Prayer of 12 years snuffed out in smoke-filled ICU

Prayer of 12 years snuffed out in smoke-filled ICU

Jamal Ayub & Sudeept Mishra TNN

Bhopal:11.11.2021

Raees and Irfana Ahmed’s 12-year prayer for a child was answered last week. They named him Rahil. After eight days of hospitalization, the baby was scheduled for discharge on Tuesday. The house was decked up for the homecoming.

A discharge sheet signed on Tuesday – but it was a death certificate. “I did not let my wife see our baby’s body. I could identify him but his skin had blackened due to the smoke that engulfed the ward after the fire,” said Raees, struggling to get each word out.

Raees is from Nasrullah Ganj in Sehore district, some 100 km from Bhopal. His first born was referred to the state’s largest tertiary care hospital in the state capital with breathing difficulties.

His mother was with the baby till around 8.30pm. The couple was excited and had made plans for the child’s homecoming. Then, disaster struck.

A fire broke out in the paediatric ICU, and the attendants and patients’ kin were ordered to move out. They resisted, pleading to be allowed to take their children to safety. But the security staff would hear none of it. Firefighting and rescue were to be left to the professionals.

Rahil’s maternal uncle, Rashid, told TOI that when the fire erupted, he had gone home to have dinner. “Irfana called me about the fire in the baby ward. I rushed back and went into the hospital building. It was dark and I tried to find my way with the help of a mobile torchlight. Only 4-5 hospital staff were present, along with seven to eight family members of the babies. Together, we rescued seven to eight babies and shifted them to another ward,” said Rashid.

Raees was all cut up on Tuesday as he waited to collect the little bundle at the mortuary. “My baby was going to be discharged. I should have been allowed to rescue him. After 12 years, when the Almighty finally answered our prayers for a child, he was snatched from us,” ,” he sobbed. “We are in deep shock,” said Rashid.

A newborn baby being shifted to another hospital after fire in Kamala Nehru hospital on Tuesday

Investigation Is Progressing: NTA Informs Kerala High Court In Alleged NEET- OMR Scam

Investigation Is Progressing: NTA Informs Kerala High Court In Alleged NEET- OMR Scam

Hannah M Varghese 8 Nov 2021 6:00 PM

The National Testing Agency (NTA), on Monday informed the Kerala High Court that it has initiated a probe into the alleged incident of manipulation in the NEET-UG OMR sheet.

Justice N Nagaresh after recording the same directed NTA to file its report soon. The matter will be taken up again on November 16.

When the petition came up for hearing, Advocate S Nirmal appearing for NTA informed the court that a Committee was constituted under the chairmanship of the Joint Director to conduct an investigation.

It was further informed that three eminent professors from IIT were also included in the Committee.

The court then enquired as to when the investigation will be over. The counsel replied that the Committee has heard the parties, including the petitioner. He added that the investigation was progressing and the report will be filed soon.

NTA made the submission on the petition filed by a candidate in the NEET UG 2021 exam, conducted on September 12, seeking a CBI probe into the alleged manipulation.

The petitioner alleged that in the OMR sheet, her signature was seen to be manipulated and the names of her mother and father were wrong. She further contended that the markings on the OMR sheet were not hers. It was added that her roll number in the numerical section did not tally with the bubbled portion.

The petitioner also raised serious doubts over the left-hand thumb impression seen in the OMR sheet. Based on these allegations, the Court had ordered a probe by NTA.

Case Title: Rithu Sibi v. Union of India & Ors.

No foreign funds for NGOs if purpose not declared: SC

No foreign funds for NGOs if purpose not declared: SC

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:11.11.2021

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said NGOs should not be allowed to receive foreign funds if the donor did not declare the purpose for which the money is to be spent and said the Centre has diluted the intent of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) by not insisting on such a provision.

A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and C T Ravikumar said as per Section 8 of the Act, disclosure has to be made at the outset regarding the purpose for which a contribution has been made and asked the Centre to make its stand clear on the issue.

Section 8 says every person who is registered and granted a certificate or given prior permission under the Act and receives any foreign contribution, shall utilise such contribution for the purposes for which the contribution has been received.

Referring to the section, the bench said the purpose of the contribution has to be disclosed and only then would inflow of funds be allowed. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta contended that an NGO can use the fund for activities for which they are registered which could be social, cultural, religious purposes.

SEEKING TRANSPARENCY

HC: Things can be set right if one officer is sent to jail

DISREGARD FOR COURT ORDERS

HC: Things can be set right if one officer is sent to jail

BBMP Ordered To Raze Illegal Structure In Two Weeks

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:11.11.2021

Reiterating its strong disapproval of government officers’ tendency to take court orders lightly, the high court on Tuesday said the situation may improve if one officer is sent to jail for disobeying them, as a test case.

If one officer is sent to jail, everyone will fall in line, a division bench headed by chief justice Ritu Raj Awasthi orally observed after noticing gross delay and inaction on the part of BBMP in relation to demolition of an illegal structure in Sriramapura put up by a temple trust, despite a specific court order passed on February 5, 2020 to complete the task within six weeks.

The bench noted that the fourth respondent (Sri Ramachandra Swamy temple trust) has not moved any application for grant of time to undertake removal of the illegal construction and added it was the responsibility of BBMP to ensure the demolition.

“Counsel for BBMP informed us that a certain portion of the illegal construction has been removed. But some part hasn’t. We are surprised as to why the illegal construction has not been demolished. We direct BBMP to complete the demolition within two weeks, failing which its chief commissioner along with all authorities concerned shall be present before the court so that they may be proceeded against for deliberate noncompliance of the court order,” the bench observed.

On February 5, 2020, the court had recorded based on BBMP’s submission that the illegal structure consists of two parts — the first floor measuring 15.5 x 9.45 metre and sheet room which measures 4.7 x 7.4 metre. Though the Palike had claimed it needs to prepare an expenditure estimate and obtain sanction for demolition, the court had noted that since there is an order under sub-section (3) of Section 321 of Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, and another under Section 462 of the Act was passed on January 20, 2020, no further nod was required.

Docs remove 222 fibroids from 34-yr-old’s uterus

Docs remove 222 fibroids from 34-yr-old’s uterus

Woman Was Anaemic, Waited 1 Yr For Surgery

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:11.11.2021

A 34-year-old woman who suffered from acute pelvic pain for at least one year has got a new lease of life after doctors from the city removed 222 fibroids, totally weighing 2.2kg, from her uterus.

Media professional Ritika underwent a four-and-a-half-hour surgery on October 6, and doctors at Sakra World Hospital preserved her uterus. Ritika’s uterus was found to be enlarged (the size of an 8-month pregnant woman’s), causing a bulge in her lower abdomen.

Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous, estrogen-dependent tumours, usually occurring at child-bearing age. They cause anaemia and in Ritika’s case, her haemoglobin level had fallen to 7 grams per decilitre as against the normal of 12 to 15.

Though she experienced typical symptoms of pain, excessive bleeding and abnormal menstrual cycles, she delayed consulting doctors due to Covid fear.

Dr Shantala Thuppanna, senior consultant, head of obstetrics and gynaecology, Sakra World Hospital, who operated on Ritika, said uterine fibroids are common in approximately 40-50% women. But only a few have symptoms. “In Ritika’s case, she was anaemic and faced heavy bleeding despite practising yoga daily and maintaining an active lifestyle. She had waited for about one year to undergo the surgery due to the pandemic,” said Dr Shantala.

During the operation, doctors found that the fibroids — of various sizes and shapes (one resembling a large cauliflower) — were located below the urinary bladder and were spread throughout the left side of her uterus. “The fibroids were near important structures in the abdomen, which made the surgery complicated as they appeared like bunches of grapes. We were able to remove all the fibroids in her uterus that appeared compressed in the MRI scan, without any complications,” explained Dr Shantala.

According to the doctor, uterine fibroids are made of muscle and fibrous tissue, and vary in size and shape. The symptoms include pelvic pain, abnormal menstrual cycles, and sometimes even abortion, premature delivery, bulge in tummy, and urine and motion disturbance.

“They sometimes go away on their own. However, when left untreated, these fibroids can grow in size and numbers, resulting in worsening of the symptoms and causing further complications, including anaemia and infertility,” she said, adding initial symptoms must not be ignored.

The media professional underwent a four-and-a-half-hour surgery on October 6, and doctors at Sakra World Hospital preserved her uterus. Though she experienced symptoms of pain, excessive bleeding and abnormal menstrual cycles, she delayed consulting doctors due to Covid fear

MP couple lose boy born after 12yrs in ICU fire

MP couple lose boy born after 12yrs in ICU fire

Jamal Ayub & Sudeept Mishra TNN

Bhopal:11.11.2021

A couple who waited 12 years for a child took the baby back home, dead, just a week after birth. A father of twins ran about in tears, seeking to know their fate, only to learn in the wee hours that one of them was dead and the other critical.

The grandmother and aunt of another newborn fainted on seeing his blackened body, with his plastic crib apparently melted on the skin .

Bhopal’s Kamala Nehru Hospital was torn by heartrending scenes a day after a fire in the paediatric ICU killed four babies.

‘Brought kids to hospital 2 hours before fire broke out’

Ankush Yadav staggered as he carried a cardboard box in his arms on Tuesday morning. It contained the remains of one of his twin daughters, born less than 12 hours before the fire broke out. At night, he was told the other twin had died too. They were the first-borns of Rachna and Ankush. “I brought them to Kamala Nehru Hospital in the evening, barely two hours before the fire broke out,” said Ankush, who runs a grocery shop.

Ankush switched two hospitals — one of them asked for Rs 10 lakh — before landing up at Kamala Nehru where the twins were admitted to the ICU. “On Monday night, a doctor asked me to bring an injection that costs Rs 8,000. I went back to verify the name of the injection when the fire erupted around 8.30pm,” Ankush said.

Travel booster: 96 countries to sign vax cert pact with India

Travel booster: 96 countries to sign vax cert pact with India

UK, EU Nations In Long List; Talks On With More

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:11.11.2021

In a big boost to international travel, 96 countries — including US, UK, many European and Middle East nations — have agreed to mutual recognition of Covid-19 vaccination certificates with India, health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday.

The government continues to be in communication with more countries so that beneficiaries of the world’s “largest Covid vaccination programme are accepted and recognised”, thereby easing travel for education, business and tourism purposes, Mandaviya said in a statement.

The move will ease travel for those vaccinated with Indian-manufactured Covishield and Covaxin. The countries include Canada, Turkey and Australia as well. Canada has sought an application from Covaxin to approve it, even as WHO’s emergency use approval has boosted the vaccine’s international acceptability.

“At present, 96 countries have agreed to mutual recognition of vaccination certificates and also those [countries] who recognise Indian vaccination certificates of travellers fully vaccinated with Covishield/WHO approved/ nationally approved Covid vaccines,” the government statement said.

Consecutively, persons travelling from these countries are provided certain relaxations as enunciated in the health ministry’s guidelines on international arrivals issued on October 20, 2021, the ministry said. For those who wish to travel abroad, the international travel vaccination certificate can also be downloaded from the CoWIN portal.

A couple reunite at Newark airport on Monday after US relaxed curbs

No vax shot, no entry at Ajanta caves

The district disaster management authority (DDMA) for Aurangabad has decided to aggressively assist the endeavour to push up vaccination coverage in the district by making it mandatory for visitors to tourist places, like the Ajanta-Ellora caves, to have taken at least one Covid vaccine dose.

MEA in touch with all countries: Min

Many countries from Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and the Caribbean islands have agreed to recognize Covid-19 certificates with India.

“The ministry of health along with the ministry of external affairs is in continuous communication with all countries for mutual recognition of vaccine certificates, and WHO and nationally approved vaccines to facilitate hassle-free international travel across countries,” the minister said. “The government’s commitment to accelerate the pace and expandthe scope of Covid-19 vaccination across the country has resulted in crossing the 100 crore milestone in administration of doses on October 21, 2021,” he stated.