HEALTH

300 diabetics examined at camp
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 9 — Diet monitoring plays a major role in controlling diabetes and other related diseases. This was emphasised during a free diabetic check-up camp organised by the Dietetics Department of the Sector 16 General Hospital in collaboration with the Department of Medicine, Sector 22 Polyclinic, here today.

More than 300 patients were examined and given diet charts, specifying the kind and quantity of food they ought to eat. Free blood sugar tests were also conducted. Dr Geeta Khurana, senior dietician, pointed out that each diabetic was a different individual and there was no common diet chart. It varied from patient to patient and depended on factors like age, weight, sex and activity level of the patient. Strict following of the diet chart could help make life simpler for the patient. One should abstain from adopting the diet chart of another patient.

The focus of the camp was more on diet counselling. An exhibition displaying 30 to 35 cooked recipes, which were low calorie, high in complex carbohydrates and less in simple carbohydrates, were displayed, along with the ingredients used and their quantity for the benefit of these patients. Fifty placards, showing various diet charts, were also put up, which highlighted the calorie intake of each item. Nimbu pani, salads, vegetables, lemon tea and some fruits should be consumed, while dals, cereals, milk, paneer and eggs should be taken moderately and desi ghee, butter, sugar, honey, fruits like mangoes and bananas and starchy vegetables should be avoided. Queries of patients were also attended to. Doctors tried to clear their myths about diabetes.

The patients were examined by Dr Pawan Kansal, incharge of the Department of Medicine, Sector 22 Polyclinic, who gave medicines and useful tips about staying healthy. Free medicines were also distributed among the poor and needy patients.

Later, as part of the nutrition quiz, patients answered questions on a form. The results will be intimated later. The camp was inaugurated by the Director, Health Services, Dr Joginder Singh, who stressed on the need of organising more such awareness camps. 

Jacob for mandatory rural jobs for doctors
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 9 — Doctors should not restrict themselves to urban areas but should also work in rural areas. Stating this, in his address on an annual day function of Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, the Punjab Governor and Administrator, UT, Lieut-Gen J.F.R.Jacob (retd), suggested mandatory rural service for undergraduate students.

The Administrator pointed out that nearly 70 per cent of our population lives in rural areas but medical facilities available there are far less than required. He emphasised that medical profession was a noble profession as it gives you ample opportunities to dedicate your efforts to the service of humanity. He called upon the students to go and work amidst the less fortunate sections of society residing in the neighbouring slums and colonies. General Jacob also expressed concern over the recent trend of commercialisation of the profession.

Stressing on the need for launching a concerted drive against the spread of tuberculosis, the Administrator highlighted that TB was emerging as the largest killer, even greater than AIDS. He called upon the authorities to reorient the priorities so as to tackle the menace of this disease. A detailed plan should be chalked out to eradicate the disease, particularly from the slums and villages.

General Jacob also emphasised on the need to give priority to sports medicines. Lauding the role of Army doctors at various levels, he expressed hope that many of the pass out students would opt for Armed Forces Medical Services. He congratulated the students for their achievements in various fields and asked them to redouble their efforts to keep up the reputation of their institution. He, on behalf of the Administration, sanctioned Rs 40,000 for the cultural fund of students.

Earlier, he lauded the college authorities for making a leap forward in terms of starting postgraduate courses in various disciplines. He hoped that even in these courses the college would maintain high standards of medical education and patient care. He expressed satisfaction that construction of the project was nearing completion and that it was equipped with the latest state-of-the-art equipment and patient care services.

Speaking at the function, Ms Vineeta Rai, Adviser to the Administrator, highlighted the role of the PGI and the GMCH, Sector 32, in the development of the city. She urged the young medical graduates to rededicate their lives in the service of humanity.

Dr V.K.Kak, Director Principal of the college and Secretary, Medical Education and Research, gave a resume of the activities of the college highlighting the achievements of students and faculty and their future plans. Winners of various academic, cultural and sports activities were awarded prizes and certificates by the Administrator.

This was followed by a colourful cultural programme, where young doctors exhibited their hidden talents. It commenced with a dance to the tune of Vande Mataram by Rajbir. This was followed by a group Western dance by 1998 batch students. To add to this variety, there was a ghazal by Dr Raman Abrol, an English play Mind Your Language, exhibiting absurdities inherent in English language by students of 1999 batch, a flute recital by Dr Suresh. The other highlights were a group instrumental music performance by batch 2000 students and various solo dance items. The grand finale were the fusion dance and bhangra.

Y chromosome’s role in abortion explained
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 9 — A scientific symposium focusing on “Research in new millennium-2000” was organised by the Association of Basic Medical Scientists’ ( ABMS) at the PGI today.

In his inaugural address, PGI Director S.K. Sharma called upon the young scientists to come forward in the area of research collectively for better results. He pointed out that the recent success achieved in unveiling human genome had proved that no scientific endeavour can be taken to the height of success without the concerted efforts and collaboration between the scientific community.

Delivering a guest lecture on “Human Y chromosome diversity and molecular diagnosis during post-genomic era”, Dr Sher Ali from the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, gave a breakthrough presentation on the role of Y chromosome in repeated abortions. He with the help of various slides exemplified how the Y chromosome present in males is responsible for abortions in many cases.

In the second lecture on “Human genome project and its implications”, Dr Amit Ghosh, Director, IMTECH, highlighted that complete study of DNA would enable us to understand the evolution of man, the characteristics of human beings and causes and cure of genetic diseases. The mapping of human genome would help identify particular genes and it would be possible to identify which gene was causing which diseases, so that the same could be repressed.

Dr Shahid Jameel from the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, in his talk on “AIDS: where we are heading?” stated that nearly 35 million people across the world had been affected by this deadly virus and of these 18 million had already died.

Earlier, the Director released the annual issue of the magazine Explore.

SPORT

Geetika is first in rink race
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, Sept 9 — Geetika Anand secured first place in the rink race I of the first Chandigarh skating festival at Skating Rink, Sector 10, here today. The two-day meet was inaugurated by Mr Pritam Singh Chhabra, Secretary General, School Games Federation of India. Mr N.S. Sewak praised the efforts of the SGFI in introducing skating in the national schools calendar.

Results: rink race I — above-14: boys — Harkiran Singh 1, Navdeep Puri 2, Satyam 3; girls — Pallavi Vashisht 1, Priyanka 2, Suparna 3; 12 -14 yrs: boys — Amber Gill 1, Amandeep Gulati 2, Sahil Gupta 3; below-14 yrs: girls — Chetna Bhatti 1, Ratna Vashisht 2, Nima Dwivedi 3; 10 -12 yrs: boys — Gulsagar 1, Arjun Gaddi 2, Nipish and Arpit 3; 10-12 yrs: girls — Geetika Anand 1, Himanshi 2, Japneet Kaur 3; 8-10 years: boys — Abhishek Bhatti 1, Manjit 2, Siddharth 3; 8-10 yrs: girls — Gurleen 1, Naveen Anand 2, Amber 3; 6-8 yrs: Aseem Jindal 1, Shubham 2, Mudit Gupta 3; girls — Mehak Paul 1, Nooren Midha 2, Neha Singh 3; beginners: Simrat 1, Himanshi 2, Arushi Singla 3; 4-6 yrs: boys — Shivam Thakur 1, Naman Nanda 2, Vipin Mohan 3; beginners: Divakar Kapil 1, Ujjwal Ashish 2, Bhavya and Saurabh Singla 3; 4-6 yrs: girls — Salony Bhardwaj 1, Nupur Arora 2; beginner — Bhavika Wadhwan 1, Devika Singh 2, Sahiba 3; under-4 years — boys: Dhruva Aggarwal 1, Digpal Rana 2, Novya Sood 3; beginners: Ayush Goel 1, Arjun Sharma 2; under-4 years: girls — Arushi 1, Ashi Goyal 2; beginners: Inayat Khosla 1, Simrat Sandhu 2; roller hockey: sub-junior girls —Blue Bird Club, Panchkula, b KB DAV Club, Sector 7.

Badminton meet
Samridhi and Harleen will meet in the under-13 girls’ final while Oscar Bansal would take on Vikas Kaul in boys’ final of the same section in the Chandigarh State Badminton Championship being played here at Sector 42 indoor hall. Deepak Sidhu and Naresh sailed into men doubles final when they beat Jagdish Singh and Tejinder Singh in a semi-final.

Results:Under-13: Boys: (semi-final) — Oscar Bansal b Gurkirandeep 15-10, 15-7; Vikas Kaul b Munish Bansal 15-12, 13-15, 17-16. Girls — Samridhi b Mehak Sethi 11-6, 13-10; Harleen b Seema 11-3, 11-2;

Under-16: Girls — Mala Gaba b Seema 11-0, 11-3; Harleen b Kavita 11-2, 11-4.

Boys — Robin b Narinder 10-15, 15-5, 15-5; Puneet Bansal b Manpreet 15-2, 15-3.

Under-19: Girls doubles — Mala and Isha w/o Nidhi and Samridhi

Boys doubles — Varun and Deepak b Robin and Paras 15-1, 15-10.

Mixed doubles — Varun and Sarda b Vivek and Mala 15-10, 15-6.

Under-16 Doubles — Manpreet and Robin b Rahul and Neeraj 15-0, 15-7.

Under-19: Boys singles — Vivek b Naresh 15-7, 15-8; Deepak b Puneet Bansal 15-5, 15-7;

Men’s doubles — SF— Deepak and Naresh b Jagdish and Tejinder 15-2,15-12: Vivek and Varun b Ashish and Parvesh 8-15, 15-9, 15-9; Deepak and Naresh b Rajnikant and Amit 15-5, 15-13. Veteran doubles: Raj Parmar and Jagdish b AK Mittal and Kanwaljit 15-6, 15-8; M P Dogra and Varinder Mehta ( HVPN) b Ravinder Talwar and Vijay Sharma 15-3, 15-5.

Football tourneys
The Chandigarh Football Association CFA will host the Chandigarh junior girls championship for under-19 years for Shishu Niketan Trophy from September 22 for local schools.

This meet will be sponsored by Shishu Niketan Senior Secondary School, Sector 22. In October, the Chandigarh women championship for Deepak Kapania Memorial Trophy will be organised.

ADMINISTRATION

Admn to hold series of darbars
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, Sept 9 — The district administration is organising a series darbars to address the grievances of the public beginning from September 11. The series will conclude on September 25.

The Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.K. Monga, will chair the first darbar at the Community Centre in Kalka on September 11. The second darbar will be held at the office of the Block Development and Panchayat Officer at Raipur Rani followed by another darbar at the office of the BDO in Barwala on September 18.

On similar lines, the fourth darbar will aim to redress grievances of people in Morni on September 21 at the office of the BDO and again on September 25 at Forest Rest House in Pinjore.

Residents have been asked to put their individual and community problems before the team of officials.