NQAS-Certified hospitals rise to 240: Kerala Health Minister

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s public healthcare system has received a significant boost with seven more health institutions securing the prestigious National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification, Health Minister Veena George announced on Friday. With this latest addition, the total number of NQAS-accredited health facilities in Kerala has risen to 240 — the highest in the country. 

Among the newly certified facilities, Begur Family Health Centre in Wayanad achieved the highest score with an impressive 98.79%, followed by Koppam Community Health Centre in Palakkad at 97.63%, and Perumanna Family Health Centre in Kozhikode at 95.08%. Other centres to receive the certification include Chaliyar FHC (94.47%), Kunnamangalam FHC (90.75%) in Kozhikode, Chattanchal FHC (86.88%), and Panathur FHC (85.88%) in Kasaragod.

Also Read: 93 hospitals receive NQAS certification in Uttar Pradesh

With the latest additions, Kerala now has a total of 240 health institutions accredited under the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS). These include seven district hospitals, five taluk hospitals, 12 community health centres, 46 urban family health centres, 160 family health centres, and 10 Janakeeya health centres.

In addition to NQAS, 14 hospitals in the state have earned the Lakshya certification, a national standard for quality maternal healthcare, while five hospitals have received the Muskan certification, awarded for providing child-friendly health services.

The NQAS certification is valid for three years, after which a national-level reassessment is conducted. Additionally, annual inspections by state-level teams ensure that certified institutions continue to meet the required benchmarks.

To maintain and improve service standards, the government provides financial assistance to accredited institutions:

• Rs 2 lakh annually for each Family and Urban Family Health Centre

• Rs 18,000 per service package for Janakeeya Health Centres

• Rs 10,000 per hospital bed per year for other certified hospitals

Also Read:8 Mizoram Govt Health facilities receive NQAS Certification

Speaking to TOI, the minister said that these recognitions reflect the state’s focused efforts to improve primary healthcare delivery and maintain high standards across all levels of the public health system.

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Punjab Announces Stipend Hike: MBBS Interns to Get Rs 7,000 More, Resident Doctors Get Over Rs 10,000 Raise

Punjab Announces Stipend Hike- Rs 7k more for MBBS Interns, over Rs 10k increase for Resident Doctors

Bringing good news to the MBBS interns and resident doctors in Punjab, the Finance Minister of the State, Harpal Singh Cheema, has announced a hike in the monthly stipends paid to interns, junior residents, and senior residents serving in the government medical and dental colleges across the State.

In a recent release, the Government has announced that the stipend for the medical interns in Punjab has been increased from Rs 15,000 to Rs 22,000 per month.

Similarly, after the hike, the Junior resident doctors will get Rs 76,000 in their first year, Rs 77,000 in their second year, and Rs 78,000 in their third year. Earlier, the JRs used to get Rs 67,968 as a monthly stipend.

The stipend for the senior residents has also been increased from Rs 81,562 to Rs 92,000 in the first year, Rs 93,000 in the second year, and Rs 94,000 in the third year.

As per the latest media report by Hindustan Times, at present, the government medical and dental colleges in Punjab have 907 sanctioned posts for interns, 1,408 posts for junior residents and 754 posts for senior residents.

While announcing the stipend hike on Thuesday, Finance Minister Cheema said that due to the hike in stipend amount, the annual expenditure on stipends will rise from existing Rs 204.96 crore to Rs 238.18 crore. Therefore, there will be Rs 33.22 crore extra expenses.

For more information, click on the link below:

Punjab Announces Stipend Hike- Rs 7k more for MBBS Interns, over Rs 10k increase for Resident Doctors

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Dr Anup Kumar Barman Appointed Part-Time Member of National Medical Commission

Guwahati: In recognition of his extensive experience in medical
education and healthcare, Dr. Anup Kumar Barman from the Assam Medical Council
has been appointed as a part-time member of the National Medical Commission (NMC) by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Also Read:Centre appoints Dr Simpson Sareo as Part-Time Member of National Medical Commission

Dr. Barman currently serves as the Director of Medical Education, Training, and Research, Assam,
a position he has held since February 29, 2016. He is also the President of
the Assam Council of Medical Registration and serves on several key bodies, including
the Medical and Health Recruitment Board, Assam, and the Board of Directors of
the Assam Medical Services Corporation Ltd. He is also the state-nominated
member of the Medical Advisory Council (MAC) of the NMC, New Delhi.

A distinguished
academician and nephrologist, Dr. Barman completed his MBBS in 1988 from Assam
Medical College under Dibrugarh University, followed by an MD in Internal
Medicine in 1993 from Gauhati Medical College. He later pursued his DM in
Nephrology from AIIMS, New Delhi, in 1997. His international training includes
a fellowship from the International Society of Peritoneal Dialysis at
Manchester Royal Infirmary, UK, and a postdoctoral preceptorship in renal
transplant at Columbia University, New York, USA.

Dr. Barman has had an
illustrious academic career, having served as a Registrar, Assistant Professor,
Associate Professor, and eventually as Professor and Head of the Department of
Nephrology at Gauhati Medical College. He played a crucial role in establishing
the DM course in Nephrology at the college and is also the Founder Secretary of
the Guwahati Nephrology Forum. Over the years, Dr.
Barman has contributed extensively to the medical community as an invited
speaker at national and international forums and as a peer reviewer for several
medical journals. He has served on the editorial board of the Indian Journal
of Nephrology (2015-2018) and has 18 indexed publications to his credit-14
national and 4 international.

Also Read:Dr Sharanabasappa S Karbhari named Part-Time Member of National Medical Commission

He is a life member
of various prestigious bodies, including the Association of Physicians of India,
Indian Society of Nephrology, Indian Society of Peritoneal Dialysis, Indian
Society of Organ Transplantation, Indian Medical Association, and Indian Academy
of Geriatrics. Dr. Barman’s appointment to the NMC is seen as a major boost for
Assam and is expected to strengthen representation from the Northeast in
national healthcare policy and education reforms. Dr. Barman told Medical
Dialogues that he was grateful for the opportunity to represent his state in
the apex medical council, and he would do his best to work for the interest of
the patients and doctors.

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539 seats up for grabs in AIIMS INI CET July 2025 Open Round, check complete details

New Delhi- The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi has released the Vacant Seat position list for the Open Round of Online Seat allocation for admission to PG courses of INIs [(MD/MS/DM(6years)/MCh(6years)/MDS] for INI-CET July 2025 session. The list has been released in a PDF format on the official website of AIIMS New Delhi. 

The Vacant Seat position list includes important details such as the institute name, subject speciality, subject code, categories, course and total vacant seats. As per the list, a total of 539 seats are vacant across MD/MS/DM (06 years)/MCH (06 years), MDS and Foreign National/Sponsored candidates.

Of these, a total of 459 seats are vacant in MD/MS/DM/MCH courses, 3 seats in the MDS course and a total of 77 seats are vacant for the Foreign National/Sponsored candidates. Below are the detailed seat vacancy positions- 

Also Read: AIIMS Issues Clarification on Seat Designation for INI-CET July 2025: Trauma & Emergency at AIIMS Guwahati Renamed as Emergency Medicine

VACANT SEAT POSITIONS OF MD/MS/DM (06 YEARS)/MCH (06 YEARS)

S.NO

INSTITUTE

VACANT SEATS

1

AIIMS NEW DELHI.

32

2

AIIMS BHOPAL.

23

3

AIIMS, BHUBANESWAR.

22

4

AIIMS JODHPUR.

44

5

AIIMS PATNA.

15

6

AIIMS, RAIPUR.

27

7

AIIMS RISHIKESH.

15

8

AIIMS NAGPUR.

30

9

AIIMS BIBINAGAR.

9

10

AIIMS BATHINDA.

2

11

AIIMS DEOGHAR.

16

12

AIIMS MANGALAGIRI.

13

13

AIIMS, RAEBARELI.

15

14

AIIMS KALYANI.

18

15

AIIMS BILASPUR.

7

16

AIIMS GORAKHPUR.

11

17

AIIMS GUWAHATI.

25

28

AIIMS RAJKOT.

32

19

AIIMS JAMMU.

51

20

JIPMER, PUDUCHERRY.

27

21

NIMHANS, BENGALURU.

3

22

PGIMER, Chandigarh.

22

TOTAL

459

VACANT SEAT POSITIONS OF MDS

S.NO

INSTITUTE

VACANT SEATS

1

AIIMS NEW DELHI.

1

2

AIIMS NAGPUR.

1

3

AIIMS RAJKOT.

1

TOTAL

3

VACANT SEAT POSITIONS OF FOREIGN NATIONALS/SPONSORED

S.NO

INSTITUTE

VACANT SEATS

1

AIIMS NEW DELHI.

41

2

AIIMS BHOPAL.

18

3

AIIMS RISHIKESH.

17

4

SCTIMST, Trivandrum.

1

TOTAL

77

To view the vacant seat positions, click the link below

SCHEDULE FOR OPEN ROUND OF ONLINE ALLOCATION

S.NO

PARTICULARS

DATE, DAY & TIME

1

Tentative vacancy in different subject/speciality after allotment in the 2nd round of online seat Allocation.

25 July 2025 (Friday)

2

Online Registration and Exercising of Choices (Institute and subject/speciality) for the Open Round of Seat Allocation.

25 July 2025 (Friday) to 31 July 2025 up to 05.00 pm (Thursday)

3

Announcement of seat allocation of the Open Round.

23 August 2025 (Saturday)

4

Online Acceptance of the allocated seat.

25 August 2025, 11.00 am (Monday) to 30 August 2025 up to 11.00 am (Saturday)

5

Date of Reporting.

25 August 2025, 11.00 am (Monday) to 30 August 2025 up to 11.00 am (Saturday)
Also Read: AIIMS INI CET July 2025 Session Round 2 Counselling Results Declared, details

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Expired Glucose Given to Pregnant Woman at Tirupur Govt Hospital Sparks Protest

Coimbatore: A shocking incident of alleged medical negligence has come to light at the Tirupur Corporation TSK Government Maternity Hospital, where a 35-year-old pregnant woman was reportedly given an expired glucose packet during a routine antenatal visit. 

The incident took place on Friday, sparked widespread public anger and led to a protest outside the hospital premises. 

According to the news reports, a woman who was pregnant for 5 months, a resident of Saminathapuram, discovered the expired packet after it was issued to her along with other antenatal medications. Upon inspection, the woman found the packet not only unhygienic but also expired — the date on the pack indicated it was no longer safe for consumption, having expired in May 2025.

When she confronted the hospital staff, she reportedly received vague and evasive responses. Some staff members allegedly behaved in a threatening manner. Disturbed by the indifference, the woman alerted her family members. Outraged relatives soon gathered at the hospital and launched a protest, demanding accountability and immediate action against the negligence.

Also Read: Probe ordered after 8 patients fall ill following injection at Balurghat Hospital

The protest prompted the arrival of Corporation Assistant Health Officer Kalaiselvan, who conducted a preliminary inspection. His check confirmed that multiple glucose packets in the hospital’s stock had indeed crossed their expiry dates.

According to the DT Next, he then issued a warning to staff for negligence and seized the expired glucose packs, meant for pregnant women, and ordered them to be destroyed. A further inquiry is being made by the health department officials.

Also Read: Woman dies months after being administered expired saline at Kolkata Hospital

Medical Dialogues had previously reported that a woman who had been battling for her life for the past four months after she was allegedly administered expired saline at Medinipur Medical College and hospital (MMCH) in Paschim Medinipur district, died, a health department official said.

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Suboptimal dialysis initiation common in patients with advanced CKD

Suboptimal dialysis initiation, typically defined as dialysis initiation during a hospitalization and/or with a central venous catheter, is common among patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) followed in multidisciplinary clinics, according to a study published online July 21 in Kidney360.

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Ritz update: FDA issues risk warning due to undeclared peanuts in some cracker sandwiches

Ritz peanut butter cracker sandwiches are being recalled due to the possible presence of undeclared peanuts, a major allergen.

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Keurig K-Cups recalled due to potential ink contamination

Keurig K-Cups are being recalled nationwide due to a packaging issue that could cause ink to run into the coffee during brewing.

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Kinshasa slum battles deadly cholera outbreak

Faced with a lack of running water, unsanitary conditions and poverty, the Kinshasa neighborhood of Pakadjuma has struggled to end a cholera epidemic that has claimed hundreds of lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) this year.

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Southern China hit by outbreak of mosquito-borne infection chikungunya

China is experiencing an outbreak of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne infection, with thousands of cases reported in the south.

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