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Hans India
a day ago
- Politics
- Hans India
460 grievances received in Anantapur
Anantapur: A total of 460 petitions were received during Public Grievance Redressal System (PGRS) held on Monday at Anantapur Collectorate. Acting District Collector Shiv Narayan Sharma, along with senior officials, personally heard grievances from petitioners across various mandals and accepted their applications. Assistant Collector Sachin Rahar, District Revenue Officer A. Malola, Special Deputy Collectors Tippa Naik, Ram Mohan, Mallikarjunudu, and Mallikharjun Reddy, as well as Civil Supplies DM Ramesh Reddy, were among those who assisted in receiving petitions. Addressing the gathering, Sharma instructed officials to prioritize and resolve grievances submitted through the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, MPs, MLCs, MLAs, and directly via PGRS without any delay. He stressed that there should be no negligence in addressing public issues and directed departments to ensure time-bound resolution. He further emphasized that officials must conduct field inspections, verify details, and complete inquiries to ensure that petitioners are fully satisfied with the solutions provided within the stipulated deadline. The petitions covered a variety of public issues from across the district. Officials from multiple departments, including Deputy Collector Anand, CPO Ashok Kumar, DMHO Dr. E.B. Devi, Housing PD Shailaja, PD DRDA Shailaja, DTC Veerraju, DVEO Venkataramana Naik, Mines DD Adinarayana, DWMA PD Saleem Basha, and others, participated in the programme.
The Hindu
05-08-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Hospitals to face action over billing irregularities
District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) S. Jeevan Rani has issued a stern warning to hospitals, nursing homes, diagnostic centres, and laboratories across Vizianagaram district for failing to prominently display tariff charts, as mandated under the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010. It has come to light that despite repeated warnings and reminders, many healthcare facilities in the district fail to display tariff details. Speaking to The Hindu on Monday, Dr Rani announced: 'Special inspection teams will be formed to conduct checks at every healthcare facility in the district. Hospitals must display the fee structure boards at the entrance and patient waiting areas. Hidden charges and lack of transparency in billing will not be tolerated.' She further added that many hospitals in Vizianagaram were hiding the fee structure and collecting excess fees without informing the patients. Additionally, patients were being forced to make payments at the cash counters where staff fail to provide proper answers. Another serious concern that Dr Rani highlighted was that many hospitals are not issuing hard copies of prescriptions and test reports to patients. Instead, doctors are sending the prescriptions directly to the in-house pharmacies, leaving patients unable to purchase medicines from elsewhere. 'Outstation patients have complained that they cannot buy medicines in their hometowns due to the absence of physical prescriptions,' Dr Rani added. However, hospital authorities claim that reports and prescriptions are being sent to the WhatsApp numbers of patients. Interestingly, when The Hindu tried to find out how poor patients who do not use smartphones can access their reports and prescriptions, none of the hospitals responded. B. Ramachandra Reddy, an attendant of a patient said: 'Sometimes, WhatsApp messages may be deleted. How can patients retrieve deleted data? Additionally, in case of an emergency when patients are referred to hospitals in Visakhapatnam and other places, it is not easy to take printouts. Hard copies are essential for maintaining lifelong medical records. ' Dr. Rani reiterated that hospitals must adopt transparent procedures in billing and treatment. It is mandatory. 'Patients with grievances can contact us and we will take action on errant hospital authorities,' she added.
The Hindu
01-08-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Registrations must for newly-weds, pregnant women, infants, says Collector
District Collector Harendhira Prasad on Friday directed the health department officials to take adequate measures to prevent maternal and infant deaths in the district. He conducted a review meeting on maternal and infant mortality, immunisation programmes, malaria, dengue and other health-related issues with medical officers at the Collectorate on Friday (August 1, 2025). Mr. Prasad said that registrations of newly-wed couples, pregnant women, and infants must be recorded and instructed that special focus be given to high-risk pregnancies and low-birth-weight cases. He also asked the officials to ensure such cases receive adequate nutritional support and are shifted to hospitals in advance to avoid complications. He has also directed the District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) Jagadeeswara Rao to provide proper training to ASHA and ANM workers. During the meeting, the Collector also observed that hospitals which are conducting excessive abortions should be closely monitored and sought a detailed report on the causes of abortions. He also suggested setting up milk-feeding rooms for infants at bus stands, railway stations and shopping malls. Strict inspections must be conducted at scanning centres to prevent gender determination tests, while stringent surveillance and special inspection teams should be deployed for IVF centres, the Collector ordered. On malaria and dengue prevention, the Collector instructed officials to observe 'Dry Day' every Friday to eliminate mosquito breeding sites. He also stressed on the need for proper measures to prevent the spread of seasonal diseases and immunisation drives. During the meeting, the Collector released a poster marking the Breastfeeding Week celebrations.
Time of India
30-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Stringent surrogacy rules behind rise in baby trafficking, say experts
Hyderabad: Along with the long wait for adoption, stringent surrogacy rules, revised in 2022, are another factor fuelling trafficking rackets like the one recently busted by the Hyderabad police, say fertility experts. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to them, illegal buying and selling of newborns has seen a sharp rise in the past few years, especially after The Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021 came into force in Jan 2022. As per the new Act, brought in to ban commercial surrogacy and arrest the exploitation of poor surrogate mothers, couples have to go through a three-tier clearance process to avail of this procedure. There are other eligibility criteria as well — related to age, marital status (of the would-be parent and surrogate), and reasons for surrogacy. "Though it is important to have some checks and balances in place, the Act in its current form has made it impossible for a large section of couples to avail of surrogacy," said a senior fertility doctor from Hyderabad with centres across multiple states. "We still get as many enquiries for as we did pre-2022, but very few eventually go ahead with it. Most couples shelve their plans on hearing about the cumbersome process. I will not be surprised if some among them eventually end up in the trap of trafficking agents," he further said. SC questions Act Citing the July 29 observations of the Supreme Court, which questioned certain restrictions imposed by the surrogacy law, many doctors and couples admitted that the process as "frustrating". "We filed our application before the district medical board in Feb 2024. By the time it got cleared by the magistrate and eventually the state surrogacy board, the one-year validity period was over. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now So, we had to reapply," said Dinesh Rao (name changed), a private employee. After being married for close to a decade, they opted for surrogacy as his wife was diagnosed with a uterus issue. The requirement for a relative or friend to be the surrogate — as per the new law — is another deterrent, owing to the social stigma attached to it, said Dr M Prasad, an embryologist at a private test tube baby centre. "Such impossible-to-meet rules also push couples into such baby-selling rackets," he added. Tough to track, says DMHO While acknowledging that such rackets have been on the rise, ever since the Act came into force, Hyderabad DMHO Dr J Venkati said that the health dept's hands are tied when it comes to online networks. "Many of these clinics operate and advertise online. We don't have the tools or resources to track that. But the police can, and we need a better system for coordination to arrest its growth," he said. For now, the Hyderabad DMHO has formed teams to inspect fertility, dermatology, and other private clinics across the city. A list of 3,018 registered private hospitals has already been shared with officials. "Our teams, along with PHC doctors and staff, will soon conduct surprise checks. We'll verify documents, doctor registrations, procedures, equipment, and other paperwork to ensure everything is in order," he added.
Hans India
17-07-2025
- Health
- Hans India
Take measures to prevent maternal, infant deaths
Anantapur: A review meeting was held at the District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) office in Anantapur under the leadership of DMHO Dr E B Devi to analyze the causes of maternal and infant deaths reported in the district during the month of June. The meeting was attended by doctors and medical staff from various areas. Speaking on the occasion, Dr E B Devi emphasised the need to prevent both maternal and infant deaths. She expressed concern over the continued reliance on traditional and superstitious practices in rural areas, especially during childbirth and neonatal care. She urged medical staff to create awareness among families that such practices could be harmful, and that every family must be educated about safe medical procedures. Even in today's era of advanced healthcare, she noted, superstitions should not be entertained. It is the responsibility of the medical community to sensitise the public. She instructed doctors and staff to carefully investigate the cause of death whenever a maternal or infant death occurs, understand the complications faced prior to death, and ensure such incidents are not repeated. Dr Devi also stressed the importance of postnatal care and advised that special care must be taken for six weeks to six months after delivery. Supervisors within the Health Department must be proactive in preventing maternal deaths, she said, and assured that she would personally visit and review any location where such a death occurs in the future. She highlighted the role of ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) in ensuring pregnant women receive complete nutritional support to prevent anemia. She instructed that every pregnant woman must be registered within the first 12 weeks and receive all essential medical checkups and treatments. High-risk pregnancies such as those involving anemia, heart issues, short stature, low amniotic fluid, poor fetal growth, or other complications must be identified early and provided with specialized care. On Asha Day, she directed primary health centre staff to conduct awareness programmes for pregnant women, mothers and their children on maternal and child health. Dr. Paul Ravikumar, District Hospital Coordination Officer, also addressed the gathering, emphasising that infant deaths should be prevented with timely care. He advised that preterm or low-birth-weight babies, or those experiencing breathing difficulties, must be immediately admitted to the Newborn Care Unit (NRC) for specialised treatment. No child should die due to malnutrition, he added. Every newborn must be breastfed within the first hour after birth, and colostrum (first milk) must be provided, while avoiding pre-lacteal feeds. The meeting was attended by District Immunization Officer Dr Yugandhar, Dr Madhusudan, Drug Abuse Specialist Dr Praneet, paediatrician Dr Indira Priyadarshini, gynecologists, community health officers Rani Esther and Prameela Devi, and other medical staff.
