'Power outage' at K'taka hospital kills 2 patients, CM Bommai announces compensation
Bengaluru, Sep 15: Two patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital in Ballari died allegedly during power outage, a charge denied by the Karnataka government, which said it is ready to conduct a probe into the issue that rocked the State Assembly on Thursday.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced a compensation of Rs five lakh to the kin of the deceased.
The government has decided to give a compensation of Rs five lakh to the families of the victims of Ballari incident, he told reporters here.
Maula Hussein (35), suffering from kidney-related ailments, and Chettemma (30), a snake-bite victim, died at the Vijayanagara Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) in the district headquarters town of Ballari on Wednesday at 9.30 AM and 9.35 AM respectively.
Some reports attributed the deaths to power-cut and a defunct power generator or backup at the government medical college hospital.
In the Assembly, the opposition Congress claimed that actually three people died due to alleged negligence on the part of the government and demanded that the Health Minister K Sudhakar resign.
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, the Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah said there was a power-cut from 8 AM to 10:30 AM and at the same time the generator was also not functioning and three people who were in the ICU died as the ventilators did not function.
He held director of the medical college, Health Department, Minister and officials, Deputy Commissioner of the district, responsible for the deaths and the government should own up.
Also, seeking to know why the generator was not readily kept available in a working condition, he further said strict action should be taken against errant officials and compensation of Rs 25 lakh each should be immediately given to the family of the deceased.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy, referring to the "language used in the notice" of the Leader of Opposition seeking to raise the issue, said it was not expected from Siddaramaiah.
"The letter states the government was directly responsible for the deaths, and they were not accidental, but a government-sponsored murder...what is this?" the Minister asked.
This led to heated exchange between Madhuswamy and Siddaramaiah, which also saw legislators from both sides joining in.
Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri intervened and brought things under control.
Ballari district in-charge Minister B Sriramulu, in his reply on part of the government, shared details about the two deaths and said they were not due to power outage.
"Hundred per cent! Maula Hussein and Chettemma's died not due to power failure and the Medical Superintendent there has also given a report in this regard...they have died of health issues they were suffering from," he said, adding that there was one-and-half-hour power backup at the hospital.
Arguing that there are reports that the deaths were due to power outage and non-availability of power backup, Siddaramaiah demanded an inquiry.
He said the government should accept its failure and should not "play on the issue of deaths." Madhuswamy maintained that one death was due to chronic kidney ailment and other was due to snake-bite, and there was adequate power backup.
The Minister added: "Still if there is suspicion, we will get an inquiry done and report it back to the House. If there is fault on part of the hospital, compensation to the deceased kin will be considered and action will be taken against those responsible."
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Indian economy likely to be 'a little weaker' in 2025: IMF MD
Washington, Jan 11: The Indian economy is expected to be "a little weaker" in 2025 despite steady global growth, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has said.
Georgieva also said she expects quite a lot of uncertainty in the world this year mainly around the trade policy of the US.
In her annual media roundtable with a group of reporters on Friday, she said global growth is expected to be steady in 2025, but with regional divergence.
Georgieva said she expects the Indian economy to be a little weaker in 2025. However, she did not explain it any further. The World Economy Outlook update week will have more details about it.
“The US is doing quite a bit better than we expected before, the EU is somewhat stalling, (and) India a little weaker," she said.
Brazil was facing somewhat higher inflation, she said.
In China, the world’s second-largest economy, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was seeing deflationary pressure and ongoing challenges with domestic demand, she said.
"Low-income countries, despite all the efforts they are making, are in a position when any new shock can affect them quite negatively,” Georgieva said.
“What we expect in 2025 is to have quite a lot of uncertainty, especially in terms of economic policies. Not surprisingly, given the size and role of the US economy, there is keen interest globally in the policy directions of the incoming administration, in particular on tariffs, taxes, deregulation and government efficiency,” Georgieva said.
“This uncertainty is particularly high around the path for trade policy going forward, adding to the headwinds facing the global economy, especially for countries and regions that are more integrated in global supply chains, medium-sized economies, (and) Asia as a region," she said.
That uncertainty is actually expressed globally through higher long-term interest rates, even though short-term interest rates have gone down, the IMF Managing Director said.
Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on January 20, replacing Joe Biden at the White House.
Trump, 78, has announced plans to impose additional tariffs on countries like China, Canada and Mexico. He has publicly announced the use of tariffs as a key policy tool.
On inflation, the IMF expects global disinflation to continue, Georgieva said.
"As we all recognise, the higher interest rates that were necessary to fight inflation did not push the world economy into recession. They have delivered the desired results. Headline inflation is converging back to target sooner in advanced economies than in emerging markets,” she said.
