UP: 11 more patients die at Ballia district hospital, toll rises to 68
Ballia (UP), Jun 19: Eleven more patients admitted at Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district hospital died due to various ailments on Monday, taking the death toll to 68 in five days, officials said.
A committee of the health department, which was sent to the district on Sunday from Lucknow to ascertain the cause of deaths, inspected various areas of the district on Monday.
The deaths come amid the heatwave conditions in the region. However, Ballia Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Jayant Kumar has said only two people died due to heat stroke in the district till Sunday.
The two-member committee comprising Director (Communicable Diseases) Dr A K Singh and Director (Medical Care) K N Tiwari visited Bansdih area of the district from where most of the patients who died had come to the hospital.
The two officials also held fresh inspection of the district hospital. "The arrangements at the hospital have improved. Five more air coolers have been installed in the wards," said Tiwari.
Commenting on the spike in deaths, Tiwari said, "It could also be a coincidence because most of them were elderly patients with pre-existing ailments."
However, the director (medical care) denied that the deaths are caused by heat stroke.
"We are looking into all aspects to identify if there is any underlying common cause behind these deaths. Samples are being collected from patients and examination is underway," he told reporters here.
According to the health officials, on average about eight deaths are reported daily at the district hospital.
Meanwhile, CMO Kumar said a total of 178 new patients were admitted to the hospital in the last 24 hours, of which 11 have died.
"Those who died were suffering from various ailments," he said.
The CMO declined to comment on the cause of death and asserted that best possible arrangements have been made for the patients admitted to the hospital.
"On the direction of senior officials, we have increased the number of air coolers and fans in the hospital," the CMO said, adding the hospital administration has also increased the number of beds to 276 from 200 to accommodate new patients.
Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) of the district hospital S K Yadav said that the number of patients admitted in the hospital has gone over 400. "We are also experiencing a rise in patients in the out-patient department (OPD). About 1,500 to 1,800 patients are visiting the OPD daily as against around 1,000 to 1,200 earlier," said the CMS.
Besides the district hospital, the number of patients in community and primary health centres of the district have also increased in the past few days, the health officials said.
Ballia, along with the entire central and eastern UP, is reeling under sultry weather. As per the India Meteorological Department, the maximum temperature in Ballia was recorded at 43.5 degrees Celsius on Sunday, six notches above normal.
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MT, a legendary Malayalam writer who created timeless classics passes away at 91
Kozhikode (Kerala) (PTI): Noted writer and Jnanpith award winner MT Vasudevan Nair, who died here on Wednesday evening, is known for elevating the art of Malayalam storytelling to a profound level through his works.
Popularly known as MT, Vasudevan Nair is celebrated for his evocative storytelling, exploring human emotions and the complexities of rural life.
The 91-year-old writer had been hospitalised in critical condition with a diagnosis of heart failure and breathed his last on Wednesday.
He was suffering several health issues including respiratory ailments for a while, according to the literary sources.
M T is a celebrated writer, screenwriter, and filmmaker, renowned for his profound contributions to Malayalam literature and cinema.
Born in 1933 in Kudallur, a quaint village in Palakkad district, Kerala, M T, through more than seven decades of writing created a literary world that appealed equally to both ordinary people and intellectuals.
At the time, Kudallur was part of the Malabar district under the Madras Presidency of British India.
He was the youngest of four children born to T Narayanan Nair and Ammalu Amma.
His father worked in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), while M T spent his early years in Kudallur and at his paternal home in Punnayurkulam, a village in present-day Thrissur district.
M T's early life and surroundings deeply influenced his literary sensibilities.
He completed his schooling at Malamakkavu Elementary School and Kumaranelloor High School and graduated with a degree in chemistry from Victoria College, Palakkad, in 1953.
His professional journey began as a teacher and gramasevakan at a block development office in Taliparamba, Kannur, before he joined Mathrubhumi Weekly as a sub-editor in 1957.
Over the course of seven decades, he has authored nine novels, 19 collections of short stories, directed six films, wrote around 54 screenplays and several collections of essays and memoirs.
His novel Naalukettu (The Ancestral House) established him as a literary icon and is considered a classic in Malayalam literature.
Over the years, he authored several acclaimed works, including Asuravithu, Manju, and Kaalam, which earned him the Jnanpith Award in 1995, India's highest literary honour.
At the age of 25, he won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award for his second novel, Naalukettu (1959), and a decade later, Kaalam, his fifth novel, earned him the Kendra Sahitya Akademi award.
M T made significant contributions to Malayalam cinema as a screenwriter and director.
His films, including 'Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha' and 'Kadavu', are regarded as masterpieces, showcasing his ability to merge compelling narratives with visual storytelling.
M T holds the distinction of winning the National Film Award for Best Screenplay a record four times, for 'Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha' (1989), 'Kadavu' (1991), 'Sadayam' (1992), and 'Parinayam' (1994), the most by any individual in Malayalam in this category.
M T has been married twice.
In 1965, he married writer and translator Prameela, but the couple separated after 11 years of marriage.
They have a daughter, Sithara, who works in the United States.
In 1977, he married Kalamandalam Saraswathy, a noted dance artist. They have a daughter, Aswathy Nair, who is a professional dancer.
His residence on Kottaram Road in Kozhikode is named after his elder daughter, Sithara.
