More med frauds tumble out as colleges scrutinise docus
Fraudster Was Caught Once Earlier
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai/Madurai:21.09.2019

Nearly 10 days before the Theni Medical College dean filed complaint against a first year MBBS student for impersonation, his counterpart in Madurai had flagged another student who had come to the college with a fake allotment order of the New Delhi-based Medical Counselling Committee (MCC).

On September 10, more than a month after the college closed admissions to the 250 MBBS seats at Madurai Medical College, one Riyas from Andhra Pradesh came to the college clutching an ‘allotment order’ by the MCC. Medical college dean Dr K Vanitha, who became suspicious, informed the Tallakulam police. While at least two other candidates, who too had come with similar admission orders, managed to flee before the police arrived, Riyas was detained for inquiry.

Riyas told police that he did not clear the NEET-2019 examination, but one Vickram Singh from New Delhi told him that he could get him a seat in a medical college for a payment of ₹40 lakh. “His parents had negotiated with Vickram Singh and paid Rs6 lakh in three instalments. After payment of ₹4 lakh, Riyas was handed over a ‘copy’ of an ‘allotment order’. The ‘order’ was handed over to him at the Madurai airport,” police said. At least 60 students were cheated by Singh, according to statement from Riyas.

Meanwhile, more information about the Theni college impersonator has tumbled out. It is not the first time K V Udit Surya is being sent out of a medical school. In November 2016, the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University refused to register his name, as he had joined the course without clearing NEET that year. In February 2017, the Medical Council of India had also directed the dean of Ponniyah Ramajayam Insititute of Medical Science to discharge Udit Suriya and 35 other students of the college, who had joined the course without NEET qualification.

On Friday, all medical colleges – government and private – under the state medical university have been asked to verify whether the students who have been given admission are the same ones attending the classes. Some colleges said they had already verified the documents and the students.

Udit Surya moves HC for bail

Madurai: The first year MBBS student of Theni Medical College and suspected NEET impersonator, K V Udit Suriya, has moved Madras high court for anticipatory bail apprehending arrest in connection with the case. He claimed that the two images — one in his college identity card and the other found on NEET marksheet and admit card — appeared different because of lighting during photo session. He said that he had severe psychiatric issues. TNN

Now senior govt staff won’t be paid less than juniors

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:21.09.2019

Pay anomalies are an integral part of government service. Government employees either end up in courts seeking remedies or await the mercy of their superiors to set right anomalies. But now, the state government has introduced a new system to ensure that seniors don’t get paid less than their juniors.

Pay anomalies are common in state government service. There are superintending engineers in the public works department drawing less salary than executive engineers who report to them. A senior revenue official noticed recently that his junior was drawing a higher salary. An assistant director in the art and culture department had a harrowing time getting pay anomaly rectified after charges against him, for which his pay was docked, were not proved.

Chief secretary K Shanmugam recently issued an order to all heads of departments to prepare detailed salary statements of their staff, following a new format, to identify and rectify pay anomalies, mainly instances of seniors drawing less salary than juniors. “It has been noticed by the personnel and administrative reforms department that the particulars which are furnished by the heads of the departments /administrative departments in Secretariat regarding the service details and pay drawn particulars are not sufficient to compare and justify the pay anomaly,” the chief secretary said. Also, the pay fixation details of many employees were found to be erroneous on cross-checking with service registers. The heads of departments also failed to provide authenticated copy of the seniority list.

Interestingly, the instructions for rectifying pay anomalies – of juniors getting paid more than seniors – was issued long ago. Subsequently, many pay commission recommendations were implemented by the finance department and fundamental rule provisions were amended too.

Tamil Nadu Secretariat Association president, S Peter Anthonysamy, said the new format would replace complicated formats followed by various departments in the past. “There used to be hundreds of queries earlier, and the files used to be pending for up to 15 years. The new format will benefit the staff and avoid the delay,” Anthonysamy said. The seniors are guaranteed the arrears after the anomalies are rectified, he said.

HC moved on Anna Univ exam rules

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:21.09.2019

Several engineering studentsfrom colleges affiliated to Anna University have approached the Madras high court seeking to recall the recent amendments made to the rules on arrears and re-exams. Admitting the plea, a division bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and N Seshasayee ordered notice to the university.

According to K M Moulee and nine others, who are pursuing engineering in a college in Namakkal, the changes to the choice-based credit system (CBCS) meant students who fail in the theory course can reappear only with regular students when that course is offered the next time/year. Earlier, students could reappear for the exam in the following semester.The number of arrears students could have was also limited, they said. “The structure of the examination and passing requirements can’t be changed in the middle of the academic session. The newly amended CBCS is discriminatory since the regulations applied to only self-financing institutions and not to other students under the university,” the petitioners said.

Primary Health Care doctor plays hide and seek with patients

Express visited the centre along with a resident who was suffering from toothache. She was given 2 tablets by the staff nurse, and asked to drink plenty of water.

Published: 20th September 2019 04:52 AM |

For representational purposes

By Nirupama Viswanathan

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Beyond the walls of what looks like an untroubled island within Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board premises at Perumbakkam where a Primary Health Care centre is situated, all seems to be not well.

The only doctor on duty comes in at 9 am, but does not stay past 11 am on most days, lament local residents. The doctor is mandated to stay in the Centre till 4 pm, they point out. But, it does not happen.

Express visited the Centre twice, in a gap of three weeks. Both times, it was the single nurse on duty who doubled up as the doctor. There is just this nurse and a compounder in this PHC that is supposed to cater to a population of 13,000 families, most of them who have been evicted from central areas of the city and resttled in TNSCB tenements here.

Express visited the centre along with a resident who was suffering from toothache. She was given 2 tablets by the staff nurse, and asked to drink plenty of water. Till recently, the sanitary worker was writing the prescriptions, alleged the residents.

Worse still, residents said that until recently, the hospital worker (sanitary worker) on duty wrote prescriptions and supplied available medicines. On days when there was a staff shortage, this hospital worker took on an entire shift himself which meant that he was the only person in the entire hospital, handling any case- emergency, or otherwise, that came to him, endangering the lives of the average 160-180 patients that visited the PHC daily. In many cases, he is taken to be the doctor by residents who earnestly hang on to his every word.

"Such is the value for our lives. For a long time, we thought he was the doctor and locals here still ask him for medicines. It is not the hospital worker's fault. If the doctor had been on duty in the mandated hours, why would sanitary worker be forced to take up this work too," said Priyadharshini K, a resident of the tenements.

A few hospital staff Express spoke to, confirmed that this was indeed the case but now he has been asked to stay away from attending to patients. Now, the pharmacists and nurses take over the work of treating the patients after the doctor leaves.

No maternity care

Perumbakkam is one among the four of the 40 PHCs under the Chengalpattu health unit district that do not have maternity care. With its population of over 50,000, there would be around 80-100 EDDs (Estimated Date of Delivery) for a given day. All these cases are sent instead to other health centres- private and public.

According to official data, the Medavakkam health care centre presently handles most number of deliveries of the 40 PHCs, handling 38 deliveries in the last month. Express found the labour ward and the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) ward at Perumbakkam PHC to be locked.

When contacted, a senior health department official said the hospital worker was not authorised to treat patients and that he would personally inspect the PHC. As for maternity care, he said since the Perumbakkam PHC was new, maternity care services have not been initiated yet."We have the infrastructure in place and we will begin maternity care soon."

Family of medical student caught for NEET fraud missing
The family of the student, who was allegedly involved in impersonation and joined the Government Theni Medical College, was absconding on Thursday, according to the police.

Published: 20th September 2019 04:54 AM 

By Express News Service

THENI/CHENNAI: The family of the student, who was allegedly involved in impersonation and joined the Government Theni Medical College, was absconding on Thursday, according to the police.

“When we went to K V Udit Surya’s house at Tondiarpet, it was locked and we are trying to trace them. Father of Udit Surya is a doctor working in the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital,” police said.

Meanwhile, the Dean of the Government Theni Medical College Hospital and committee members, who inquired about the impersonation case, met the Director of Medical Education and submitted photos of two candidates who were alleged involved in malpractice on Thursday.

Speaking to Express, a senior Health official said, “One student wrote the NEET in Mumbai, attended counselling, got allotment order from the selection committee secretary and joined the medial college. After 20 days, that student disappeared and a new candidate began to attend classes. We collected three photographs – one that was on the NEET hall ticket and another two that were given to the department and the college hostel. The photographs given to the college department and the hostel were different from the one on the hall ticket”.

Meanwhile, the Director of Medical Education sent a circular to all government medical colleges and self-financing colleges, requesting them to constitute a special committee comprising the vice-principal and heads of the departments to verify immediately all MBBS students.

“If any student is on leave, the student should have to report back to college for verification. Photos attached to the NEET admit card and selection committee allotment order should be physically verified with the students admitted in their respective colleges,” the circular said.

Madras High Court expresses security concern

The two Lankans are suspected of being involved in several heinous crimes such as rape, murder and gang war in Sri Lanka and had entered into India through Tamil Nadu to escape punishment.

Published: 20th September 2019 05:17 AM |

Madras High Court (File Photo | D Sampath Kumar/EPS)

By Express News Service

MADURAI: Castigating the State government and the Intelligence Department after two Sri Lankan accused — lined up for deportation but ‘inadvertently’ released from the Puzhal Prison-II — escaped, the  Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court raised concerns about the security apparatus along India’s coast.
Hearing a Habeas Corpus Petition filed by two Sri Lankans — Sanga Srantha and his associate Mohamed Saffras — seeking direction for deportation, a bench comprising Justices S Vaidyanathan and N Anand

Venkatesh expressed doubt whether this serious lapse was a mistake.  The issue, if not addressed, would create an impression that terrorists or dangerous criminals could illegally enter and leave India seriously affecting India’s security apparatus along the coast, they added.

Explanation sought from the magistrate

The judges also criticised the Judicial Magistrate-II of Ramanathapuram that he, despite knowing that the proceedings against the accused in connection with their illegal entry into India was being withdrawn only to facilitate their deportation, had failed to mention that crucial aspect in his discharge order. Moreover, the discharge order had been communicated directly to the prison authorities, instead of going through the police officials concerned, they noted and sought an explanation from the magistrate, along with the original case records and dispatch register, at the next hearing on October 3.

The two Lankans are suspected of being involved in several heinous crimes such as rape, murder and gang war in Sri Lanka and had entered into India through Tamil Nadu to escape punishment.

Nursing with spirituality
Most of the physical illnesses have their roots in psychic causes or the psychic factors — especially one’s negative outlook, negative attitude, negative thinking and erroneous lifestyle.

Published: 19th September 2019 06:20 AM |

By Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Most of the physical illnesses have their roots in psychic causes or the psychic factors — especially one’s negative outlook, negative attitude, negative thinking and erroneous lifestyle. However, this truth still lies hidden from so-called modern human’s view that one’s outlook, attitudes and lifestyle are determined by the ethical and spiritual aspects of his personality. As a result of this lack of realisation, only a few steps have been taken by the health scientists to give a spiritual touch to the environment in hospitals and a moral and spiritual orientation to the doctors, surgeons and nurses.

There might be some hospitals and institutions that may be training nurses while keeping above-mentioned factors in view, but their numbers are indeed small. A nurse is a unique soul who will pass through our life for a minute and impact it for an eternity. Hence, it is very important for such a person who is responsible to look after a patient’s well being, to take care of her/his mental as well as spiritual health. Nowadays, many nurses are spiritually inclined and they have those qualities within them, but if the health authorities give this aspect due importance in training, then things would be much better at hospitals.

Each one of us react differently to a situation of stress depending on our values, belief system, weakness and spiritual strength. Therefore, the delicate job of nurses requires that their functioning must have spiritual qualities also. A patient must be free from mental stress and in order to achieve it, he/she must have his/her spirit also healed by receiving spiritual treatment along with medical treatment. By receiving spiritual treatment, he/she would become strong enough to face stress in his/her life without getting affected by tension, trauma or depression.

It should be understood in this context that if a patient gets cured, but does not change his attitude and outlook and gets emotionally disturbed again and again, he/she will then have to be treated again for the same or for a more complicated disease. So, in order to get a lasting cure, the psychological, social and mental aspects of his/her personality have to be attended to, and for that purpose, it is essential that he/she should get spiritual treatment also.

It is high time that health professionals across the globe realise that a comfortable bed and room does not enable a patient to have rest, nor do sedatives or pain killers remove his/her pain for a long period if there is a trauma or a conflict in the patient’s mind. It is necessary to provide spiritual wisdom that would give him/her peace and emotional stability. There is a power within each one of us, which helps us regain health. This inner power has to be re-awakened because anyone who has lost the will to be well or the will to live cannot survive for long.

Our strong and awakened will can work wonders in matters of health. Positive thinking, positive attitude, faith in the Almighty as well as spiritual meditation can repair what seems to be impossible for medical science. Medicines play their own role, but a person’s inner power along with harmony of mind, intellect and emotions enable nature to work its way to good health. Medication removes the barriers and meditation awakens the inner power and helps nature in process of cure. So, let us practise meditation along with medication to achieve fast recovery from all kinds of physical and mental ailments.