Latest news with #JRajamoorthy
Time of India
3 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Trichy hospital under lens in illegal kidney racket case
Trichy/Salem: Health officials are investigating a private hospital in Trichy after its name came up during the ongoing inquiry into an illegal kidney sale racket case filed in Namakkal district. Private hospitals in Perambalur and Erode have also been named. The health department has directed an Erode-based kidney hospital to limit its operations to dialysis only, prohibiting any surgical procedures until further notice. The case was filed after video clips of donors surfaced on social media along with reports that workers employed in powerloom units and dyeing mills in Pallipalayam and nearby areas in Namakkal were being lured by brokers to sell their kidneys for 5–10 lakh. Dr Meenakshi, additional director of legal medicine, is leading a team of health department officials in the investigations. She has been examining Abhirami Kidney Care Hospital in Erode over the past two days. Officials, however, said only one private hospital in Trichy, where surgeries for removing kidney were allegedly performed on the donors before it was transferred to a third party, is being probed as of Saturday. "During an inquiry on Friday, we have sought an explanation from the hospital authorities," state director of medical health services J Rajamoorthy told TOI. As of Saturday, Namakkal health officials have identified one donor who had donated a kidney through a broker last August. Officials said they had received information that six people had donated kidneys from the Pallipalayam area. "But the documents of five of them appeared to be fake as we could not trace them. We were able to identify only one on Friday night and obtain a formal statement. The person had stated that the surgery was done at a private hospital in Perambalur," said Rajmohan, the joint director of health services, Namakkal. Namakkal police are on the lookout for a broker named M Anandan. One of the kidney donors, Kowsalya Pandian, 36, told TOI that she donated her one kidney to a female patient from Thanjavur district a few months ago. She said that broker Anandhan received Rs10 lakh from the recipient and gave her Rs6.5 lakh. "I received Rs1.5 lakh as initial payment and Rs5 lakh after the surgery," she said. Meanwhile, CPM state secretary P Shanmugam expressed concern at power loom workers being compelled to sell their kidneys due to insufficient income and unemployment. He recalled that earlier too, the workers fell victim to moneylenders and resorted to selling their kidneys. He sought immediate action against those responsible for the exploitation and stringent steps against hospitals resorting to such practices.
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
‘Awareness of PCPNDT Act key to reducing female foeticide'
Madurai: Health department staff including gynaecologists and radiologists are often not well-versed with the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act due to which they face various legal issues, said Dr J Rajamoorthy, Director of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS). He was speaking at a special meeting and training workshop for health department staff of Madurai and five other southern districts here on Wednesday. "It also leads to female foeticide . In some districts like Dharmapuri and Salem, the sex ratio is such that there are much fewer girls than boys. Steps taken because of this act have greatly helped reduce female foeticide in recent times," he added. He said awareness among public and health staff about the Act is key to reducing female foeticide and improving sex ratio at birth. Experts highlighted the legal provisions and their importance in preventing prevalence of quackery as well. The workshop was part of an initiative announced in the assembly by the health minister Ma Subramanian to create awareness and educate health department staff on PCPNDT Act and bring down female foeticide. On the discreet or symbolic methods being used by scan centres to reveal the sex of unborn foetus, the DMS said practising doctors can face punishments in case of violations even if the patient was willing. Dr K Senthil, state president, TNGDA, elaborated on Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act as well. Dr R Selvaraj, JDHS, Madurai, Dr L Arul Sundaresh Kumar, dean, Madurai Medical College, and officials and staff from Dindigul, Theni, Ramanathapuram, Sivanganga, and Virudhunagar districts were present. A handbook on PCPNDT Act was released and distributed to all participants.
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Doc booked over boy's wrongful circumcision
Chennai: A doctor was booked on Wednesday over a nine-year-old boy's wrongful circumcision. The boy had been admitted for ulcer treatment, said the Ice House police who registered a case under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The boy's parents, residents of Mylapore, had brought their son to The Crescent Hospital on Dr Besant Road on May 24. They were shocked to learn that Dr Mohammad Owaisi, 32, had performed a circumcision and shifted the boy to Omandurar Govt Multi-Speciality Hospital before filing a police complaint. The case, a senior police officer said, pertained to "improper medical treatment without informed consent". Police are investigating to ascertain whether the incident happened due to negligence, miscommunication, or intentional misconduct. Meanwhile, directorate of medical services issued a showcause notice on Wednesday, seeking an explanation from the doctor within three days, asking why action should not be initiated against the hospital for the various violations, including the lack of qualified nurses and lab technicians there. "The operation theatre in the hospital was not sterile. The hospital did not follow any protocol to maintain sterility," said Dr J Rajamoorthy. The hospital, which applied for a licence under the Clinical Establishment (registration and regulation) Act, has not been given the licence yet, he said.
New Indian Express
08-05-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Greens worth Rs 20 bought for Rs 80 in Tenkasi GH; Rs 6.6L loss, five officers in dock
TENKASI: Director of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS) Dr J Rajamoorthy has ordered recovery of Rs 6.59 lakh from five officials after an audit revealed that leafy greens meant for patients' use at the Tenkasi Government District Headquarters Hospital were bought at Rs 80 per kg when their actual market rate was only Rs 20 per kg. The five officials were working in the office of the Joint Director of Health Service (JDHS). Sources said, the price of one kg of greens was altered in the purchase order from Rs 25 to Rs 80, after the JDHS had approved the procurement price at Rs 25 per kg. Of the five officials ordered to shell out Rs 6.59 lakh, V Sripadmavathi, former administrative official in JDHS office, was told to pay Rs 3.29 lakh, as per the recovery order accessed by TNIE. Sources in the DMS office said a team of auditors is likely to launch a special audit in government hospitals at Sankarankovil, Sivagiri, Puliyangudi, Kadayanallur, and Shengottai where approximately Rs 50 lakh is suspected to have been misappropriated through similar collusion between officials and contractors. Health department sources said, the alleged malpractice at the Tenkasi GHQH took place in two rounds between October 2022 and March 2023, and April 2023 to September 2023. 'The statistical department had fixed the price but the illegal procurement was done in collusion with contractors,' sources said.
