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Hindustan Times
22-05-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
PMC issues health advisory for communicable diseases
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) health department and the epidemic diseases control division have issued a public advisory to prevent the spread of infectious diseases during the monsoon season. Ahead of the monsoon's arrival, the civic body has taken various initiatives, including preparedness measures, training, and public awareness, to protect citizens' health, said the officials on Wednesday. The civic body conducted a training session on communicable disease control on May 16. The training was conducted for all zonal medical officers, ward medical officers, and other healthcare staff from PMC-run healthcare facilities and clinics. Besides, instructions have been given to all PMC hospitals and clinics to ensure the availability of medicine kits required to treat infectious diseases, read the advisory issued on Tuesday (20). Dr Vaishali Jadhav, assistant health officer of PMC, said that as part of preparedness, a special ward with 50 beds and round-the-clock medical facilities has been established at the Naidu Infectious Diseases Hospital. 'We have set up an Epidemic Control Cell at the PMC level to manage any potential outbreaks reported in the city,' she said. According to the officials, due to heavy rainfall, drinking water may get contaminated and eventually increase the risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, gastroenteritis, dysentery, and jaundice. Food exposed to flies may also cause vomiting and diarrhoea. Dr Nina Borade, PMC health chief has urged citizens to refrain from self-medication. 'Citizens with problems like vomiting, diarrhoea, or fever should seek immediate medical attention. Treatment is available at all PMC hospitals and Dr. Naidu Hospital. Besides, all private medical practitioners are instructed to report cases of cholera, typhoid, gastroenteritis, dysentery, jaundice, dengue, chikungunya, malaria, COVID-19, and H1N1 to the PMC Health Department without delay,' she added.
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
‘Dirty loos, no lifts': Public parking lots lack amenities, but PMC goes all out on ‘VIP toilets'
1 2 Pune: Citizens continue to endure subpar PMC-managed parking lots lacking basic amenities like functional toilets and lifts, while the administration gears up to splurge Rs 2.5 crore on five 'VIP toilets', highlighting its skewed priorities and neglect of public needs. Shankar Dalvi, a senior citizen, shared his frustrating experience at a PMC parking lot near the central market area. "The toilets were unclean, and the absence of a lift forced us to walk all the way up to retrieve the car. PMC should prioritise fixing the lifts at parking lots to ease the hardship," he said. Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) manages over 25 parking facilities, but commuters frequently find them full, particularly on weekends. Parking lot operators acknowledge the public's frustration, citing the absence of lifts and escalators as a major concern. However, they shift the responsibility to the civic administration, stating it's their duty to provide these essential amenities. Narayan Peth resident Sandesh Pendse suggested that PMC increased parking lot capacity to ease road chaos. "As our housing society is located near a PMC-run parking lot, we often face huge traffic rush due to insufficient parking. Adding two more floors to the existing three to four-story parking lots can easily accommodate more vehicles and reduce haphazard parking," Pendse said. Civic officials said the administration was set to begin repair and maintenance works at the parking lots. "The works are expected to begin over the next few days. The administration is in the process of appointing contractors to take up the repairs," an official said, adding that toilet at the parking lots would be repaired during the proposed work. "We are planning to take up repairs and maintenance works at the parking units. As of now, there is no specific proposal to fix the lifts. But, we will work on the proposal," another official said. The number of vehicles in Pune city has been steadily increasing over the years. According to the Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO), the total number of registered vehicles in Pune was approximately 43.40 lakh as of Sept 2022. These include 32.2 lakh two-wheelers and 7.5 lakh cars, the data showed. Ajay Shelar, a resident of Karve Road, highlighted the city's parking woes, saying, "With the surge in private vehicles, parking has become a major issue. Lack of parking spaces on major roads and near Metro stations is leading to haphazard parking." Taking on the PMC's 'wasteful' spending on 'VIP toilets', a commuter said it was ironical that the civic administration was ready to spend Rs 2.5 crore of public funds on so-called 'VIP toilets', but was squeezing purse strings on amenities for common people. Satara Road resident Sumit Shah said PMC did not implement parking policy on key roads. "PMC should clarify how many parking lots are yet to be developed," he added. Major Demands by Commuters - Increase capacity of existing parking lots - Provide adequate toilets and lifts at the lots - Take strict action against overcharging - Develop parking lots in more areas of the city
Hindustan Times
15-05-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Central team approves location for Metropolitan Surveillance Unit in Pune
After three years of hiccups, the central team of experts has finally approved the location to set up the metropolitan surveillance unit (MSU) in Kasba Peth, Pune. The MSU is a special unit with a laboratory facility aimed at understanding the nature and cause of diseases in an urban context and identifying potential disease outbreaks, officials said. According to officials, the MSU project in Pune is part of the central government's pilot project under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) with the latter funding it. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) since 2021 has been unable to provide a dedicated space that meets the required technical specifications of the unit. So much so that the central authorities were considering scrapping the decision to set up an MSU at one point. However, during a visit on May 9, a 5,000 square feet space in Jawale Bhavan, Kasba Peth, was approved for setting up the MSU, officials said. A senior official from the PMC on request of anonymity revealed that previously, two locations in Baner had been identified but both were rejected as they failed to meet the required technical specifications of the MSU. 'This time, the location was identified only after consultation with and recommendation of the civic building and electrical department due to which it has been approved as prior requirements have been fulfilled. Besides, the central team has agreed to release funds for the unit,' the official said. For the past three years, the PMC health department has been struggling to provide the ideal location for the MSU and has been sending proposal requests to the central government for fund allocation. Now, both the location and budget proposal of ₹8.28 crore has been approved. The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) commissioner has given approval to the project in December 2024. As per officials, the MSU will identify alerts to be issued for infectious disease outbreaks and provide technical guidance for effective response. Once operational, the MSU will facilitate disease surveillance and prompt action against various disease outbreaks and epidemics. Furthermore, the PMC has released a public notification in March to hire 24 expert staff for the unit. The scrutiny of applications is underway. The PMC will bear the cost of salaries of the appointed staff. The staff will be appointed within a month and will be trained by the central government, officials said. PMC to constitute committee to set up lab The MSU will also have an in-house laboratory of Bio-Safety Level 2 (BSL-2) to test samples for various infectious diseases. The central team has directed the PMC to constitute a technical team of experts that will give technical recommendations to set up the lab. The technical committee will have experts from the National Institute of Virology, Pune; Sassoon General Hospital; public health department; and microbiology department of the PMC-run medical college among others. The committee will be appointed soon, PMC officials said. Dr Nina Borade, health chief of the PMC, said that following their request, the central team visited Pune in just three days and the location for the MSU was finalised. 'They have also agreed to release funds for the project and the PCMC too will initially provide around ₹50 lakh for the unit. We have written to the electrical and building department to carry out refurbishment and electrical work at the location,' she said. Dr Borade further said that during the Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) outbreak, officials had to struggle to conduct management and containment activities. Apart from these, the analysis and reporting had to be done. 'The MSU is helpful during such a situation and will be a great help in future during similar disease outbreaks,' she said.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Observation home resident overcomes adversity, clears SSC exam & dreams of becoming IPS officer
Pune: Kaveri, now 17, was barely one when she was found abandoned in the city. On Tuesday, she scored 66.6% in her SSC exam, proving that limited resources can't hold back 2021, govt ordered that Kaveri be shifted to the observation home from a private shelter home. Since then she has been staying at the govt observation home for girls in Mundhwa. "I studied using borrowed textbooks. The notebooks were given by the staffers of the observation home and some NGOs. I stayed away from the other girls and concentrated on my studies, preferring to study late at night," Kaveri, the student of a PMC-run school near her observation home in Mundhwa, home superintendent Pritam Barbhavan praised Kaveri's achievement, saying, "She is the only girl among nine residents to appear in the SSC exam from our facility. Only a couple of them are pursuing their school education, while the other girls do not want to study, though we are trying hard to make them understand the importance of education." Barbhavan said despite limited resources, Kaveri's determination paid off, and the facility supported her by providing access to computers and a quiet study credited her success to self-study, dedicating 4-5 hours daily, with extra focus on mathematics. Without private coaching, she achieved a commendable score. "I will pursue my further studies in commerce. I want to be an IPS officer and will study hard to clear my UPSC exam," she said. The observation home's probation officer, Suchita Patil, and Barbhavan often visited her school and attended all meetings. "I don't know about my family. I have accepted that I am alone. I am happy now," she NGOs conduct capsule courses at the home and Kaveri successfully completed painting, computer, jewellery-making and fashion designing courses, among others. "These courses have helped me a lot," Kaveri added.
Hindustan Times
08-05-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
PMC starts free, specialised medical services at Rajiv Gandhi Hospital in Yerawada
In a bid to plug the deficiency in specialist doctors in civic hospitals, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in collaboration with Dr D Y Patil Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday started free, specialised medical services at Rajiv Gandhi Hospital in Yerawada. Beginning Thursday, specialised healthcare services in medicine, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, paediatrics, gynaecology and ear-nose-throat (ENT) will be available at the hospital, officials said. The new multispecialty outpatient department (OPD) was inaugurated by PMC health chief Dr Nina Borade along with other officials. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO) The new multispecialty outpatient department (OPD) was inaugurated by PMC health chief Dr Nina Borade along with senior doctors and administrators from Dr D Y Patil Medical College and Hospital, and the PMC health department. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Dr Hanumant Chavan, medical superintendent of Dr D Y Patil Hospital; Dr Shalini Pawar, chief officer of the Mother and Child Centre; Dr Sujata Mane, head of the paediatrics department; and several senior officials and medical staff from the PMC and the hospital, officials said. The initiative is the brainchild of Dr Borade who said, 'We received an excellent response for a similar pilot project launched last year at Khedekar Hospital in Bopodi. The overwhelming feedback encouraged us to expand the service to more hospitals so that more citizens can benefit from expert care.' 'Patients in need of specialised doctors visiting other civic hospitals will be asked to refer patients to Rajiv Gandhi Hospital. Also, in case of advance treatment, the PMC will provide ambulance services to patients, who are referred for tertiary care at D Y Patil Hospital,' Dr Borade said. According to officials, the PMC currently has nearly 74% of the required specialist doctors and has been struggling to provide expert care at its hospitals. To address this, the civic body has partnered with private doctors from Dr D Y Patil Medical College and Hospital who will now offer their services for free to patients visiting the hospital. Sunita Jadhav, a resident of Yerawada, said, 'This is a big relief for people like us who cannot afford private hospital fees. Now we can visit the hospital for check-up and avail treatment without spending a rupee.' The joint initiative will not only ensure quality treatment for the underprivileged but also reduce patient load on existing government hospitals. PMC officials said that such partnerships will continue as part of the corporation's broader plan to improve healthcare services in the city. In the coming days, similar services will be started at other PMC-run facilities.
