Kol doctor performing dialysis for ₹50 during curbs for critical kidney patients

Kol doctor performing dialysis for ₹50 during curbs for critical kidney patients

Anuja.Jaiswal@timesgroup.com

Agra:02.07.2020

At a time when instances of hospitals and doctors turning away critically ill patients are surfacing with alarming regularity, a doctor in Kolkata, helped in a non-for-profit initiative by 59 others, is performing dialysis on severe kidney patients for a nominal charge of ₹50.

Dr Fuad Halim, son-in-law of former vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Lt Gen (retd) Zameer Uddin Shah, started the service during the lockdown. “I saw the problems that patients were facing due to the Covid-19 lockdown. So many had been rendered jobless and didn’t even have money to travel for treatment. So I decided to charge a token amount of ₹50 for a dialysis at my clinic,” he told TOI. So far, his team of three other doctors and four technicians has conducted 2,357 procedures. Two of the doctors are volunteers.

With Covid-19 status no bar, the clinic has seen a surge of patients. “We are not insisting on Covid-19 certificates from patients. We want to give hassle-free treatment. Approximately, 95 patients are visiting the clinic for dialysis every month as opposed to 70 that were being admitted prelockdown,” said Halim. And patients are turning up even from far-off places like Murshidabad, about 200km from Kolkata.

Across the country, dialysis and cancer patients have struggled to get treatment during lockdown as hospitals were either busy with Covid-19 patients or conducting only emergency surgeries. There were reports of hospitals turned away patients out of fear that they could be asymptomatic carriers and infect others. For many such patients, Halim’s clinic has been a lifesaver.

Halim is being assisted by Kolkata Swasthya Sankalpa (KSS) — a non-profit initiative he started with 59 others — mostly friends and family — to keep the cost of medical treatments down. The association has been providing affordable dialysis services to needy patients for over a decade.

Dr Fuad Halim, son-in-law of former vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Lt Gen (retd) Zameer Uddin Shah, started the service during the lockdown

UPSC to allow prelims candidates option of changing exam centre

UPSC to allow prelims candidates option of changing exam centre

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

02.07.2020

New Delhi: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has offered applicants for Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2020, scheduled for October 4, the option of changing their examination centre. The new centres, the choice for which must be submitted to UPSC in two phases —July 7-13 and July 20-24 — will be allotted on a first-come-firstserved basis.

“Keeping in view the large number of candidates of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2020 (including the Indian Forest Service (Preliminary) Examination, 2020) and requests received from candidates for changing their centres, the commission has decided to give an opportunity to them to submit their revised choice of centre. The requests of the candidates for change in their centres will be considered against the additional/enhanced capacity intimated by the centres for accommodating the additional candidates,” UPSC said in a press release on Wednesday.

UPSC said all requests for change in the centres will be considered based on the principle of “first-apply-first allot” and once the capacity of a particular centre is attained, it will be frozen. The candidates who cannot get a centre of their choice due to the ceiling, will be required to choose from the remaining ones.

Full report on www.toi.in

IIT Bhubaneswar holds end-semester exams with 100% attendance

-Manash Gohain

New Delhi:

Even as top IITs ditched the final year exams and an increasing number of exams were cancelled in view of the prevailing Covid-19 outbreak, IIT Bhubaneswar showed the way by not only conducting the end-semester exams online, but ensuring 100% attendance. This second generation IIT customised the online exam system so that the examination could be conducted in a comprehensive form without any compromises, yet ensuring that the students are not put at risk.

Indian students from Gulf nations move SC seeking NEET-UG centres abroad

Indian students from Gulf nations move SC seeking NEET-UG centres abroad

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

02.07.2020

New Delhi: Nearly 4,000 Indian students in Gulf countries, the majority from Kerala, moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking examination centres abroad to appear in the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) scheduled for July 26 or its postponement till normalisation of the pandemic situation.

One of the parents, through advocates Pallavi Pratap and Haris Beeran, said most students had registered with Indian embassies in Qatar, Oman, the UAE and Saudi Arabia to travel to India on Vande Bharat mission flights and appear in the examination for admissions to MBBS and BDS courses in medical colleges. However, they could not be accommodated on the flights as priority was accorded to other categories of passengers stuck abroad.

In their appeal against a Kerala high court order refusing to interfere with NEET 2020 to be conducted by the National Testing Agency, petitioner Abdul Azeez said that the NTA had the capability and willingness to open examination centres in Gulf countries as they had been doing so for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for admissions to IITs and NITs. However, the NTA said it would open examination centres abroad only if the Medical Council of India (MCI) approved the proposal.

“The MCI, in its communication dated May 21, informed that online test for NEET is not possible. During these exceptional circumstances, the MCI and the Union government need to be flexible so as to facilitate these students to sit for NEET,” the petitioner said.

Full report on www.toi.in

IN THE LURCH: The National Testing Agency said it would open NEET-UG examination centres abroad only if the Medical Council of India approved the proposal

They should not go scot free: Rajini

They should not go scot free: Rajini

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:02.02.2020

Actor Rajinikanth on Wednesday said those responsible for the twin custodial deaths at Sathankulam should be punished. “We need to ensure that,” Rajinikanth said in a statement, which was his first official reaction on the incident, even though he spoke to the family of the deceased over phone a few days ago.

“Even after people opposed and condemned the barbaric way the father and the son (P Jeyaraj and J Beniks) were tortured and killed, I am shocked at the way some policemen brazenly acted in the presence of a magistrate. All those involved should definitely be punished and we need to ensure that,” Rajinikanth said in the statement.

The statement was tweeted with a hashtag ‘satthiyama vidave koodadhu’ (I swear they shouldn’t go scot free) in Tamil. The tweet, which had a picture of a grim looking Rajinikanth, started trending nationally, soon after. While many hailed his statement as one of the “strongest” on the Sathankulam episode, quite a few questioned his delayed reaction on the episode, which has already been condemned nationally with even Bollywood stars and cricketers joining in.

I told the truth according to my conscience, says woman cop

I told the truth according to my conscience, says woman cop

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Tuticorin:02.07.2020

The role played by Sathankulam head constable Revathy in exposing the torture unleashed by her fellow police personnel on P Jeyaraj and his son J Beniks has now turned crucial to the progress of the case. Her testimony before the judicial magistrate turned out to be the first person account of the torture the victims suffered for two days before their death.

“I spoke according to my conscience. I am ready to say it anywhere,” she told reporters. Hailed as a hero by the public when her male colleagues were party to the crime or had decided to stay silent, the cop, who had put in 15 years of service in the police department, has now sought protection for her and her family. She said she was aware that she would be questioned in connection with the issue when the victims died.

“I hope those involved get their due,” she said adding that she has sought protection for herself, her husband and two daughters from the Madras high court and Tuticorin district collector Sandeep Nanduri. “They have assured protection,” she said.

Recalling the incident, her husband Santhosh told reporters that on June 19 his wife started from home at 7pm. On reaching the station at 8.30pm, she told him, “I am yet to enter the station but they are beating someone.” Around 10pm, he called her again when she said the cops were beating a man and his son. “She said they look pitiable. The father (Jeyaraj) asked for water and she gave,” he said.

He recalled that around midnight he spoke to her again when she said they were beaten again and were bleeding. After the duo died, she was worried as she was on station duty that night and was sure to be questioned. The family stood by her side and asked her to tell the truth. “We are ready to speak the truth anywhere. The worst case is they could dismiss her from service. I asked her not to worry and to boldly tell the truth. But we need protection,” he said.

Responding to the concerns raised by the cop and her family, district collector Sandeep Nanduri told TOI that the SP has provided protection to the head constable and her husband. “One constable each has been provided for her and her husband for protection. She has also been granted one month leave (she had requested) with full pay,” he added.

I spoke according to my conscience. I am ready to say it anywhere. I hope those involved get their due. I have sought protection for myself, my husband and my two daughters from the Madras high court and Tuticorin collector

Revathy | WHISTLEBLOWER HEAD CONSTABLE

Bar council of TN demands reopening of regular courts

Bar council of TN demands reopening of regular courts

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:02.07.2020

The Bar council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry has requested the Madras high court to reopen regular court hearings across the state at least from July 6.

The statutory body also suggested functioning of courts in two shifts – physical hearing during morning sessions and video conferencing proceedings in afternoons — to prevent crowding. A major chunk of lawyers has lost their livelihood due to restrictive virtual court hearings, which have become the norm for the past three months, the council said.

The council has made the request responding to the call made by the high court seeking suggestions from the stakeholders regarding the mode of functioning of the courts. “We have already narrated the difficulties faced by the advocates while hearing the cases through video conference through a letter dated June 2. We have also requested the high court to resume the physical court hearings,” a six-page communication issued by the council said.

Cannot extend bill payment time any further: Tangedco

Cannot extend bill payment time any further: Tangedco

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:02.07.2020

Tangedco on Wednesday informed the Madras high court that it cannot grant any further extension of time for domestic consumers to pay electricity charges, as the corporation is already incurring huge costs towards maintenance and salary expenses. For low tension consumers in Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts, time for payment of bills was first granted upto July 6, and it was later extended to July 15 due to the extension of complete lockdown from June 19 to June 30, it said.

Additional advocate-general PH Arvind Pandian made these submissions in response to a PIL moved by C Rajashekaran seeking deferment of consumption charges till July 31.

“Already 75% of the consumers have paid the charges and for the districts, where the intensive lockdown is announced. Now the lockdown is also lifted except in four districts and wherever the lockdown is extended the board itself is extending the time for payment of consumption charges. But the same relief cannot be provided to other areas,” Pandian said.

Time for payment of such charges has been extended from time to time based on extension of lockdown by the central and the state government. In respect of Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram & Thiruvallur districts extension of time has been granted till July 7. Now, it has been further extended till July 15 considering the intensive lockdown announced till June 30, he added.

Pointing out that a majority of the domestic and lowtension consumers have already paid the bills, Tangedco said, for consumption in March payable in April out of 1.35 crore low tension consumers only 8.45 lakh (6.25%) are yet to make payment. Similarly, for consumption in April payable in May only 12.94 lakh (9.5%0 are yet to make payment and for consumption in May payable in June only 18.44 lakh (13.62%) are yet to make payment, Tangedco added.

For low tension consumers in Chennai, Chengalpet, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts, time for payment of bills was first granted upto July 6, and it was later extended to July 15 due to the extension of complete lockdown from June 19 to 30