NEWS TODAY 01.01.2025

 

At Kol’s private hospitals, Bengal nurses now outnumber those from southern states, NE

At Kol’s private hospitals, Bengal nurses now outnumber those from southern states, NE 

Local Pool Grows As State Nursing College Count Rises

Prithvijit.Mitra@timesofindia.com 02.01.2025

Kolkata : In a complete reversal of trend, nurses from Bengal now outnumber those from southern states, the northeast and neighbouring states, who were till recently in the majority at most private hospitals in Kolkata. Hospital officials say the mushrooming of nursing colleges in Bengal, including those set up by state govt and private hospitals, has helped produce more nurses in the past few years and saved them from crisis situations triggered by a shortage due to high attrition rate. 

Bengal currently has 76,000 registered nurses. The two major recognised courses on offer are BSc (nursing) and GNM (general nursing and midwifery). Several thousand nurses now pass out from Bengal every year, up from just a few hundred five years ago, says Woodlands Hospital CEO Rup ak Barua, also president of the Association of Hospitals of Eastern India. “Sixty per cent of our nurses are now from the state, which has never been the case before. Almost all private hospitals in the city were dependent on nurses from the south, northeast and neighbouring states. They still have a sizeable presence but are no longer in the majority. This has also reduced the attrition rate, which was very high till Covid,” said Barua. He added that since Bengal was now producing more nurses than needed in local hospitals, many were taking up jobs in other parts of India and abroad.

At Peerless Hospital, around 420 of the total pool of 480 nurses are now from Bengal. Till 2022, more than 50% were from other states, says Peerless Hospital CEO Sudipta Mitra. “For the past two years, we have not recruited nurses from other states. Due to a sudden proliferation of nursing graduates from state colleges, there is a glut now, and we have had no vacancies for a long time. 

We now have large local pool of nurses, say hosp mgmts 

Peerless Hospital CEO Sudipta Mitra said, “The situation was completely different before 2022, when hundreds of nurses would quit every year for govt hospitals, and we would be left searching for new recruits. A large number of vacancies were invariably filled with nurses from the south and Northeast.” He added that Peerless, too, had its own nursing course, but those passing out were not getting absorbed in the hospital since vacancies were rare. More than 80% of nurses at BP Poddar Hospital are now local. “With the growing num

ber of nursing colleges in Bengal, including our own nursing and paramedical college, we are able to provide students with comprehensive training and guidance. This seamless integration of education and practical learning not only prepares skilled professionals but also meets the growing demands of quality healthcare,” said group adviser Supriyo Chakrabarty. At Ruby General Hospital, the number of nurses from other states has dropped from 40% in 2017 to 25% now. “Around half of those from the so uth and Northeast left during Covid, and less than 40% returned. With the addition of more nursing colleges, we now have a large local pool. We used to run a language course for outstation nurses before the pandemic, but it is no longer necessary,” said general manager, operations, Subhashis Datta. Charnock Hospital has 50% nurses from other states. “Whenever opportunities arise, those from the south tend to leave. When govt jobs are available in Bengal, nurses from our state take them up. But the attrition rate has dropped with a rise in the number of fresh graduates,” said MD Prashant Sharma.

2 L devout usher in New Yr with Ram Lalla’s darshan

2 L devout usher in New Yr with Ram Lalla’s darshan 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 02.01.2025

Lucknow : More than two lakh people offer prayers at Ram Temple and seek Ram Lalla’s blessings on the first day of the New Year. By late Wednesday evening, about two lakh people had completed their visit to the Ram Temple. Although the temple was scheduled to open its doors at 6:30 a.m., braving the cold wave and extreme temperatures, devotees began qu- euing up from 5 am. By 11 am, the road from the Ram Temple Janmabhoomi Math to the Hanumangarhi Temple turn, was completely choked with devotees. Anticipating a huge crowd, the temple trust allowed the formation of five darshan lines. The crowd management system is updated every few weeks based on the crowd size. The temple remained closed for only 15 minutes during the day to offer lunch to the deity. Draped in a jewel-studded green robe and golden crown, devotees kept staring at the idol as soon as they had a chance to enter the sanctum sanctorum. General secretary of the Ram Temple Trust Champat Rai said that earlier during holidays people used to visit hill stations and historical places. But the trend has changed. Now, they are visiting Ayodhya to have a ‘darshan’ of Ram Lalla.

ICMR develops draft list of tests must at health facilities

ICMR develops  draft list of tests must at health facilities

DurgeshNandan.Jha@timesofindia.com 02.01.2025

New Delhi : What are the minimum number and type of tests that should be available in a health facility? The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has developed one such list that would soon act as a guide for all health facilities run by the govt — from village-level health centres and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAM) to district hospitals. 

Called the National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL), the draft of which has been put out in the public domain for stakeholder comments, suggests that even village-level health facilities should have at least nine types of diagnostic tests available. These include tests for diabetes, malaria, TB, HIV and syphilis. At Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, the draft guidelines suggest that testing for Hepatitis B should be available in addition to the basic tests that are also available at village-level health facilities. Moving up in the hierarchy of health facilities are primary health centres (PHCs). The ICMR draft gui delines suggest that PHCs should have diagnostic tests available for all common illnesses, including dengue, Japanese Encephalitis and scrub typhus. At PHCs, the ICMR guidelines add that Xray and ECG machines should also be available. 

The proposed guidelines mandate availability of CT scan, MRI, mammography, and echocardiography at districtlevel health facilities. “The proposed guidelines are much needed, for timely diagnosis and treatment of illnesses. Currently, many health facilities being run in rural areas do not have even basic diagnostic facilities due to which people have to travel far to higher centres, where there is long waiting time, leading to the loss of crucial time in diagnosis and initiation of treatment. It can prove fatal in some cases,” an expert said. The ICMR released the first National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL) in 2019 to make diagnostics an essential component of the healthcare system. Officials said the new guidelines are a revised version of the NEDL, incorporating inputs from relevant stakeholders and feedback from multiple consultation meetings. The draft of the second NEDL reflects advancements made in recent years, an official said. 

Nizamuddin stn porter charges ₹10k for wheelchair assistance

Nizamuddin stn porter charges ₹10k for wheelchair assistance

Abhinav.Rajput@timesofindia.com 02.01.2025

New Delhi : A porter at Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station charged Rs 10,000 to assist an elderly man in a wheelchair to the platform. The railways, after investigating the matter, made the porter return Rs 9,000 to the senior citizen’s family and took away the porter’s badge. Payal, the woman who reported the matter, is the daughter of the elderly passenger. Originally from Gujarat, Payal resides in London with her husband Samuel and her parents, Ritesh and Sandhya. She arrived in Delhi on Dec 21 with her family. “After staying in Delhi for a few days, they planned a trip to Agra. On Dec 28, they reached Hazrat Nizamuddin station. The porter charged the family Rs 10,000 for assisting Payal’s father with a wheelchair,” a senior railway official said. 

Upon reaching Agra, the family hired a taxi to see the Taj Mahal and other tourist sites. During this time, Payal told Anil Sharma, the secretary of the Prepaid Auto Taxi Drivers' Union, about the exorbitant amount that the porter had charged for the wheelchair service. Sharma told her that wheelchair assistance at railway stations is free of cost. Porters may charge a nominal fee for their labour, he said. Payal and her husband contacted the GRP at Agra Cantt station. The force there coordinated with their counterparts in Nizamuddin GRP to investigate the matter. The porter was identified through CCTV footage. Rs 9,000 was transferred back to the family, the railway official said. 

The divisional railway manager of Delhi also took away the porter’s badge. The railway administration prioritises passenger welfare and will not tolerate such incidents, adhering to a zero-tolerance policy for such misconduct, Northern Railway said later. Expressing regret over the incident, the DRM of the Delhi division said that the railways is committed to providing safe and convenient travel to passengers. Such incidents tarnish the railways' image and weakens passenger trust. He assured that strict action would be taken against people found guilty in similar cases. “The railway administration appeals to all passengers to immediately contact the railway helpline number if they encounter any issues during their journey,” he said.

88-yr-old gets 2nd pacemaker implant over existing one

88-yr-old gets 2nd pacemaker implant over existing one

 TIMES NEWS NETWORK 02.01.025

New Delhi : Doctors at Paras Hospital successfully implanted a second miniature leadless pacemaker, similar in size to a vitamin capsule, into the heart of an 88-year-old patient. The patient already had a pacemaker that malfunctioned due to battery issues. Doctors said the medical intervention became necessary when the patient suffered from severe dizziness and blackouts, caused by the failing battery of the first leadless pacemaker. 

Medical assessment of the patient identified a critically low heart rate of 30 beats per minute, necessitating immediate admission. The initial treatment involved installing a temporary pacing catheter with a specialised balloon wire to prevent heart perforation. The medical team then conducted the intricate procedure of placing the second pacemaker above the existing one, ensuring autonomous operation of both devices. “This is an index case and has never been done in the country before,” claimed Dr Amit Bhushan Sharma, director and unit head of cardiology-interventional, Paras Health. “This pacemaker is the world’s smallest pacemaker, about the size of a vitamin capsule, and is leadless.” “When the patient came in with battery depletion and loss of consciousness, we had to act swiftly. We successfully implanted the second capsule-sized pacemaker on top of the first one without stopping his blood thinners. 

This innovative approach minimised the risk of heart perforation and ensured both pacemakers functioned independently,” he added. In 2017, Paras Hospital installed the patient’s first capsule-sized pacemaker. The two-hour procedure required careful supervision using specialised imaging and echo guidance for precise pacemaker positioning. “We used a basic type of catheter with a balloon to avoid heart perforation. The second pacemaker was placed above the first to reduce the risk of complications. Special imaging ensured that both pacemakers were correctly positioned and did not interact with each other,” Dr

Sharma said. Doctors said the patient’s medical history included angioplasty in 2014, and he maintained good health with the first leadless pacemaker until the recent battery issues. His health declined due to irregular checkups and followups. After the successful placement of the second leadless pacemaker, he remained under observation for 48 hours before discharge.

Fog season: Centre lists steps for airlines, airport operators to minimise flyers’ pain

Fog season: Centre lists steps for airlines, airport operators to minimise flyers’ pain

TIMES NEWS NETWORK DELHI EDITION 02.01.2025

New Delhi : Airlines should not keep passengers seated inside aircraft for more than 90 minutes in case of fog-related delayed departures and they need to cancel flights delayed by over three hours. As peak winter fog season kicks in, the Union civil aviation ministry on Wednesday listed dos and don’ts for airlines and airport operators to minimise passenger inconvenience. “The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security’s (BCAS) circular for facilitating smooth re-entry of passengers in case of flight cancellations was operationalised and drills were organised by CISF with stakeholders. This would significantly reduce passenger inconvenience and ensure a smoother re-boarding process once flights resume,” the Ram Mohan Naidu-headed ministry said in a statement. Airlines have been “instructed” to proactively communicate with passengers about potential delays/cancellations due to visibility issues. “For this, airlines and booking agents (need) to ensure that correct passenger contact information is recorded during ticket booking.” 

The Met department (IMD) along with Airports Authority of India (AAI) is expediting implementation of “advanced weather observation system” (AWOS) at Indira Gandhi International Airport and other fog-affected airports. This system will ensure accurate and timely weather information for pilots and air traffic controllers to enhance operational safety and efficiency. “IMD (is) committed to ensure all Met equipment function without disruption.” The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), “in close coordination with airlines, has ensured deployment of adequate number of CAT II/CAT III-compli ant crew and aircraft to carry out low visibility operations efficiently during fog at affected airports. Three runways at the Delhi airport have activated CAT-III ILS systems, including the important runway between T1 and T2.” Airlines have been asked to ensure full staffing at check-in counters during peak hours to reduce passenger inconvenience. 

“Delhi airport has installed LED screens at prominent locations to provide real-time updates on visibility conditions. The airport has also scaled up the number of ‘follow me’ vehicles, which will guide and assist the pilots on the apron/taxiway during low visibility conditions ensuring better coordination on ground,” the statement says. Airlines have been told to sensitise their “operations control centres” and war-room representatives for closer coordination during adverse weather, especially fog, to “improve real time decision-making (and) allowing for more effective and timely responses to flight delays or cancellations.” “AAl has implemented new standard operating procedures to effectively regulate air traffic at fog-affected airports and at the originating or destination airports,” it added.