Dr Harris says minister’s office ignored warnings, principal calls for inquiry
TVM medical college equipment controversy
Thiruvananthapuram: A controversy has broken out at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital (MCH) over the shortage of essential equipment in the Urology Department. Dr Harris Chirakkal, the Head of the Department, has strongly criticised the Health Department for not acting, even after repeated complaints, reports On Manorama.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, Dr Harris revealed that he had informed the personal secretary of the Health Minister about the problem eight months ago, but no steps were taken.
"Other department heads are silent because they are afraid. Right now, surgeries are happening only after begging for equipment," he said.
Dr Harris had raised the issue on Facebook on Saturday, saying that surgeries were being delayed due to a lack of proper tools. In response, the Director of Medical Education (DME) said this claim was exaggerated and added that only one minor surgery had been postponed recently. Dr Vishwanathan K V, who is in-charge of the DME, stated that no emergency procedures were cancelled.
Dr Harris, however, said he spoke out after seeing patients suffer. "The waiting list for surgeries now stretches till August. Some patients are even forced to buy surgical equipment with their own money," he said. He added that he doesn’t know why the Health Department failed to respond and said he is ready to cooperate with any investigation.
On Saturday, Health Minister Veena George said she was unaware of the issue and has asked for a detailed report from the DME. She also shared data from the DME which stated that ₹67 lakh had been spent on equipment for the Urology Department, ₹37 lakh from government funds and the rest from the hospital’s development committee.
The minister also said that new equipment worth ₹2.5 crore is being purchased through KIIFB, following her instructions. As per the report, 2,898 urology surgeries were conducted last year. From January to May this year, 1,327 surgeries took place, with 312 in May alone. Between June 1 and 25, a total of 242 surgeries were performed.
Six surgeries were done each on Thursday and Friday. The hospital also carried out 20 kidney transplants last year and seven so far this year.
Meanwhile, the hospital’s Principal, Dr P K Jabbar, told Manorama News that he had not received any major complaints. He said, “The reason behind Dr Harris' social media post must be looked into seriously.”
Dr Jabbar also denied that a purchase request had reached his office and said that Dr Harris had not spoken to him directly about the issue.
He agreed with the Health Minister’s statement that the matter must be investigated thoroughly.
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ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
