NEWS TODAY 17,18.4.2025

 

Med seats in TN may not increase, tough competition expected

Med seats in TN may not increase, tough competition expected

Pushpa.Narayan@timesofindia.com 18.04.2025

Chennai : The increase of 50 undergraduate medical seats each in govt medical colleges at Namakkal, Tirupur, and Virudhunagar has not happened yet this y ear because Tamil Nadu did n ot apply for it. Revised list of undergraduate medical colleges and seats for 2025 released by National Medical Commission shows no increase in MBBS seats for Tamil Nadu. This is expected to make admissions to undergraduate medical courses tougher this year, experts say. Directorate of Medical Education officials said the deadline for submitting applications for an increase in seats or starting new colleges expired before the state decided to seek an increase in seats. 

“We a sked for a short window to apply after the deadline, but could not,” said a senior health department official. However, on Wednesday, the state govt received a letter from the Centre asking if it wants to apply for an increase in seats or new medical colleges for 2025-26 a dmissions. “We have infrastructure to increase seats in all three medical colle ges. The state will decide if it wants to increase seats in other districts too,” the official said. 

The state now has 77 medical colleges — govt and private —offering 12,050 seats. While 32 of the 38 districts have at least one govt medical college, minister Ma Subramanian said the state’s policy is to have at least one medical college in every district. “This will not just increase seats but also ensure advanced medical care is accessible to the p oor,” he said.

 Meanwhile, various doctors’ bodies, including the Tamil Nadu Govt Doctors’Association, have urged the govt not to increase UG seats. Tamil Nadu has more than 1.8 lakh doctors registered in the medical council, and among them, 1.5 lakh are still practising. The state has one doctor for 600 people against the recommendation of one per 1,000, the association said. 

“In next 10 years, TN will have one doctor for every 350 people because every year 10,000 MBBS graduates and 1,500 foreign medical graduates apply for a medical licence. There is also a reduction in population,” said TNDGA president Dr K Senthil. “What we need is an increase in PG and superspeciality seats.”

US doctor warns against using DOLO-650, says it is not a 'candy':

US doctor warns against using DOLO-650, says it is not a 'candy': 

Liver, kidney-related side effects to know

etimes.in | Apr 16, 2025, 03.37 PM IST

Dolo-650. A name that rings louder than most medicines in Indian households. Whether it's a mild fever, a headache, even a bodyache or fatigue, this tiny white pill has been the nation’s go-to remedy. But there lies a story of overuse, misuse, and ignored warnings: One that doctors now believe needs urgent attention.

When a doctor's tweet sparked a debateIt took just one tweet to shine a spotlight on India’s pill-popping culture. US-based gastroenterologist Dr Palaniappan Manickam, also known as Dr Pal, tweeted, “Indians take Dolo-650 like it’s Cadbury Gems.” It was funny, yes—but also deeply true.

Indians take Dolo 650 like it's cadbury gems— Palaniappan Manickam (@drpal_manickam) April 14, 2025 The tweet went viral, and with it came thousands of confessions: people admitting to taking Dolo-650 not just for fever, but for tiredness, stress, or “just in case.” What began as a humorous comment quickly turned into a serious conversation.

Manufactured by Micro Labs Limited, Dolo-650 contains 650 mg of paracetamol—higher than the commonly known 500 mg dose. It became a household name during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people were advised to take paracetamol to manage vaccine side effects or mild symptoms.According to healthcare research firm IQVIA, Dolo-650 sales skyrocketed during the second wave of COVID-19. Its popularity even sparked social media memes, with people calling it “India’s favourite snack.”

But what many don’t realise is that frequent, unsupervised use of paracetamol can have serious consequences, especially on the liver.

What the doctors are saying: Not a candy, not harmless

Dr Pal, despite his humorous approach, gave a stark warning: That it’s not a candy. Frequent use can mask symptoms and delay proper diagnosis.

According to a review, paracetamol overdose remains a leading cause of acute liver failure globally. The liver’s job is to break down toxins—including medications. But too much paracetamol overwhelms it, leading to toxicity, inflammation, and in severe cases, liver failure.

In 2022, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the Supreme Court by the Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives Association of India accused the makers of Dolo-650 of distributing freebies worth ₹1,000 crore to doctors to promote the pill.

Even Justice D.Y. Chandrachud commented, “I was also asked to have the same when I had COVID. This is a serious issue.”

Self-medicating with painkillers can blur the lines between minor and serious symptoms. It might offer temporary relief but hides what’s actually happening inside the body. Fever, for example, is a sign of infection. Suppressing it without treating the root cause can delay treatment—and worsen outcomes.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/us-doctor-warns-against-using-dolo-650-says-it-is-not-a-candy-liver-kidney-related-side-effects-to-know/articleshowprint/120339814.cms

Cash-strapped UoM may cut guest faculty number, maintenance costs

Cash-strapped UoM may cut guest faculty number, maintenance costs

University planning to bring down its expenditure by Rs 2 crore to Rs 3 crore a month; it has also proposed a 40% reduction in allocation of funds for maintenance of buildings.

University of Madras entrance.

Binita Jaiswal

Updated on:

15 Apr 2025, 8:24 am

CHENNAI: To tide over the financial crisis, the University of Madras (UoM) has proposed major deductions in its expenses for the academic year 2025-26. From reducing the number of guest faculty to cutting down on the building maintenance expenses in its various campuses by 40%, the varsity has chalked out a detailed blueprint to save money and has sent the proposal to the syndicate members for their remarks.

The university has also proposed cut in the revenue sharing between the university and the respective departments running self-financing courses from the existing 50:50 model to 70:30 model, thereby reducing the revenue of the departments.

Interestingly, the proposal has come after the delay in tabling the university’s budget for 2025-26.

“Every year on or before March 31, the budget for the entire year is tabled at the senate meeting. However, this year, the senate passed budget for April alone, amounting to Rs 19 crore. The state government’s finance department wants a further reduction in our budget estimate”, said a faculty member.

The faculty members and students have strongly criticised the move as it will worsen the condition of the varsity and take a toll on its quality of education.

Documents assessed by TNIE reveal that the varsity currently has 115 full-time guest lecturers and 46 part-time (hourly basis) guest faculty and it has been proposed to reduce the figure to 75 and 30, respectively. Similarly, the varsity has 221 clerical staff and 106 class IV outsourced employees in its five campuses, which it wants to reduce to 150 and 75 respectively in this academic year.

Adding to it, the varsity has proposed a 40% reduction in allocation of funds for maintenance of buildings in its five campuses in the budget estimate of 2025-26, as compared to last year. Likewise, a reduction of 30% towards the expenses of library (which is majorly meant for buying books and periodicals), a 20% cut in the maintenance of computers, laboratories and other stationary heads in various academic departments and a deduction of 30% towards funds spent on organising sports events and maintenance of grounds have been proposed.

On the proposed reduction of revenue from self-financing courses shared with departments, a faculty asked, “If our share is reduced to 30%, how will the self financing courses grow and upgrade itself as per industry needs?”

According to sources, the varsity spends nearly Rs 19 crore per month towards its expenses and with all these deductions they aim to bring down the expenditure by at least Rs 2 crore to Rs 3 crore a month.

Reacting strongly to the proposal, a senior faculty said, “Against the sanctioned strength of 536, the varsity currently has only 170 permanent faculty. We are somehow functioning with the help of guest lecturers, if the varsity will reduce their numbers also then how will the departments function.”

“Majority of the buildings are old and in dilapidated condition. By cutting down maintenance expenses, we are only inviting more trouble,” said another faculty member.

Senior officials of the university could not be reached for a comment.