Govt doctors appear on private hospital duty chart, inquiry on

Govt doctors appear on private hospital duty chart, inquiry on

Director of Medical Education Dr R Narayana Babu instructed the hospital dean to form a committee to inquire into the allegation.

Published: 02nd March 2022 10:09 AM 

By Thinakaran Rajamani

Express News Service

TENKASI: A section of doctors working in government hospitals (GH) have expressed concern over their colleagues engaging in private practice during GH duty hours. A doctor attached to the District Government Headquarters Hospital (GHQH) told TNIE that a Tenkasi-based private hospital has been publishing its duty chart daily on Facebook, and it includes names of government surgeons and specialists working at GHQH, Shengottai GH and Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital.

"These doctors work at the private hospital as per their duty chart, and also mark present for the same time in respective GHs. The junior doctors are forced to take up the seniors' workload during their absence," he added.

Another doctor alleged that a Shengottai-based government consultant was holding the Chief Medical Officer post at that private hospital, which is run in his family member's name. Further, a doctor attached to the Primary Health Centre in Karumbanur holds a team coordinator post in another private hospital functioning in Tenkasi. "The government doctors' photographs are uploaded on the private hospital's website. Several government doctors in this district also attend special camps organised by the private hospitals during their GH duty hours," he claimed.

Meanwhile, a government doctor performing private practice said, "Our duty hours in the GH are from 7.30 am to 12.30 pm and 3 pm to 5 pm. Only after these hours, we take up private practice."

When contacted by TNIE, Tamil Nadu Medical Council President Dr K Senthil said use of government doctors' name and images on portals of private hospitals is against the council's norms. "Holding any post in private hospitals also amounts to misconduct," he added. Joint Director (Health Services), Tenkasi, Dr Venkatrangan told TNIE that he would conduct an inquiry into the allegations.

An official from the health department said, "We analysed the data of surgeries performed under the Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme, and found that some doctors have 'performed' surgeries at the same time in private hospitals as well as government hospitals. We are tracking the activities of such doctors."

Last week, based on a complaint that doctors at Government Thanjavur Medical College Hospital were engaging in private practice during duty hours, Director of Medical Education Dr R Narayana Babu instructed the hospital dean to form a committee to inquire into the allegation.

Daughter-in-law has no indefeasible right of residence in shared household: Delhi High Court

Daughter-in-law has no indefeasible right of residence in shared household: Delhi High Court

The Delhi HC has said that a daughter-in-law does not have an indefeasible right of residence in a shared household under the Domestic Violence Act.

Published: 02nd March 2022 02:19 PM 

Delhi High Court (File Photo | Shekhar Yadav, EPS)

By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has said that a daughter-in-law does not have an indefeasible right of residence in a shared household under the Domestic Violence Act and she can be evicted at the behest of aged in-laws who are entitled to live peacefully.

Justice Yogesh Khanna, who was dealing with an appeal by a daughter-in-law against a trial court order denying her the right to stay in the matrimonial house, stated that in the case of a shared household, there is no embargo upon the owner of the property to claim eviction of his daughter-in-law and in the present case, it would be appropriate if an alternative accommodation is provided to the appellant till her marriage continues.

The judge said that in the present case, both the in-laws are senior citizens who are entitled to live peacefully and not to be haunted by the marital discord between their son and daughter-in-law.

"I am of the considered opinion, since there exists a frictional relationship between the parties, then at the fag end of their lives it would not be advisable for old parents to stay with appellant and hence it would be appropriate if an alternative accommodation is provided to the appellant as is directed in the impugned order per Section 19(1)(f) of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act," said the court in a recent order.

The court noted that the relations between the parties were "far from cordial" and there was even a complaint by the husband, who lived in separate rental accommodation, against his wife and he has not claimed any right in the subject property.

"Admittedly, the right of residence under Section 19 of the DV Act is not an indefeasible right of residence in shared household, especially, when the daughter-in-law is pitted against aged father-in-law and mother-in-law. In this case, both being senior citizens of aged about 74 and 69 years and being in the evening of their life, are entitled to live peacefully and not to be haunted by the marital discord between their son and daughter-in-law," the court said.

The court dismissed the appeal by the appellant and recorded the undertaking of the respondent father-in-law that he would provide alternative accommodation to the appellant till her matrimonial relationship with his son is in existence.

The respondent father-in-law had filed a suit for possession in 2016 before the trial court on the grounds that he was the absolute owner of the property and the husband of appellant – his son had shifted to some other place and that he was not inclined to live with his daughter-in-law.

The appellant, mother to two minor daughters, had contended that the property was purchased out of joint family funds and from sale proceeds of the ancestral property and thus she also has a right to reside there.

The trial court had passed a decree of possession in favour of the respondent and held that the property was a self-acquired property of the respondent and after the termination of the license of appellant, she has no right to stay there.

He was a meritorious student, say teachers

He was a meritorious student, say teachers

02/03/2022

Special CorrespondentMYSURU

Naveen S.G., the medical student from Karnataka who was killed in shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine, had studied in Nanjangud in Mysuru district though he belonged to Haveri district as his father was working in a factory in the temple town.

Kept contact

His teachers described him as a meritorious and obedient student. His teachers expressed shock over the tragedy as the management of Unity PU College in Nanjangud was in touch with the student worried about his safety after the crisis broke out in Ukraine.

Rammohan E.K., Kannada lecturer in the college, said Naveen was a 2016-17 batch student who scored 556 in first PU and 553 in second PU. “I remember his smile. He was a meritorious student. His father worked at SIPM and therefore he studied in the town. He topped in SSLC in Adarsha School. I’m shocked that the student I taught is no more,” the heartbroken lecturer said. Naveen had taken coaching for NEET in the college as his dream was to become a doctor.

Naveen went to Ukraine as he couldn’t get medical seat despite 97% marks: Father

Naveen went to Ukraine as he couldn’t get medical seat despite 97% marks: Father

The fourth-year MBBS student, who died in the attack at Kharkiv, was a native of Haveri district

02/03/2022

Relatives and friends gather at the residence of Naveen at Chalageri village in Haveri on Tuesday. PTI PTI

Girish Pattanashetti HUBBALLI

“Despite scoring 97% in PUC, my son could not secure a medical seat in the State. It became inevitable for us to send him to Ukraine for studies. But we lost him,” a distraught Shekarappa said referring to the tragic death of his son Naveen in Ukraine.

Naveen, a fourth-year MBBS student who died in the Russian attack in Kharkiv, was a native of Chalageri village in Ranebennur taluk of Haveri district.

Mr. Shekharappa, a mechanical engineer, who took up farming after retirement, and his wife Vijayalaxmi were inconsolable as relatives, well-wishers, and political leaders continued to visit them on Tuesday after the news about their son’s death spread.

“Naveen was a bright student from the beginning. However, as the family could not afford the cost of medical education here, he was sent to study medicine in Ukraine,” his cousin Gangadhar Gyanagoudar recalled, from the residence of Naveen.

Mr. Shekharappa spent most part of his career outside Haveri. He worked for an oil company in Abu Dhabi before returning to India and joining South Indian Paper Mill at Nanjanagud in Mysuru district.

It was in Nanjangud that Naveen had his primary, high school, and PU education. Having retired two years ago, Mr. Shekharappa and Ms. Vijayalaxmi settled down in Chalageri, where they had ancestral property. “My uncle bought additional land and took to farming. Naveen’s elder brother Harsha has completed M.Sc. Agri,” Mr. Gangadhar said.

According to him, Naveen had called his father on Tuesday morning over phone. However, Mr. Shekharappa had not noticed it. After some time, he received a call informing him about the death, Mr. Gangadhar said. “We were told that the tragic incident happened when they were trying to return,” he said.

The incident has shaken families of students still stuck in the crisis-hit country. Sridhar Vaishyar, father of Suman Vaishyar, who is in Kharkiv, alleged that repeated attempts made by his son to contact Shivakumar Udasi, local MP, had failed.

“He tried several times, but Mr. Udasi is not answering the call. We had informed the MP’s local aide. He said he had informed the MP and asked Suman to call him. But when he did, his call was not received,” Mr. Sridhar said adding that their only hope was the Almighty.

Venkatesh Vaishyar, whose son Amit also studies in Kharkiv, lambasted the politicians for what he termed as their apathy towards the stranded students.

Later in the evening, Mr. Udasi visited Naveen’s residence and consoled his parents. He even clarified that he had spoken to Suman and contacted the MEA authorities and was doing his best. The residents appealed to him to help bring back the mortal remains of Naveen, and to help the remaining students return safely.

Sri Lankan Airlines to operate daily service to Colombo from March 27

Sri Lankan Airlines to operate daily service to Colombo from March 27

02/03/2022

Special Correspondent TIRUCHI

Sri Lankan Airlines will operate a daily service on the Tiruchi-Colombo sector from March 27. The airliner is presently operating four flights a week .The flight is being operated on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday now.

As per the revised plan, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, it will depart from Tiruchi at 3.30 p.m. The flights on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday will leave Tiruchi at 9.40 a.m. The proposed increase in service is expected to scale up international passenger movement at the airport.

Cash-strapped Madurai Kamaraj University starts paying salaries from pension fund

Cash-strapped Madurai Kamaraj University starts paying salaries from pension fund

By Jeyalakshmi Ramanujam| Express News Service 

| Published: 02nd March 2022 05:36 AM

Madurai Kamraj University

MADURAI: With the State government refusing to release funds to Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) owing to audit objections, the university administration has started using Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) funds to pay salaries and pension.

MKU needs around Rs 12 crore every month for salary and pension. Of this, Rs 4.9 crore is for 1,165 pensioners. Remaining amount is spent on the salary of 202 UGC-scale teaching staff, 303 administrative staff, and more than 500 consolidated salaried non-teaching staff.

MKU Pensioners Association President and former syndicate member R Srinivasan said the university has already exhausted a corpus fund of around Rs 400 crore, kept for paying retirement benefits. “Now, the university has started using CPS, which is against MKU’s statutes,” he said.

A panel appointed under retired HC Judge Akbar Ali had pointed out violations made in faculty appointments but no remedial action was taken, he said. The documents related to the 3,000 audit objections, accessed by TNIE, reveals that most of the objections are related to appointment of teachers and excess non-teaching staff.

An MKU professor said from 2010 onwards there has been lot of irregularities, including appointment of project assistants and appointment of associate and assistant professors at the Department of Film Studies.

Save Higher Education Forum Co-Convener and former General Secretary of Madurai Kamaraj, Manonmaniam Sundaranar, Mother Teresa and Alagappa University Teachers’ Association (MUTA) P Vijayakumar said, “For more than 10 years, there have been no elected representatives in senate and syndicate. The present senate and syndicate have only nominated members,” he said.

According to Registrar VS Vasantha, the university started utilising the CPS fund as it does not have enough money. “The university’s main source of income of fee from students and affiliated colleges is not enough to meet the expenses. A proposal for `27.50 crore funding has been sent to the government,” she said.

“A committee led by syndicate member R Lakshmipathi was appointed to clear objections in teaching staff recruitment. Another committee led by syndicate member A Meshach Ponraj was appointed for non-teaching staff appointments. Of the 102 teachers recruited over the past 15 years, audit objections have been raised in 70 cases,” she added.

This doc lived amid Covid infected for 2 yrs, unscathed

This doc lived amid Covid infected for 2 yrs, unscathed

Mar 2, 2022, 03.41 AM IST

Hyderabad: Lakhs of Covid-19 patients, some very severe cases, were treated under his watch, yet Gandhi Hospital superintendent Dr Raja Rao is a medical marvel, who has remained uninfected since the pandemic began and even after the widespread Omicron wave. He is the first medical professional in the state to treat Covid-19 patients, interact with them and even touch them.

Dr Rao himself is perplexed by the fact that though he tested himself four times, at different intervals despite not having symptoms, as he had close contact with severe patients, but the results proved him lucky. Even antibody tests to check for asymptomatic infection ruled out any infection.

"At first, we used personal protection equipment (PPEs). Since then, I've been using double masks, taking vitamins, eating eggs daily and non-veg once a week. As a result, I've gained weight," Dr Rao says.

He did not take a day off since the first case was reported in 2020, as did many other Gandhi Hospital medical staff. For him, the whole experience at Gandhi Hospital is surreal.

"I completed MBBS and PG (general medicine) from Gandhi, joined as an assistant professor in the same hospital in 1998 and eventually took over as superintendent in April 2020, exactly a month after the first Covid-19 patient was admitted. Since then, I may have touched nearly 8,000 patients. They would hug me in emotion and pain," he told TOI.

When the first few cases were reported, Gandhi was the only centre treating patients, and the doctors were directly in video conferences with doctors in the United States, he added.

"When I used to tell them I touched patients, they would wonder or warn me about an infection. In fact, it is a puzzle and a wonder to me as well," he explained. Surprisingly, none of his family members was infected, including his wife, son, and daughter till now.

"I lived separately in the same house for a year, used to drive back home alone at night, used to wash my clothes, it was a strange feeling those days, I would pray for traffic on those days during the lockdown," he explained.

The deaths and births during the pandemic have moved all the staff at Gandhi. "However, one death that moved me was that of a bodybuilder from the city, who spent three months in the hospital during the second wave. I would give him courage for days on end, until one day when I went to see him, he was just lying there, and when I touched him, he just fell apart, and I realised he was dead. I couldn't stop crying, but many recovered patients offer me many things with love; one tailor who recovered sent me clothes stitched after he returned home; there are many such accounts; this would not have been possible without our staff," he said.