Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Talks with World Bank soon: VS

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State government will hold discussions with the World Bank on availing Rs.1000 crore as loan for local self-governments, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has said.

He told mediapersons after Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting that objective of the discussions would be to elicit information on the terms and conditions of the loan. Once these are ascertained, the Left Democratic Front would discuss it and consider whether the loan should be availed.

Mr. Achuthanandan said preliminary discussions on the loan had already been held.

Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy said the Cabinet had decided to confirm 908 grade-II attenders in the Health Department appointed on a temporary basis from 1998 onwards.

The Minister said the previous government had gone on appeal against the favourable verdict obtained by the attenders for their confirmation. The Cabinet had decided to withdraw the appeal.

Ms. Sreemathy said the confirmation of the attenders would help filling up of vacant posts of Grade 1 attenders and nursing assistants through promotions.

She said the Cabinet had decided to appoint staff, including four lecturers, for the general nursing course started in 2000 for scheduled tribes at the Kottayam Nursing College. Seven posts had been sanctioned for this purpose. The course was about to lose its recognition for want of staff.

She announced that Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss would inaugurate the Kerala State Institute of Health and Family Welfare at Thycaud here on November 24.

The mass drug administration against filariasis would be held from November 15 to 17 this year.

In addition to Diethyl Carbamazene Citrate (DEC) tablets, albendezole tablets would also be administered this time.

Pregnant women, children up to the age of two years and seriously-ill persons would be excluded.

She denied that the drugs would cause serious side effects in some persons.

(According to the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, USA, rare or less common side effects of albendazole include fever, nausea, headache, vomiting, diarrhoea and dizziness. It advises women of childbearing age to use birth control while taking albendazole as the medicine can cause birth defects and other problems. DEC also has side effects including fever, nausea and loss of vision.)

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