
Family of Sigachi blast victim alleges high hospital bill for relative's treatment
Munmun Chowhan, a worker from Madhya Pradesh employed at the Sigachi factory, sustained critical burn injuries in the blast and was admitted to Dhruva Hospital in Patancheru for treatment.
On learning of Chowhan's condition, his father-in-law, Birender Chowdhary, travelled to see him. However, upon seeing his severely injured son-in-law, Birender Chowdhary developed high blood pressure and fell ill. He was admitted to the same hospital.
The family expressed concern over the hospital bill for Birender Chowdhary's treatment. The hospital reportedly charged them Rs 1 lakh for one night. 'So far we have paid Rs 70,000. We do not know how we will pay the remaining amount,' said Sonu Chowdhary, Birender's son.
Meanwhile Dhruva Hospital manager A Pramod told TNIE that there was no truth in the claim, saying that Chowdhary was billed Rs 40,000 for the overnight stay and another Rs 15,000 for medicines.

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Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Chandigarh admin drafts Rs 10,000 monthly aid scheme for disabled acid attack survivors, Punjab & Haryana HC informed
In response to the Punjab and Haryana High Court's directions for ensuring meaningful rehabilitation of acid attack survivors, the Chandigarh administration submitted Friday that it has framed a scheme titled SAHAS – Support and Assistance for Healing Acid Survivors – to provide Rs 10,000 per month as financial aid to survivors who have been rendered disabled. According to the draft scheme, only residents of Chandigarh will be eligible for this aid. The affidavit was filed by Anuradha S Chagti, secretary, social welfare, women and child development, stating that the scheme has been finalised and sent for approval to the competent authority. 'The concurrence from the Finance Department has been received and the funds are available under the state budget to extend the necessary support,' the administration said. SAHAS provides for a monthly financial assistance of Rs 10,000 sent to beneficiaries' bank accounts through Aadhaar-based direct benefit transfer (DBT). The affidavit was submitted in response to a contempt petition filed by advocate H C Arora, who had sought implementation of long-pending court directions for victim support. Submitting its response to the court, the administration concluded: 'The deponent has the highest regard for this Hon'ble High Court and cannot ever think of disobeying its orders.' It requested dismissal of the contempt petition in light of the steps taken. The administration stated that medical aid and interim relief are already available for survivors under an earlier scheme notified by the home department, and SAHAS is an additional initiative. Applicants must provide a disability certificate or a Unique Disability Identity Card (UDID) confirming the disability was caused by an acid attack. Applications can be submitted by the survivor or, in cases of severe disability, by a family member or legal heir. Other required documents include a copy of the FIR, Aadhaar card, proof of residence, bank account details, and an annual life certificate. The administration said all applications will be processed within a month, and the payments will begin from the first day of the following month. The scheme also allows for appeals in case an application is rejected. Aggrieved persons can approach the secretary of the social welfare department for redressal.


Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
Trapped in terrain: how a range of factors complicate Gadchiroli's fight against malaria
During monsoon, flooding causes over 212 villages in Gadchiroli – a district known for extensive forests, bamboo, tendu leaves, and for its tribal population – to become isolated for three to four months, leading to a further cutting off of roads to about 500 villages, severely impacting healthcare access, which is critical to tackle the region's malaria infections. Despite contributing only about one per cent to Maharashtra's population, Gadchiroli, a region affected by Maoist insurgency, accounts for approximately 50 per cent of the state's malaria cases. It faces a significant malaria problem, consistently reporting an Annual Parasite Incidence (API) above 2. An API of 2 means there are 2 or more confirmed malaria cases per 1,000 population in a year. This year, over 2,060 malaria cases have been identified here and three deaths have been reported so far, said Avishyant Panda, District Collector, Gadchiroli. The district reports malaria deaths every year – 13 in 2022; 12 in 2023 and 14 in 2024. The year 2021 saw the most cases in the last five years – 12,326, though only eight deaths were reported that year. Over the last five years between 2019 and 2024, a total of 51 deaths have been reported, as per the data provided by the malaria task force. Starting April 1, this year, Gadchiroli launched a comprehensive malaria eradication plan. A Malaria Eradication Task Force was initiated under the Public Health Department and chaired by Dr Abhay Bang, a public health expert and the Founder and Director of Society for Education, Action and Research in Community Health (SEARCH). Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also announced to allocate Rs 25 crore for the initiative through the Tribal Development Department. 'This year, the rain started in May. Usually, rain starts in mid-June. And so, small water collections have occurred in the forest everywhere. Hence, mosquito breeding has started much earlier. That is why the task force has cautioned the district administration that there is a likelihood of an early upsurge in malaria cases this year. And we have to be prepared to face a rise in cases this year on a war footing,' said Dr Bang. Terrain and other key challenges The district faces several geographical and environmental challenges – 76 per cent of Gadchiroli is covered by forests and hills, hindering development. Dense forests, rivers, and hilly terrain create ideal conditions for mosquito breeding, say sources. High transmission of Plasmodium falciparum (PF) – one of the two primary species of malaria parasites commonly found in India – is frequently observed, particularly in tribal blocks, and malaria demonstrates persistent and perennial transmission, with peaks occurring in July-August, according to the task force data. While Plasmodium falciparum is known to cause more severe and potentially fatal cases of malaria, Plasmodium vivax is generally considered milder. Panda told The Indian Express, 'The district is working on the availability of drugs and logistics for which we are specifically targeting three talukas that get cut off.' 'In malaria-positive cases, there has been a difficulty regarding whether to take blood smears. Every year, nearly 10 lakh blood smears have to be taken in the district. But really, microscopy of 10 lakh blood smears is a Herculean task. Then, a backlog develops. Hence, the task force has decided that all fever cases should be instantly examined by what is called RDT, Rapid Diagnostic Test. So, within 15 minutes, the result is available. And if it is positive for malaria, the patient is treated. So, every fever case must be tested by RDT as a regular practice,' informed Dr Bang. He added, 'There is an implementation committee to carry out this plan, under the chairmanship of the collector. So, this has not remained merely a health department programme. The collector, zilla parishad CEO, and the health departments are all involved, with the collector chairing it. The implementation would therefore involve various other sectors of the administration as well.' Socio-cultural factors There are other socio-demographic and cultural factors contributing to the issue. Ninety-seven per cent of the population lives in rural and tribal villages, which are often scattered and difficult to access. Locals often prefer traditional healers or pujaris for fever, leading to delayed malaria diagnosis and treatment. Risky practices such as outdoor sleeping and non-use of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) further increase the risk of malaria. Poor socio-economic conditions, low literacy, and lack of hygienic conditions are also contributing factors. 'We are trying to increase the testing efforts and routine surveillance. The RDK (Rapid Diagnostic Kit) method is being used for diagnosis in the field, and when a case is found positive, the first anti-malaria dose is administered. IEC (Information, Education and Communication) activities are also being carried out in Marathi and Madia languages,' Panda said. 'A school IEC programme is also being launched, with nodal teachers being appointed, even in ashram schools, because these are also used as shelter homes during floods. It is also being ensured that the school IEC programme benefits the parents as well,' Panda said. 'Some never reach institutions' Talking about factors associated with delay in treatments, Dr Bang said. 'There are several delays. There are various superstitions linked with fever in tribal areas, and people usually don't seek help immediately. They first go to the pujari. Then the pujari does his process, and so two–three days, sometimes even five days, are wasted there. From there on, most of the patients can actually be treated in the village itself by the ASHA workers (Accredited Social Health Activists) or the ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwives).' 'But a small percentage, maybe 5 to 10 per cent, have more severe malaria and they need hospitalisation. So they are appropriately selected and referred to the hospital for treatment. There are delays that occur at every level. Besides, some people never reach institutions. And so certain measures have been decided on how we can avoid this,' Dr Bang said, adding that the task force also plans to seek pujaris' cooperation to tackle this issue. 'I recently held a meeting on anti-superstition practices with the police and revenue machinery. Here, malaria patients are often taken to pujaris. We have almost 2,000 pujaris in the district, so we have mapped them, and we want to start a programme where pujaris encourage people to go to medical facilities rather than treat them on their own. Deaths occur when medicines are not administered in time,' said Panda. Dr Bang adds, 'Of all the malaria deaths reported in Gadchiroli, nearly half of them are in children below 15 years of age. And world over, children are more vulnerable to malaria and to more serious forms of it.' Small villages, manpower shortage Three hundred villages lack Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs). There are also long-standing vacancies in vital manpower positions like Multi-Purpose Workers (MPWs), Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), and technicians. 'The peculiarity of the Gadchiroli district is that, especially in the tribal areas, village sizes are very small. There are nearly 100 villages with a population of less than 100. So, for Gadchiroli, the ASHA norm has been relaxed by the Government of Maharashtra, and smaller villages are allowed to be included. So, an additional 191 ASHAs will be recruited for this need,' informed Dr Bang. He also informed that 200 positions for multi-purpose workers were filled recently. He added, 'Yet, nearly 100 villages remain where you can't imagine having an ASHA because the population includes hardly 10 to 15 homes. So there, we have decided that a resident in the village who is literate will be trained to use RDT and diagnose malaria.' Identifying villages that are more prone In 2024, 159 villages were classified as Category A (Annual Parasite Incidence (API)>50), indicating a very high malaria burden. Additionally, 357 villages were Category B (API 5-49.99), and 1,183 villages were Category C (API <4.99). Across six tribal blocks, 19 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) are classified as High Malaria Endemic with API>2, affecting 3.2 lakh people. Similarly, eight PHCs across six non-tribal blocks are High Endemic with an API >2, affecting 1.3 lakh people. This makes a total of 27 priority PHCs. Bhamragad, a tribal block in Gadchiroli which alone had over 174.3 API in 2021, contributes over 40 per cent of the cases in the district. Dr Supriyalakshmi Totiger, Deputy Director, Community Health Research at SEARCH, and a member of the Malaria Task Force in Gadchiroli told The Indian Express, 'Bhamragad has very thick central Indian forest. With that kind of ecosystem, you tend to find a lot of breeding sources easily available in the natural ecology, so removing mosquitoes and reducing mosquito density is difficult in such places. That is a major contributor to malaria in Bhamragad.' Taskforce sets 2027 target 'The last stage in malaria elimination is eliminating it in tribal regions. The task force identified 29 PHCs (Primary Health Centres) as high-risk areas in six tribal blocks and eight PHCs in non-tribal blocks. This covers around the population of 4.75 lakh, which is high risk. Hence, Bhamragad tops the list, followed by Etapalli and then Dhanora,' said Dr Totiger. 'One of the powerful strategies in tackling malaria, also recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), is the use of LLINs, that is, long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets. Under the Malaria Mukta Gadchiroli Abhiyaan, the task force will distribute 5 lakh LLINs, so that every family will have one mosquito net per person,' informed Dr Bang. Collector Panda added, 'For identified high-risk areas, we are conducting full-scale Indoor Residual Spraying and LLINs distribution. Fifty thousand LLINs have been procured and distributed so far.' The task force aims to achieve zero deaths due to malaria by 2027 and an API of less than one. The task force has also been supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Foundation for Disease Elimination and Control of India under Sun Pharma, Godrej Foundation, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and the National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR). 'The main season of malaria starts from July onwards. So, we have to wait and see what happens this year. It depends so much on the climate, rain, etc. Worldwide, malaria occurs cyclically. Every five or six years, you get an upsurge. The last upsurge was in 2021. So, one would expect, as a part of the natural cycle, another upsurge in 2026 or 2027,' Dr Bang said.


New Indian Express
4 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Centre to set up naturopathy hospital in Guntur
GUNTUR: In a major boost to traditional medicine and healthcare in AP, the Union government has approved the establishment of a Central Research Institute of Yoga and Naturopathy (CRIYN) in Nadimpalem village of Prathipadu mandal, Guntur district. The project, including a 100-bed hospital and staff quarters, will be developed at a cost of Rs 94 crore with 100% central funding under the Ministry of AYUSH. Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications Dr Pemmasani Chandrasekhar announced the project on Thursday. Spread across 15 acres, the institute will house advanced healthcare facilities, a research centre, academic training units, and residential quarters. The hospital will provide integrated round-the-clock care based on yoga and naturopathy, offering preventive and curative treatment. He thanked PM Narendra Modi and Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav for sanctioning the project and credited CM N Chandrababu Naidu's leadership in advancing the State's health infrastructure.