T.N. implements new health insurance scheme for its staff

T.N. implements new health insurance scheme for its staff

It will cover 203 approved treatments and surgeries

02/07/2021

Special CorrespondentCHENNAI

The Tamil Nadu government has issued an order for implementing the New Health Insurance Scheme, 2021, for its employees and their family members.

United India Insurance Company Limited, Chennai, will execute the agreement with the government, as recommended by the tender scrutinising committee, the Government Order said. The scheme will cover 203 approved treatments and surgeries at 1,169 empanelled hospitals for workers of government departments, State public sector undertakings, statutory boards, local bodies, and government universities, among others.

“The annual premium payable by the government to United India Insurance Company, Chennai, shall be at the rate of ₹3,240 [plus GST as applicable from time to time] per employee per annum for a block period of four years from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2025,” it said

Doctors’ Day: CM gives appreciation certificates

Doctors’ Day: CM gives appreciation certificates

Collector of the Nilgiris among the people felicitated

02/07/2021

Praise for effort: Chief Minister M.K. Stalin presenting a certificate to the Nilgiris Collector J. Innocent Divya.

Special Correspondent CHENNAI

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday presented an appreciation certificate to the Nilgiris Collector J. Innocent Divya for achieving 100% vaccination of all eligible tribals and tea estate labourers in the district with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines.

Taking part in Doctors’ Day celebrations at the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University, he presented appreciation certificates for government doctors to the Directors of Medical Education, Medical and Rural Health Services, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, medical and rural health services of ESI and Indian system of medicine, and for private doctors to associations including the Indian Medical Association, according to a press release.

The Chief Minister said the government was not just for the welfare of the people but also for the welfare of doctors. He acknowledged the sacrifices of doctors and their continuing service.

He handed over 55,000 pulse oximeters for the use of healthcare staff to Director of Public Health T.S. Selvavinayagam. Vice-Chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University Sudha Seshayyan and the employees of the university donated a day’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund. Dr. Seshayyan handed over a cheque for ₹7.75 lakh to Mr. Stalin.

Earlier, Mr. Stalin inaugurated the upgraded international vaccination centre on the King Institute of Preventive Medicine campus, where the administration of yellow fever vaccination to international travellers has been taken up. Funds to the tune of ₹50 lakh, allocated from the local area development fund of former MP T.K. Rangarajan, were spent on the facility. The centre administers yellow fever and polio vaccination to those travelling to African and South American countries, and issues a WHO-approved vaccination certificate.

Minister for Medical and Family Welfare Ma. Subramanian, Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments P.K. Sekar Babu, MLA Thayagam Kavi, Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan, and Principal Secretary/Officer on Special Duty P. Senthil Kumar were present.

17 Final Year Resident PG Doctors On COVID Duty Move Supreme Court Seeking Alternate Mode Of Assessment

17 Final Year Resident PG Doctors On COVID Duty Move Supreme Court Seeking Alternate Mode Of Assessment

Shrutika Pandey30 Jun 2021 7:26 PM

A group of 17 final year resident postgraduate doctors from various Universities have approached the Supreme Court seeking an alternative mode of assessment given that most of them are engaged in Covid duties.

A Division Bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and Ramasubramanian will hear the matter Tomorrow.

The services of these postgraduate students as residents were continued to be utilized until fresh batches of postgraduate students join as per a recent notice of the National Medical Commission and the Prime Minister's announcement regarding the postponement of NEET-PG until August 31, 2021.

The petitioners state that depending on the nature of their duty, they remain engaged from 8-12 hours to 24 hours a day. Amidst the raging pandemic, they were shocked and surprised to note that Universities have abruptly announced the timetable for Final Year Examination without sufficient notice to even prepare for the examination, the petition states. The resident doctors also state that it is unjust and manifestly arbitrary to expect a doctor on duty to sit for a theory examination without reasonable notice. They seek the Apex Court's intervention to ensure the protection of their fundamental rights enshrined under Article 14 and Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

The Petitioners submitted that "the abrupt announcement of the examination schedule is unreasonable, arbitrary and a mindless exercise as it fails to take into consideration the hardship which will be caused to thousands of resident doctors."

"This will not only be a life threat to the patient which the doctor is attending but at the same time will also expose them to the deadly virus. It is more dangerous because they will have to come back from the examination and attend to the Covid patients, who are most vulnerable to any kind of exposure", the petition adds.

The Petitioners have clarified that they are not seeking cancellation or postponement of the final year examination but an alternative mode of assessment, including practical examination and assessment based on the internal assessment as a one-time exception in the prevailing circumstances.

NEET panel: DK opposes BJP plea

NEET panel: DK opposes BJP plea

03/07/2021

Legal Correspondent CHENNAI

The Dravidar Kazhagam, represented by its president K. Veeramani, has filed an impleading petition in the Madras High Court in support of the Justice A.K. Rajan committee constituted by the government to study the impact of NEET on medical admissions in the State.

It opposed a writ petition filed by BJP State secretary K. Nagarajan against the constitution of the committee.

Senior counsel P. Wilson, too, filed an impleading petition on behalf of a student.

In an affidavit, Mr. Veeramani accused Mr. Nagarajan of having filed the writ petition against the Justice A.K. Rajan committee for gaining publicity and not in the public interest.

தானே:மஹாராஷ்டிராவில் உயிருடன் இருக்கும் ஆசிரியரை தொலைபேசியில் அழைத்து அவரது இறப்பு சான்றிதழ் தயாராக இருப்பதாகவும் உடனடியாக வந்து வாங்கி செல்லும் படியும் கூறிய மாநகராட்சி ஊழியர்களின் செயலால் அவர் கடும் மன உளைச்சலுக்கு ஆளாகி உள்ளார்.

DINAMALAR

03.07.2021 

தானே:மஹாராஷ்டிராவில் உயிருடன் இருக்கும் ஆசிரியரை தொலைபேசியில் அழைத்து அவரது இறப்பு சான்றிதழ் தயாராக இருப்பதாகவும் உடனடியாக வந்து வாங்கி செல்லும் படியும் கூறிய மாநகராட்சி ஊழியர்களின் செயலால் அவர் கடும் மன உளைச்சலுக்கு ஆளாகி உள்ளார்.

மஹாராஷ்டிராவின் தானே மாவட்டத்தைச் சேர்ந்தவர் சந்திரசேகர் தேசாய் 55. இவர் மும்பை காட்கோபரில் உள்ள பள்ளியில் ஆசிரியராக பணியாற்றி வருகிறார்.இவர் கடந்த ஆண்டு கொரோனா தொற்றால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டு மருத்துவமனையில் அனுமதிக்கப்பட்டார். சில நாட்களில் குணமடைந்து வீடு திரும்பினார்.ஆனால் தானே மாநகராட்சி பதிவேடுகளில் சந்திரசேகர் தேசாய் கொரோனாவால் பலியானதாக பதிவு செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இந்நிலையில் தானே மாநகராட்சி அலுவலகத்தில் இருந்து சந்திரசேகர் தேசாய்க்கு சமீபத்தில் தொலைபேசி அழைப்பு வந்தது.மறுமுனையில் பேசிய அதிகாரி 'சந்திரசேகர் தேசாயின் இறப்பு சான்றிதழ் தயாராக இருக்கிறது. உடனடியாக வந்து வாங்கி கொள்ளுங்கள்' என சந்திரசேகரிடமே தெரிவித்தார்.இதை கேட்டு அதிர்ச்சி அடைந்த சந்திரசேகர் தான் உயிருடன் இருப்பதாக தெரிவித்தார்.

ஆனால் அந்த அதிகாரியோ அதை பற்றியெல்லாம் கவலைப்படாமல் 'எங்கள் பதிவேட்டில் அப்படித்தான் உள்ளது' என 'பொறுப்புடன்' பதில் அளித்தார்.இதையடுத்து மாநகராட்சி அலுவலகத்துக்கு நேரில் சென்ற சந்திரசேகர் அவர் உயிருடன் இருப்பதை ஆவணங்கள் வாயிலாக நிரூபித்தார். அதிர்ச்சி அடைந்த அதிகாரிகள் தவறை ஒப்புக் கொண்டனர். 'அந்த பட்டியல் புனேவில் தயாரிக்கப்பட்டது' என தெரிவித்தனர்.

கொரோனாவில் இருந்து குணமடைந்து வீடு திரும்பியவர்களுக்கு வேறு ஏதேனும் பக்க விளைவுகள் உள்ளதா என்பதை விசாரிக்கவும் வீட்டில் வேறு யாருக்கும் தொற்று ஏற்பட்டதா உயிரிழப்புகள் நிகழ்ந்ததா என விசாரிக்க மாநகராட்சி ஊழியர்கள் தொலைபேசியில் அழைப்பது வழக்கம்.அப்படி அழைத்தபோது சந்திரசேகரின் பெயர் இறந்தவர்களின் பட்டியலில் இடம் பெற்று இருந்ததாக மாநகராட்சி அதிகாரிகள் தெரிவித்தனர். தங்கள் தவறுக்கு மன்னிப்பும் கோரினர்.

NEET ‘uncertainty’ hits students’ interest - The Times Of India

NEET ‘uncertainty’ hits students’ interest - The Times Of India

Sambath.Kumar@timesgroup.com

Trichy:

3.7.2021

The number of students taking up free NEET coaching has been gradually decreasing across the state over the last few days. With the notification of this year’s NEET yet to come and arts and science colleges starting admissions, teachers designated to monitor these students say many of them are losing interest and they are unable to convince them to attend the daily online test.

It was the previous AIADMK government that introduced free NEET coaching for government school students in 2017.

It was later shifted to the online mode in June 2020 after the pandemic struck. A private firm was hired for imparting NEET coaching on the EBox platform.

Classes for all the subjects under the online coaching got over about two months ago and since then students were made to take daily online test. To ensure better learning, one higher secondary teacher was designated for four students taking up the training to ensure effective monitoring.

Teachers say there was not much cooperation from students in recent days. Many of them started believing that there would be no NEET this year. What strengthened their belief was the delay in NEET notification. “I could not establish contact with two of the four students over the last few days. They also exited from the WhatsApp group that I created for the four students,” said a teacher from Madurai adding he had informed the district NEET coordinator about the issue.

This has been the case in many districts and teachers say that students are losing interest in being engaged in prolonged NEET coaching.

The number of students taking up free NEET coaching has been gradually decreasing across the state```

SC refuses to stay T.N. law providing Vanniyar quota

SC refuses to stay T.N. law providing Vanniyar quota

Bill was passed barely an hour before model code of conduct kicked in

03/07/2021

Legal Correspondent NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court has refused to stay a Tamil Nadu law which temporarily provides 10.5% special reservation to Vanniakula Kshatriyas within the quota for the MBCs.

The Bill was tabled by the previous AIADMK government and passed in the Assembly barely an hour before the model code of conduct kicked in on February 26 for the last Assembly poll. “We are not going to stay the legislation… We have to hear the matter,” a Bench of Justices L. Nageswara Rao and S. Ravindra Bhat told senior advocates S. Nagamuthu and Anita Shenoy and advocate Sriram Parakkat, for the petitioners.

The petitions were filed challenging the 69% reservation in Tamil Nadu as violative of the Supreme Court’s 1992 Indira Sawhney judgment, which fixed the quota ceiling limit at 50%.

On Mr. Nagamuthu’s insistence, the Bench tagged the petitions with others pending in the court, challenging Tamil Nadu’s reservation percentage. The petitions challenging the “exclusive” reservation for Vanniakula Kshatriyas argued that this law was “politically motivated”.

“On February 26, just one hour before the election notification, in a hurried manner, a Bill was introduced in the State Legislature,” the petitions said. The Governor assented to the Act on February 28. “It was hurriedly published in the official gazette on the same day,” they noted.

The Act stated that the internal reservation was recommended by the State Backward Classes Commission. “There was no such recommendation,” the pleas said. They referred to the Commission of Justice A. Kulasekaran, constituted in December 2020, to “identify the number of castes and tribes in Tamil Nadu and collect quantifiable data” for them and submit a report in six months. “What was the urgency to introduce the Bill without waiting for the report,” they asked.