HEALTH

Dispensary sans BP apparatus !
By Nishikant Dwivedi

MULLANPUR GARIBDAS, Sept 4 — Broken doors and window panes, leaking roofs and shortage of furniture at mini primary health centres (PHCs) no longer make news. But a PHC sans electricity connection, emergency medicines, sterilised gloves and a blood pressure measuring instrument should be a matter of concern.

The mini PHC here is in a sorry state. A PHC is supposed to have facilities for admitting patients along with a residential complex. But such facilities are lacking here.

Senior Medical Officer (Primary Health) Harbhan Singh does admit that there should be such facilities. He says, ‘‘The building at Mullanpur was for a sub-centre as about three acres of land is required for a mini PHC’’. He admits that the PHC should have provisions for admission but “the government does not have funds’’.

As the PHC is without any power connection, so there are no sterilisation and refrigeration facilities at the dispensary. The vaccines for children have to be brought from Kharar. The SMO says, ‘‘the Punjab State Electricity Board authorities snapped power connection to the dispensary’’. According to him all this was because the government has funds only for paying the salaries.

The emergency medicines and some of the routine medicines are not there in the dispensary. “Adrenaline is the most important medicine in case of cardiac arrest but it is not there in the PHC”, remarked an official on the condition of anonymity.

The PHC has no facilities for stool test and the blood tests carried out at the centre can determine only the haemoglobin level.

The SMO says, ‘‘The stool and other blood tests could be started at the centre’’. Regarding the broken BP apparatus, he says, “I know that there is some problem with the apparatus and I guess its repair should not cost more than Rs 20. I have told the doctors there, that they can do minor purchase after taking my permission”.

Residents complain medicines available at the PHC are substandard. The SMO counters the charge and says, ‘‘All the purchase is done by the headquarters and no purchase is done at the block level’’. He hastens to add that, “we do withdraw injections or tablets from the circulation in case they are adulterated or substandard’’.

SPORT

Haripur win Kabaddi championship
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, Sept 4 — Haripur beat hosts Government Senior Secondary School, Barwala, 26-19 in the men’s section to claim the title of the Panchkula District Kabaddi Championship, which concluded last evening at Barwala, near Panchkula. In the girls’ section, it was Government Girls High School, Jalouli, which defeated Government Senior Secondary School, Barwala, 18-8. The meet was organised by the District Kabaddi Association, Panchkula.

Mr Dhirpal Singh, Minister for Town and Country Planning and Revenue, Haryana, gave away prizes and announced Rs 21,000 for the association. Mr Mohinder Singh Malik, Secretary, Haryana Olympic Association, presided over the function. He also announced a grant of Rs 11,000 for the association.

Cricket team
Gaurav Gambhir will lead the 16- member Chandigarh Under-14 cricket team selected by the Chandigarh Cricket Association for the Haryana Inter-District Cricket Tournament, according to Mr Surinder Singh ‘Baijee’, secretary of the CCA affiliated to the Haryana Cricket Association. Chandigarh will play its first tie with Karnal at Karnal on September 6.

The members of the team are: Gaurav Gambhir (captain), Simranjit Singh Sidhu (vice-captain), Amit Kumar Saini, Harmanpreet Singh, Sumit Dhiman, Simrandeep Singh, Bhanu Moor, Nitin Rathi, Varun Kumar, Tejwinder Singh, Geet Krishan, Harpreet Singh Bedi, Parnav Bhardwaj, Charanjit Singh, Mohit Sharma and Anmol Jit Singh.

Kho-kho tourney
A two-day Chandigarh Junior Kho-Kho Tournament began at Guru Harkishan Model School, Sector 28, here today with Government High School, Sector 32, scoring easy wins in both boys and girls’ section. Earlier, the meet was inaugurated by Mr Harjit Singh, president of the Chandigarh Kho-Kho Association.

Results: boys — Guru Harkishan Model Club-38 b Government High School, Sector 32(B) 18-2; Shishu Niketan Club-22 b GN Khalsa, Sector 30, 12-2 with one turn and 10 points; Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 37 b Government High School, Sector 35, by one turn and eight points; Government High School, Sector 32 (A) b GHPS-40 by one turn and nine points; and Coaching Centre-42 GHMC 38 by one turn and nine points.

Girls Khalsa Club-35 b GMSSS-37 8-0; Khalsa Club-26 b GHPS-40 by one turn and 12 points; Government High School, Sector 32, b Guru Nanak Khalsa-30 by one turn and 12 points; City Club b Government High School, Sector 11, by one turn and seven points; and Guru Harkishan Model Club-38 b City Club by an innings and five points.

“Bigger TT balls a good step”
By Arvind Katyal

CHANDIGARH, Sept 4 —Table tennis players all over the world will have to use 2 mm extra diameter balls from October 1 as compared to 38 mm diameter size. As per the new guidelines announced by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), the idea is to encourage the rally system which creates and maintain the interest in the spectators.

Mr Rajeev Kaushal, Joint Secretary, Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), said that it was right step and even recently Mr Mool Chand Chowhan, Secretary, TTFI, had also demanded this change. The ITTF guidelines also stipulate that the ball must have a weight of 2.7 kg. The balls of new dimensions will be made of celluloid or similar plastics material made be white or orange and matt. Further the ITTF states that stamp on the ball may cover an area no greater than 28 mm, though it may be printed in one or two colours, but the same colour or combination must be used for all balls of the same brand.

The stamp must include the four components namely ITTF or ITTFA, by ITTF approved or by ITTF logo; the trademark or brand name; the inscription “40” or 40 mm; and the name of the country where the company headquarters were registered, such as made in .

Regarding exact weight of 2.7 gm, Mr Kaushal said that the rules specified that for any number of balls in a sample of 24 , the variation permitted would be between 2.69 gm and 2.75 gm. Again for size conformity, the sample of 24 would have variation of 39.50 mm to 40.55 mm. He said earlier Indian players like Manjit Dua, Sudhir Phadke and others had resorted to long rallies which was the attraction point for any match and for the general public, but now since power, speed has taken over, the short rallies with urge to finish the game was every player’s first option. This must be the reason that the ITTF thought of changing the size of balls by 2 mm so that the effects of the speed of ball could be noticed in due course of time, said Rajeev, Secretary, Chandigarh Table Tennis Association.