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India Gazette
31-05-2025
- Health
- India Gazette
Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurates 30-bedded ESIC hospital in Himachal's Kala Amb
New Delhi [India], May 31 (ANI): In a significant step towards strengthening healthcare infrastructure for workers, Union Minister of Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the newly constructed 30-bedded Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital at Kala Amb, Himachal Pradesh today. Designed to be upgradable up to 100 beds, the hospital marks a major milestone in expanding quality healthcare services under the ESI scheme in the region. Dr. Mandaviya also felicitated the construction workers who played a vital role in building the hospital, underscoring the government's commitment to honouring the dignity of labour. 'This hospital is not just a walled structure--it is a shrine that honours our Shram Shakti, the strength of our nation. It is this very force that has built our nation, recognizing and uplifting this strength is essential to moving our country forward,' he said. Union Minister announced that the government has decided to establish medical colleges in all ESIC hospitals with 200 or more beds. Furthermore, 40 per cent of seats in these institutions will be reserved for the wards of Insured Persons, ensuring greater educational opportunities for workers' families, he added. The minister highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has truly worshipped and respected the labour force of India. That is why ESIC is continuously expanding its branches, and the inauguration of this 30-bedded hospital is part of that mission, he added. He assured that ESIC hospitals are there for all workers, whether the cost of medication is one rupee or one crore rupees. He added that every life is equally valuable and no compromise would be made in the treatment of the poor. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi understands poverty like no other, and that is why today we are witnessing the true recognition and dignity being given to the poor and to our workers. Highlighting the government's resolve to ensure accessible healthcare for all, Union Minister shared a poignant example: 'When a file seeking approval for Rs2 crore worth of life-saving medicines for the son of a poor insured worker was brought before us, it was sanctioned without delay. Poverty should never be a barrier to life-saving care.' He added that the goal is to create a healthy citizenry, which would, in turn, lead to a healthy society and ultimately result in a healthy nation. He concluded by reaffirming the government's commitment towards the welfare of our workforce. Dr Mandaviya promised that all recruitment processes will be completed in mission mode, and all vacancies in the ESIC hospitals will be filled so that our workers receive all the care and services which they deserve, a release said. Built at a cost of around Rs.100 crore, this modern hospital is expected to benefit over 1 lakh beneficiaries, offering improved infrastructure and access to advanced healthcare services for residents of Sirmaur and neighbouring districts. The hospital will be equipped with essential departments such as General Medicine, Surgery, Gynaecology, Orthopaedics, Ophthalmology (Eye) and Dental along with various support services such as modular Operation Theatre, CSSD, Medical Gas Pipeline System etc. It will offer both Outpatient (OPD) and Inpatient (IPD) care, effectively meeting the medical needs of ESI beneficiaries. (ANI)
NZ Herald
27-05-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
Stroke and road crash victims being treated in corridors, says ED doctor at Middlemore Hospital
'Predictably we will have more presentations this winter than last winter, but we've had no new resource put in,' she said. She said this means patients might not receive the care they deserve. 'You can't underestimate the soul-sucking nature of apologising to every patient you see for waiting eight to 10 hours, moving from one urgent case to another and squeezing past people who are on trolleys and suffering.' The Herald revealed on Monday serious concerns about patient safety and a lack of staff at Middlemore Hospital's ED last winter, which included more than 1500 patients being treated in corridors in the space of just 36 days. The information was detailed in a quality alert report written by clinicians and obtained by the Herald under the Official Information Act. The report also said there were 43 patient harm incidents in the same time period – some of which could have involved death or severe loss of function because of delayed care or medical error. Boys said those ending up in corridors included patients suffering strokes and injuries from road traffic crashes. 'We have no space, and no capacity left in the ED. The wards are full; patients can't move up to the wards [from the ED]. We have more presentations that we can get to and there are inadequate staff to treat people in a timely manner.' Clinicians who raised the alarm about patient harm, lack of staff and ED overcrowding last winter sought $3.6 million in funding to increase staff numbers. Efforts to secure funding for a new 'fast-track model of care' were declined and Boys said nothing had changed ahead of this winter. It's not just Middlemore's ED that's under pressure. HNZ data provided to the Herald reveals several other EDs are seeing huge numbers of patients. The New Zealand chairwoman of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and ED physician, Dr Kate Allan, told the Herald it's a worrying trend. 'It is a significant concern, but it's not unique to Middlemore. This sort of thing is happening across the country at a lot of our emergency departments and our hospitals,' she said. Minister: 'Significant' pressure on system Clinicians wanted the quality alert report escalated up the chain to national clinical leaders at Health New Zealand (HNZ), so they were across the risks. However, HNZ admitted national bosses 'delayed' acknowledging the report when it came to them. It was also recommended Minister Brown be made aware of the issues. Brown told Herald NOW the first he knew of the report was when the Herald broke the story. He described it as 'internal clinical assessment' but acknowledged 'significant' pressure across New Zealand's health system. Brown said it was up to HNZ to make decisions on district health budgets. Asked whether he was aware Middlemore ED clinicians had requested funding to improve staffing and patient safety before this Budget, he said that was HNZ's role. 'This is where HNZ is responsible. I as the minister am responsible for the overall budget.' Advertisement Advertise with NZME. He would not say when or if the requested $3.6m would be made available. However, a HNZ spokeswoman said there were plans for additional staff at Middlemore in 'the current budgeting year'. She said in the last financial year 20 fulltime registered nurses, five senior nurses three senior registrars, one urgent care doctor and five security guards were recruited in the last financial year. It was not clear how many of those staff ended up being diverted to the overloaded ED. 'Health New Zealand is committed to growing and retaining its workforce,' the spokeswoman told the Herald. Brown reiterated the Government's commitment to fund 24-hour urgent care services in Counties Manukau, which he said would alleviate pressure on Middlemore's ED. He also said South Auckland needed another hospital and it's likely one would be built in Drury. Michael Morrah is a senior investigative reporter/team leader at the Herald. He won News Journalist of the Year at the 2025 Voyager Media Awards and has twice been named reporter of the year at the NZ Television Awards. He has been a broadcast journalist for 20 years and joined the Herald 's video team in July 2024. The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) says patients suffering from road crashes and strokes are being treated in corridors at Middlemore Hospital's emergency department due to a lack of capacity and staff. ASMS vice president Dr Sylvia Boys who's an emergency physician at Middlemore Hospital described last winter as 'brutal' for staff and patients and didn't think this winter would be any different. That's despite Health Minister Simeon Brown trumpeting 'record' investment for health in last week's budget. Boys told the Herald Now show the number of staff on duty does not match patient demand. 'Predictably we will have more presentations this winter than last winter, but we've had no new resource put in,' she said. She said this means patients might not receive the care they deserve. 'You can't underestimate the soul sucking nature of apologising to every patient you see for waiting 8 to 10 hours, moving from one urgent case to another and squeezing past people who are on trolleys and suffering.' The Herald revealed on Monday serious concerns about patient safety and a lack of staff at Middlemore Hospital's ED last winter, which included more than 1500 patients being treated in corridors in the space of just 36 days. The information was detailed in a quality alert report written by clinicians and obtained by the Herald under the Officials Information Act. The report also said there were 43 patient harm incidents in the same time period - some of which could have involved death or severe loss of function because of delayed care or medical error. Advertise with NZME. Boys said those ending up in corridors included patients suffering patients stokes and injuries from road traffic crashes. 'We have no space, and no capacity left in the ED. The wards are full; patients can't move up to the wards [from the ED]. We have more presentations that we can get to and there are inadequate staff to treat people in a timely manner.' Clinicians who raised the alarm about patient harm, lack of staff and ED overcrowding last winter sought $3.6m in funding to increase staff numbers ahead of this winter. Efforts to secure funding for a new 'fast track model of care' were declined and Boys said nothing had changed as they head into the winter months. Clinicians wanted the report escalated up the chain to national leaders at Health New Zealand (HNZ), so they were across the risks, however HNZ has acknowledged leaders 'delayed' acknowledging the report when it came to them. It was also recommended Minister Brown be made aware of the issues. Brown told the Herald Now the first he knew of the report was when he read the story on Monday in the Herald. He described it as 'internal clinical assessment' but acknowledged 'significant' pressure across the health system. Brown said HNZ makes decisions on district health budgets. Asked whether he was aware Middlemore ED clinicians had requested funding to improve staffing and patient safety ahead of this budget, he said that's HNZ's role. 'This is where HNZ is responsible. I as the Minister am responsible for the overall budget.' He would not say when or if the requested $3.6m would be made available. Brown reiterated the Government's commitment to fund 24-hour services in Counties Manukau which he said would alleviate pressure on Middlemore's ED.
Hindustan Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Chandigarh: Each ward to get ₹25L to resume devp works amid cash crunch
After a year-long pause in developmental activities due to a financial crunch, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) is set to resume small-scale infrastructure works across the city, with mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla on Tuesday, directing the councillors to prepare a list of urgent pending projects worth up to ₹25 lakh each in their respective wards. Babla called an all-party councillors meeting on Tuesday and officially announced the allocation of a ward development fund of ₹25 lakh per councillor. Despite receiving no additional financial aid from the UT administration or the central government, the civic body is now leaning heavily on revenue generated through taxes, especially property tax, collected in the first quarter of the current fiscal year to restart halted works. Due to the ongoing fiscal crisis, no fresh tenders have been floated since May last year. The stagnation brought Chandigarh's local infrastructure development to a standstill. Even approved projects like road re-carpeting, renovation of community centres, improvement of public toilets and cremation grounds, and market beautification were put on indefinite hold. Every financial year, ₹80 lakh is earmarked for development in each ward under the 'Ward Development Fund'. Notably, councillors were not allocated any development funds in the previous financial year, further adding to public grievances over stalled civic improvements. 'The fund is aimed at addressing the basic developmental needs of each ward, including infrastructure upkeep, civic amenities, sanitation improvements, and other essential services. It is important to judiciously use the available resources to ensure that residents do not face any disruption in core civic services', mayor Babla said, while urging all councillors to prioritise key issues and work in collaboration with officials to execute development works efficiently. 'This fund is a step toward empowering local leadership to address ward-level issues swiftly and effectively. Despite financial constraints, we are committed to ensuring that the basic development needs of all city wards are met,' the mayor added. BOX: Councillors clash with commissioner over pending salaries of 400 contractual staff; meeting cut short after confrontation The meeting, which was also attended by municipal commissioner Amit Kumar and other senior MC officials, lasted only 15 minutes after councillors began questioning the commissioner over the pending salaries of nearly 400 contractual employees. According to councillors, workers in the public health wing—including sewer men—have not been paid for the past four months due to a delay in tendering processes. Commissioner Kumar clarified that one month's salary had recently been disbursed and that efforts were underway to release dues. However, despite the clarification, councillors, led by BJP's Kanwarjeet Singh Rana, continued pressing the issue, seeking an explanation for the delay. 'The MC has always maintained that they would prioritise salaries over development. We hope that they always ensure that workers do not go unpaid,' said Rana. 'We are doing our job of asking relevant questions,' he added. The commissioner eventually walked out of the meeting midway and refused to give a comment.
Straits Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Misinformation adds more uncertainty to the fog of war around India's strikes on Pakistan
People stand near the damaged part of an unidentified aircraft at a mosque compound in Pampore, in the outskirts of Srinagar, India on May 7. PHOTO: EPA-EFE Misinformation adds more uncertainty to the fog of war around India's strikes on Pakistan - The dust from India's airstrikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir had barely settled when a barrage of unverified claims and misinformation was unleashed online, adding further uncertainty to developments in the ongoing confrontation between the two South Asian neighbours. For instance, India denies that any civilians were killed in the airstrikes launched in the early hours of May 7, while Pakistan has stated that 26 civilians were killed and 46 were wounded. These claims have not been independently verified. But many handles on X have posted photos of dead bodies, including those of children, claiming they were killed in India's airstrikes, as well as unverified videos showing chaotic scenes at emergency wards in Pakistani hospitals. At a press briefing in New Delhi on May 7 to share details on the operation, dubbed 'Operation Sindoor', Indian authorities did not take questions, but Colonel Sofiya Qureshi from the Indian Army told the media that 'so far there are no reports of civilian damage' in Pakistan. Wing Commander Vyomika Singh from the Indian Air Force added: 'The locations were so selected to avoid damage to civilian infrastructures and loss of any civilian lives.' The Indian government said all the terrorist training camps struck by its missiles were successfully 'neutralised with clinical efficiency' but it did not share figures of any casualties caused by its airstrikes at these locations. Indian media reports, quoting unnamed government sources, have cited fatality figures as high as 70. On the other hand, authorities have said , at least 15 civilians were killed in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday in cross-border shelling by Pakistan following New Delhi's airstrikes. India has also not commented on Pakistan's statement that its forces shot down five Indian aircraft. An employee with one of India's top fact-checking organisations said she woke up to a deluge of misleading posts playing up the success of India's airstrikes in her WhatsApp inbox on Wednesday morning. She did not want to be named, as she was not authorised to speak to the media. 'A lot of unrelated, old visuals of airstrikes, including those from Israel's strikes on Gaza, are being shared by Indians, as visuals of India's airstrikes on Pakistan as part of Operation Sindoor,' the fact-checker told The Straits Times. A large part of the problem is that these old, unrelated, and misleading images and videos are also being shared by established media organisations as well as popular verified handles. Multiple Indian news channels uploaded a widely shared video from Gaza showing a series of massive explosions and people running helter-skelter, with captions claiming it to be footage of Indian airstrikes against Pakistani targets. Even India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party shared a collage of nine videos on Wednesday, claiming them to from India's strikes on Pakistan. At least two of them were found to be unrelated to Operation Sindoor. BOOM, an Indian fact-checking organisation, found that the first clip was from Iran's October 2024 strikes on Israel and the third was from Israel's airstrikes on Gaza from October 2023. Meanwhile, with the war of narratives playing out online over Operation Sindoor, 'pro-Pakistan handles' have also been sharing old and unrelated footage, to claim that Indian jets have been downed and military structures attacked. The X account of the fact-checking unit of India's Press Information Bureau has been debunking such posts, including those that showed a photo of an Indian fighter craft that crashed in Punjab in 2021 but claimed it was an Indian Rafale jet shot down by Pakistan near Bahawalpur in response to Operation Sindoor. Social media posts have also falsely claimed that the Pakistan Air Force had targeted the air base in Srinagar, in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir. 'Reports also indicate that many Pakistan-based Twitter handles are pretending to be Indians or even Indian military personnel, and are tweeting political content to create confusion and stir trouble within India,' said Ms Ruby Dhingra, managing editor of Newschecker, a fact-checking portal. A deepfake video of United States President Donald Trump was also shared widely on May 2 to falsely claim his support for India, with his fake avatar stating he would 'erase Pakistan' if it attacks India. 'While AI-generated content hasn't been prominent yet, we anticipate its use may increase as the situation develops,' she added. India's airstrikes on Wednesday were in response to a terror attack in Pahalgam in Kashmir on April 22 that killed 26 tourists, mostly Hindus. Misinformation had also surged after this attack, in which non-Muslim men, mostly Hindus, were identified and shot at point-blank range. Ms Himanshi Narwal, whose husband and Indian Navy officer Vinay Narwal was killed in the attack, instantly became the target of right-wing Hindu trolls when she urged Indians not to target Muslims or Kashmiris and instead seek justice without hate. Many Internet users, who had earlier mourned her loss, began posting abusive comments, labelling her as a 'pro-Pak' and 'Islamist apologist'. People mounted a character assassination campaign, posting conspiracy theories about her Muslim and Kashmiri friends from her stint back at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University. This prompted even the National Commission of Women to step in and condemn the trolling she was subjected to. Given the deluge of misinformation now around Operation Sindoor, fact-checking organisations have urged Internet users to remain vigilant and responsible in consuming and sharing content related to the ongoing conflict. They have also asked users to diversify their news sources and reach out to established fact-checkers for accurate information, if needed. 'I understand it gets difficult to cut through all the noise, but I would suggest identifying a handful of fact-checkers you trust and checking their sites for authentic information on any specific claim,' said Ms Nivedita Niranjankumar, a news editor with BOOM. 'And if it is not there, reach out to fact-checking organisations with active and good helpline numbers so that the content can be verified.' Debarshi Dasgupta is The Straits Times' India correspondent covering the country and other parts of South Asia. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Indian Express
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Bengaluru civic corporation set to be split, no early end to 10-year wait for polls
With the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act set to come into force, having received the Governor's assent last week, municipal elections in the city – last held 10 years ago – are set to be delayed further. Sources said that the polls are unlikely to be held before the end of this year or early 2026. The Act proposes the splitting of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) into 'up to seven' smaller corporations. As per sources, the Congress government in the state is inclined towards three corporations in the Greater Bengaluru Area, with the Act setting a deadline of 120 days – or August this year – to earmark the boundaries. From 25 in BBMP, the total number of wards may go up to as many as 300. The control of the BBMP is much coveted as it controls infrastructure and governance in the rapidly growing Bengaluru. It last saw elections in August 2015, with the corporation's term ending in September 2020. Since that time, the BBMP has been headed by senior IAS officers appointed by the state government as administrators. The Greater Bengaluru Area, restricted to Bengaluru Urban district, will comprise the existing BBMP wards, and developed and developing gram panchayats around it. Later this week, Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D K Shivakumar is scheduled to hold preliminary discussions with representatives of all parties, and experts and stakeholders, to chart out the area's boundaries. Apart from the redrawing of boundaries, a delimitation exercise is to be completed before the municipal corporation elections can be held as the last exercise, carried out in 2023 – after several hiccups – has been rendered invalid by the new Act. Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad, who headed the Joint Legislative Committee that examined the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, told The Indian Express: 'When the corporation is itself being restructured, there will be fresh wards.' The opposition by the BJP and JD(S) to the Act is expected to further delay the process. During the discussion in the Assembly on the legislation, the parties had said it would end up 'destroying' the city. Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka said splitting the BBMP into smaller corporations would create pockets of uneven growth. 'Areas such as Mahadevapura, K R Puram or Hebbal will generate more tax revenue compared to parts of old Bengaluru where IT companies are not present,' he said. Ashoka also said that pro-Kannada groups oppose the move as the influence of Kannada might weaken due to the legislation. Shivakumar, who piloted the Bill, said change is required because the government is 'not able to change the existing system' in Bengaluru, with the city growing in a haphazard manner. He cited the surge in population of Bengaluru from 70 lakh to 1.4 crore in a little more than two decades. The plan to restructure the BBMP was first floated in November 2014, during Chief Minister Siddaramaiah 's earlier term in the chair. A Bill was brought to split it but had to be shelved after the BJP protested. In 2018, another effort was made with a draft Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, but it went into cold storage after the Congress lost power. Soon after the party won the Assembly elections and Siddaramaiah became the CM again, he set up a committee on the issue in June 2023. In June 2024, the panel submitted a draft of the Bill. It proposed the establishment of a Greater Bengaluru Authority for coordinating and supervising the development of the Greater Bengaluru Area and proposed up to seven city corporations 'for effective, participatory and responsive governance'. Calling the Bill 'unscientific' and expressing apprehension of 'uneven distribution', the BJP walked out in protest when it was passed.
