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Rural doctors on strike today
Downpour evokes mixed feelings among residents
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Rs
23-lakh heist
City resident to head Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi
No funds for function
Doctors warn against viral hepatitis diseases
Valuables stolen from Model Town
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Rural doctors on strike today
Bathinda, July 31
“This year, we have been directed to participate in counselling in the 40 per cent quota as per the rules of the Medical Council of India (MCI). Since the Supreme Court of India quashed the NEET, we don't know whether the rule is applicable for the following years as well,” said the president of Rural Medical Services Association, Dr Aslam Parvez. Demanding their inclusion in the 60 per cent PG quota meant for the Punjab government doctors, the rural medical officers (RMOs) will go on strike on August 1. Dr Parzev said the strike may be extended further in consultation with the state body. Work will remain suspended in all the 61 rural dispensaries of the Bathinda district. The RMOs have been demanding the PG quota. The rural doctors claimed that the 60 per cent PG quota is meant for government doctors working in rural jobs so that more doctors could be motivated to reach out to the peripheral rural areas to lend preventive and curative healthcare services where the poor population is playing into the hands of quacks. RMOs are posted one each in a dispensary catering to 7 to 10 villages or 10,000 to 12,000 of the rural population. Since July 22, the rural medical officers are not sending weekly and monthly reports to the department of health which is technically responsible for running 1,186 dispensaries in the rural areas. The rural doctors have stopped sending weekly update on all existing diseases, update of cancer patients, new and existing registered medical practitioners, reports involving the PNDT Act, detection of new TB cases, newly detected cancer patients, malaria and outspread of diseases in particular areas from July 22 onwards. Besides stopping weekly reports, RMOs have decided not to submit monthly reports of OPD attended, school health programmes mainly run by RMOs in rural areas, TB data of patients, monthly malarial slides reporting and reports regarding monthly progress in all national programmers on HIV reporting. There are 1,186 posts of doctors in the Department of Rural Development and Panchayats and nearly 800 posts of non specialist medical officers in the Department of Health and Family Welfare in the rural areas. Dr Parvez said in 2006, the then Congress regime, under the 73rd Constitution Amendment Act to strengthen the Panchayati Raj System, shifted 1,186 rural dispensaries from the Health Department to the Department of Rural Development and Panchayats, posting one rural medical officer in each rural dispensary. “Though the major chunk of rural posts were transferred to the Rural Development and Panchayat Department, yet the whole of 60 per cent quota was kept with the Health Department for a fewer number of posts, barring rural doctors, for getting the benefit of higher qualification,” he said. In no mood to give up
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Downpour evokes mixed feelings among residents
Bathinda, July 31 Unlike the heavy and brief downpours recorded in the city during the last couple of days, on Wednesday, it was a slow and steady one which lowered the temperature by several notches and was followed by cool winds. “Every time it starts raining, residents of the low-lying areas in the city don’t know whether to be happy or sad about it. All the government representatives keep talking about the development projects of the government, but no one talks about the basic problems being faced by the residents of the city,” said Baljinder Singh, a shopkeeper in Balla Ram Nagar. The shopkeepers of Sirki Bazaar in the city could thank their stars enough that it didn’t rain much on Wednesday. “Every time there’s a downpour in the city, our business goes for a toss. While other residents complain that it doesn’t rain enough in the city, we pray that it doesn’t rain too much since the Sirki Bazaar is the first place to get inundated with water and the last one to get rid of it,” said Gurjant Singh Sidhu who owns a shop in the market. A deputation of traders of the Sirki Bazaar had even tried to meet the Member of Parliament from Bathinda during her sangat darshan in Bathinda. “The MP comes and inaugurates projects. During the sangat darshan, she listens to the complaints and problems of the residents and those accompanying her keep the letters of complaints with them. We wonder, when will the administration start working on our problems?” said another trader from the market. Paras Ram Nagar is one of the worst affected residential areas during the monsoon. “Now that the Lok Sabha elections are approaching, the MP has started making rounds of Bathinda and its adjoining areas. Instead of holding meetings with the complainants inside air-conditioned halls in the city, the MP should visit the areas which are reeling under several problems,” said Sudha Rani, a septuagenarian resident of the Paras Ram
Nagar. The reaction
Some complain of scanty rain while others feel good as it doesn’t trigger waterlogging woes |
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Rs
23-lakh heist
Bathinda, July 31 SSP said investigations were on. The police was working on different theories and did not rule out any possibility of involvement of an insider in the heist. “We have collected palm prints from the spot. These prints have been forwarded to the integrated centre at the Police Academy, Phillaur, for further scientific investigations. We expect a big crackdown by the next week,” he said. He said eight police teams had been deputed to fill in the gaps of the incident. The police has already enlisted names of 8 to 10 persons who will be questioned during the investigation. Besides, the police men will be checking the call details of the persons associated with the shop. The police had conducted a confidence-building exercise in the day time on Saturday wherein a meeting was conducted with the shopkeepers of the area. They were asked to install CCTV cameras and take different measures for their respective establishments. The amount of Rs 23 lakh stolen was meant to be deposited in a bank on Monday. It is presumed that the thief was well aware of the presence of a large sum of money in the shop. |
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City resident to head Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi
Bathinda, July 31 Sounding elated with the news, Khalsa said as the head of the institution, he would try and revive the forgotten art forms and culture of Punjab. “Lalit Kala refers to various art forms and the institution, true to its name, has been working to keep the lalit kalas of the state alive. I would also do the same,” he said. He said it was sad that the present generation of Punjab was moving away from its culture. “Half of Doaba resides in foreign countries while Majha has been involved in various other types of struggles. Malwa is the only place which has managed to keep the Punjabiyat alive. But the present generations know little about it since the children are not told about it in schools. The emphasis is on the western culture and learning western languages,” he added. He wondered how many children today would know that weaving a cot (manja) or a stool (pidhi) is also an art form. “Earlier, women in every household knew how to weave a pakkhi or manjja or pidhi. And they used to do it with perfection. All these have been forgotten. The traditional folk songs and dances are also on the verge of dying a slow death,” he said. Sharing his ideas to propagate Punjabi sabhyachar among the present generation, he stated that it would be a good idea to have a collection of 100-125 paintings that would showcase the way the people in Punjab lived the olden days. “The paintings could showcase the celebratory wedding functions, the way women worked at home and the men worked in the fields, the old art forms, the phulkari and several other facets of the state such as the sacrifices made by the martyrs etc,” he said.Talking about spreading the wings of the institution to cover the entire state, he said, “I aim to make people from various parts of the state as members of this institution. A motley group of people would make the institutions vibrant and bring minds with different thought-processes together,” he said. |
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No funds for function
Bathinda, July 31 On August 3, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will administer the oath en masse to the 2,564 newly elected panchayat members at the grain market. The department of rural development and district administration are making arrangements for the ceremony for which the administration is yet to receive any separate batch of funds. Around 5,000 chairs, tents, light and sound system and drinking water facility will be provided on the spot at grain market. “To make such arrangements, the government should have issued us funds before hand,” said one of the officials in the district administration. Different departments have already been put on task and have been been directed to complete the work efficiently. The Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) will get the entire area scrubbed clean while the District Mandi Board officials have been directed to ensure the supply of drinking water. As per the rules, the government pays around Rs 100 per head for such function. “However, no consolidated fund for the function has been received so far,” confirmed an official. Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Mohammad Tayyab said, “My office is yet to receive any communiqué. But we are sure the funds would be made available timely,” he said. On August 3, 295 sarpanches and 2269 panches will be administered the oath. Rural development and panchayat minister Surjit Singh Rakhra, chief parliamentary secretary (rural development), panchayat Mantar Singh Brar and MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal will also be
present on the occasion. Fact file
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No relief from stray cattle menace for residents
Bathinda, July 31 Two road accidents were reported in the city yesterday wherein three persons, including a five-year-old child, have received serious injuries. The child was riding on a motorcycle with his parents and was hit by a bull near a school on the Bathinda-Goniana road yesterday. The victims, Sukhraj Singh and his wife Karanjit Kaur and child Khushwandeep Singh, were rushed to the Civil Hospital by volunteers of the Sahara Jan Sewa, an NGO. One of the volunteers said the child fractured his thigh and the relatives of the victims shifted the trio to a private hospital in the city. The volunteer said a bull hit the motorcycle after which they fell off the road and received injuries. They were on a way to Kothe Amarpura village. In another incident, Bibiana, a teacher of Adarsh School in Pathrala village, was hit by a stray bull near the Arya Samaj Chowk last evening. The schoolteacher received serious head injuries. She was rushed to the Civil Hospital by volunteers of the Sahara Jan Sewa. The stray bull still roams free around the Arya Samaj Chowk and has created panic among the residents and commuters, said one of the volunteers. No official was available for comments as they all were busy due to the visit of Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Member of Parliament from Bathinda. |
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Doctors warn against viral hepatitis diseases
Bathinda, July 31 Vice-Chancellor of Adesh University, Dr GPI Singh said that if left untreated and unmanaged, Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C can lead to advanced liver cirrhosis and other complications, including liver cancer or liver failure. Because of the fact that hepatitis remains largely unknown as a health threat, the theme for the year 2013 has been coined as "This is hepatitis. Know it. Confront it." While many people worry more about contracting AIDS than hepatitis, the reality is that every year, 1.5 million people worldwide die from either hepatitis B or C than they would from HIV/AIDS. Dr Tanvir from the Department of Community Medicine informed the audience that viral hepatitis is a group of infectious diseases known as Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E affecting millions of people worldwide. In what might be a cause of concern for the people of Punjab, the state has the maximum number of Hepatitis C cases. Similarly, out of 200 million suffering from Hepatitis C, 25 millions are Indians and Punjab has an almost 5 to 7 per cent of the sick. Speaking about the various models of transmission of hepatitis, Dr Narinder, a microbiologist, highlighted that different types of hepatitis can spread from one person to another through the fecal-oral route by contaminated water or food as in case of Hepatitis A and Hepatitis E or through blood in case of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. Dr Jagjit Singh Bahia deliberated upon the symptoms and the overall management of cases. He said that not all persons having Hepatitis-A are likely to develop jaundice. In children, only ten per cent show jaundice and the rest go un-noticed, whereas in adults, 70 per cent show yellowish eyes and dark coloured urine. Usually, the affected person may experience symptoms like loss of appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, dark yellow urine, light color stool, yellow eyes and skin, exhaustion, fatigue, nausea, weakness, weight loss and spider like blood vessels on the skin. This session of the seminar was chaired by Dr VK Dubey and medical superintendent Dr Avtar Singh Bansal who brought out the fact that doctors, nurses and health care workers are more vulnerable to Hepatitis B infection. Preventive measures for water-borne hepatitis involve good sanitation, observation of hygiene, thorough washing of hand after toilet use and before preparing food. Transmission of Hepatitis-B can be prevented through strict implementation of blood bank norms, not sharing of blades, razors, tooth brushes, combs and observation of safe sex practices. The vaccine for Hepatitis-B, which is part of the National Immunization Programme for children, is 95 per cent effective and is given to all the children. Concluding the session, medical superintendent (administration) Dr Gurpreet Singh Gill emphasized that such events must be regularly organised to sensitise the population and students regarding preventive measures to be adopted for these highly communicable diseases. He also thanked Dr Deepak Bhatia, State Nodal Officer for Prevention and Control, for providing the literature, charts and posters for the event. Fact file
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Brar elected general secy of Punjab Athletics Association
Bathinda, July 31 Addressing the gathering, Jakkhar stated that since the earlier team had already completed its term of four years, fresh elections have to be conducted to promote athletics in Punjab. A new team of office-bearers is required to make earnest efforts to raise the level of the sport in the state. The elections will be held on August 14 in Jalandhar. Members objected to the appointment of the officiating honorary general secretary of the association without the approval of the house. Secretary of the District Athletics Association, Barnala, proposed the name of KPS Brar, for the post and the proposal was accepted unanimously. |
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Hath Rehri Union stages dharna
Bathinda, July 31 A few day ago, MCB officials misbehaved with one of the persons who had put up a small rehri. The agitating workers demanded that the officials of the municipal corporation should apologize for the
misbehaviour. |
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Valuables stolen from Model Town
Bathinda, July 31 The accused Renu Kotam from Jalpaiguri (Bengal) locked the bathroom from the outside and stole two gold bangles, a diamond ring, a gold chain, Rs 10,000 in cash and a mobile phone. Valuables worth Rs 2 lakhs have been stolen. Revolver snatched
A man was beaten up and his revolver snatched near village Poohla. On his complaint to the Nathana police, Parminder Singh from village Poohla stated that on July 30, he was returning with one Hardev Singh on a motorcycle bearing the registration number PB 03 AB 8206 when some people attacked him and snatched his licensed revolver. Police have arrested the accused Sukhjinder Singh, Bittu Singh, Kala Singh and Simra Singh. Man attacked
Baljit Singh, a resident of Poohla, was attacked in an apparent act of retaliation as his son was lodged in Bathinda jail in a murder case. In his complaint lodged with the Nathana police, Baljit Singh stated that the accused had enmity with him in a murder case. Police is making further investigation in the case. |
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