Hospitals denying Covid treatment will face action: Govt

Hospitals denying Covid treatment will face action: Govt

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:11.06.2020

Hospitals denying Covid-19 treatment under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) will face action, the health ministry warned after beneficiaries of the scheme complained of difficulties in availing treatment at private hospitals.

The ministry issued an order to all health organisations empanelled under CGHS for strict adherence to stipulated guidelines. As per the order, all CGHS empanelled hospitals notified as Covid hospitals by state governments shall provide treatment to such beneficiaries as per norms for all Covid-related treatments.

Similarly, CGHS empanelled hospitals which are not notified as Covid hospitals shall not deny treatment facilities and admission to CGHS beneficiaries and shall charge as per CGHS norms for all other treatments, the order said. It added that action would be taken in case of violations.

The warning follows the heath ministry reviewing representations from CGHS beneficiaries regarding difficulties in availing treatment at private hospitals and diagnostic centres empanelled under the scheme.

Under CGHS, government employees can avail cashless diagnostics and treatment at hospitals, which send the bills directly to the government for settlement. For this, hospitals and CGHS enter into an agreement for a certain period, under which the price for each medical procedure is put down. If a hospital wants to revise any rate, it has to enter into a fresh agreement with CGHS.

Plane shortage keeps Indians abroad stranded

Plane shortage keeps Indians abroad stranded

V.Ayyappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:11.06.2020

Evacuation of stranded Indians in the US, Canada and Europe has been slow, as only one Indian carrier, Air India, has the long range planes needed.

Most flights are scheduled from Chicago, San Francisco and Toronto but they are not enough as too many Indians, several of them hailing from Chennai, are waiting to return home as early as possible.

As the demand is high for urgent travel and as announcement of US schedules in phases is not adequate, travel and tour companies have tied up with foreign airlines and have approached the DGCA for permission to operate services.

The move comes as some foreign carriers from Europe and the US are flying to India to take back their citizens. “These aircraft fly empty to Delhi and Mumbai. The government is yet to allow them to bring Indians stranded aboard,” said an official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

“The ministry has relaxed its rules and has started to allow foreign airlines, especially those in the Middle East, to fly in Indian passengers. FlyDubai operated a few flights to Chennai. But there is no move yet to allow it from the US and Europe,” said an official.

Nishant Pitti, founder and CEO of EaseMyTrip.com, said, “We are planning to tieup with a few airlines to repatriate the thousands of Indians stranded in the US, Canada and Europe. We will speak to the airlines when we get approval from the ministry of civil aviation. A dialogue has been initiated.”

Air India flights have been scheduled based on the number of people who are ready to fly based on registrations. However, too many flights cannot be operated by the airline because fleet limitation and international and domestic connections too need to be taken into consideration, said an airline official.

Crew rostering and moving them between airports within the country is a challenge. Nevertheless, Air India has included 18 flights from Chicago, 18 from San Francisco and 19 from Toronto in its schedule from Delhi.

This has come as a blessing for the 500 NRIs stranded in the city as several have got tickets. Gowtham, an NRI from Seattle stranded in Chennai, said, “I managed to get a ticket to fly to San Francisco via Delhi. But demand is too high for flights both ways. There is a Facebook group with 15,000 members, all who want to come to India.”

I managed to get a ticket to fly to San Francisco via Delhi. But demand is too high for flights both ways. There is a Facebook group with 15,000 members, all who want to come to India

GOWTHAM | NRI from Seattle

IMD: City likely to get light rain in next 48 hours

IMD: City likely to get light rain in next 48 hours

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:11.06.2020

After cloudy skies brought from some relief from the sweltering summer heat on Wednesday, weathermen said the city has chances of rainfall or the first thunderstorm of the season in the next two days, while clouds continue to engulf the skies as a low pressure over Bay of Bengal is gathering strength. Temperatures will rise again by weekend, as the system will intensify and move into the land.

IMD has forecast, “The sky condition likely to be generally cloudy. Light to moderate rain is likely to occur in some areas in the city in the next 48 hours.”

On Wednesday, the city was mostly cloudy with temperatures at 34.1°C in Nungambakkam and 34.4°C in Meenambakkam, which were 2.6°C and 2.9°C below normal. Humidity too was at 60% in Nungambakkam and 62% at Meenambakkam.

Weather bloggers said the skies were overcast on Wednesday with mostly high clouds which were at an altitude of 20,000 feet. These clouds mostly bring traces or light rainfall. Cloudy skies could continue while as the low pressure gathers intensity over Bay of Bengal, which could take another 48 hours. According to IMD’s regional inference, a low pressure over eastcentral and adjoining west central Bay of Bengal persists with associated cyclonic circulation extending up to mid-tropospheric level tilting southwestwards with height. It may move westnorthwestwards and become well marked during the next 48 hours “The wind convergence, which could bring rain, was happening over the sea. What we had was high clouds. The city will see an overcast sky on Thursday as well,” said weather blogger Pradeep John.

As southwest monsoon is progressing to other regions in the country, the system over Bay of Bengal may bring spells over the west coast due to the drag it creates over the next few days before it intensifies and moves towards central India. On Wednesday, some parts of west Tamil Nadu like Coimbatore recorded light rainfall at 0.2mm and coastal areas like Karaikal 25.3mm and Nagapattinam at 16.4mm. IMD has forecast light to moderate rain likely over isolated places of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal till June 14.

5 infra projects to be delayed more

5 infra projects to be delayed more

Shortage Of Guest Workers Results In Such Situation

Yogesh.Kabirdoss@timesgroup.com

Chennai:11.06.2020

Residents may have to continue their battle with traffic on vital junctions after the lockdown is relaxed completely as completion of five flyovers and grade separators in and around Chennai is further delayed due to the acute shortage for guest workers.

These key infrastructure projects executed by the state highways department at a financial outlay of around ₹450crore were already running beyond their schedule.

Construction work at these facilities where mainly migrant workers were employed has been hit.

While paucity for guest workers has pushed their completion by another six months, labourers sourced from other parts of the state have been recruited to carry out emergency work. But, a section of labourers from districts is refusing to travel to Chennai in the wake of spiralling cases of coronavirus in the city and fringes.

Three facilities located at Vandalur Junction on GST Road, one leg of Eechangadu Junction running through Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road and Koyambedu that were planned to be finished by June have been delayed by anywhere between three and six months. The two-level grade separator at Vijayanagar Junction and Medavakkam, the longest flyover in Chennai running for 2.3km, are expected to be completed by December 2020. Ironically, these projects have missed multiple scheduled deadlines since 2018 and suffered inordinate delays owing to land acquisition and contractors abandoning work midway. According to official sources with the highways department, only one fifth of guest workers were available to execute construction work at sites. “There was an instance of a contractor attempting to fly down guest workers from West Bengal to complete flyover work. But, the migrant labourers are not willing to return immediately,” a highways department official said.

Cashing in on the crisis, some local labourers are demanding additional wages, highways department sources said. “We are managing with available workforce as a section of local labourers from other districts does not want to travel to the city due to scare over Covid-19,” another official said.

Meanwhile, Builders Association of India, a body with contractors executing infrastructure projects as its members, is attempting to get guest workers back to Tamil Nadu. The association’s state treasurer S Ramaprabhu said that contractors have also offered to pay wages in advance. “But, guest workers are seeking two-three months for returning to Chennai,” he added.

The flyover under construction at Medavakkam

Daughters design ‘quarantine room’ for dad who returned from Spain

Daughters design ‘quarantine room’ for dad who returned from Spain

MT.Saju@timesgroup.com

11.06.2020

Roshna Keerthi and her sister Saira Mahati missed their father a lot after he got stuck in Madrid since March due to Covid-19 outbreak. However, when the little ones heard that their father would be landing in Chennai on Monday, both started jumping but with a note of caution. The children knew how dangerous the virus was, so they decided to decorate a quarantine room for their father Gopinath Chandran.

Eleven-year-old Roshna and seven-year-old Saira first prepared a list of materials including sanitizer and gloves that they wanted to buy. With the help of their mother, the duo organised it in a couple of days. They then worked on some drawings, illustrations and instructions on the safety aspects to avoid the spread of Covid-19. Finally, some home-made candles in case if the power went off. Once the room was set, they pasted an illustration saying “Quarantine Room” on the door.

As Gopinath entered his apartment in Kolapakkam (after a week’s institutional quarantine in Delhi), both Roshna and Saira welcomed him wearing masks. They then requested him to use the sanitizer kept at the entrance. The children showed him the room where he should undergo institutional quarantine for a week.

“Hi, Appa, welcome to quarantine room B44. All your necessities will be available at your doorstep. And you will be provided with breakfast, lunch, snacks, tea and dinner,” they wrote on a paper and placed it on the wall itself. Gloves, tissue paper, sanitizer and soap were kept on a table inside the room.

“We have been hearing a lot about Covid-19 for the past three months. We were very upset when we heard that our father got stuck in Madrid. We were eagerly waiting for him but at the same time, we wanted to take care of him the best we could. And that’s how we started to design a quarantine room for him,” said Roshna and Saira.

At a time when many don’t follow safety measures, Roshna and Saira show the world how prevention is better than cure. How did they get the idea?

“I booked through Vande Bharat Mission and I got a ticket to Delhi, where I landed on May 31. I took institutional quarantine at a hotel in Delhi for a week. I used to tell my daughters how I was treated there. I think they got the idea from it only,” said Gopinath, a software consultant.

Both Roshna and Saira agree, but they also want to give credit to various awareness drives. “We hear a lot about the outbreak of Covid-19 these days. A cure for this virus is not yet out, so we should never take chances. I am very upset that I am not able to spend time with my father, but I know it’s my responsibility to follow the safety measures,” said Roshna.

A TOUCH OF COLOUR: The children have ensured that following stringent safety norms do not become cumbersome for the family

AROUND TAMIL NADU

AROUND TAMIL NADU  11.06.2020

26 new coronavirus cases in Tiruvannamalai

Twenty-six people tested positive for Covid-19 in Tiruvannamalai district on Wednesday. The total number of cases in the district stands at 548 now. Of the new cases reported, seven were suffering from influenza-like illness and 14 had returned from Chennai, Hosur and Bengaluru. Five positive cases were primary contacts of infected people. Sixteen people were discharged on Wednesday taking the total number of cured to 326. As many as 220 positive cases are being treated at the Government Tiruvannamalai Medical College and Hospital, Cheyyar Government Hospital and at a private hospital in Athiyandhal village. Speaking to TOI, a senior district administration official said, “The surge in number of positive cases was only after the arrival of workers who got stranded in other districts and states. The another reason for the spike in cases is high number of tests. In Tiruvannamali district, more than 23,000 people were tested.”

Man from TN dies in Pondy, swab tests positive

A man from Tamil Nadu, who died at Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital in Puducherry on Monday, tested positive for Covid-19 infection. Director (health and family welfare) S Mohankumar said the 82-year-old man from Villupuram was admitted with multiple ailments including diabetes, high blood pressure, blood clots in the brain and cardiac complaints to the hospital on June 4. Swab samples taken after his death tested positive for Covid-19 infection on Tuesday following which the territorial officials made necessary arrangements to follow all protocols in managing and disposing of the body. Health minister Malladi Krishna Rao inspected the hospital on Wednesday morning and reviewed the preparedness of the staff to handle dead bodies of Covid patients. Meanwhile, 12 more people tested positive for Covid-19 infection taking the total number of cases to 145 in the Union territory.

Two flyers, pregnant woman test positive in Coimbatore

Three people, one of them a pregnant woman, tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Coimbatore on Wednesday. While two of them are flyers from Chennai, the third one is a local resident. In the case of the flyers - a 24-year-old woman from RS Puram and a 34-year-old business traveller - samples were collected on Tuesday when they landed in the city. They have been admitted to private hospitals. The indigenous case is the pregnant woman. She doesn’t have a travel history and any known contact with a positive case. A health department official said the woman was tested for Covid-19 when she approached a private hospital to get admitted for delivery. She has been shifted to the ESI Hospital. G Ramesh Kumar, deputy director of public health, said, “The patient is asymptomatic and stable. Her husband is a cop who is deployed at Walayar check post. We have collected samples from him, other close family members and neighbours. There are around 12 houses in and around her residence.”

Trichy city gets third containment zone

After five people in a house tested positive for Covid-19 on Chinna Chetti Street, Trichy corporation established a containment zone in the vicinity on Wednesday, the third to be established here in the past week. Local body officials said that a 47-year-old man from Chinna Chetti Street had volunteered to get tested on June 8 at MGMGH as he had symptoms. Since he tested positive, swabs from eight of his family members residing in the street were collected of which four including three women tested positive. Officials said they found it difficult to track the travel history of the man as he was not fully cooperative.

Madurai university invents respirator-cum-ventilator

A research team from the Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) has invented a ventilator-cum-respirator device (LIDS-VR) that would help prevent the spread of coronavirus while providing continuous oxygen supply for frontline workers, infected patients and healthy people. Vice chancellor of MKU, professor M Krishnan, said a team of experts - Dr T Arockia Doss, department of physics and Dr B Ashokkumar, department of genetic engineering, invented this device (LIDS-VR). They was demonstrated the device in front of Dr N Sivasubramanian, former senior scientist, Isro, who has appraised the invention.

Should TN recount casualties? Jury is out

Should TN recount casualties? Jury is out

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

11.06.2020

As Chennai is all set to add 236 more deaths to the state’s Covid mortality count, there is a lingering doubt on the possibility of a similar mismatch in mortalities recorded due to the virus across the state.

The doubt has also popped up the question whether a statewide exercise was needed to scrutinise records of deaths reported in the past three months and verify the causes again. The opinion is divided. While a section of health experts says that there could be underreporting and a statewide exercise to verify causes of all recent deaths is necessary, there are experts who say the case of Chennai was different from rest of the state where Covid deaths are reported diligently.

For now, the state government constituted committee has been tasked with scrutinising the records in Greater Chennai Corporation alone. Deputy directors of health services in districts and city health officers in municipal corporations across the state say they have not received any such instructions from the government.

“Under reporting would be there and chances are that it could be high. All deaths in hospitals should be declared as Covid deaths unless they are clinically proved otherwise. Domiciliary deaths should also be checked across the state,” said G R Ravindranath, general secretary of Doctors Association for Social Equality (DASE). He said deaths in case of people with severe acute respiratory infections should also be recorded as suspected or probable Covid deaths. He said in addition to Rt-PCR tests, antibody tests should also be done among people and record deaths accordingly, which will give a more accurate reading of Covid mortality.

A senior public health expert, however, said that the situation in Chennai need not be same across the state as far as recording and reporting of deaths was concerned. He said the possibility of omissions in districts was less since the administrative layers were less unlike Chennai and district collectors keep a close watch in the current scenario.

“I am not ruling out under reporting. But it would be less if at all there was under reporting,” he said. He said that though there was no need for statewide verification of deaths, the government can carry out such an exercise to build credibility of the system. “They can do it at least in cities to build trust,” he said.

Health officials from various districts told TOI that there could not be under reporting in their jurisdictions. Health officials noted that in Chennai there were hundreds of cases and dozens of deaths, where in most of the districts deaths were only in single digits.

A health officer said that all the deaths are registered within three to five days. The maximum time for registering deaths is 21 days. “Village administrative officers and panchayat secretaries scrunitise each and every death and ascertain the cause. We take the help of police too and update death records every week,” said T Manivannan, city health officer and DDHS in-charge of Vellore.