Pushpa Narayan
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Articles by Pushpa Narayan
Tamil Nadu Cancer Registry Projects Lower 2025 Cases After Pandemic Disruptions
Tamil Nadu ’s cancer registry data shows the disease burden has decreased, but epidemiologists say it’s inaccurate and misleading. “The lower numbers are because cases went undiagnosed during the pandemic,” says R Swaminathan, professor and head of the department of biostatistics, epidemiology and cancer registry at the Cancer Institute (WIA), Adyar. “During Covid, disruptions to diagnosis meant some cancers were missed, bringing down the numbers recorded for 2020.
Vummidi Ethiraj, who witnessed Independence sengol’s making and rediscovery, dies in Chennai aged 101
CHENNAI: Vummidi Ethiraj, a Chennai jeweller who retained distant memories of dignitaries visiting his family’s workshop as a ceremonial gold sceptre (sengol) took shape on the eve of the Independence, and went on to see it emerge from a museum display to a place of honour in India’s new Parliament, died in Chennai on Wednesday. He was 101. The sceptre was installed behind the Speaker’s chair in the new Parliament building in May 2023. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ethiraj that year.
High MBBS fees leave 824 seats vacant in TN, Puducherry deemed medical colleges
The final round of all-India MBBS counselling ended with 824 unfilled seats across 14 deemed universities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The vacancies are expected to remain unless another counselling round is permitted. High MBBS fees leave 824 seats vacant in TN, Puducherry deemed medical colleges Chennai: Deemed universities in TN and Puducherry priced out 824 of their MBBS seats, which stayed empty in final round of all-India counselling.
Sky-high fees leave 836 MBBS seats empty in final counselling round
Chennai: Deemed universities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have priced out 824 of their MBBS seats, which stayed empty in the final round of all-India counselling. These seats, which come with an annual fee ranging from ₹23 lakh to ₹35 lakh, went unfilled even though 11 lakh candidates cleared the NEET-2026 qualifying cut-off. The seats will stay vacant because the admission process is over. Unless, of course, the govt decides to allow a mop up round.
Poor diet may amplify genetic risk of high cholesterol in Indians, study
Chennai: People with higher genetic risk had higher cholesterol than those with lower risk only when their diets were poor, a city-based study has shown. Among those with better-quality diets, the gap was not statistically significant. The findings, based on a study of 1,020 adults published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE, suggest that what people eat may influence how inherited susceptibility is reflected in their cholesterol levels.
Deva, composer whose music announced Rajinikanth's stardom, dies at 75 in Chennai
CHENNAI: Deva, the music director whose "Superstar" title-card music has announced every Rajinikanth film since 1992, including the latest, Jailer 2, died in Chennai on Saturday. He was 75. He complained of chest pain on Saturday morning and was taken to Surya Hospital. He died despite efforts to resuscitate him, doctors said. The godfather of Gaana, Deva was a music director, lyricist and singer who took the street music of Chennai into mainstream cinema.
‘No symptom’ keeps women away from breast cancer screening
Chennai: Nearly three in four women said in a city-based survey they had never been screened for breast cancer, according to a preliminary study from the IIT, Madras. The IIT team, working with AIIMS-Delhi, released the survey, which was conducted as a prelude to the ICMR-supported project to predict breast cancer spread to armpit lymph nodes from ultrasound images.
High fees, low ranks: The price barrier to a medical seat
Chennai: At the end of round 3, closing ranks for MBBS admissions in Tamil Nadu ’s deemed medical universities slid to 11 lakh range, a drop of around six lakh places compared to 2025. Allotments by state authorities to govt medical colleges, however, did not show a comparable shift. The divide, experts say, raises a question: Are students clearing NEET failing the affordability test?
Over 1,000 MBBS seats in govt colleges open up too late for higher scorers
Chennai: More than 2,000 MBBS seats, including more than 1,000 in govt colleges across India and 100 state-run colleges, will go to the stray round because counselling rules let students block seats they never intended to take. Students who secure a new allotment are allowed to decline it and retain their existing seat. Experts say this keeps govt seats out of reach of higher-scoring students during regular counselling.
Students face ₹20L fee shock after counselling allotment at Sri Venkateswaraa University
Chennai: Students allotted govt-quota seats on merit at Sri Venkateswaraa University said they were asked to pay an annual fee of ₹20 lakh, more than three times the ₹6.4 lakh fee published before the first round of seat allotment.
Survived an accident, suffering for compensation
Chennai: Y Nagoor Meeran, 35, lost his left leg in an accident on a govt bus in Feb 2019. Seven years later, the marketing executive of a private firm is waiting for a medical-board report that could decide his compensation. In April 2019, a chief civil surgeon at a govt peripheral hospital certified that Meeran, then a 28-year-old engineering graduate, had 80% permanent locomotor disability. He filed a motor accident claim original petition (MCOP) before the court of small causes.
Why Tamil Nadu’s men are dying younger
Far more men in Tamil Nadu are dying as compared to women. The disparity is widest among people aged 15 to 64, years when many are working, raising children and supporting ageing parents. In 2025, Tamil Nadu registered 401,860 male deaths and 291,347 female deaths — a difference of 110,513. The gap has remained above one lakh in the past three years: 1.10 lakh in 2023, 1.07 lakh in 2024 and 1.11 lakh in 2025. Nearly 86% of that gap, or 94,792 deaths, pertained to those in their prime.
TN begins pre-launch of retinal screening programme
Chennai: Health minister K G Arunraj inaugurated the pre-launch of Vizhitthirai Kaappom , a state-wide retinal-screening programme that will target people aged over 30 years and those living with diabetes or hypertension. The programme aims to ensure annual retinal examinations for the target population, helping diagnose diseases early and prevent damage to retina or vision loss. Those identified with retinal disease will be referred for specialised treatment, Arunraj said.
Nine in 10 Chennai college students report childhood adversity, study finds
Chennai: Nine in 10 college students surveyed in Chennai reported at least one difficult childhood experience, including physical or emotional abuse and neglect, a new study has found. Students with higher childhood-trauma scores reported more symptoms of depression, anxiety and unusual thoughts or perceptions. The study included 1,000 students aged 18 to 24 from four private arts and science colleges in Chennai, which largely served lower- and middle-income students.
SC asks Centre to reduce cut-off to prevent super-specialty med seats going waste Original
CHENNAI/NEW DELHI: As about 1,800 of the more than 4,000 super-specialty medical seats are lying vacant even after two rounds of counselling, Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Union govt to consider lowering the NEET-SS 2025 qualifying cutoff marks. “Having examined the matter from different perspectives, we are of the opinion that it may be necessary to reconsider the decision for reducing the cut-off percentile,” a bench of Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe said.
24_Che_PN_Intern copy -- soumya swaminathan
Status: Not Approved HEAD: 24_Che_PN_Intern copy -- soumya swaminathan Byline: Pushpa Narayan India must close nutrition gaps by reforming the public distribution system Chennai: To shift from treating illness to preventing it, India must close its nutrition gaps by reforming the public distribution system, said former World Health Organization chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan, also the chairperson of the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation.
Cold or flu? Why this season’s surge demands attention
Flu can begin innocuously but for some, what starts as a mild seasonal infection can quickly spiral into something critical. And while H1N1 continues to trigger concern because of its association with the 2009 pandemic, it is only one among rapidly growing influenza strains that circulate today.
TN MBBS cut-offs rise in Round 1 counselling
Chennai: Cut-off marks for MBBS seats in Tamil Nadu rose across most reservation categories in the first round of undergraduate medical counselling in 2026, although students with lower ranks (compared to last year) secured allotments in govt medical colleges this year. The 2026 cut-off for BC candidates in govt medical colleges was 536, against 509 in 2025. For BCM candidates, it increased from 504 to 523, while the MBC cut-off rose from 496 to 526.
Chennai hospital opens centre for cornea surgery that skips transplants
Chennai: At a time when nearly 12.7 million people worldwide are waiting for corneal transplants — with just one donor cornea available for every 70 in need — a city-based hospital has opened a dedicated centre for a surgery that restores vision without corneal transplantation in select patients. On Wednesday, chief minister C Joseph Vijay opened the centre at Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital, Alwarpet.
Pregnant teens shut out of maternity aid, but Tamil Nadu govt offers gold rings to newborns
Chennai: Tamil Nadu ’s expanding welfare system for newborns carries a striking contradiction. All children born in a govt hospital are eligible for a 1g gold ring under the Thai Maman Thanga Mothiram scheme.
Sowcar Janaki, veteran actor who ruled South Indian cinema for over seven decades, dies at 94 Original
CHENNAI: Sowcar Janaki , the elegant actor whose career spanned more than seven decades of South Indian cinema, died in Chennai on Friday following age-related ailments. She was 94. From the studio-era social dramas of the 1950s to the sharply observed middle-class stories of filmmaker K Balachander , Janaki built a career defined by remarkable versatility. She could move effortlessly from deeply emotional roles to sophisticated society women, domineering wives and characters rooted in comedy.
TN govt raises health insurance cover five-fold to Rs 25 lakh a year per family
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu will raise the annual health insurance cover under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh per family, a fivefold increase that officials said would benefit 1.45 crore families statewide.
Tamil Nadu launches CM’s free health cover for 38 lakh people over 70 Original
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu will launch the Chief Minister’s Elderly Health Insurance Scheme, a programme that will provide free, cashless medical treatment to nearly 38 lakh residents aged 70 and above, with no income ceiling for eligibility — a move the state can no longer defer with a growing elderly population.
Tamil Nadu to launch health insurance scheme for 38 lakh elderly residents
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu will launch the Chief Minister's Elderly Health Insurance Scheme, a programme that will provide free, cashless medical treatment to nearly 38 lakh residents aged 70 and above, with no income ceiling for eligibility — a move the state can no longer defer with a growing elderly population. The 38 lakh people are elderly from 1.45 crore families with state insurance, above the poverty line with PDS cards, and people living in old-age homes without any identification cards.
NEET toppers skew the curve, MBBS cut-offs may go up to 40 marks
Chennai: The cut-offs for MBBS/BDS admissions to govt colleges in Tamil Nadu are likely to increase by up to 40 marks for the open category and between 21 and 41 marks for some reserved categories this year. This is because the number of top scorers in NEET 2026 is higher than that of the previous year. Experts say this may not mean that admissions will get tougher now, as the selection committee will allot seats based on the order of merit in the eligibility test and 69% rule of reservation.
Tamil Nadu Study Finds Hidden Costs Burden Cancer Patients Despite Insurance Original
Cancer treatment may be free at a govt hospital. But for hundreds of patients in Tamil Nadu , the cost of reaching it is not. A study of 500 patients receiving radiation therapy at public hospitals across the state found that, even when insurance covered the procedure, patients still incurred costs for travel, food, accommodation and wages lost by them or their caregivers.
Medicaladmissions in Tamil Nadu: Ineligible candidates get grievance window
News City News chennai News Medicaladmissions in Tamil Nadu: Ineligible candidates get grievance window Trending CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Medical Selection Committee, which allocates MBBS and BDS seats in TN, has published the list of candidates who were found ineligible under various categories following scrutiny of their applications.A grievance redressal window has been opened from August 5 to August 7, allowing such candidates to submit revised documents or address discrepancies flagged...
TN budget allocatesRs 23,357 crore for health, cancer care, telemedicine and maternal schemes Original
News City News chennai News TN budget allocatesRs 23,357 crore for health, cancer care, telemedicine and maternal schemes Trending CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has earmarked Rs 23,357 crore for the health and family welfare department in the 2026-27 Budget, with new spending proposed for cancer services, telemedicine, primary healthcare and high-risk pregnancy care.
Rural Tamil Nadu Heat Exposure Raises Miscarriage Risk, Study Finds
News City News chennai News Rural Tamil Nadu Heat Exposure Raises Miscarriage Risk, Study Finds Trending Many studied worked in agriculture, salt pans and brick kilns, often with limited access to shade, drinking water or cooled spaces The sea salt pans of Marakkanam spread over almost 4000 acres, resumes work after a log gap following lockdown. Labourers trickle back to work to prepare the fields for harvest, and scrap salt that is ready.
AIIMS Madurai tops vacancy list even as first batch nears graduation
Industry 3 min read A response in Lok Sabha AIIMS Madurai has 183 sanctioned faculty posts but only 75 teachers in position in 2026–27, leaving 108 posts vacant. The institute had 47 faculty members in 2023–24, 50 in 2024–25 and 70 in 2025–26.
AIIMS Madurai tops vacancy list even as first batch nears graduation
Chennai: The flagship AIIMS Madurai, which admitted its first batch of 50 MBBS students for the 2021–2022 academic year at a temporary campus in Government Medical College and Hospital in Ramanathapuram, is now facing severe staff shortage among the country’s functional AIIMS, says data by the Union health ministry in Lok Sabha.A response in Lok Sabha on Friday shows AIIMS Madurai has 183 sanctioned faculty posts but only 75 teachers in position in 2026–27, leaving 108 posts vacant.
Tamil Nadu to reopen MBBS, BDS application portal on Sunday Original
News City News chennai News Tamil Nadu to reopen MBBS, BDS application portal on Sunday Trending CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Selection Committee will reopen on Sunday the online application window for MBBS and BDS admissions for candidates who have not yet submitted their applications for the 2026-27 academic session.
Silent, preventable cholesterol burden: Nine in ten Indian adults have abnormal blood lipids Original
News Silent, preventable cholesterol burden: Nine in ten Indian adults have abnormal blood lipids Silent, preventable cholesterol burden: Nine in ten Indian adults have abnormal blood lipids Chennai: Nine in 10 Indian adults live with at least one abnormal blood lipid — fats, including cholesterol and triglycerides, in their bloodstream and body tissues, according to national data from the ICMR‑INDIAB study.
Tamil Nadu adds 950 MBBS seats as state juggles gains and deemed university losses
News City News chennai News Tamil Nadu adds 950 MBBS seats as state juggles gains and deemed university losses Trending Tamil Nadu medical colleges added 950 MBBS seats for the 2026-27 academic year CHENNAI: Medical colleges across Tamil Nadu together expanded MBBS seats by 950 this year, with 13 existing institutions, including three government medical colleges, raising their intake and one new private college joining the roster, according to a seat matrix released by India’s National...
Tamil Nadu adds 100 MBBS seats, first increase in five years Original
News City News chennai News Tamil Nadu adds 100 MBBS seats, first increase in five years Trending CHENNAI: The National Medical Commission has approved a 50-seat increase in MBBS intake at two government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu, raising capacity at each from 100 to 150 seats starting the 2026-27 academic year.The expansion at Government Medical College and Hospital in Namakkal and Government Medical College and Hospital in Tiruppur, will push the total seat count across the state's 36...
Former TN law minister S Regupathy cheated system to favour his med college: Arunraj Original
News City News chennai News Former TN law minister S Regupathy cheated system to favour his med college: Arunraj Trending Tamil Nadu health minister K G Arunraj CHENNAI: Health minister K G Arunraj has accused former law minister S Regupathy of engineering a method to evade regulatory checks and get deemed university status for some medical colleges including the one he founded — Karpaga Vinayaga Medical College.
Tamil Nadu may lose 650 MBBS seats, admissions to get tougher, fees set to soar Original
News City News chennai News Tamil Nadu may lose 650 MBBS seats, admissions to get tougher, fees set to soar Trending CHENNAI: Getting admitted in a medical college in Tamil Nadu will be harder and more expensive this academic year. At least 650 MBBS seats will be removed from the state’s seat matrix in 2026, as three colleges have been conferred deemed university status.
More heart attacks treated, but deaths and costs climb too
Chennai: Tamil Nadu's state-run network for treating STEMI — the most severe form of heart attack, caused by a complete blockage of a coronary artery — handled 19,623 cases in 2025, up from 11,379 in 2019, as the number of hospitals equipped to perform emergency artery-opening procedures grew to 21 hub centres linked with 195 smaller “spoke” hospitals across the state. But even as more patients got care, deaths held nearly steady — 993 (8.73%) in 2019 to 1,773 (9.04%) in 2025.
More heart attacks treated, but deaths and costs climb too
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More heart attacks treated, but deaths and costs climb too
News More heart attacks treated, but deaths and costs climb too More heart attacks treated, but deaths and costs climb too Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s state-run network for treating STEMI — the most severe form of heart attack, caused by a complete blockage of a coronary artery — handled 19,623 cases in 2025, up from 11,379 in 2019, as the number of hospitals equipped to perform emergency artery-opening procedures grew to 21 hub centres linked with 195 smaller “spoke” hospitals across the state.
Plaza built for people, claimed by everything else
Pushpa Narayan It was supposed to be Chennai's Times Square. When city planners proposed a pedestrian plaza along Pondy Bazaar in T Nagar, they envisioned a wide, people-first corridor through the city's most frenetic shopping district. The concept took years: a 2013 design, trial runs in 2016, and a grand inauguration by former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Nov 13, 2019.
Tamil Nadu to open MBBS and BDS applications today: Here's what students need to know
Pushpa Narayan CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Medical Selection Committee will begin accepting online applications for MBBS and BDS admissions at noon on Monday, offering students across the state their first formal step toward a medical/dental seat — even before national entrance results are out. The application portal, tnmedicalselection.org, will go live at noon, officials said.
Veteran Tamil actor-director K Bhagyaraj dies at 73
Pushpa Narayan CHENNAI: Tamil cinema lost its one-man studio, K Bhagyaraj, on Saturday. The director, actor, screenwriter, composer, ad novelist, who was 73, was brought unconscious to Apollo Hospitals, where doctors declared him dead. His death, which comes two weeks after the passing of his mentor K Bharathiraja, brought a fresh wave of grief to an industry still mourning — with actors, directors, and fans flooding social media with tributes to a man who had given Tamil cinema its soul.
Delays in PG medical admissions make hospitals pay the price
Pushpa Narayan Chennai: Thousands of Indian doctors continue to wait — with completed internships and idle stethoscopes — as the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences is yet to open registrations for NEET PG 2026, the national entrance test for postgraduate medical admissions. The delay, nearly two months behind last year's April 17 start, leaves the exam tentatively fixed for Aug 30, pushing counselling and admissions well into late 2026 or beyond.
Tamil Nadu ammonia leak: Another worker dies, death toll rises to 9, 69 under treatment
Pushpa Narayan CHENNAI: Another worker died on Tuesday, the death toll from Sunday's ammonia gas leak at a seafood processing unit in Tiruvallur district to nine, all of them women. The identity of one of the deceased is yet to be confirmed. By 7 am, one more person from Assam, Anjila Soren, had died, and the number of people under active treatment had fallen to 69, according to a health department bulletin. Of the dead, seven were from Odisha and two from Assam.
Tamil Nadu ammonia leak: Another worker dies, death toll rises to 9, 69 under treatment
News City News chennai News Tamil Nadu ammonia leak: Another worker dies, death toll rises to 9, 69 under treatment Trending CHENNAI: Another worker died on Tuesday, the death toll from Sunday's ammonia gas leak at a seafood processing unit in Tiruvallur district to nine, all of them women.
Delays in PG medical admissions make hospitals pay the price
Chennai: Thousands of Indian doctors continue to wait — with completed internships and idle stethoscopes — as the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences is yet to open registrations for NEET PG 2026, the national entrance test for postgraduate medical admissions.The delay, nearly two months behind last year’s April 17 start, leaves the exam tentatively fixed for Aug 30, pushing counselling and admissions well into late 2026 or beyond.Admissions to super-speciality courses —...
Explained: The deadly ammonia leak in Tamil Nadu seafood firm and its health risks Original
News City News chennai News Explained: The deadly ammonia leak in Tamil Nadu seafood firm and its health risks Trending CHENNAI: At least five workers have died and 67 others remain hospitalised following an ammonia leak at a seafood processing unit in Tamil Nadu's Tiruvallur district. The incident has put the spotlight on a chemical that quietly powers India's seafood export industry — and the devastating consequences when it escapes containment.
Govt’s free cervical cancer vaccine lies idle
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Feb 28 launched a nationwide HPV vaccination campaign for 14-year-old girls from Ajmer in Rajasthan Chennai: Four months into India’s Swastha Nari HPV vaccination drive, Tamil Nadu has inoculated barely 65,000 of its 7.7 lakh target girls — using less than 12% of the 5.3 lakh doses sitting in cold storage across the state. The vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, which costs ₹3,500 in private clinics, is administered free.
Tamil Nadu govt hospitals launch app to ease outpatient crowds
Pushpa Narayan Pushpa.Narayan@timesofindia.com With about 3,000 outpatients visiting Tamil Nadu's govt medical college hospitals each day, most spending two hours or more in queues at registration counters, the state plans to introduce a mobile app that will allow appointment booking.
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