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India Gazette
3 hours ago
- Health
- India Gazette
Surat reports 58 COVID-19 cases; no severe illness, authorities urge caution, not panic
Surat (Gujarat) [India], June 10 (ANI): COVID-19 cases are steadily rising in Gujarat, with Surat reporting 58 cases so far. However, officials have confirmed that all patients are stable, with no serious illness or deaths reported. According to health department officials, special training has been provided to doctors in government and municipal hospitals across Surat to prepare for any potential surge. Authorities have also reviewed medicine stocks in various hospitals, and supplies are reported to be sufficient. Dr Khushboo Patel, Deputy of the Vaccine Branch, said, '58 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Surat. There are currently 166 active cases in Surat. Only one patient is hospitalised in a private facility and is stable. Fifty-five patients are in home isolation and recovering well. No cases have shown links to international travel. Special training has been given to our medical teams, and medicine stocks have been thoroughly checked.' She emphasised that there is no cause for alarm. 'There is nothing to be afraid of right now. We've taken the necessary precautions, including training health staff and ensuring medicine availability. The situation is under close watch, and we're prepared to manage any spike in cases,' Dr Patel added. She also advised residents to avoid crowded places if experiencing symptoms like cold or cough and reiterated that the situation remains under control. 'The number of cases is not increasing rapidly, but we have systems in place to manage any escalation. This is not something to panic about,' she said. Preparations for beds and medical infrastructure have already been made at Surat's two major government hospitals -- Civil Hospital and SMIMER -- according to the Surat Municipal Corporation. Officials said that while a significant surge is unlikely, response teams are on standby. Earlier, in view of the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in India, a series of technical review meetings were held on June 2 and 3 under the chairpersonship of Dr Sunita Sharma, Director General of Health Services (DGHS), with various representatives. According to a release, the representatives include Disaster Management Cell, Emergency Management Response (EMR) Cell, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and Central Government Hospitals in Delhi and with representatives from all States and UTs to evaluate the current COVID-19 situation and preparedness measures. As of June 4, 2025, India reported 4,302 active COVID-19 cases, an increase of 864 cases in the past 24 hours. Most cases are mild and managed under home care. Since January 1, 2025, 44 deaths have been reported, primarily among individuals with pre-existing illnesses. States have been instructed to ensure the availability of oxygen, isolation beds, ventilators, and essential medicines. A mock drill assessing oxygen supply systems (PSA plants, LMO tanks, MGPS lines) was conducted on June 2, 2025. Facility-level preparedness mock drills are planned for June 4 and 5. State and District surveillance units under IDSP are closely monitoring Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI). Testing is recommended for all admitted SARI cases and 5% of ILI cases, as per guidelines. Positive SARI samples are sent for Whole Genome Sequencing through the ICMR VRDL network. The public is advised to practice hand hygiene and cough etiquette, and avoid crowded places when unwell. Individuals with acute respiratory illness should self-monitor and seek medical care if symptoms worsen. Trusted sources like MoHFW's website and PIB releases should be followed to avoid misinformation and rumours. Union Health Ministry closely monitors the situation and remains committed to ensuring public health safety through timely interventions and effective communication. (ANI)
Indian Express
02-06-2025
- Indian Express
Surat: Woman dies during questioning in cyber fraud case
A 56-year-old woman from Surat died while she was being questioned by Maharashtra's Nasik Cyber Cell in connection with a case of cyber fraud. Police said that an amount of Rs 6 lakh was credited in the bank account of the woman, identified as Meenaben Mohanbhai Rathod, around seven months ago and immediately withdrawn. They said that her blood pressure had dropped during the questioning session, adding that the reason behind her death was not known yet. Amroli police registered an accidental death report and will record statements of Nasik Cyber Cell officials soon. A Nasik Cyber Cell team comprising senior police inspector Shubhash Dhawale and two other officials had arrived in Surat on Sunday and took help from Amroli police and reached Meenaben's house at Barodi Street in Chhaprabhata area. She was later told to show up at Amroli police station for questioning. In the afternoon, Meenaben, accompanied by her son Ravi Rathod, reached the police station. During questioning, there was a power cut, after which the officials took her outside and sat in an open garden inside the campus. While the questioning was on, she allegedly found it difficult to breathe and could not answer questions and was scared. After her condition deteriorated, she was allowed to leave and was rushed to Surat Municipal Corporation-run SMIMER hospital where she was declared dead. The grieving family has blamed the Nasik Cyber Cell officials for the tragedy. 'My mother was facing breathing issues in the scorching heat. I requested Nasik (Cyber Cell) officials thrice to let her to go so that she be treated, but they continued questioning her. She was scared and was shivering. Her blood pressure dropped. The officials knew where we lived. I told them to allow her to come for the interrogation some other time, but they refused and I lost my mother,' Meenaben's son Ravi told The Indian Express. Meenaben lived with her husband Mahesh Rathod, son and daughter-in-law. Meenaben and her daughter-in-law worked as house helps. Mahesh is unemployed and ill, while Ravi, who met with an accident five months ago, was not working too, said Amroli police. Nasik Cyber Cell's Dhawale said, 'We were probing a cyber fraud case registered around three months ago. There were many bank accounts used in the commission of the crime. We have arrested three persons so far and the investigation is still on. We found that some amount of money had been credited in Meenaben Rathod's bank account, after which we reached Surat. During interrogation, Meenaben said she had shared her bank account details with some one else and allowed the person to use it.' Amroli police inspector D K Patel said, 'We have registered an accidental death report in Meenaben's case. We will record statements of all the three officials of the Nasik Cyber Cell. We will decide our future course of action based on their statements.'
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Two NCH doctors test positive for Covid-19
Surat: Two doctors from New Civil Hospital (NCH) tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday and have been admitted to the hospital for isolation and treatment. One of the doctors, a 27-year-old woman residing on the NCH campus, recently travelled to Visakhapatnam and developed severe viral symptoms, including coughing. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now She was tested and confirmed positive for Covid-19. The other patient, a 25-year-old woman from the Vesu area, also showed severe viral symptoms and tested positive. She is currently isolated at NCH. A health official said, "One patient has travel history, while the other may have contracted the virus through contact with the first patient. Both are stable at present." Currently, isolation facilities are available at NCH and Surat Municipal Institute of Medical Education and Research (SMIMER), though no designated Covid wards have been set up yet. "We are prepared with infrastructure, and patients with severe symptoms are being tested for Covid. Private hospitals have also been advised to test symptomatic patients," said a senior health official.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Time of India
Court allows termination of pregnancy in Pocso case
Surat: A local court on Tuesday permitted the medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) for a 23-year-old woman accused of sexually assaulting her 13-year-old tuition student. The woman was arrested on April 30, and medical tests conducted while in police custody revealed she was 20 weeks court directed the investigation officer to ensure the MTP is carried out at the Surat Municipal Institute of Medical Education and Research (SMIMER) and submit a report within a its order, the court observed: "As per the medical opinion, it is opined that if the pregnancy continues, it will cause grave injury to her mental or physical health. Thus, it appears that the explanation is satisfied in so far as the pregnancy on account of illegal relation is concerned."The court concluded that the pregnancy was a result of an illegal relationship and that the accused woman expressed her unwillingness to continue it. It added that continuation of the pregnancy could harm her mental and physical health and that termination would also be in the interest of the minor court instructed that the procedure be carried out in the presence of a team of expert doctors and ordered that the fetus be preserved for DNA analysis to aid the investigation."The court considered various arguments about how the pregnancy is risky for the life of the accused and the fetus," said Wajid Shaikh, lawyer of the DNA samples had been collected from both the accused and the victim woman was arrested under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. She was initially booked at Punagam police station on April 25 after allegedly fleeing with her 13-year-old student. The police later apprehended her near the Gujarat-Rajasthan revealed that the woman had travelled with the boy to several cities, including Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Delhi, and Vrindavan. Police allege she engaged in physical relations with the minor at her residence and other locations during this period.
