Ruchir writes on health, aviation, power and myriad other issues. An ex-TOI, he has worked both on Desk and in reporting. He over 25 years of broadcast and print journalism experience in Assam, Jharkhand & Bihar.
Articles by Ruchir Kumar
Bihar caste survey: People staying in joint families want them listed as separate family units for govt doles
Anticipating that the survey data would be used to settle title issues in the future, a few children estranged from their parents, insisted that they be shown in the same household as their father, despite them not staying together.
Published on Jan 25, 2023 10:42 PM IST
Three Thai tourists test Covid-19 positive in Bihar’s Gaya
A Covid-19 bulletin released by the state health department on Monday, however, put the number of active cases in the state at four, all from Gaya.
Published on Jan 24, 2023 01:26 PM IST
Limited stock of Covishield to be available at Patna’s 5 centres for booster jab
Many people, especially those scheduled to travel abroad, and eligible for the booster dose, were frantically enquiring about the availability of Covishield for the last one month.
Published on Jan 22, 2023 10:53 PM IST
Bihar’s first: Third gender to participate in community marriage
Though transgender have been marrying quietly among themselves, this is the first time in Bihar that their marriage will be solemnised on a public platform.
Updated on Jan 19, 2023 09:43 PM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
Expectations high among villagers, tepid response among urbanites to Bihar’s caste-based survey
PATNA: There is an air of expectancy among villagers as a lanky Ekta Kumari, 31, a middle school teacher in Adampur village of Lakhnibigha panchayat in Danapur block, 20 kms to the west of Patna, goes from one house to another, wading through some waterlogged and marshy areas of ward number 5, seeking information about the number of family members, noting the name of the head of the family, and putting a number to their house
Published on Jan 15, 2023 10:46 PM IST
Bihar doctors to challenge govt’s ad on lateral entry in superspecialty depts
A section of government doctors in Bihar, not promoted for over a decade, contend that any new lateral entry at senior positions will affect their career progression.
Updated on Jan 11, 2023 08:10 PM IST
Bihar: Two more foreigners test positive for Covid-19 in Gaya
The Gaya district administration has asked hotels to dedicate at least five rooms for Covid-19 patients
Published on Jan 04, 2023 03:57 PM IST
GoAir flight from Bengaluru suffers bird-hit at Patna, plane grounded
Airport officials said all passengers were safe but the plane, which was to fly to New Delhi, was grounded
Published on Jan 03, 2023 04:20 PM IST
12 Covid +ve foreigners test negative within 5 days
PATNA: Twelve of the 16 foreigners who had tested Covid-19 positive at Gaya recently, have tested negative within five days, allaying fears of higher severity of the fourth wave of the pandemic, as the government allowed them to cut short their prescribed seven-day isolation period in a hotel, said Gaya’s civil surgeon, Dr Ranjan Kumar Singh, on Sunday
Updated on Jan 01, 2023 10:45 PM IST
7 more foreign nationals test Covid positive in Gaya, samples sent for genome sequencing
According to officials, all foreign travellers were asymptomatic and tested randomly at the Gaya international airport
Published on Dec 27, 2022 12:32 AM IST
7 more test Covid positive in Gaya ahead of Buddhist congregation
The detection of Covid-19 cases comes days ahead of a religious discourse by Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama scheduled for December 29-31, which is likely to be attended by about 100,000 devotees.
Published on Dec 26, 2022 10:16 PM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
5 foreigners test Covid positive at Gaya, 4 samples sent for genome sequencing
Gaya district magistrate Thiyagarajan SM has asked people to wear masks and observe Covid appropriate behaviour ahead of the religious discourse by Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama scheduled for December 29-31.
Updated on Dec 26, 2022 02:45 PM IST
Govt doctors to now check on patients admitted in hospitals twice a day in Bihar
The state’s health department laid down the standard operating procedure (SOP) for government medical college hospitals and district hospitals
Published on Dec 09, 2022 09:53 AM IST
Patna to get surveillance centre for communicable diseases
As a post-Covid initiative, the Centre had selected Patna among 20 cities in India to set up a metropolitan surveillance centre for communicable diseases, initially for five years.
Published on Dec 05, 2022 10:17 PM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
500 PG docs in Bihar await ‘bond posting’, set to move HC against delay
Bihar has a total 496 PG degree seats and 19 PG diploma seats under 50% state and Central quota each
Published on Dec 02, 2022 10:21 PM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
Bihar’s maternal mortality rate improves, still worse than national average
The state has registered a 12-point drop, from 130 to 118 per lakh live births in maternal mortality ratio (MMR), which in common parlance is the number of women dying from pregnancy-related issues, between 2017-19 and 2018-20, respectively.
Published on Dec 01, 2022 10:04 PM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
In blow to TB elimination programme in Bihar, ‘volunteers’ pull out
The drop in the effective enrolment of “Ni-kshay Mitras”, or community support providers to ensure additional diagnostic, nutritional, and vocational support to patients of tuberculosis (TB) under treatment, has come as a setback to the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, Ni-kshay 2.0, in Bihar.
Published on Nov 28, 2022 09:55 PM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
Bihar groom hires chopper for his marriage, says ‘it was my father’s last wish’
The chopper landed in an adjoining field near the bride’s house for ‘baraat’ (marriage procession) where both solemnised their marriage
Published on Nov 26, 2022 04:12 PM IST
‘Didi Ki Rasoi’ misses deadline to start service in medical college hospitals in Bihar
The pantry service by women self-help group Jeevika was to have been made functional by November 3, as per a letter of August 4 by Shishir Kumar Mishra, OSD, health department. The service, however, remains a non-starter due to some infrastructure issues, said officials.
Published on Nov 23, 2022 09:44 PM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
Bihar to have palliative care policy, dedicated beds in hospitals
Over 60% of patients with advanced stages of cancer and other terminally ill patients need palliative care in Bihar, the third largest state by population, with an estimated count of 127 million.
Published on Nov 22, 2022 09:38 PM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
Team of 4 docs save passenger after heart attack mid-air
The 59-year-old woman suffered a heart attack mid-air with the airline nearly 35 minutes away from Patna airport
Published on Nov 20, 2022 10:01 PM IST
HC strikes down Bihar’s PG medical bond clause for Central govt, PSU staff
The court said the state government was entitled to put a condition or bond to the state quota and PG students for doing government service after they have completed their PG course.
Published on Nov 17, 2022 10:13 PM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
Nod for leukapheresis eludes PMCH due to infra gaps
The team from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), Kolkata, which inspected the blood centre on November 7, sought justification for licence of leukapheresis using an automatic cell separator machine when the hospital did not have BMT facility
Published on Nov 14, 2022 10:03 PM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
Newly elected Bihar government doctors’ body wants improved working condition
The BHSA has been requesting the state health department to fix the working hours of doctors, as it claimed that doctors had to work for over two days at a stretch, given the acute scarcity
Published on Nov 08, 2022 09:01 AM IST
Apheresis machine gathering dust at hospitals even as dengue haunts Bihar
The state health department purchased the equipment in February last year but is lacking doctors with requisite qualifications, having postgraduate degrees in pathology or complete training of doctors on apheresis machines
Published on Nov 04, 2022 07:24 PM IST
HLA camp for thalassemic children in Patna on November 14
Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) is test to check for cells that match the patient before undergoing bone marrow transplant (BMT)
Published on Nov 03, 2022 08:50 AM IST
IIT-Patna to get ₹20 cr super computer next year
The high-performance computing system will help in scientific research and applications in several fields, including security, artificial intelligence, telemedicine, weather forecasting, computational fluid dynamics, said Prof Tripathy, a professor of computer science engineering and associate dean (administration) at IIT-Patna.
Published on Oct 31, 2022 09:15 PM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
IIT-Patna to get ₹20 cr super computer next year
Presently C-DAC, Patna, has a 2-Petaflops AI scalable supercomputing facility, named Param Buddha, specially designed for artificial intelligence related applications
Updated on Oct 31, 2022 06:00 PM IST
Bihar stares at platelets crisis as dengue cases surge
Though the state health department has denied any platelet shortage, the same is apparent for negative blood group, as per the government’s platelet stock inventory Friday evening.
Published on Oct 23, 2022 09:51 PM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
Bihar stares at platelets crisis as dengue cases surge
Though the Bihar state health department has steadfastly denied any platelet shortage, it seemed apparent for negative blood group, as per the government’s platelet stock inventory Friday evening
Published on Oct 22, 2022 02:07 PM IST
