City docs race against time to get organs for 3 patients

City docs race against time to get organs for 3 patients

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:10,12,2021

Three patients at MGM Healthcare got a new lease of life after organs from deceased donors were airlifted from Chandigarh and Visakhapatnam for two heart transplants and one lung transplant simultaneously in three operating rooms. All three patients , one of whom is a child, are recovering normally.

It was a race against time as teams coordinated the transport of the organs through Green Corridors in the three cities. A team of more than 60 people lead by the chief surgeon Dr K R Balakrishnan, head of anesthesia Dr Suresh Rao and chief cardiologist Dr Ravikumar were involved in this process. The entire process, right from harvesting and transporting of the organs and successfully transplanting themtook 14 hours.

“Travelling from Chandigarh to Chennai without a direct air connectivity is not an easy task. The team reached Chennai after travelling over 7 hours,” said Dr K R Balakrishnan adding that the cold ischemic time, which is the time between removal of the heart from the donor and implanting it in the recipient was 8 hours. In a release, the hospital said the recipient was very sick in the intensive care awaiting a donor organ for a long time and that the new heart is functioning normally. The organ fromVisakhapatnam was transported using an air ambulance.

10 test +ve on Alagappa Tech campus

10 test +ve on Alagappa Tech campus

Corpn To Meet Edu Institutes Today On Covid

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:10.12.2021

A cluster of about 10 cases so far has been detected on Anna University’s Alagappa College of Technology campus. A day after one student from tested positive for Covid-19, Greater Chennai Corporation officials organised a camp to test all other students on campus.

“So far, tests have been conducted for 300 students. Of this, nine students tested positive for the viral infection,” health minister Ma Subramanian said on Thursday.

Officials said they would test all 763 students on campus, teachers and other staff. “We do saturation testing on campus. Samples of positive patients are sent to the whole genome sequencing lab,” Subramaniam said after visiting the campus with senior health and civic officials.

The 10 students who tested positive are asymptomatic and are in quarantine at the government Covid centre on King’s Institute campus.

The varsity has suspended physical classes for students of Alagappa College of Technology. Hostel students have been quarantined in their hostel rooms. “Online classes will continue for the next two weeks. Physical classes will resume only after confirmation that there are no new cases among hostel students,” a university official said. Other campuses like College of Engineering, Guindy, continued regular in-person classes on Thursday.

The corporation along with the health and revenue departments has called for a meeting on Friday with educational institutions to discuss following Covid protocols.

Health secretary J Radhakrishnan said there won’t be any knee jerk reaction following the Covid cluster.

The university was told to allow students in batches to hostel messes to maintain social distancing. In most clusters detected in educational institutions, health workers found high transmission among students who met at canteens for lunch or tea. “Students don’t wear a mask in the canteen, sit close to each other and chat. This increases transmission rate,” the health minister said. The department will conduct a high-level meeting with school and higher education departments on guidelines to be followed in hostel messes, he added.

GUARD UP: Health officials test students at Anna University hostel. Officials said all students, teachers and staff on campus will be tested

Lab issued corpn notice for bungled Covid data record

Lab issued corpn notice for bungled Covid data record

It Delayed Informing Civic Body Of Test Result

Omjasvin.MD@timesgroup.com

Chennai:10,12,2021

The Greater Chennai Corporation has issued a notice to a private lab in Mannadi for improper recording of information about those undergoing Covid tests, which made tracing a Covid positive couple a tough task.

Officials said the lab had also informed the couple first about their test results and delayed informing the corporation.

City health officer Dr M Jagadeesan issued the notice to KHM labs in Mannadi, (zone 5 - Royapuram) seeking a response. The couple was about to fly to Dubai and wanted a Covid-19 negative certificate, officials said. Officials sources told TOI that the husband (42) and wife (38) from Kalmandapam in north Chennai had given samples for Covid-19 tests in the lab on December 4. “The couple had tested positive on December 5 but the private lab did not tell the corporation about their results but informed the couple instantly,” official sources said.

As a result, the couple absconded and did not quarantine or hospitalize themselves. “When informed on Monday, we verified the register of the private lab only to find that the address only had the name of locality but no door number,” officials added.

After locating the right house following searches, officials found the couple hiding inside. “We have admitted them to a private hospital,” officials added.

Shamsuddin of KHM labs, said it was the fault of the data-entry operator. MD of the lab Harris Farvez said they had informed the patients about their positive status on sympathetic grounds as they had a flight ticket to cancel.

How can A’bad civic body decide what we should eat outside: HC

How can A’bad civic body decide what we should eat outside: HC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad: 10.12.2021

The Gujarat high court took the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to task on Thursday for its recent drive against street carts selling non-vegetarian food, questioning how citizens could be stopped from “eating what they want” just because “somebody in power thinks this is what they want you to do”.

“You don’t like non-vegetarian food? That is your outlook. How can you (AMC) decide what we should eat outside?” Justice Biren Vaishnav asked the municipal counsel. “Tomorrow, you will decide what I should eat outside?”

The judge said the AMC must not act on the whims of elected representatives. “Around the Vastrapur lake, hawkers are selling eggs and omelettes. Overnight, you will pick them up and send them away because the party in power says that they don’t want people to eat eggs? Ask your commissioner to remain present (in court) and answer (the question). How dare you indiscriminately pick up people like this and seize their assets?” he said.

“Don’t undertake a drive to satisfy the ego of some people...Tomorrow they will tell me not to take sugarcane juice because it causes diabetes, or that coffee is bad for health.”

Justice Vaishnav was responding to a petition filed by a group of street vendors against the civic body’s campaign last month to stop them from selling non-vegetarian food. Terming the drive tantamount to “bigotry”, the vendors demanded that their carts and stalls be returned to allow them to resume business. They said the municipal authorities had declared the carts wouldn’t be returned before 45 days.

DRIVE AGAINST NON-VEG: The AMC claimed there was no discrimination and their action was an anti-encroachment drive

Initials in Tamil mandatory for students, public

Initials in Tamil mandatory for students, public

10/12/2021

Special CorrespondentCHENNAI

The Tamil Nadu government has issued an order making it mandatory for students to write the initials of their names in Tamil while applying for certificates in schools and colleges. Likewise, the mandate would apply to members of the public when they submit applications for government records.

The order issued by Mahesh Kasirajan, Secretary, Tamil Development Department, directed all departments, schools and colleges to display the Government Order to create awareness among the people. The first letter of the parent’s name as written in Tamil would be the initial of the applicant.

The order follows an announcement made by Tamil Development Minister Thangam Thennarasu in the Assembly while presenting the demand for grants for the department.

The State government already made it compulsory for its employees to sign their name and initials in Tamil.

International flights to resume only after Jan. 31

International flights to resume only after Jan. 31

Singapore taken off ‘at-risk’ nations’ list

10/12/2021

Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

Full resumption of international flights stands postponed at least till January 31, 2022, according to an announcement by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Thursday.

Last week, days after announcing resumption of international flights from December 15, the Government postponed its decision indefinitely due to fresh concerns over the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron. An order from the DGCA on December 1 said that a new date would be announced in “due course of time”.

On Thursday, the DGCA said, “the competent authority has decided to extend suspension of scheduled commercial international passenger services to/ from India till 2359 hours IST of 31st January, 2022”. It added that international flights under the air-bubble agreement with 32 countries would continue as before.

In a relief for travellers from Singapore, they will no longer be subjected to mandatory on-arrival RT-PCR test and seven-day quarantine, after the government removed the island city-state from its list of “at-risk” countries.

Singapore had announced that it was restarting flight connectivity with India from November 29, after a gap of 20 months, and fully vaccinated Indian passengers could avail quarantine-free entry under its “Vaccinated Travel Lane” scheme. But later that month, India put Singapore on the list of at-risk countries requiring passengers arriving into the country to undergo additional health safety protocols.

Submit life certificate’

Submit life certificate’

10/12/2021

Staff Reporter  BENGALURU

Bangalore University has urged pensioners/family of pensioners to submit life certificates to the Finance Officer, duly attested by the managers of respective bank branches or by officers of the university, by post. The certificate can also be submitted in person to the pension section of the university by December 31, a release stated.