The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Friday, February 22, 2002, Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

M A I N N E W S

PGI to be nodal centre for controlling plague
Tribune News Service

Union Health Minister C.P. Thakur looks on while Dr Sanjay Jain, Associate Professor (right) describes the condition of a plague patient at the PGI, Chandigarh, on Thursday.
— A Tribune photograph

Chandigarh, February 21
The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr C.P. Thakur, visited the six patients suffering from plague at the PGI here today.

Giving full marks to the PGI for the care it had taken of the patients, Dr Thakur later stated at a Press conference that the plague situation was now under control and PGI had a big role to play in it. He also informed that the PGI would be made the nodal surveillance centre for plague and other communicable diseases and would be coordinating the work of district level surveillance centres.

Dr Thakur was accompanied by the Health Secretary, Mr Javed Chowdhry, and Director-General Health Services, Dr S.P. Aggarwal. Giving details, the Health Secretary stated that a total of 563 such centres would be set up all over the country as part of this integrated surveillance network. He said this would be an extension of the pilot project already running in 45 centres. The network would provide linkages for dissemination and collection of information.

Answering a question about the steady decrease in funds for the PGI, the Minister said the PGI had not been able to spend the funds it had been getting from the Centre and that if it spent the money, the Centre would be ready to give more funds.

Dr Thakur was shown the diagnosis reports of the patients whom he assured of a speedy recovery and best possible care.

Dr Thakur also laid the foundation stone of the 30 crore Advanced Cardiac Centre at the PGI to be built by the PGI’s Engineering wing in collaboration with architects Satnam and Namita Associates.

Plague patient discharged
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 21
In what could be the best news received about the condition of plague patients from the PGI, one patient, Pradeep, Randhir’s brother-in-law, was discharged this evening. ‘‘As far as we are concerned, he is absolutely fine, and is free to go anywhere he likes,’’said Dr S. Verma, Head of the Department of Internal Medicine, PGI.

Out of the five remaining patients in PGI’s care, the condition of four has improved. However, there is only slight improvement in the condition of Rakesh. No new patient with similar symptoms from Himachal Pradesh or any other area has been reported to the PGI.