Ludhiana, June 14
To commemorate the birth anniversary of Karl Landsteiner, the father of transfusion medicine, who is credited with the discovery of the ABO and Rh blood group system in the year 1900, the International Blood Donor’s Day was observed today by the department of Transfusion Medicine of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).

On the occasion, distinguished blood donors and organisations associated with this programme assembled to pay their homage to the great scientist. Besides, 150 units of blood were also collected during the camp, which was inaugurated by Mr Prem Gupta, secretary of the DMCH managing society. Among prominent blood donors at the camp were senior faculty members of the DMCH, including Dr Sandeep Puri, Dr B.P. Mishra, Dr Sushil Budhiraja and Dr Vivek Gupta.

In her welcome address, Dr Amarjit Kaur, Professor and Head, Department of Transfusion Medicine at the DMCH, while expressing gratitude to the distinguished guest and the donors, stressed the need to create awareness among the masses about blood donation. She said a single unit of blood could save a life and any person in the age group of 18 to 60 years could donate blood after a period of three months.

Dr Amarjit Kaur commented that among one of our major concerns of organising such blood donation camps was to arrange adequate blood for the thalassemic children as their number was increasing day by day.

“Many such patients are getting treatment in the special thalassemia unit of the DMCH and blood is required every month to carry out their blood transfusion since their lives entirely depend upon the availability of blood. This can only be made possible if people specially youngsters will come forward for the voluntary blood donation”.

Among others present on the occasion were Dr Daljit Singh, Principal, Dr Jagdeep Whig, Vice- Principal, Dr Sandeep Puri, Dr Rajoo Singh Chhina, both medical superintendents of DMCH, Dr J.G. Jolly, Professor Emeritus, PGI, Chandigarh.

In a function organised by the Department of Transfusion Medicine of SPS Apollo Hospitals to mark the International Blood Donation Day, Dr Hitish Narang, in charge of the department, observed that millions of people owed their lives to persons that would never meet those who donated blood freely and without any reward.

He said evidence from around the world had demonstrated that voluntary unpaid donors were the foundations of a safe blood supply because they were least likely to transmit potentially life-threatening infections to the recipients of their blood. It was to those unsung heroes that the Blood Donor’s Day was dedicated.

Dr Narang expressed confidence that the new generation of blood donors would follow the example of existing donors providing the safest blood possible for use, whenever and wherever it was needed to save lives.

A blood donation camp was also organised in the hospital in which more than 175 voluntary donors came forward to donate blood.

Ludhiana, June 14
The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) aims to make ‘Directly Observed Treatment Short Course’ (DOTS) the standard of care for TB patients in all medical colleges and hospitals attached to them. Medical colleges play a critical role in TB control in terms of the sheer number of patients they treat.

This was stated by Mr J.R. Kundal, Principal Secretary, Medical Education and Research, Punjab, while presiding over a meeting of the state task force here today.

The meeting was organised by the Punjab State TB Control Society.

All government medical colleges of Punjab actively participated in the meeting as principals, along with heads of departments, including TB and Chest, Medicine, Microbiology, Social and Preventive Medicine, took part in the deliberations.

A scientific session organised by Dr Jaikishan, Professor and Head, Department of TB and Chest, Government Medical College, Patiala, and Dr S.K. Jindal, Professor and Head, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, PGI, Chandigarh, focused on the diagnosis and management of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis.

Dr S. S. Lal, NPO (PPM) from WHO, India, highlighted the role of medical colleges in the RNTCP and Dr Sangeeta Sharma, Paediatrician from Lady Sri Ram College, Delhi, spoke on the diagnosis and management of Paediatric Tuberculosis. Dr Pawan Kumar Bansal, State TB Officer, and Dr P.P.S. Coonar, Director, Medical Education and Research, also attended this conference.

Moderating the discussion, Dr Coonar said tuberculosis remained the number one killer infectious disease affecting adults in most of the developing countries. This was deplorable when one considered that various cost-effective tools that were available to cure the disease. The global community woke up to this health problem when, in 1993, the WHO declared TB as a global emergency. He maintained that DOTS services under the RNTCP were accessible to the entire country.

“The expansion of the RNTCP has been achieved through greater involvement of medical colleges. For the effective implementation of the programme in medical colleges, a number of task forces have been constituted at the national, zonal and state levels.” The state task force, he added, was the ground-level implementing unit of the RNTCP, which facilitated the establishment of DOTS centers and undertook other activities in all the medical college in the state.

According to Dr R.S. Deol, District TB Officer, the RNTCP provided the human resources and logistic support required to implement and coordinate activities in medical college hospitals. While the medical colleges provided the necessary space and designate faculty members for supervision of this programme, the laboratory consumables and drugs, as well as, funds for facility upgradation were being made available to these institutions by the government.

“With the involvement of the medical colleges and alliances with them, the programme will get a boost.

The RNTCP is hoping to influence future physicians, as also the private practitioners. Thus, it can ensure that all TB patients, irrespective of the place from where they seek care, receive the best available cure, free of cost,” Dr Deol remarked.

Ludhiana, June 14
The Ludhiana District Badminton Association has decided to organise the summer camp here at the Shastri hall in the Guru Nanak Sports Complex from June 15 to 25, according to Mr Anupam Kumaria, honorary secretary of the association.

During the course of this camp, the young promising shuttlers (boys and girls) up to the age of 16 years would be imparted free coaching-cum-training. The timings will be 10 am to 12 noon. And at the conclusion of their stint, the talented players would be shortlisted for further honing of their skills. The association would provide kits to the poor and needy players, besides shuttle cocks to all trainees.

Mr Mangat Rai Sharma, an NIS coach, has been engaged by the association to train the upcoming shuttlers. The interested players may contact Mr Sharma at the venue between 4 pm to 5.30 pm, Mr Kumaria said.

Arun Dhand, president of the association and the former World veterans champion, informed that the association would approach former international players to visit the camp and give tips to the trainees.