NEWS DIGEST

Siddha ‘doc’ vows ‘Covid cure’, booked

Police booked a fake Siddha practitioner after he spread rumours that he had found a cure for Covid-19. K Thanigachalam was running a clinic at Jai Nagar near Koyambedu without any government approval or recognition.

 Inquiries further revealed that he had no accreditation or a degree in Siddha medicine. He had posted videos on social media claiming to have found a cure for Covid-19. Some newspapers and magazines too picked up on this content and had published reports recently. This prompted an inquiry and subsequently, the directorate of Indian Medicine and Homeopathy filed a complaint against Thanigachalam.

 A case has been filed against him under section 8 of the Epidemic Diseases Act and Regulations. The rule restricts spread of information without government’s approval. In a release on Monday, the ministry of health and family welfare urged people to not entertain people who claim to have found a cure for Covid-19. Any treatment not acknowledged by the director of public health is illegal.

Stanley gets funds for RT-PCR machine: After the dean of Government Stanley Medical College Hospital requested Tamil Nadu Foundation to help get RT-PCR machine to facilitate Covid-19 screening, TNF has come forward to make the donation. The machine costs of ₹32.62 lakh. Dr Balaji, Stanley dean, and Dr Dilli Rani, professor of microbiology, received a cheque for the amount. The machine will be used by the premier institute not only for the diagnosis of Covid-19 but also for education and research activities. Tamil Nadu Foundation is a 45-year-old charitable trust supported by more than 1,000 NRI members. Its members from the US are currently helping students studying in government schools in rural Tamil Nadu.