State govt bans 10 intravenous fluids

State govt bans 10 intravenous fluids

 MOVE AFTER WOMAN’S DEATH 

Sujoy Khanra TNN  12.01.2025

Kolkata : The state health department on Saturday prohibited the use of 10 intravenous fluids to ensure patient safety. The banned fluids include Ringer Lactate, Ringer Solution, dextrose injection, ofloxacin, and sodium chloride irrigation solution among others. The order was sent to all state medical colleges and hospitals and to all senior health officials across the state. The directive came a day after the death of a pregnant woman, Mamoni Ruidas (22), at Midnapore Medical College, after being administered an intravenous fluid. Four other women — Mampi Singh, Nasrin Khatun, Minara Bibi and Rekha Sau — also receiving treatment at Midnapore Medical College are in critical conditions, too. Among the four, two women are on ventilation and one is in the ICU. The women were responding well to the treatment, said hospital superintendent Jayanta Raut. 

On Saturday morning, members of the hospital’s medical board visited the ICU and spoke with the patients’ families. A 13-member committee formed by the state govt is investigating the cause of the illness of these four women and the death of Ruidas. The patients’ families alleged the problem started with the saline. A large number of police presence had been deployed at the hospital. The probe committee, led by OSD (ME) Ashish Biswas, willexamine various aspects, including medications and saline, to determine if there was any laxity. The team visited the hospital and inspected the ICU unit after meeting the principal. Local Congress leaders entered the maternity ward , demanding CM’s resignation. DYFI supporters also protested in front of the hospital superintendent’s office, leading to a scuffle with the police. BJP also held a protest.

Two more crocodiles rescued from former MLA’s home in Sagar

Two more crocodiles rescued from former MLA’s home in Sagar

 TIMES NEWS NETWORK 12.01.2025

Bhopal : Two more crocodiles were rescued on Saturday from the residence of former BJP MLA Harvansh Singh Rathore in Sagar, completing the removal of four reptiles discovered at the property. Ateam from the Nauradehi Tiger Reserve captured the crocodiles, each measuring 6 to 7 feet, from a pond near the temple on the premises. They were transported to the reserve and will be released into the Bamner River later that night. The operation began on Friday when the team rescued two crocodiles after a four-hour effort. Those reptiles were medically examined and released into the Bamner River at around 11 pm. The rescue operation was carried out by a team from the Rani Durgavati Tiger Reserve on Friday. Poor visibility and the crocodiles hiding in the water delayed the rescue of the remaining two, which were removed the following day. The forest department has yet to register a case under the Wildlife Protection Act regarding the presence of crocodiles at the former MLA’s residence. Officials have not issued a statement despite repeated attempts for comment. Sources say they are yet to decide upon registering a case in the matter.

HC breather for NEET PG in-service candidates

HC breather for NEET PG in-service candidates 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 12.01.2024

Bhopal/Jabalpur : In a relief to in-service candidates of NEET PG exam, a division bench of MP high court has said that they should not be compelled to surrender allIndia quota seats till the results of second round of NEET PG counselling is declared. The candidates’ security money should not be confiscated either, HC said. The petitioners -Dr Yash Dubey and some other candidates –say they are eligible to appear in counselling both under the central and state quota. They say they have been allocated seats in the second round of counselling in which they appeared under state quota. If they wish to retain these seats, they will have to surrender their seat under all-India quota by Jan 14 and their security money would also be seized.

Since there is a high court stay on declaring the result of the second round of counselling, they don't know which seats have been allotted to them. They prayed to the court to relax the rule of surrendering the all-India quota seat by Jan 14, which the bench of Justice S A Dharmadhikari and Justice Anuradha Shukla allowed. Advocate Himanshu Mishra appeared in the case for the petitioners

Colleges offer incentives for pre & para-clinical students

Colleges offer incentives for pre & para-clinical students

PG Courses See Low Enrolment, Lack Of Faculty

SruthySusan.Ullas@timesofindia.com 12.01.2025

Bengaluru : With pre-clinical and para-clinical courses in postgraduate medical admissions finding no takers, medical colleges are sweetening their offers. Many have promised tuition fee waiver, free boarding and lodging, stipends and jobs on course completion to lure students this year as well. Even after two rounds of counselling were completed, many colleges had zero intake in these programmes. The branches include anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, forensic medicine, microbiology and pharmacology. The fee ranges from Rs 1.1 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh at private colleges. A public notice from Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, dated Jan 8, states the college has decided to provide full tuition fee waiver for candidates allotted seats during counselling by KEA for all pre-clinical and para-clinical subjects, except pathology and community medicine, for 2024-25.

The college has also promised free accommodation, boarding and lodging. A stipend will be paid in line with govt standards. There’s also a job guarantee with senior resident salary of around Rs 1.3 lakh a month. At the same time, there will be no obligation for the candidates to join the institution after course completion. Of the 20 seats, three in community medicine are filled so far this year. The college, which made a similar offer last year, could attract only around four students in these courses. Several other colleges have also come up with similar offers. 

Oxford Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre has also offered a tuition fee waiver if it gets students. “After the eligibility was reduced by NMC (National Medical Commission) to 15% for the general category, we decided to waive tuition fees. We’re willing to give Rs 30,000, Rs 35,000 and Rs 40,000 over the  three years as stipend,” said chairman Narasimha Raju. “We aren’t able to get preand para-clinical teachers. Anatomy has the biggest scarcity. Therefore, we want to encourage students to take this up. It’s a very good opportunity for students as the eligibility was also reduced. There is a huge demand for teachers in these programmes when compared to clinical programmes,” he added. 

Dr ME Mohan, dean of BGS Global Institute of Medical Sciences, agreed: “We have 26 seats and nothing is filled in the first two rounds. Nobody is willing to join these programmes as everyone wants to become clinicians. Hardly 10-15% seats get filled up in govt colleges and much less in private colleges. But these are foundation courses. We’re willing to appoint them immediately after they graduate.”

Med admission scam using bogus NRI certs busted in TN

Med admission scam using bogus NRI certs busted in TN 

Colleges And Edu Coaching Centres Involved 

A.Selvaraj@timesofindia.com 12.01.2025

Chennai : The crime branch probe into the NRI certificate scam for under-graduate and postgraduate medical admissions has unearthed a widespread network involving educational counselling centres manipulating the medical admission process. In Nov 2024, the director of medical education said at least 44 doctors had faked their certificates in their applications for postgraduate medical courses in Tamil Na du under the non-resident Indian (NRI) quota. 

The directorate also found six MBBS aspirants had forged the embassy certificates, and three of them managed to get seats allotted in self-financing colleges. Their admissions were cancelled. More than half a dozen embassies/consulates of countries, including those of the US, Dubai, Canada, Singapore, Australia and Kuwait, confirmed the “ingenuity” of the certificates given by these candidates. Officials from the embassies also sought an action taken report from the govt. 

The Central Crime Branch’s forgery investigation wing led by assistant commissioner of police M Gayathrion on Saturday uncovered substantial evidence of malpractice during their raids conducted at eight private educational institutions.

105  documents, tech gadgets seized during probe 

During the searches, investigators discovered sophisticated document-forging equipment and multiple sets of fraudulent stamps. The searches were held at Sree Sai Educational Academy, Pallavaram; Meta Neet, Porur; Sri Sai Career Next Academy, Saligramam; Sri Sai Career Next Academy, Nungambakkam; Zion Career Solutions, Velachery; Life Link Education Consultancy, Anna Nagar; Study India Education Consultancy, Ashok Nagar; and Madha Medical College, Kundrathur. 

During the search, 105 incriminating documents relating to the case, 19 seals, 22 computers, two pen drives, five hard disks and mobile phones were seized. The documents will be scrutinised, and further action will be taken, said officials. Police have stumbled upon the involvement of centre owners, staff members and potential middlemen who facilitated these illegal admissions. The investigation also exposed possible collusion between these centres and officials in key positions. The counselling centres were found to be charging exorbitant fees from students, promising guaranteed medical seats under the NRI quota. 

They fabricated documents, including embassy certificates and supporting paperwork, to create false NRI credentials for local candidates. The Directorate of Medical Education and Research initiated a comprehensive review of all NRI quota admissions from previous years to identify potentially fraudulent cases. They are implementing stricter verification protocols for the upcoming admission cycles. The authorities are also examining the financial transactions of these centres to trace the money trail. 

The Tamil Nadu Medical Council has been notified about these findings and may take additional action against any licensed medical professionals found to be involved in the scheme. The state govt is considering new regulations to prevent such fraudulent practices in medical admissions. Students, who unknowingly participated in these fraudulent admissions, are being advised to cooperate with authorities. The investigation continues to expand as more evidence emerges, potentially involving other educational institutions and consultancies across the state.

Flight ticket prices surge ahead of festivities in TN

Flight ticket prices surge ahead of festivities in TN

TNN | Jan 12, 2025, 03.53 AM IST

Chennai: Flight fares from Chennai to intra-state destinations such as Madurai, Trichy, Salem, Coimbatore and Tuticorin soared ahead of Pongal holidays.

On Saturday, ticket prices to Madurai, which are usually around 4,000, rose to 16,000. While fares to Trichy climbed from 3,000 to 14,000, flight ticket prices to Coimbatore ranged between 12,000 and 16,000, compared to the usual 4,000–5,000. For Tuticorin, ticket prices jumped from 4,300 to 14,000.

Yet, the demand for tickets remained high. People who opted to work from home or take an off on Jan 13 (Monday), preferred to leave the city on Friday night or Saturday. This way, they get an entire week in their hometown. The Tamil Nadu govt has declared Jan 17 (Friday) a holiday.

“For the first time, I get nearly 10 days in a row. I wanted to spend the time with my family. I did not mind spending extra on the flight ticket,” said Rakesh V of Coimbatore.

Airlines, including IndiGo and Air India, have capitalised on the anticipated demand spike by raising fares to unprecedented levels. Fares to Kerala destinations such as Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi saw steep hikes.

Girl who left home after a fight 7 years ago found

Girl who left home after a fight 7 years ago found 

Abhay@timesofindia.com 11.01.2025

New Delhi : In 2018, a 17-year-old girl fought with her brother and left her home in northeast Delhi’s Gandhinagar. Despite her family’s efforts to locate her, she remained untraced. A complaint was filed, but she was not found. However, after seven years, police finally tracked her to Telangana and reunited her with her family. According to police, after leaving her home, she went to the Anand Vihar railway station. She had taken some cash out of her savings. She boarded a general compartment of a train headed to Hyderabad. “She didn’t know where she was going and eventually landed in Hyderabad. Soon, her money got over and she began wandering around the city in search of work,” an officer said. A woman running a tea stall noticed the gi rl’s distress and inquired about her situation. She then provided her shelter at the tea stall. “The girl assisted the woman at the tea stall for over three years,” the officer said. The girl often thought of returning home, but the fear of social stigma held her back. She later met a boy and got married in Hyderabad. Deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara) Prashant Priya Gautam recently formed a team under inspector Suren Sharma to investigate old cases in which people remained untraced. “The girl used to speak with her sister occasionally, but never revealed her whereabouts. While scanning the call detail records of her sister’s phone number, we found an unknown number with a location in Telangana. We sent our team to investigate and conduct a door-to-door search there. Eventually, we were able to find her,” the officer said. When the cops sent a photo of the girl to her parents, they were overjoyed.