Day: July 22, 2019

Ranchi doc performs 246 surgeries under Ayushman Bharat

Source: dailypioneer.com/

While the State Government is consistently seeking the support of doctors and hospitals in making the ambitious Ayushman Bharat Yojana a success in Jharkhand, a cardiac surgeon in Ranchi has gone out of his way to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of providing accessibility of expensive medical facilities to the poor.

Meet 54-year-old Dr Kunal Hazari, MS, MCh, who has successfully completed as many as 246 open heart surgeries in less than a year under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana.

Hazari, the Vice Chairman of Medica Superspecialty Hospital near Booty More, believes that every doctor should be accountable for the health of people living in the country. 

“We are all accountable for the health of our citizens – the government, the hospitals and the doctors,” Hazari said. The 246 surgeries that he performed includes Bypass Grafting, Valve replacements, Tetrology under Ayushman Bharat till now, Dr. Hazari started operating cases under this scheme from October 2018. Since then the graph of patients getting treatment under this scheme has just gone up. Today, out of every 40 patients he operates monthly, at least 35 are covered under this programme.

The scheme provides a cover of Rs 5 lakh per family annually for 10 crore poor and vulnerable families.

The beneficiary under this programme can undertake cashless benefits from public and private hospitals across the country. While Private versus Public Hospitals spark an endless debate in terms of facilities and also the eligibility to cover Ayushman Bharat patients, all the hospitals in the nation are accountable to treat patients under this scheme,said Hazari.

“If you are to provide healthcare facility, all the government hospitals need to be strengthened and equipped. Healthcare of its people is the liability of the Government,”he said.

The system or the chain of procedures for getting covered under the scheme is simple and requires the patients to have a ration card which in turn is needed to generate golden cards —  a facility available at the hospitals.

“The procedure and paper work involved has become so systematic and mechanised that now as doctors we can really focus on treating the patients. It also saves time. Talking about cardiac surgeries, time loss is equivalent to muscle loss,” said Dr Hazari.

The golden cards can be generated within half an hour after producing the ration cards meanwhile the patients can be admitted and the treatment procedures can start, he said.

The hospitals are known to receive funds from the Government within the stipulated time.

“Ayushman Bharat is much simpler for both patients and hospitals compared to the earlier BPL healthcare programme. The simple paperwork, systematic checking of facts post treatment, clearing of payments have all cumulatively built trust among private hospitals and doctors. The trend shows that they are taking it up now,” told Dr Hazari on the current scenario of the programme in the State Capital.

The programme cannot be fully crowned as a success as it has its own set of lacunas. Regularised price slabs for a certain type of medical procedure is one of the major issues that has to be resolved.

“With patients the treatment gets customised according to their body response, one patient can take five days to get discharged while others may take up to 10 days and one price bar cannot accommodate both. We are constantly trying to find solution to this gap,” said Dr Hazari who is also a member of Ayushman Bharat board for the state of Jharkhand.

There is a motion to increase the flexibility of the amount by 10 to 15 per cent.

“The satisfaction I get after treating the needy patients is the prime incentive for being an active force in this scheme by the PM for a healthy nation. Finance always comes secondary,” said Hazari.

The enthusiasm of government, doctors and the public is required for this scheme to be a success, government’s feedback and check system being the major drivers of the movement, he added.

Keep Apex Court out of Aya Ram-Gaya Ram game

Source: freepressjournal.in

It is clear the JD(S)-Congress Government of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in Karnataka has lost majority. It is also equally clear the CM is using every stratagem to delay the inevitable. But why is the State Governor, Vajubhai Vala, shooting off missives to the Chief Minister and the Speaker, K R Ramesh Kumar? Why cannot he let the warring politicians sort out the mess on their own? What is the Governor’s hurry, even if a case can be made out to justify his intervention? Yes, under the Constitution he is empowered to intervene, but when both sides are engaged in a naked power struggle, it is better that the Governor adopts a hands-off approach so long as it does not degenerate into something worse. Besides, Governor’s anxiety to set a short schedule for the trust vote creates the impression that he is leaning in favour of his former party and its leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, B S Yeddyurappa, who is keen to replace Kumaraswamay as chief minister. Having said that, it is regrettable that the ugly Aya Ram, Gaya Ram sport that the rival politicians play with some relish invariably drags in the higher judiciary as the umpire. As a result, its independence and impartiality unnecessarily gets dragged into the bitterly partisan tussle for power.

In the current instance, the Supreme Court order that virtually nullified the power of the whip to force obedience allowed the leavers from the JD(S)-Congress to absent themselves from the trust vote, thus, giving the Opposition a clear advantage. Had the coalition partners retained the power of the whip, the deserters would have forfeited their membership for failing to attend and vote for the Kumaraswamy Government. On Friday, the ruling coalition, unheeding the two gubernatorial directions for conducting the trust vote, first, by 1.30 p. m., which later, in a second directive, was revised to 6 p.m., adjourned the proceedings till Monday, July 22. In the meantime, the coalition partners would again seek the SC intervention to a) withdraw its controversial order allowing legislators freedom to decide whether or not to attend the House and, b) to challenge the validity of the Governor’s action in setting time for the confidence vote. It is argued that the Governor could not have intervened during the debate on the trust vote while he could have done the same before its start.

The Supreme Court being asked to intervene in these matters, which of course diverts its time and attention away from disposing the mountain of long-pending cases before it, ought to be unwelcome. As cited above, even if its pronouncements are meticulously fair and just, it is bound to displease one party or the other. In these days of a bitterly divided politics, it does not enhance the image and dignity of the court to be dragged in almost on a regular basis in matters involving wholly unprincipled power struggle in one State or the other.

A set of guidelines on the constitutional dos and don’ts, clear red-lines so to speak, ought to be framed by the higher judiciary so that it can be insulated from the inter- and intra-party disputes of the nature that we now witness in Karnataka. In some way, Karnataka’s game of defections with all its attendant consequences has nothing new. We have been there before several times. Therefore, a Standard Operating Procedure for Aya Rams and Gaya Rams in all its permutations and combinations ought to be put in place. The Supreme Court, when the new set of petitioners knock on its door seeking reversal of its order freeing the coalition’s defectors from the obligatory attendance in the Assembly is taken up on Monday, ought to consider appointing an amicus curie to frame the above-mentioned SOP. Since politicians are unlikely to stop playing the game of defections, we cannot have the highest court in the land being dragged in their power struggles on a regular basis.

Bihar floods toll reaches 97

Source: thehindubusinessline.com

Five more people died in Bihar floods, pushing the death toll up to 97 on Saturday, as over 69 lakh people were affected in 12 districts, the state’s disaster management department said. Of the fresh five deaths, four were reported from Madhubani district, which has so far accounted for 18 casualties, and one from Darbhanga district, where a total of 10 people have died in the deluge.

Sitamarhi, with 27 deaths, remained the worst-hit district, the disaster management department said in a report. The number of deaths in other districts are Araria (12), Sheohar (10), Purnea (nine), Kishanganj (five), Supaul (three), East Champaran (two) and Saharsa (one).

Muzaffarpur and Katihar districts have not reported any death in the flash floods that hit the state in the wake of torrential rains in the catchment areas of neighbouring Nepal last week.

Around two lakh more people were affected by the flood on Saturday, pushing the overall figure to 69.27 lakh though the districts hit by the deluge remained 12. Over one lakh people have been displaced, with 1.14 lakh taking shelter at 131 relief camps of which 126 have been set up in Sitamarhi alone.

Food is being prepared for the affected population at 859 kitchens and distributed by 796 personnel equipped with 125 boats, who are assisted by 19 teams of the NDRF. Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and Disaster Management Minister Lakshmeshwar Roy surveyed the worst-hit Sitamarhi and Madhubani districts, respectively, to take stock of relief and rehabilitation work on Saturday.

Modi said, “Those affected by a calamity have the first claim on the coffers of the state.” He asked officials to ensure that dependents of those who died in the flood are paid ex-gratia expeditiously, and no surviving flood victim is denied financial assistance.

Water levels have begun to recede in nearly half a dozen rivers which are, nevertheless, flowing above the danger mark at a number of places. The weather department has predicted heavy rainfall during the next two days in some of the affected districts which may have an adverse impact on the flood situation.

Youth Shot Dead in Patna; Ward Councilor’s Husband Named Suspect

Source: patnadaily.com

The crime took place around 8:00 am when Vikas Kumar, originally a resident of Shahpur police station in Patna district, was returning home from somewhere. Suddenly about 2-3 men in a Safari vehicle arrived in the area and shot Vikas in his head from a close range.

As the victim fell on the ground, the criminals fled in their vehicle before anyone could get a good look at the car.

His body was later sent to the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IIGMS) for an autopsy.

In their police report, family members accused the husband of Panapur Ward Councilor Renu Devi, her two sons, and eight others saying they had threatened Vikas in the past and there was no doubt Renu Devi’s family was involved in his murder.

Vikas lived with his parents and other family members in Dev Vihar Colony off Ashiana Nagar under Rajiv Nagar police station.

Angered by the incident, a mob stormed the home of Renu Devi and vandalized properties and vehicles parked outside on the road.

They also set a cow menagerie owned by the Ward Councilor’s family on fire. Police had to use light force to bring the crowd under control.

Police said they will be questioning a number of people in the case and will also try to collect video surveillance footage from the area.

Former Lok Sabha MP and Founder of Jharkhand Movement AK Roy Passes Away in Dhanbad

Source: news18.com

Dhanbad: Former Lok Sabha MP and founder of Marxist Coordination Committee (MCC), A K Roy passed away at a hospital here on Sunday.

Roy, a bachelor, was 90, party sources said. The veteran Left leader and chief patron of CITU Jharkhand state committee was admitted to the Central Hospital here on July 8 following age-related problems and he died of multi-organ failure, doctors said.

He was one of the founders of the Jharkhand movement.

The three-time MP from Dhanbad was also founder of Jharkhand’s regional party Marxist Coordination Committee (MCC).

Roy won the Dhanbad Lok Sabha seat in 1977, 1980 and 1989, besides representing Sindri seat in Bihar Assembly in 1967, 1969 and 1972.

Along with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) supremo Shibu Soren and former MP late Binod Bihari Mahto, Roy began

Jharkhand movement demanding a separate state from Bihar in 1971. Jharkhand became a separate state on November 15, 2000.

Roy was born in Sapura village, now in Bangladesh. His father Shivendra Chandra Roy was an advocate. He completed MSc in Chemistry from Calcutta University in 1959 and worked for two years in a private firm. Later, he joined PDIL Sindri In 1961.

He actively participated in Bihar Band agitation on August 9, 1966 and was arrested and sent to Jail. As he opposed the then government, the Projects and Development India Limited (PDIL) management dismissed him from job.

Roy entered trade union and started agitation in Sindri Fertilizer Corporation of India (FCI) and against private colliery owners. In 1967 he contested on CPI (M) ticket from Sindri Assembly seat of Bihar and won.

But he resigned from CPI(M) and formed his Marxist Coordination Committee.

Roy was called a ‘political saint’ by his associates and followers as his bank account always showed ‘zero balance’ till he breathed his last.

Roy lived in the house of a party worker at Pathaldih area, 17 km away from Dhanbad, for the past one decade.

Earlier he lived in his party office at Temple Road at Purana Bazaar here. “He was the first MP in the country who opposed increase in perks and pension proposals in 1989 for MPs, though his proposal was defeated,” Anand Mahto, a former MCC MLA, said.

Smoking in Bengaluru-Ranchi flight gets Jharkhand man deplaned

Source: hindustantimes.com

A Jharkhand resident has been arrested and faces up to 3 months jail or Rs one lakh fine for allegedly smoking inside the lavatory of a Ranchi bound flight. Deepak Kumar Sharma, a resident of Hazaribagh in Jharkhand was deplaned from an IndiGo airlines flight (6E 485) and handed over to the police on Friday.

A smoke alarm inside the aircraft went off, blowing the lid of Sharma’s illegal conduct, when the Airbus 320 aircraft enroute Ranchi landed at Patna around 2.30 pm, police said.

The passenger was first handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), tasked with airport security, before he was handed over to the airport police station that charged him with smoking inside the aircraft, said Garima Mallik, Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna.

The Police were considering if Sharma had to be charged under the non-bailable section of the relevant act, SHO of airport police station, Jaishankar Prasad said seniors were being consulted on the matter while Patna SSP said non-bailable section had not been invoked so far.

The incident raises questions over the airport security which shouldn’t have allowed the accused to pass through with a matchbox or a cigarette lighter.

According to airport sources, the accused could end up paying a penalty of up to Rs 1 lakh or spend up to three months in jail for risking security inside aircraft.

Section 25 of the Aircraft Act states, “The owner or the operator and the pilot-in-command of every aircraft registered in India, shall exhibit or cause to be exhibited in prominent place(s) in the aircraft, notice(s) stating where and to what extent smoking is prohibited or permitted therein. No person shall smoke: (a) in any part of an aircraft or in its vicinity, in which a notice is displayed indicating that smoking is prohibited. (b) Anywhere in an aircraft during take-off, landing or refuelling or during a period in which a notice is temporarily displayed indicating that smoking is prohibited.”