Further, observing that cancelling the entire exam might affect 24 lakh students who appeared in the exam, the Apex Court bench comprising the CJI has asked the National Testing Agency and the Union Government to identify the red flags and to find out whether the paper leak took place at a systemic level and if the beneficiaries or the likely beneficiaries of the paper leak could be identified.

In this regard, the Apex Court bench hinted at the possibility of holding a 'limited retest' for those who were beneficiaries of the paper leak. Further, the Apex Court also sought to know from the NTA and the Govt about the actions taken to identify the beneficiaries of the paper leak.

"The fact that there was a leakage of question papers cannot be disputed. Now, what is the consequence of that leak would depend on the nature of that leak," observed the Chief Justice.

"You don't cancel an examination merely because two students have committed a malpractice ... Before we order a retest, we must be careful - what is the nature of that leak? We are dealing with careers of 23 lakh students. Asking 23 lakhs students to re-appear for an examination, together with the preparation, cost, travel, and dislocation of admission schedules ..." the CJI further observed.

"What is the modality in which the leak took place? If the modality of the leak is through electronic means and social media, then there is a possibility that the leak is widespread," the Chief Justice further added.

Asking the Union Government and the National Testing Agency (NTA) to respond to some specific queries by Wednesday, the Apex Court bench posted the matter for further hearing on Thursday i.e. July 11, 2024.

NTA has been asked to clarify when the leak took place, the manner in which the question papers were disseminated, time duration between the leak and the exam may on 5th May etc. The Court has also sought to know from the Agency regarding the steps taken to identify the beneficiaries of the leak, the steps taken by NTA to identify the centres/cities where the leaks took place and the modalities followed to identify the beneficiaries and also how the leak was disseminated.

Apart from this, the Apex Court bench has also asked the Central Bureau of Investigation, which is currently probing the allegations of the paper leak in the undergraduate medical entrance exam, to file a status report by Wednesday.

Further, the Court advised the Government to set up a multi-disciplinary committee to ensure measures to put a stop to any paper leak instances in the future. In case, such a committee has already been created, the Apex Court bench sought to know the details of the same.

"It would be necessary for the government to set up a multi disciplinary team of renowned experts to ensure due measures are taken to obviate any further breach in NEET. The constitution of the committee shall be informed to the Court and the Court shall decide if the committee shall go ahead or would someone be needed to ensure people from a diverse pool of domain expertise and data analytics," the Court noted.

Also taking note of the multiple number of pleas filed in this connection and the huge number of lawyers appearing for those pleas, the Supreme Court bench has asked all the counsels for the petitioners seeking a retest of the NEET UG 2024 exam to submit a consolidated document not exceeding 10 pages.

What Happened at the Hearing Today?

When the NEET-related issues came up for hearing before the Supreme Court today i.e. on 8th July 2024, Gujarat-based students submitted their plea of opposing any petitions for cancelling NEET.

The bench observed that they would consider the pleas first asking for a retest because they were challenging the entirety of the test. "After hearing them, we will hear the NTA and the Govt," the bench observed.

Meanwhile, a counsel appearing for the NEET aspirants from Meghalaya submitted that the petitioners concerned were given the papers for 40 minutes. Despite this, they were allegedly not on the list of 1563 students who were given the opportunity for a retest. However, the Government denied such allegations.

"We will start at 2'o clock. We will hear counsels for the petitioners. Then we will hear individuals who have slightly different nuanced positions. We will hear everybody. There is no difficulty," the bench mentioned, adding that it would consider the pleas of those who challenged the entirety of the examination and demanded a retest, because that is the "broadest argument".

When the pleas seeking NEET retest came up for hearing at 2.00 PM, the counsel for the petitioners referred to the arrests made by the Bihar police for leaking the question papers through the Telegram app. Further, the counsel highlighted that 67 NEET candidates received full marks in the exam.

The counsel for the petitioners argued that if faults were found at a systemic level and if it was impossible segregating the wrongdoers from those who were innocents, the entire exam had to be set aside.

He further submitted that as per Bihar police, NTA did not follow standard SOP, indicating a systemic fault and a large-scale fraud. The counsel also referred to the NTA's statement saying that it was unsure whether the fault was at a systemic level. At this outset, the counsel further referred to the NTA's claim that the fraud was at a "minuscule" level and highlighted the contradictory stands of the agency.

Stressing on the claim of a large scape paper leak and irregularities in the NEET UG 2024 exam, the counsel for the petitioners submitted before the Supreme Court that there were 6 FIRs registered in Bihar, Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Jharkhand in relation to the NEET scam.

When the Apex Court bench expressed doubts that whether the alleged paper leak affected the entire exam across the country, the counsel for the petitioners replied that the question papers were being circulated in the Telegram channel on May 3rd and 4th, ahead of the exam held on 5th May, 2024.

At this outset, the bench asked the National Testing Agency regarding the number of candidates appearing in the exam, the number of exam centres, and the manner in which the question papers were sent to the centres.

Responding to these queries, the counsel for NTA submitted that 23,33,297 students appeared in the exam in more than 4751 centres in 571 cities. The bench also took note of the fact that several centres were situated abroad. Thereafter the bench further questioned the NTA regarding how the question papers were prepared, sought to know the time when the papers were sent to the printing presses and further process of how the papers were taken to the exam centres etc.

"Why we are asking - if we come to the conclusion that the time lag between the leak and the actual date of the examination is relatively limited, then that would be a circumstance which would militate against holding a retest. If that time lag between the leak and the exam is wider, then there is a greater chance there are malaises across the system. If it appears that the question papers were leaked on the morning of the 5th (May) - exam was scheduled at 2 o clock, students were made to memorise - that may be indication that the leak was not as widespread," observed the CJI.

Observing that there was no doubt that a leak had taken place, the bench clarified that a retest had to be ordered if the sanctity of the exam had been lost, if it was impossible to identify the wrongdoers. "If you can't distinguish the grain from the chaff, the tainted from the untainted, then a re-test has to be ordered," the CJI observed.

On the other hand, the bench highlighted that the decision affects the future of 23 lakh students and observed that it was necessary to ascertain the modality of the leak. For instance, it noted that if the leak was through the social media, then there was the possibility that the leak was extremely wide.

Asking the authorities to identify the red flags, the CJI referred to some examples of red flags such as securing full marks i.e. 720 marks in the exam. However, it observed that not everyone who scored 720 must be a fraudster and noted that there might still be people who are extraordinarily bright in that 720/720.

"But we found, for the previous years, the proportion is very low. This suddenly goes up to 67. How many of those 720 are from that 1563 candidates who were beneficiaries of grace marks?" questioned the bench.

Another red flag that the Supreme Court bench highlighted was the instances of students registered at one centre and who changed their exam centre to appear in the exam at a far-off place and secured high marks.

According to the Apex Court bench, students securing exceptionally high marks in NEET and scoring low in their 12th exams was also a red flag. However, at this outset, the bench acknowledged the fact that the students study harder for NEET. It also identified the instances of students getting high marks in one subject and abysmally low in another subject as a red flag.

"One thing which is very clear is that the leak has taken place. That the sanctity of the exam has been breached is beyond doubt. The question is how widespread is the leak," observed the bench.

At this outset, the counsel for the Union Government denied the allegations of leak and submitted that the matter was being investigated. He further relied on a clarification issued by the Bihar police, stating that they had not issued any press note, which was cited by the petitioners.

Taking note of this submission, the CJI questioned, "Is it case of NTA today that there is no leak? We take it that there is a leak, there is no question about it. But the nature of the leak is what we are determining. The fact that there was a leakage of question papers cannot be disputed. Now, what is the consequence of that leak would depend on the nature of that leak."

However, the bench observed that it could not cancer the exam merely because two students had committed a malpractice. It highlighted the need to be careful to ascertain the nature of the leak noting that the decision would affect 23 lakh candidates.

So, before taking any such decisions, the bench sought to know the nature of the FIRs, how the leak happened, what was the point of time when the leak took place, how it disseminated etc.

"These are important questions. And next, very important - what are the actions which the government of India and NTA had taken to identify the wrong-doings and who are the beneficiaries of the wrong doings?" noted the CJI.

The bench also sought to know how many students whose results were withheld across India as a result of the leak that took place and where are such students located.

"One more thing I want to ask. With the kind of technology we have today at our disposal and the government of India has its cyber forensic unit, is it not possible for us to run, with use of experts, to bring some sort of confidence to the process? That you carry out a detailed data analytics exercise to see if there are suspicious markers? We have to identify what the suspicious markers are. I just want to say one thing. Let us not be in self-denial. Self-denial is only adding to the problem," added the CJI.

Observing that there should be a multi-disciplinary committee from experts across the country to ensure that that such instances of paper leak would not happen in the future.

"What are we doing to ensure that this will not happen in future and how are we are planning to tighten the exam process. Is there an audit being conducted by government on what went wrong? That is the third aspect. The second aspect, assuming that we are not going to cancel the entire exam, what do we do between today and the date of admissions to identify who are beneficiaries of the fraud. And first aspect, do we cancel the exam or do we allow the counselling to go through by identifying the beneficiaries. On this first aspect we would like to know from the government on identifying who are the beneficiaries of the wrong doing?" the bench observed.

What did the Court order?

On the issue of re-test, the bench ordered, "Whether retest should be there or not is based on settled parameters - the court has to see whether (1) alleged breach took place at the systemic level (2) whether the breach is of a nature which affects integrity of the entire exam process and (3) whether it is possible to segregate the beneficiaries of the fraud from the untainted students. In a situation where breach of sanctity affects entirety of exam and if segregation is not possible then retest is needed. But if beneficiaries are identified then retest wont be needed which involves students on such a large scale."

Asking NTA to make a full disclosure, the Court asked the agency to clarify on the following issues:

1. When did the leak first took place?

2. The manner in which the question papers leaked were disseminated

3. The duration of time between the leak and the exam held on May 5th.

The agency was also directed to inform the court about the- steps taken by NTA to identify centres/cities in which the leak took place, modalities followed to identify the beneficiaries of the leak, the number of students who have been so far identified.

Apart from this, the Apex Court also asked the Union Government and NTA to inform if it was possible to use the data analytics, either within the cyber forensic unit or any other expert agency to identify the likely wrongdoers. If it could be done, the bench asked the authorities to identify the modalties that could be followed for segregating the tainted from the untainted.

Further, the bench asked the authorities to inform about the status of the counselling and asked the CBI to file a status report before the court on the status of the investigation as of today and the material which has come to light.

Welcoming and praising the Apex Court's observations, RTI activist Dr. Vivek Pandey told Medical Dialogues, "Since 5th May we have been fighting against this NEET 2024 corruption. In today's proceedings at the Supreme Court concerning NEET UG 2024, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud underscored the gravity of the situation, affirming that a paper leak had indeed transpired, thereby casting doubt on the sanctity of the exam. This acknowledgment by the court suggests a strong inclination towards addressing the issue by possibly ordering a re-examination to uphold fairness and integrity in the selection process for medical aspirants. This stance reflects a proactive approach by the judiciary to ensure that the rights and opportunities of deserving candidates are safeguarded amidst these challenging circumstances."

NEET Controversy: 

This year's NEET UG 2024 exam was mired in controversies after a paper leak scam came to light. Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that around 13 people, including four examinees and their family members, were arrested in Bihar for their alleged involvement in the paper leak of the NEET-UG exam. Patna police sources had previously claimed that the NEET-UG question papers along with their answers were provided to around 20 aspirants a day before the date of the exam i.e. May 5, 2024.

Then, the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police, which took over the investigation, revealed that the brokers involved in the NEET paper leak scam took between Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh from each of the medical aspirants in exchange for giving them the question paper of the NEET UG 2024 question paper ahead of the examination.

Multiple pleas have been filed before the High Courts and the Supreme Court seeking an investigation into the alleged paper leak scam. Some of the pleas demanded the scrapping of the NEET UG 2024 exam and holding a retest.

Meanwhile, during the case proceedings, NTA earlier decided to withdraw the grace marks awarded to 1563 candidates and hold an optional retest for those candidates. Those who did not opt for the retest were allowed to retain their original marks, without the grace marks.

The matter is now being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Central Government on June 22, 2024, handed over the charge of investigating in the alleged irregularities in the NEET UG 2024 examination to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Earlier, while considering the NEET-related pleas, the Supreme Court had refused to defer the counselling/seat allotment process scheduled to commence on July 6. However, the bench had orally observed that the admissions would be subject to the final outcome of the petitions and if the exams were set aside, the counselling would get invalidated consequentially.

The Top Court had also expressed its concern over the alleged discrepancies in the NEET UG 2024 exam. The Court had noted that even '0.001& negligence' in conducting the NEET-UG 2024 exams would be looked into with all seriousness considering the immense labor put in by the candidates for the prestigious examination.

Basseterre, St. Kitts: The Ministry of Health has donated essential mobility aids to the Ministry of Community Empowerment and Department of Aging and Disability. The announcement about this donation was made by the St. Kitts Health Promotional Unit.

The Health Ministry made a significant contribution to the various departments of St. Kitts. The departments included Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment and Social Development & Gender Affairs; Youth Empowerment Ageing and Disability.

The donation consisted of 25 wheelchairs and 25 walkers. It is also to be noted that this generous donation was made possible through the previous assistance from the republic of China (Taiwan).

The donation was handed over to the ministries during a brief ceremony held on Friday, July 5, 2024. The kind gesture of the donation also highlighted the Ministry of Health’s commitment to supporting the vulnerable communities.

Representatives of all three ministries attended the event that underscored the government’s collaborative spirit in addressing the needs of the country’s elderly and disabled.

During the donation ceremony, the Acting Permanent Secretary of the Health Ministry, Curtis Martin, delivered brief remarks that expressed the Ministry’s dedication to working in partnership with other ministries to ensure the fulfilment of need of the people.

Department of Constituency Empowerment, Kelvina Salters, in accepting the donation on the behalf of the ministry said, “I want to thank the Ministry of Health for this generous donation. This is symbolic of the work that we’re doing and continue to do, which is to align our communities and community members with national initiatives.”

“As we do our daily work, which is quite granular at the community level, we have recognized several vulnerable persons who are in need of such donations, so we are pleased that we are able to respond quickly to these needs,” Kelvina added.

Concluding the ceremony, the Ministry of Health also thanked the Republic of China (Taiwan) for its invaluable support and partnership.

Several areas in St Michael and St James will be sprayed by the Ministry of Health’s Vector Control Unit this week, as it seeks to eliminate mosquito breeding sites.

The Unit will focus on St Michael for the first four days of the week.

On Monday it will target Henry Dunant Road,1st to 3rd North Friendship Drive, Friendship Terrace, 1st to 3rd Lowland Drive, Green Hill Main Road, Mahaica Gap, Storey Gap, Lewis Gap, and surrounding districts.

The following day the team will fog Small Land, Green Hill Main Road, Green Hill Nos. 1 to 4, Eden Lodge, Lakes Close, Johnson Land, Sorrel Lane, Middle Lane, White Hall Road, Medford Road, White Hall Nos.1 to 3, White Hall Terrace, White Hall Main Road, and environs.

Communities including Austin Drive Nos. 1 to 7, Eden Lodge Housing Area, Lodge Hill, Emerald Drive, Sapphire Drive, Garnet Drive, Topaz Drive, Lodge Hill Terrace, Pearl Drive, and Peach Court will be targeted on Wednesday.

On Thursday the Unit will visit Lodge Crescent, Lodge Hill, Rock Dundo Heights, Well Gap Nos. 1 to 4, Rock Dundo Park with avenues, White Hall Main Road, and Sunny Side Garden.

The fogging exercise for the week will conclude on Friday in St James, in the following districts: Hoytes Village, Canewood Road, Bagatelle Terrace with avenues, and Hoytes Terrace.

Fogging takes place from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. daily. Householders are reminded to open their windows and doors to allow the spray to enter.

Members of the public are advised that the completion of scheduled fogging activities may be affected by events beyond the Unit’s control. In such circumstances, the Unit will return to communities affected in the soonest possible time.

The post Vector Control Unit will fog St Michael and St James appeared first on Barbados Today.

Staff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital laboratory staged a walkout on Friday in protest against severe health hazards in their working environment.

The action follows years of complaints about perilous and unacceptable conditions that have persisted despite repeated appeals for improvement.

“The laboratory staff has been extremely patient and long-suffering,” Deputy General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW)

Wayne Walrond told Barbados TODAY. “For several years, the staff . . . have been plagued with environmental problems.”

He said these issues have led to serious health complications among the staff, including acute respiratory ailments.

“Some workers would have experienced coughing with blood, and workers have been extremely distressed by the discomfort caused by the presence of mould,” the union official disclosed.

The QEH laboratory is not just an ageing facility but one that has become increasingly unfit for purpose, Walrond declared.

While management has made attempts to address the situation through interim measures such as cleaning, these efforts have proven insufficient. “The cleaning will have to be even more frequent if staff are to continue to function in the interim,” he stressed.

Walrond has called for the fast-tracking of a new facility, a project that has been in discussion for several years but has yet to materialise.

“It’s a matter of the situation with the lab and having to have proper accommodation,” he stated. “This must be dealt with as a matter of urgency.”

The NUPW official emphasised that the current state of the laboratory is untenable, and it is critical for the health and safety of the staff that a new, suitable facility be built as soon as possible.

A meeting with QEH management has been scheduled to discuss the matter further.

“The union will lend support to staff in any representation that would be required and will make itself available for the meeting,” Walrond said.

He pointed out that the issues faced by the QEH laboratory are part of a larger problem affecting many buildings, both old and new, across the island. Walrond called for a comprehensive discussion with various stakeholders, including builders, environmentalists, health professionals, and labour representatives, to focus on the design and construction of buildings in Barbados.

The NUPW deputy general secretary further called for a more proactive approach to safety and health.

Walrond stressed the need for comprehensive safety and health policies across both the public and private sectors and advocated for safety and health practices to be integrated into personal lives.

“Safety and health are our business on the job and off the job,” he said, urging a more holistic approach to living a safe and healthy life.

The post QEH laboratory staff stage walkout over ‘health hazards’ appeared first on Barbados Today.

The massive sum spent by AbbVie, the maker of the mega blockbuster anti-inflammatory drug Humira, is the most a pharmaceutical company has spent on marketing to doctors since such data became available in 2017. The figure includes compensation for consulting and other services like speaking fees, lodging and travel for doctors, and meals, as well as a small number of payments made directly to hospitals.

The payments, made public by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, provide an insight into AbbVie’s marketing in the immediate aftermath of the company losing its monopoly on Humira, which dominated the company’s balance sheets for the better part of the last two decades. The payments show that the company is being far more aggressive in targeting doctors than competitors of comparable size.

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

Santo Domingo.- The Centers for Diagnostics and Advanced Medicine and Medical Conferences and Telemedicine (CEDIMAT) has become the first hospital in Santo Domingo to receive the prestigious Stroke Centers of Latin America certification from the WSO/SIECV.

This certification verifies that CEDIMAT adheres to international standards for managing and caring for patients with vascular events, as explained by Drs. Francisco Méndez, emergency manager, and Luis Eduardo Suazo, neurosurgeon and coordinator of the Neurosurgery service and stroke unit at CEDIMAT.

CEDIMAT was the pioneer in applying thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy treatments for patients with ischemic vascular conditions, crucial interventions that can be life-saving. This certification places CEDIMAT at the top of the quality scale, ensuring superior care for stroke patients compared to 90% of other countries. Thrombolysis, effective within the first 4 to 5 hours of an ischemic event, and thrombectomy, which can reverse mobility loss within the first 24 hours, are key treatments provided by the trained emergency staff at CEDIMAT.

The certification was granted after a thorough evaluation by the Certification Program of the Stroke Centers of Latin America and the Caribbean, involving representatives from the World Stroke Organization, the Ibero-American Society of Cerebrovascular Diseases, the Certification Program Coordinator, and local delegations.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday proposed a new rule to address excessive heat in the workplace, warning — as tens of millions of people in the U.S. are under heat advisories — that high temperatures are the country’s leading weather-related killer.

If finalized, the measure would protect an estimated 36 million U.S. workers from injuries related to heat exposure on the job — establishing the first major federal safety standard of its kind. Those affected by excessive heat in the workplace include farmworkers, delivery and construction workers, landscapers and indoor workers in warehouses, factories and kitchens.

Biden highlighted the proposed rule as one of five steps his Democratic administration is taking to address extreme weather as Hurricane Beryl is already ripping through the Caribbean in an ominous sign for the summer.

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…