HOW JUVENILE

The state registered a 51 per cent increase incrimes against children in just a year, reveals NCRB data. But does anybodycare?

* The district Child Working Committees (CWC), the final authority to dispose of cases related to protection and rehabilitation of children, are short of members.

* Existing CWC members do not meet regularly

* Even the selection panel that chooses members of CWC has not been formed yet

Masking Reality

Swine flu is not new to Gujarat, yet its death toll has gone menacingly out of control. The state has registered 1,392 cases this season, the highest since the deadly disease struck Gujarat in 2009. Despite this, public city hospitals that receive the maximum number of swine flu patients are being careless with the health and safety of their employees and visitors. Mirror visited Civil Hospital, Shardaben Hospital, VS Hospital, and LG Hospital only to find that the hospitals have violated safety guidelines issued by the Union health ministry.

The guidelines mention that people near wards containing patients with infectious diseases should wear masks and protective gear. Children and pregnant women without masks were seen walking past these wards. Forget family members, even hospital staff do not wear masks and gloves. Doctors who are supposed to use N95 respirators wear simple masks while attending to patients. The respirators are not the same as loosely fitted