieve in their lives. I also want to serve society in whatever way I can. That is why I chose nursing,” she said.

Her father lost his eyesight when she was two years old and it was her mother who worked to provide education to her. “My mother accepted me as I am, and all this was possible only with her encouragement,” she said.

The level of awareness about the transgender community and their psychological needs is still less among people and the medical fraternity, she said, adding: “I want to create as much awareness as I can.”

Ailing elephant kills mahout at Salem zoo

03/12/2019, STAFF REPORTER , SALEM

A file picture of elephant Andal with mahout Kaliyappan, first from left, who was killed by the animal.

An elephant at Kurumbapatti zoological park killed its mahout on Monday evening. A team of veterinarians offered mild sedation to the animal and recovered the mahout’s body.

Around 5.20 p.m. on Monday, wildlife veterinarian Prakasham was conducting a regular check on the elephant, Andal. It turned unruly and attacked him when he tried to control it, forest officials said. The mahout was identified as M. Kaliyappan from Pollachi.

According officials, the elephant was ailing and efforts were being made to transfer it to Tiruchi for rehabilitation. District Forest Officer A.Periasamy and other senior forest officials reached the zoo.

The 65-year-old elephant was brought from the Alagar temple in Madurai in 2009 to the zoo following a High Court direction to treat it for different ailments.

In 2013, the elephant killed a daily wager in the zoo and three devotees in the Madurai temple, Mr.Periasamy said.

He added that the carcass would be sent to Salem government hospital for autopsy.

T.N. seeks Centre’s nod for 4 more medical colleges
Ariyalur, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi and Kancheepuram have been identified as the sites for institutes

03/12/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

Edappadi K. Palaniswami

Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Monday said the State government sought permission from the Centre to establish four more medical colleges in Ariyalur, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi and Kancheepuram.

Shortly after handing over appointment orders to newly-recruited staff nurses, village health nurses and medical officers and launching the Tamil Nadu Tele-Ophthalmology Network, he said this year the State government obtained the Centre’s nod to establish nine government medical colleges.

This would add another 900 medical seats in the coming years, he added.

The Chief Minister said officials had been instructed to expedite work for the nine colleges, including for infrastructure, purchase of medical equipment and appointment of employees.

Tenders would be floated to take up infrastructure development work as soon as the Centre gave clearance for the colleges.

8,000 posts

Through the nine colleges, the government would create around 8,000 posts, thereby creating employment opportunities, he said.

As per the government policy to start medical colleges in districts that do not have one in a phased manner, colleges were started in Sivagangai, Tiruvannamalai, Omandurar Estate in Chennai, Coimbatore Employees State Insurance Corporation Hospital, Pudukottai and Karur with 700 medical seats.

Besides, the number of medical seats was increased by 650 in 10 existing colleges.

“In the last eight years, we have created an additional 1,350 medical seats,” the Chief Minister said.

Over 27,400 recruited

On the Medical Services Recruitment Board, the Chief Minister said till now a total of 27,436 persons, including 12,823 doctors and 10,085 nurses, had been recruited.

On Monday, a total of 2,721 staff nurses, 1,782 village health nurses, 96 medical officers, 524 laboratory technicians, 77 physiotherapists and 24 junior assistants were appointed.

A Metro ride for special children

Travel, movie planned ahead of International Day for People with Disabilities

03/12/2019, STAFF REPORTER,CHENNAI

All smiles: Children from special schools were taken on a Metro ride from Egmore to Airport.B. Jothi RamalingamB. Jothi Ramalingam

With eyes glued to the windows and excitement writ large on their faces, around 260 children took a Metro ride from Egmore to Airport and back on Monday evening.

The experience for differently-abled children from across the State was facilitated by the Chennai Metro Rail Limited in association with the Commissionerate for the Welfare of the Differently-abled, ahead of the International Day for People with Disabilities.

For Dharshini, a student of the Anbalayam Special School in Karur, this was the first time she travelled on the Metro.

As the train went closer to the airport station, Santhosh and Bharath, students of the St. Louis School in Chennai, excitedly pointed to the runways and aeroplanes.

Several children even broke into an applause in sign language.

Children from special schools in Chennai, Karur, Tirunelveli, Coimbatore, Kanyakumari and Theni, who are in the city to participate in a series of cultural programmes held by the Social Welfare department, went on the Metro ride and later, got to watch the film Frozen 2 at Sathyam Cinemas.

Students from the Government Middle School for the hearing impaired also got an opportunity to visit the Air Force Station in Tambaram.

‘Future is accessible’

Johny Tom Varghese, Director for the Welfare of Differently-abled, said that the theme this year for the International Day of People with Disabilities was ‘The future is accessible’. “The children today were able to enjoy experiences in places which were accessible and we continue to work towards creating better accessibility in both government and private facilities,” he added.