First Liver transplant in Public Sector Hosp hangs in balance

Despite government's claim that the first cadaver liver transplantation unit in the public sector will be done last December at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College hospital, it is still a non starter with undue delay in providing sufficient infrastructure and imparting proper training to the doctors. 

Even though the liver transplant programme was charted out two years ago, the unit is still at halfway point. An expert team that visited Medical College has noted that about 50 per cent of the facilities are yet to be provided.   

Training is yet to imparted to the surgeons, anaesthesiologists, radiodiagnosists, pathologists, nursing and other para medical staff, highly placed sources said. Though there was an agreement with a private hospital in Chennai to train the doctors, the sources said that there was much delay in giving training. The earlier decision was to give training of six months to specialists in a private hospital in Chennai and later it was cut short to six days, which was also hardly given,  the sources alleged. 

They point out that a dedicated ICU and recovery room has not be set up for Transplant. Apart from this, the unit is yet to  get proper high end equipment for conducting the transplant.  The infighting between surgical and medical units is said to be one of the reasons for the delay.  Apart from this, they also said that there were no willing patients. 

Though agreeing to some extent that the unit was not completely set up, Trivandrum Medical College Vice Principal and head of the Liver Transplant Unit Dr K R Vinayakumar said that high end equipment was yet to reach. ''But this is not a major thing as such equipment could be borrowed from KIMS as per an agreement with them,'' he said. Apart from this, he also noted taht the expert team that inspected the facility at the unit had suggested some modificatiuons in the ICU and the Recovery room, whiuch was now being done. 

source> The New Indian express 

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/445068/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/23-02-2015#page/4/1
http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/445134/The-New-Indian-Express-Kochi/23022015#page/4/1

Tvm Residents call for protecting Orange lake

The new Central University campus to be set up at Kudappanakunnu has been well received by the residents, who have been agitating against rampant encroachment and destruction of the region, but stressed for an environment – friendly campus and protection of the nature, especially the Orange poika.

The district collector was directed on Wednesday to identify 5 acres of land in Kudappanakunnu for setting up the campus. For the last many months, the people of Kudappanakunnu have been agitating against the encroachment and the move to dump waste near the Orange poika, a landlocked natural water body in the hill, which is almost on the verge of extinction. The pond is a source of water to the many streams, ponds and wells in the surrounding areas.

Welcoming the decision, Sivan Kutty, a resident of Kudapanakunnu who is part of the agitation, said ''We welcome the campus here. But at the same time, the environment should be protected and the constructions should be eco-friendly.''

Stressing that they will not allow any more encroachment and destruction of the pond, he said that the agitation will be intensified if the government goes ahead with any programme that causes imbalance to the environment.

K Muraleedharan, who is the local MLA, also noted that the environment will be protected while setting up the Central University campus.

Source: http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/369887/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/07-11-2014#page/17/1

SAI Scores a 'Hole-in-One'

At a time when the price of land at Kowdiar ranges from Rs 50 lakh to Rs one crore, the government has leased out Golf Course, prime green stretch of land in the heart of the city, for a mere Rs 1 per acre to the Sports Authority of India. The government had taken such a stand without looking into the fact that the lease amount should have to commensurate with the value of the land that is leased out. The government has decided to hand over 25.38 acres of land of the golf course to SAI.

It is learned that the decision of lease of Rs 1 per acre per year was taken by the Cabinet. Highly placed sources said that the officials in the revenue department had voiced against the meager lease amount as they noted that the lease that was fixed did not commensurate with the value of the land.

It has also to be noted that SAI has been given all the right to use the buildings, structures and other facilities at the Golf Course for Rs 1 per acre for a period of 33 years and extendable later for a further period of 33 years.

Source: #The New Indian Express 

http://epaper.dinamani.com/309548/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/24-07-2014#page/17/1

Mookunnimala Quarrying: Agitation to be Intensified

The relentless struggle against quarrying  in Mookkunimala has gained momentum with the people in the Pallichal Panchayat firm for the closure of the quarries, which has been causing environmental and health hazards. The residents in the Panchayat for the last many months have been in continuous struggle even as the panchayat authorities maintain that quarrying can be stopped once the departments of Mining and Geology, Pollution Control Board and Revenue stops giving license for the quarries.

Though the Mookkunnimala Samrakshana Samithi (MSS) has been staging a protest for the last many years,  they have deiced to go for a widespread agitation, including a sit -in  in front of the secretariat until the quarry units are shut down. They had staged asit-in in front of the  Panchayat office in the first week of this month, demanding revocation of licences renewed to quarrying units.

Some of the Samithi leaders had even boycotted the Lok Sabha elections.  Stating that they were for the closure of the quarries, MSS convenor Nanappan Nair said that the struggle would continue till the last quarry stopped its activities. ''Almost 70 per cent of the hill is gone. It is high time that the remaining hill is protected,'' he said.

Source: The New Indian Express

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/259109/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/18-04-2014#page/17/1

Soccer star's dream home in legal tangles

Former skipper of the strate football team Sylvester Ignatius, who led the squad that won the prestigious Santosh Trophy in 2004, has waited for nearly a decade now to fulfill his dream of having a home of his own at Valiyathura near Trivandrum..

Though the Land was promised to him in 2004 soon after the  victory, he was only allotteed land last year. Adding further insult to the injuries already meted out to him, the land allotteed to him is now caught in a legal tangle.


Source: The New Indian Express

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/212429/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/12-01-2014#page/1/1