Latest news with #PublicHealth&FamilyWelfare
Time of India
03-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Mandatory thalassemia test in Maharashtra: Couples to be tested before marriage; minister says rules to be framed soon
Picture source: Instagram Minister of State, Public Health & Family Welfare, Maharashtra, Meghana Bordikar, said on Thursday that couples may soon need to get tested for thalassemia before marriage. Responding to a demand by MLA Vikas Thakre during the question hour of the assembly, the minister said, " 'We will soon frame rules on making the test mandatory before marriage.' She added that about 12,860 people in Maharashtra were currently living with thalassemia. Thalassemia is a genetic blood disorder that affects the body's ability to produce haemoglobin and healthy red blood cells. 'If not diagnosed in time, it can affect the next generation,' the minister added. The state has already started a thalassemia eradication campaign, beginning with a pilot in Parbhani district. That programme is now being expanded to other parts of the state. Bordikar also said that thalassemia treatment centres would be set up in every district. Meanwhile, the Assembly also discussed alleged irregularities in the purchase of cancer diagnostic vans by the public health department. Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Bhaskar Jadhav raised the issue, and Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar claimed the vans were bought at nearly twice the price. 'The cost of one van should not exceed Rs 40 lakh. But they were bought at much higher rates. The equipment inside is worth around Rs 12 lakh,' Wadettiwar alleged. He also claimed some of the equipment in these vans was non-functional. Speaker Rahul Narwekar directed that the inquiry report by the health department commissioner be presented before the end of the monsoon session, which concludes on July 18.
Indian Express
19-05-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Hyderabad fire: Telangana govt rejects claims that ambulances lacked oxygen support
Telangana's health department on Monday dismissed as rumours allegations that ambulances used in the rescue operations after the fire at Gulzar House near Charminar lacked oxygen support. After 17 people of a family, eight of them children, were killed in Sunday's massive fire in Hyderabad, Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K T Rama Rao told the media about the alleged shortage of oxygen in ambulances used to ferry victims to hospitals. While alleging gross negligence and under-preparedness on the part of the state government, the Opposition politician said he was only voicing the concerns of the aggrieved family, which he visited after the tragedy. However, Dr B Ravinder Nayak, Director of Public Health & Family Welfare, stated that every ambulance was equipped with oxygen support. He said the first patient was shifted from the incident site to Osmania Hospital at 6.25 am in ambulance number TS08UL5682 on Sunday. 'In total, 8 ambulances were dispatched to the scene,' he said in a statement. Altogether, 15 patients were transported via '108' ambulances to the Osmania, CARE, Apollo, and Yashoda hospitals, Dr Naik said, while urging everyone not to spread rumours, adding that such misinformation could demoralise health department staff and emergency responders. Dr Naik said the department was immediately alerted about the incident and a team of doctors was promptly sent to the location. 'A team of specialist doctors was also kept on standby at Osmania Hospital to provide treatment to the injured. Regrettably, all victims lost their lives in the tragic fire. However, efforts were made to complete postmortem procedures swiftly to minimise distress to the families of the deceased,' he said. Emphasising that the incident should serve as a wake-up call for improving basic emergency infrastructure, KTR called on the state to immediately provide Rs 25 lakh compensation to the kin of the deceased and extend support to the Agarwal family in restarting their business, which had served the city for over a century.
