|
|
|
|
|
Centre calls for details of hepatitis, cancer cases in Moga village
Foot bill of patients: SAD MP to Centre
Work on Rs 800 cr food processing unit begins today
|
|
|
ED ready to question Majithia, awaiting nod from Delhi
Majithia must go, say Cong MLAs
Capt seeks status report on Punjabis abducted by ISIS
Oppn should contest united against Badals: Manpreet
People’s Party of Punjab chief Manpreet Badal addresses a press conference in Hoshiarpur on Tuesday. Tribune photo
Police ‘assault’ on dalit girl in tarn taran
21 yrs on, inquiry indicts ex-SSP
Coffers empty, govt to tax professionals
Amul’s arrival to benefit state’s dairy farmers
Police send informers to border villages
Ex-soldier wins pension battle
Panel blames doctors for infants’ death
Staff crunch crippling health services
Sanctioned posts no match to patient rush
Revoke suspension, demand staff
Dr Alka Mittal, who was suspended following the death of infants, in Ludhiana on Tuesday. Photo: Inderjit Verma
33% food samples fail in Sangrur
Warring Khera villagers write to Prime Minister
1 killed, 16 hurt in accident
Complaint against Sidhu
Reappointed teachers entitled to benefits from back date, says HC
Councillor among 6 get life term
10 of dreaded gang held in Patiala
Hardial Singh Mann, Patiala SSP, shows arms and valuables recovered from robbers in Rajpura on Tuesday. Photo: Js Virdi
Woman shot, 10 booked
Immigration agents booked in suicide case
|
Centre calls for details of hepatitis, cancer cases in Moga village
Moga, November 25 Sampla sought the report after Bhagwant Mann and Prof Sadhu Singh, AAP MPs from Sangrur and
Faridkot, raised the issued in Parliament. Deputy Commissioner Parminder Singh Gill said as sought by the
Centre, the district administration had submitted the available details. The details suggest that 75 deaths had taken place in Mari Mustafa this year. While 61 of these were natural deaths, 12 died of cancer and two of hepatitis C, said Gill. But, the residents alleged the district authorities were downplaying the
issue. Gurtej Singh claimed nine hepatitis C patients were in his family alone. “My parents, my wife and son, two brothers and their wives are all suffering with hepatitis C. As the treatment cost is quite high, we have left ourselves at God’s mercy,” he
said. Gurtej had even written to former Union Health Minister Dr Harsh
Vardhan. “The minister replied, but with an advise to consult a good doctor,” he said. “While there is no government doctor in our village or adjoining areas, getting treatment from a private practitioner is beyond my means,” he said. In Mari Mustafa and adjoining villages, there were a large number of liver cancer cases, said sarpanch Darshan Singh. Dr HP
Yadav, head of Cancer Department at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital in
Faridkot, said chronic hepatitis B and C was closely associated with the development of liver cancer. Records suggest that 920 cancer patients from Moga district were registered for treatment with the Faridkot hospital. The Health Department officials today started collecting details of cancer and hepatitis patients in the village. After preliminary examination of 544 persons in the village and detection of six cases with cancer symptoms, the district health department had sent them to the Faridkot hospital for detailed examinations, said Gill.
6 yrs on, waterworks lies non-functional
Generosity goes down the drain
|
|
Foot bill of patients: SAD MP to Centre
New Delhi, November 25 Ghubaya urged the Centre to foot the bill of cancer patients. He said the poor Scheduled Caste population of the region could not afford the costly treatment. He also appealed to the Centre to set up health centres dedicated to cancer treatment in
Malwa. “Cancer has eaten into entire Malwa. I do not think there is any family in the region that has not been affected,” Ghubaya said during the Zero Hour. He said Ferozepur had the second highest Scheduled Caste population in the country. “We urge the Centre to help with the expenditure of cancer treatment of our people who are too poor to afford the treatment cost,” the MP said.
|
||
|
Work on Rs 800 cr food processing unit begins today
Jalandhar, November 25 The company has tomorrow arranged a ceremony for the project at the site, allotted to it by Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation Limited
(PSIEC) under a new policy. Under the policy, the company would have to complete its construction at the site within two years and make the plant operational for manufacturing of packaged food items, including biscuits, snacks, noodles, juices and wheat flour within three years. The PSIEC would closely monitor the progress of the project and if it met the deadline, it would be provided the land on a 99-year lease. The company, it is learnt, would employ 20,000 youths once it opened the first phase of the plant. The decision to allot the land was announced by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal during the handing over of letter of intent to the company on February 28 at a rally held in Phagwara ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The land where the plant would be coming up is a 227 acres integrated mixed-use Industrial Park at
Kapurthala. Last week, the corporation allotted 50 more plots of the size 250 sq yards to 2 acres at the same site to various companies, including those dealing in light engineering, food items, IT, rail components, dry leather units and garment manufacturing, PSIEC Managing Director Yashvir Mahajan said.
|
||
|
ED ready to question Majithia, awaiting nod from Delhi
Chandigarh, November 25 But it has decided on a wait and watch policy. While the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has questioned Avinash
Chander, former Jails Minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur and his son, it is now preparing to summon Majithia for questioning on his alleged links with those involved in the drug racket run by dismissed DSP Jagdish
Bhola. There are indications that the high-profile minister, who is brother-in-law of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir
Badal, may be interrogated any time now. The ED has already prepared a questionnaire. Sources say Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was told about the status of the case this morning. He was told that the ED was awaiting the permission of the Union Finance Ministry to summon
Majithia. Majithia reportedly held a closed-door meeting with the party president later in the day.
Phillaur was asked to step down as minister in May this year, after the ED began probing his and his family's links with business man Chunni Lal Gaba for his role in the drug racket. The ED is likely to question Majithia on bank account details of his firms and properties since 2007-08, his encounters or monetary deals with the accused in the racket, including Maninder Singh alias Bittu
Aulakh, Jagjit Chahal and NRIs Satpreet Singh alias Satta and Parminder Singh
Pindi. The officials are reportedly collecting details of the assets owned by CPS Avinash , former minister Phillaur and his son
Damanvir. Even though the ED is not required to seek the permission of the Finance Ministry and the Joint Director posted in Jalandhar is competent to give the green signal to the questioning of any minister, the officials are treading cautiously, taking the top bosses in Delhi into confidence in the process. The ED, it is learnt, has a strong case against CPS
Avinash.
Counter-offensive
Even as former MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira has written an open letter to
Majithia, asking him to quit and pave the way for a fair probe into the drug racket, the SAD has launched a frontal attack on the Opposition, especially Punjab Pradesh Congress president Partap Singh
Bajwa. In a statement, SAD general Secretary Avtar Singh Brar and former Deputy Speaker Darbari
Lal, questioned Bajwa for “weakening the offensive launched by the SAD-BJP government.” They raked up the issue of cases under the NDPS Act registered against members of the Bajwa family in the past and the letter written by former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh against
Bajwa, highlighting these cases.
|
||
|
Majithia must go, say Cong MLAs
Chandigarh, November 25 Thirty-five Congress MLAs today met at the residence of Sunil
Jakhar, CLP Leader here. Jakhar said they discussed various issues to prepare the party’s strategy for the winter session of the Vidhan Sabha likely to be held in mid-December. He said most MLAs spoke of the drug issue and wanted Majithia to resign in view of his name reportedly cropping up in the Bhola drug racket case during the questioning of certain suspects.
Jakhar said the Congress MLAs wanted the drug case to be investigated under the supervision of a sitting Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court or the Supreme Court. He said the inquiry should expose all those involved in the drug ring. Other issues raised by the Congress MLAs were fiscal problems being faced by farmers and non-payment of scholarship money to SC and BC students. Jakhar said though Union Minister Vijay Sampla had said that the Centre had already released grant for the same, the students were yet to receive the money. He said Health Minister SK Jyani should resign for the death of five newborns in Ludhiana.“Accountability must be fixed in the Ludhiana case. No one should be allowed to go scot-free,” he said. Unemployment and poor civic amenities were the other issues discussed at the meeting.
|
||
|
Capt seeks status report on Punjabis abducted by ISIS
Amritsar, November 25 In a statement, Amarinder Singh criticised Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for failing to honour his promise to pay a monthly compensation of Rs 20,000 to each of the affected families. He alleged that the compensation was paid for only a month. “Their relatives have told me that government officials, both in Punjab and at the
Centre, have stopped taking their calls,” he said. The Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha said it was five months since these youths had been kidnapped and nothing was known about them. “They were kidnapped on June 11 while they were working for a construction company in
Mosul, Iraq, when it fell to the ISIS.” Amarinder Singh said he would raise the matter in Parliament. “It is the duty of the Government of India to keep the relatives updated about their
wellbeing,” he said. Criticising Badal, he said: “The Chief Minister’s efforts have been restricted to getting himself photographed with the hostages’ relatives.”
|
||
Oppn should contest united against Badals: Manpreet
Hoshiarpur, November 25 “My attempt in the coming elections will be to unite the Opposition to contest the ruling alliance. The need of the hour is that the Opposition should contest united,” he said. Manpreet was addressing mediapersons in Hoshiarpur on the sidelines of the meeting of the district party unit. He said, “This is the state of affairs that I have been indicating for years and now it has become evident. Punjab is in deep crisis and the condition is critical due to the mismanagement by the state government,” he said. When asked about the drug menace in the state, he alleged that some leaders from the ruling party and officers were supporting drug lords and that’s why it was not possible to uproot the menace. He said being the state Revenue Minister, Bikram Singh Majithia has a bigger responsibility. He should resign on moral grounds and face investigation. He said Majithia should make it clear what relation he had with accused drug peddler Satpal
Satta. Asked that if he was going to join the BJP, he said, “Earlier there had been rumours that I will merge back with the SAD, then of my joining the Congress and now the
BJP. If I had to go anywhere I would have gone directly. I am where I am and will be here for the people of Punjab.”
|
|
Police ‘assault’ on dalit girl in tarn taran
Tarn Taran, November 25 Accompanied by her relatives and
sympathisers, Ramandeep also met SP (Headquarters) Harwinder Singh
Sandhu. She expressed resentment over the police’s failure to locate her husband who went missing under mysterious circumstances.
Sandhu said efforts were on to locate Jagjit. The police have registered a case under Section 365 of the IPC (abduction). Jagjit had video-graphed the beating up of the Dalit girl by the police in broad daylight last year.
Ramandeep threatened that she along with her two minor daughters would allegedly commit suicide in case her husband was not located.
|
|
|
21 yrs on, inquiry indicts ex-SSP
Tarn Taran , November 25 The probe into the matter was conducted on the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court following a writ petition filed by a resident, Daljit Singh. The inquiry was conducted by Rashpal Singh
Ghuman, SP (Investigation). The weapon, .30 bore carbine (No. 10933327), was owned by Malava Singh of Verowal village. He had deposited the weapon with the police on June 18, 1984, when terrorism was at its peak in Punjab. The government later ordered the return of weapons to
licence-holders. Instead of Malava, the weapon was allegedly issued to Bakshish Singh of Daliri village on the SSP's verbal orders.
Bakshish, who has not returned the weapon to date, too has been indicted.
|
|
|
Coffers empty, govt to tax professionals
Chandigarh, November 25 A proposal in this regard has been sent to the Chief Minister for approval. Sources in the Finance Department told The Tribune that not all self-employed and salaried employees would be taxed. Only those professionals with an income of more than Rs 5 lakh per annum would be taxed at Rs 2,000 per annum. Once the proposal is cleared, Punjab will be taxing its employees, those working with private firms, central government staff, business owners and merchants. Article 276 (2) that allows the imposition of professional tax by state governments has fixed the upper limit for the tax to be charged. This limit cannot be further hiked without an amendment in the Constitution. Sources said a decision was yet to be taken as to who would collect the tax. In some states this is done by the VAT Department and in others the Local Bodies Department.
About the proposal
* Not all self-employed and salaried employees will be taxed *
Those professionals with an income of more than Rs 5 lakh per annum will be taxed at
Rs 2,000 per annum * Govt employees, those working with pvt firms, central govt staff, business owners and
merchants will be among those taxed * Article 276 (2) allows the imposition of
professional tax by state governments * But it has fixed the upper limit for the tax
to be charged * This limit cannot be hiked further without amending the
Constitution * In some states this tax is collected by the VAT Department; in other states this is done by the Local Bodies
|
|
|
Amul’s arrival to benefit state’s dairy farmers
Chandigarh, November 25 Its target is to take it Rs 30,000 crore. Milkfed sells its products under the Verka brand, which is popular in the country because of the quality of its products. Having 53 milk processing plants in Gujarat and other parts of the country, including four in New Delhi, the GCMMF procures about 165 lakh litres of milk everyday, of which 135 lakh litres are procured from Gujarat and the remaining from adjoining states such as Rajasthan and as far
as West Bengal. Amul, one of the most popular milk products brand in the country, has put up modern milk processing plants in Gujarat. One of these plants at Gandhinagar has a milk processing capacity of 30 lakh litres but has only with 400 employees to
handle the job. On the other hand, Milkfed has a total milk processing capacity of 17.50 lakh
litres, but its employees’ strength is 2,900. Milkfed has nine milk processing plants at
Bathinda, Patiala, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Mohali and Sangrur and one plant at Chandigarh. RS
Sodhi, Managing Director of the GCMMF, said that 35 milk producers were members of the federation. Not a penny was invested by the Gujarat government in the plants managed by the
GCMMF. The entire money was spent by the farmers, who were its share-holders, said
Sodhi. He said the arrival of Amul in Punjab would hugely benefit the dairy farmers as it would further strengthen the cooperative movement in the state. The GCMMF exported Amul products worth Rs 540 crore last
year. Amarjit Singh Sidhu, Milkfed chairman, said they planned to expand operations in the state. “We are working on a plan to modernise our plants, one by one,” he said. Milkfed products such as Verka milk, lassi and kulfi are very popular. Milkfed exports desi ghee and powder milk to the Middle East and other countries. Milk production in the country was 81 million tonnes in 2000-01. This has now gone up to 132 million
tonnes.
Milky way * Punjab Milkfed’s annual turnover is ~2,183 crore *
Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation’s turnover is ~22,000 crore *
It has 53 milk processing plants in Gujarat and other parts of
the country * One of its plants at Gandhinagar has the capacity to process 30 lakh litres of milk *
On the other hand,
Milkfed’s total milk processing capacity is 17.50 lakh litres * Milk production in the country has risen to
132 million tonnes
|
|
|
Police send informers to border villages
Gurdaspur, November 25 Sources say the informers, who reside on the outskirts of villages, mainly
deras, keep a hawk’s eye on any movement from across the wired fence. “The police have identified 65 most vulnerable villages in the jurisdiction of the Dera Baba Nanak, Kalanaur and Gurdaspur Sadar police stations. Sarpanches are at times invited to meetings held by senior police officers ,” said a senior officer. Senior Superintendent of Police
(SSP) Gurpreet Singh Toor said international drug cartels were always on the lookout to “recruit” youths of border villages. “They are being paid Rs 40,000 for carrying a packet of narcotics to places decided by members of the cartel. The youths, who are mostly jobless, are guided by handlers,” the officer said.
|
|
|
Ex-soldier wins pension battle
Chandigarh, November 25 Justice Rameshwar Singh Malik has declared that Amarjit Singh is entitled to pension. The respondent-authorities have been directed “to do the needful” within two months of receiving the copy of the
order. Amarjit Singh was boarded out from military service on February 27, 1975, because of an acute eye infection and blindness. His counsel HS Ghuman had argued that the respondent authorities were under a legal obligation to grant “invalid” pension to the petitioner. Ghuman had said the petitioner had become 100 per cent disabled. Counsel for the respondents contended that the petitioner did not have the minimum qualifying 10 years of service to his credit. As such, he was not entitled to any relief. Seeking directions for the dismissal of the writ petition, he submitted that gratuity had already been paid to the petitioner. Taking up the petition, Justice Malik asserted that the petitioner had seven-and-a-half years of satisfactory service to his credit before he suffered the disability. “A disabled ex-soldier, who has become blind because of a disease attributable to and aggravated by the paramilitary service, is fighting for his `invalid’ pension and that too for the past more than 39 years, which shows the total insensitivity and arbitrary approach of the respondent authorities…. “Pension is not a bounty, but the right of the petitioner... This court is of the considered view that action of the respondents was wholly arbitrary which cannot be sustained. Thus, an instant writ petition deserves to be allowed with costs which are quantified at Rs 50,000. Consequently, the petitioner is declared entitled to receive the pension.” Justice Malik said the petitioner would also be entitled to pension arrears along with nine per cent interest from the date it became due till actual payment
|
|
|
Panel blames doctors for infants’ death
Chandigarh, November 25 The three-member committee comprising Principal Secretary (Health) Vikas
Garg; Director Health Services Jatinder Kaur; and Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, Rajat
Aggarwal, in its report, said in one case, the complication arose early in the morning, but the staff did not react suitably. Sources said the government would take action on the report in the next few days. The authorities have already suspended Dr Alka
Mittal, who was on duty that day. Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani said Dr
Renu, who was posted at the Barnala Civil Hospital, had been shifted to Ludhiana hospital as Medical Superintendent. He said Dr Alka Mittal had been suspended for “negligence and carelessness and for bringing a bad name to the department as well as the government”. A high-level emergency meeting of the Health Department took place over the incident wherein Jayani asked the civil surgeons to personally monitor functioning of the government hospitals besides conducting periodic surprise checks. He also directed Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, to submit the inquiry report within seven days. He said strict action would be taken against the doctors found responsible for the deaths of infants. The minister said he had already taken up the issue of appointing more doctors in government hospitals with the Chief Minister. All posts lying vacant would be filled at the earliest, he added. Jayani asked surgeons to remain present in operation theatres, especially while handling serious cases. In a statement, Dr Avinash
Jindal, president, PCMS Association, Ludhiana, defended Dr Mittal, saying she was felicitated with the state award in 2012 for her contribution towards increasing institutional deliveries in the state. Dr DC Sharma, president, Docsfed India, blamed the Health Department for the incident. He demanded that an experienced doctor should replace Jyani as Health Minister. He said there was a shortage of specialists in the PCMS cadre, especially of
gynaecologists, paediatricians, anaesthetists, and radiologists. The posting policy of the Health Department was faulty, he added.
NHRC notice to state
|
|
|
Staff crunch crippling health services
Chandigarh, November 25 Data collected by The Tribune suggests there is an acute shortage of doctors and medical staff that puts burden on those on duty. A three-member committee formed to probe the Ludhiana incident and the status of health services in the state endorses the problems at the hospitals in its report submitted to Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani today. The report states the number of doctors and other staff is far too less and grossly inadequate to cope with the high number of patients. Data from the Health Department reveals that while deliveries in government hospitals have increased almost five times in the last seven years, the number of doctors and staff has remained more or less the same. There is a shortage of about 500 specialist doctors, 300 non-specialists and 300 staff nurses in various civil hospitals of the state. At the Ludhiana Civil Hospital, three doctors aided by their staff conduct as many as 545 deliveries a month, averaging about 17-18 deliveries per day. Officials say each of the three doctors conduct five to six deliveries per day. The government today posted two more gynaecologists in the hospital. Officials insist it is easier said than done as sometimes the procedure takes hours. Officials admit that it is also true that senior staff nurses independently conduct deliveries, but the responsibility is solely of the doctor. In contrast, private institutes like the
DMC, Ludhiana, the number of deliveries conducted is about 100-120 per month by 20
gynaecologists. In the CMC, another private hospital in Ludhiana, 150 to 200 deliveries are conducted per month by 25
gynaecologists, said Dr Avinash Jindal, president, PCMS Association, Ludhiana. The posts of doctors have not been filled in accordance with the increasing number of patients. Figures reveal that in 2007, the civil hospitals conducted almost 40,000 deliveries. In 2013, the number went up to 1.82 lakh while the staff remained the same. This year till October 31, institutional deliveries have already touched the 1.8-lakh mark, said Dr Karanjit Singh, Director, Health. "We are likely to touch the
two-lakh mark. It is an achievement. Punjab has reduced the infant mortality rate to about 30 per 1,000 than the previous 52 while the national average is 44. But, this in no way condones the recent Ludhiana incident. Strict action will be taken against irregularity or dereliction of duty." Dr Karanjit said the state government would recruit about 400 doctors and medical staff soon. "We have started the process by sending requisition to the Punjab Public Service Commission for 16 psychiatrists, 70 doctors for de-addiction centres and 250 staff nurses."
Rural hospitals in a
mess
Patiala: Patiala is facing a severe staff crunch in the medical and healthcare department. The plight of rural hospitals is deplorable while the district hospitals are not adequately equipped. The Health Department has a strong cadre of 4,125 PCMS doctors. But only 190 doctors are stationed in Patiala as against the sanctioned strength of 217. Since April, Patiala has seen 18,428 deliveries with 9,245 deliveries in government hospitals while 8,915 children were born in private nursing homes. Most rural hospitals in the district face the problem of doctors reporting late for duty, despite surprise visits and suspension of doctors in the recent past. “We face an acute staff crunch and at times we have 300 institutional deliveries and only two or three staff nurses to attend to the patients,” said a senior doctor.
Heavy patient turnout
Mohali: With about 1,000 patients visiting the OPDs everyday, the Mohali Civil Hospital is in dire need of more doctors of different specialties. If one goes by statistics of sanctioned and filled posts, everything seems up to the mark except for the nursing staff. Here too against 64 posts of staff nurse, the hospital has 53 nurses. At present, the 120-bed hospital has three
orthopaedists, two paediatricians and an equal number of surgeons, medical specialists and
anaesthetists. "To provide up to the mark medical facilities, the minimum requirement of specialists on each of these posts is at least six to eight doctors," said a doctor. In case one specialist goes on leave, the entire burden shifts on to the other which is practically impossible to handle, he said. "Even two doctors are not enough to handle such a high number of patients," he added. "There is no scarcity of medical staff except staff nurses as far as the number of sanctioned posts are concerned. But the situation is different on ground. The staff is forced to refer several cases to hospitals in Chandigarh," another doctor said. "Whatever we need is being provided by the government. Within a span of three months, the hospital will have facilities such as the
MRI, CT scan and mammography," said Dr Andesh Kang, Chief Medical Officer.
No ventilator available
Bathinda: The women and children’s ward of the Bathinda Civil hospital has the highest admission rate in the state but there is no ventilator facility at its special neonatal care unit. Around 4,500 deliveries take place every year in this hospital, about 400 deliveries in a month. There are only three paediatricians in Bathinda against six sanctioned posts and only two posts of
gynaecologist. About 150 infants are admitted to the SNCU every month and 10 of them, on an average, need a ventilator. But with no such facility available at the local Civil hospital, the babies are referred to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital,
Faridkot, that has only two ventilators.
Maternity ward
ill-equipped
Jalandhar: Conducting over 600 deliveries in a month, the maternity ward of the Civil Hospital here does not have a facility of its own to sterilise its equipment and is dependent upon the Orthopaedic Department. With 450 beds, the Jalandhar hospital is the biggest in the government sector in Punjab. The maternity ward has acute shortage of beds and two to three patients can be seen sharing a bed. The unit also faces irregular supply of drugs, leaving the patients with no option but to purchase these from the open market. A gynaecologist said the department that conducted the maximum deliveries (around 25 to 30, including C-sections) among government hospitals did not have its own facility to sterilise post-operative surgical equipment. (With inputs from Aman
Sood, Akash Ghai, Bharat Khanna & Rachna Khaira)
Panel findings
* A committee formed to report on the status of health services in the state points out grave problems in hospitals *
In its report submitted to Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani on Tuesday, the panel states the number of doctors and other staff is grossly inadequate to cope with the high number of patients *
Institutional deliveries have increased almost five times in the last seven years, but the number of doctors and staff has remained more or less the same
‘Relief on way’
The government will recruit about 400 doctors and medical staff soon. We have started the process by sending requisition to the PPSC for 16 psychiatrists, 70 doctors and 250 staff nurses, says Dr Karanjit Singh, Director, Health
District hospitals a picture of neglect
* The plight of rural hospitals in Patiala is deplorable while the district hospitals are not adequately equipped *
The women and children’s ward of the Bathinda Civil Hospital has the highest admission rate in the state but there is no ventilator facility at its special neonatal care unit *
At least 1,000 patients visit the Civil Hospital everyday. The hospital has just seven specialists
Staff shortage 500 specialists 300 non-specialists 300 nursing staff
|
|
|
Sanctioned posts no match to patient rush
Ludhiana, November 25 The number of doctors and nurses sanctioned for the hospital is far less than the required. The number of posts has not been increased for the last four years even as the rush of patients has gone up by about 30 per cent. Though all the posts of doctors and nurses lie filled, the hospital is short of Class IV employees. The newly inaugurated Mother and Child Hospital, where the death of five newborns were reported two days ago, lacks both staff as well as infrastructure. It is a 100-bedded hospital, but only 40 beds are available at present. The five deaths have raised several questions over the implementation of the National Urban Health Mission launched by the government with much fanfare. “We have all the sanctioned posts filled, but the problem is that the patient inflow is more as compared to the sanctioned staff,” said Ludhiana Senior Medical Officer Dr RK
Karkara, who has been transferred after the deaths. Officials said nurses at the hospital were forced to work for more than 12 hours a day. The Indian Nursing Council norms suggest that every three beds should have one staff nurse. But here, a staff nurse has been tending to at least 45 patients. A nurse said, “We have to work beyond our duty hours. The work stress has started taking a toll on our health. At times we even have to double up as Class IV employees, who are short in strength.” Dr Karkara admitted that there was shortage of Class Iv staff: “Some employees retired and the posts are yet to be filled.” The mother and child unit at Civil Hospital was inaugurated in haste and, thus, did not have the required infrastructure and staff to cater to the heavy rush of patients, it has been learnt. Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani too yesterday admitted that compared to the rush, the strength of medical staff was quite less. “The posts of doctors have been filled, but the problem is that the patient inflow has increased manifold. We have to increase the number of posts to handle the rush. The department is in the process of appointing 404 new doctors across the state,” said
Jyani.
|
|
|
Revoke suspension, demand staff Ludhiana: Doctors at the Civil Hospital have announced to go on strike if government failed to revoke Dr Alka Mittal's suspension and cancel transfer orders of Senior Medical Officer Dr RK Karkara within 48 hours. Dr Alka said the duty of gynaecologists was on call. "I cannot remain present in the hospital for 24 hours a day. Midwives and nurses are trained to conduct normal deliveries whereas we are called for C-section," she said. – TNS
|
|
|
33% food samples fail in Sangrur
Sangrur, November 25 Notably, out of 34 failed food samples collected by the district health authorities in October, 50 per cent (17 samples) were of sweets and bakery items. Out of 17 failed samples of sweets and bakery items, four samples of sweets — besan
barfi, khoya barfi, patisa and gulab jamun — have been declared unsafe for human consumption by the Public Analyst, Punjab. The samples of besan
barfi, khoya barfi and patisa were collected from Malerkotla while the gulab jamun’s sample was taken from Mehlan village (near
Sunam). All 34 failed food samples (out of total 102 samples collected during the festive season in October) have failed to meet the food safety standards during the laboratory examination on account of being unsafe, sub-standard, misleading, misbranded etc. District Health Officer-cum-Designated Officer Food Safety Dr Surinder Singla said the besan barfi sample had been declared unsafe by the Food Analyst, Punjab, as an aluminum leaf cannot be used for human consumption. He said apart from 17 failed samples of sweets and bakery items, other failed samples were that of milk (four samples), “desi ghee” (one), curd (two), refined oil (one), mustard oil (three), dry fruit (three), “atta” (one), common salt (one) and “dhuli moong
dal” (one). He said “dhuli moong dal” had been declared substandard due to the colour used for polishing it, which is not permitted. Dr Singla said owners of the failed food samples had been issued a one-month notice stating that if they were not satisfied with the result of the Food Analyst, Punjab, they could apply to the designated
officer-cum-DHO for getting their samples retested from the Referral Food Laboratory,
Ghaziabad, the result of which could not be challenged anywhere.
Report card * 102 samples were collected during the festive season in October. Out of these, 34 failed laboratory test *
These failed to meet the food safety standards on account of being unsafe, sub-standard, misleading, misbranded etc *
Out of 34 failed food samples, 50 per cent were of sweets and bakery items *
Other failed samples were that of milk, desi ghee, curd, refined oil, mustard oil, dry fruit,
atta, common salt and dhuli moong dal
|
|
|
Warring Khera villagers write to Prime Minister
Muktsar, November 25 Harsimrat Kaur Badalhad adopted Mann village on November 15, which is located near her native village,
Badal. In the letter to Modi, Darshan Singh, former sarpanch of Warring Khera village, and some other villagers have stated, “Under the scheme launched by you, Harsimrat Kaur Badal had earlier selected our village, but due to some unknown reasons, she adopted Mann village instead... “We want to inform you that Mann village is located just one-and-a-half
km from Badal village, which has all ultra-modern facilities, even more than any town. It has hospital, stadium and educational institutes.” The letter reads, “Warring Khera village is located 18 km from Badal and 15 km from Chautala village in
Haryana... “Even after being located so close to these politically important villages, our village has poor bus service. About 99 per cent people of our village are dependent on agriculture. We have to lift
water from the Sirhind feeder canal for irrigation, for which we have to spend about 10 litre of diesel per hour.”
|
|
|
1 killed, 16 hurt in accident
Muktsar, November 25 The Cruiser was ferrying workers of a private
spinning mill in Bathinda district. The injured were taken to Primary Health Centre, Doda. Four of them,
who sustained severe injuries, were referred to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital in Faridkot. The deceased, who was driving the Verna car, has been identified as Gurjeet Singh alias Goldy. He was coming from Bathinda towards Muktsar when the mishap occurred. Sources said the driver of Cruiser, Vakil Singh, lost balance of the vehicle, which caused the accident. Those injured have been identified as Veerpal Kaur, Pooja Rani, Guggu, Jaswinder Kaur, Karamjit Kaur, Kulwinder Kaur, Amarjit Kaur, Pooja, Arshdeep Kaur, Paramjit Kaur, Raman Kaur, Lavinder Kaur, Gurwinder Singh, Happy Singh and Lovely Singh. A case has been
registered and the investigation is on.
|
|
Reappointed teachers entitled to benefits from back date, says HC
Chandigarh, November 25 In a judgment expected to benefit more than 5,000 teachers, Justice Grover has made it clear that the petitioner teachers were entitled to the advantage of service benefits with effect from the date of their first appointment in 1994, which was followed by regularisation in 1997. "All petitioners shall be held entitled to similar benefits for the purposes of reckoning seniority and other related benefits in terms of ACP etc," Justice Grover said. The ruling came on petitions filed by Kewal Singh and other petitioners through counsel Saurabh
Arora. The court was told that the petitioners were appointed after selections were carried out on the basis of an advertisement issued in August 1992. "Eventually it turned out that the respondents had advertised only 2,461 posts, but made appointments on 7,737 posts," the court was told. Taking up a petition against the same, the appointments in excess of the advertised posts were quashed and services of petitioners were terminated. Later in 1994, they were offered appointments on ad hoc basis for 89 days. Their services were finally
regularised. Seeking directions for considering their service on ad hoc basis from the date of appointment for grant of seniority and other service benefits, Arora said the period could not be ignored as they had initially faced proper selection process. But their services were terminated due to appointment made in excess because of the respondents' fault. Justice Grover asserted: "The petitioners' cause has been severely prejudiced. They have faced selection process and it was not their fault that the respondents committed an illegality by recruiting more persons than advertised for which the petitioners cannot be made to pay. "In any eventuality the appointments since 1994-95 were on ad hoc basis. The benefit of this service cannot be denied to the petitioner as it would result in the petitioners being prejudiced time and again on account of the fault of the respondents only, and particularly when the appointments in 1994-95 were in accordance with accepted mode of public employment.”
|
|
|
Councillor among 6 get life term
Sangrur, November 25 Chatha was shot dead on February 28, 2013, in Dirba, about 25 km from Sangrur. Those convicted are Dirba Nagar Panchayat municipal councillor Avtar Singh, Harjinder Singh, Darshan Singh, Makhan Singh, Gurtej Singh and Gurkirat Singh. Avtar Singh, Bhup Singh and Jarnail Singh were acquitted due to lack of evidence. On February 28, 2013, a meeting of arhtiyas was convened. An altercation reportedly broke out, during which, a person opened fire on Harpal Singh Chatha, husband of Dirba Nagar Panchayat president Parminder Kaur Chatha. He died on the way to hospital. — TNS
|
|
10 of dreaded gang held in Patiala
Rajpura, November 25 The accused allegedly accepted to have murdered Sohan Singh
Lambardar, father-in-law of Ludhiana MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains, at his house in Noorpur village on December 23, 2011. Those arrested are Guddu
Nath, Suraj alias Taufiq, Chand, Dhola alias Vishal, Sewak, Pilla, Rohit alias Makkho alias
Ranjit, Dilbar, Husan, Mota alias Gufran. The police have seized two pistols, six cartridges, iron rods and gold ornaments and cash worth Rs 45 lakh from their
possession. Hardial Singh Mann, Senior Superintendent of Police, said the gang members would roam around in an area in the disguise of beggars or balloon sellers. "They usually came on foot and armed themselves with wooden and iron sticks," he
said. Bikramjit Singh Brar, in charge CIA staff, said: "The gang members, many of them hailing from Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, are trained in interacting with each other by creating sounds of animals. They usually strike at deras and houses on the outskirts of villages during early hours."
Cases solved *
Murder of father-in-law of Ludhiana MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains at his house in Noorpur village in 2011 *
Robbery at the dera of Abi Mohammed at Kailo village in Mohali on September 29, 2014. Abi's daughter Neki Bibi was killed *
Robbery at the house of Ashok Kumar of Haridwar on May 25, 2014 * Robbery at Darpan Colony in Morinda on October 24
|
|
|
Tarn Taran: Jagdish Kaur (40) was allegedly shot dead at Lehian village, 30 km from here, on Monday over a property dispute between her brother and the accused in the case. A case has been registered against Dilbag Singh, Darbara Singh, Sukha Singh, Nirmal Singh and Budh Singh, all brothers, and five unidentified persons. They allegedly tried to forcibly acquire the land of deceased’s brother Kabal Singh. — OC
|
|
|
Immigration agents booked in suicide case
Fatehgarh Sahib, November 25 On the complaint of the deceased’s brother, Hardeep Singh, the police have registered a case against Jasbir Singh and Pramod Kumar Gupta of Patiala under Sections 406, 420, 306 and 120B of the IPC. — TNS
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
People’s Party of Punjab chief Manpreet Badal today said Agriculture Minister Tota Singh’s admission about bankruptcy of the state’s coffers has “exposed” the Punjab Government. It has contradicted the stand taken by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Deputy Sukhbir Singh Badal on the issue.
The tragic incident of the death of six infants at the newly opened Mother and Child Care Unit at the Ludhiana Civil Hospital can happen anywhere in the state given the shortcomings in the public healthcare system.
Ludhiana: Doctors at the Civil Hospital have announced to go on strike if government failed to revoke Dr Alka Mittal's suspension and cancel transfer orders of Senior Medical Officer Dr RK Karkara within 48 hours.
At least 10 members of a gang specialising in committing robberies during early hours and leaving their victims badly injured were arrested by the district police today.
The accused allegedly accepted to have murdered Sohan Singh Lambardar, father-in-law of Ludhiana MLA Simarjeet Singh
Bains, at his house in Noorpur village on December 23, 2011.
Report in 7 days: Jyani