T.N. CM Stalin to inaugurate new urban HWCs and PHCs
He said that the CM had earlier announced that 708 urban HWCs will be established in the State. Of this, 500 were opened within a year of announcement. The remaining 208 will be inaugurated by the CM through videoconferencing from a centre in Adyar. Each urban HWC will have a doctor, nurse, health inspector and support staff.
He added that 19 new district headquarters hospitals and six hospitals on par with district headquarters hospitals were being established at a cost of Rs. 1,018 crore. Of this, the district headquarters hospital at Tiruttani was already inaugurated. Recruitment of staff will be taken up for the remaining 24 hospitals soon, he said.
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Indian Express
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- Indian Express
After probe report on financial irregularities, all but one clinical trials cancelled at Ahmedabad Hospital
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India Today
2 hours ago
- India Today
Same pills, smaller bills: Janaushadhi means savings
As Bihar moves closer to state elections, a strategic shift is underway in its rural healthcare approach, merging policy rollout with political March, the Centre announced that Primary Agricultural Credit Societies across India would operate Janaushadhi Kendras to expand access to affordable generic medicines. Bihar has now joined the ahead of the elections, the Muzaffarpur district administration selected seven PACS to open Janaushadhi outlets in its first phase, with one already licensed and six more in the These centres will make World Health Organisation-certified generic medicines available at prices 50–80 per cent lower than branded alternatives, making essential healthcare more affordable for rural of March 2025, more than 2,300 PACS across 34 states and Union Territories had been approved to operate Janaushadhi Kendras, raising key questions: how evenly are these centres distributed across India, and how much can people save?More kendras, more savingsAs of February 2025, the number of Janaushadhi Kendras operating across the country stood at 16,489, more than doubling from 6,306 outlets in 2019– consistent growth in presence has also led to a sharp rise in sales and consumer savings. In 2019–20, the scheme reported sales of Rs 433.61 crore with citizen savings estimated at Rs 2,500 crore. The following year, 2020–21, saw the number of kendras grow to 7,557, sales jump to Rs 665.83 crore, and estimated savings touch Rs 4,000 crore according to the Janaushadhi annual upward trend continued in 2021–22, with 8,610 kendras and Rs 5,400 crore in savings. By 2023–24, the number of centres increased to 12,616, through which people saved Rs 7,350 of the PriceMedicines that typically cost hundreds or thousands are available at a fraction of the price under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana. A price comparison across ten commonly used medicines and medical items shows just how significant the savings can instance, Glibenclamide, a common diabetes drug, is sold for just Rs 5.5 per strip under the scheme, compared to Rs 30 in regular pharmacies, offering a saving of around 82 per cent. A pulse oximeter, often used in respiratory care, an important machine after Covid-19, costs Rs 495 through Janaushadhi but sells for nearly Rs 1,599 in retail, a 69 per cent price cut. Budesonide inhalers used by asthma patients are available for Rs 123 compared to the market average of Rs acetate injections, often prescribed for prostate and breast cancer, cost Rs 1,800 under the scheme, down from the market price of Rs 3,453, a 48 per cent saving. Other drugs show a similar trend. The price gap spans across multiple therapeutic areas: diabetes, oncology, cardiovascular disease, respiratory care, and even surgical consumables, and offers a wide range of 2,047 generic medicines and 300 surgical items, all priced 50 per cent to 80 per cent lower than their branded counterparts.- Ends
India Today
3 hours ago
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Factory of fire: Inside Sigachi's trail of ignored alarms, regulatory gaps
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Pashamylaram hosts a tight cluster of high-risk chemical and pharmaceutical units, with over 60 plants involved in manufacturing bulk drugs, excipients like MCC, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and intermediates, many of which are prone to combustible dust and fire hazards. The area also houses critical infrastructure such as a zero liquid discharge, common effluent treatment plant, supporting sustainable wastewater management for these REACTSadvertisement"We are deeply anguished by the tragic accident at our Pashamylaram facility, which resulted in the loss of 40 valued team members and left over 33 injured. Our thoughts are with all those affected," Sigachi Industries said in a company added that, contrary to media reports, "the accident was not caused by a reactor explosion at the plant".It further stated, "Sigachi Industries Ltd has committed an ex-gratia compensation of 1 crore to the families of the deceased, while those injured will receive full medical and rehabilitation support. Our plant operations will remain temporarily suspended for approximately 90 days."Telangana's industrial zones - Jeedimetla, IDA Bollaram, Pashamylaram, and Patancheru — average one fire every two days, totalling nearly 190 incidents annually, or 1,522 over the past eight years. Just last year, the district collector, Valluru Kranthi, conducted inspections in the Pashamylaram Industrial Area, ordered the closure of Salubrious Industries, Vital Synthetics, and Venkar Chemical Limited plants for failing to meet fire safety was followed by a fire at Salubrious on February 13, caused by the management's neglect of mandatory safety protocols, the collector told local Synthetics, which produces drug intermediates, lacked essential fire safety equipment, including fire hydrants, portable extinguishers, and underground water storage tanks. The fire control board had previously issued notices to Vital Synthetics for FIRE NOC?advertisementComing to Sigachi, in the run-up to its November 2019 IPO, the company's red herring prospectus filed with SEBI admitted in Section 12 that it had not applied for several mandatory licenses and approvals. This included a fire no-objection certificate for its Telangana plant in the Pashamylaram Industrial Area, producing microcrystalline Red Herring Prospectus outlines a company's operations, finances, and risks ahead of an IPO, to gauge investor interest and provide transparency to potential State Disaster Response and Fire Services Director General Y Nagi Reddy told India Today that the building lacked a fire NOC for the current year - but also claimed that one wasn't required in this case, underlining a grey area regarding the applicability of fire safety regulations under the Telangana Fire Service Act, 1999, and the Factories Act, prospectus also disclosed that Sigachi lacked a pollution certificate for its Gujarat plant and a fire safety audit for Pashamylaram. There's no public record confirming if these were obtained NORMS FLOUTED AT SIGACHIUnder safety norms for industries handling combustible dust, the Factories Act mandates exhaust systems, enclosed and vented machinery, regular dust removal, fire hydrants, heat sensors, portable extinguishers, underground water tanks, and two outward-opening exits per Reddy said that Sigachi's Telangana unit had only a few inadequate fire extinguishers, likely installed after the 2019 fire. The ageing building lacked key safety features like fire alarms, heat sensors, and automatic shutdown systems, pointing to serious lapses under the Telangana Fire Service Act. He remarked that the fire department's safety audit was 'as good as non-existent,' stressing that the onus lies squarely on the company owner to maintain fire safety systems as per industrial there were structural safety issues, as there were no blast-resistant walls or roofs in processing areas. India Today's ground input confirmed improper containment of microcrystalline cellulose, a highly inflammable material prone to static electricity. No third-party safety inspections have been conducted in recent years, and outdated machinery continued to be used despite worker warnings about safety QUESTIONSTime and again, lax safety compliance has led to shutdowns in this fire-prone hub, raising a critical question: Why isn't a fire NOC mandatory in such high-risk zones? Reddy's conflicting remarks on Sigachi's fire NOC requirement highlight regulatory gaps and inconsistent enforcement of fire safety norms in high-risk industrial was not an accident - it was waiting to happen," said Rajanala Sai Yashwanth, the son of one of the deceased. His 55-year-old father, Rajanala Venkat Jagan Mohan, who had served at Sigachi Industries for 20 years, died in Monday's explosion. He stated that workers had repeatedly requested management to replace unsafe machinery, but these warnings were company management has been charged with culpable homicide amounting to murder, grievous harm, and attempted murder.- EndsMust Watch
