HEALTH

Docs exchange expertise on medical emergencies
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Dec 16 — The two-day Continued Medical Education (CME) programme on medical emergencies began at the Command Hospital, Chandimandir near here today, with the GOC-in-C, Western Command, Lt Gen Surjit Singh lighting the traditional lamp.

In his inaugural address, the Army Commander said, with the explosion of knowledge in all fields of medical science, it had become essential for doctors to keep abreast with newer therapeutic techniques. The CME programme, therefore, formed a platform for updating fellow professionals by both collating and disseminating the latest advances.

In his key-note address, Col S.R. Mehta, Head of Medicine AFMC Pune, highlighted cerebral malaria as a major killer in the country as well as delved on its management with newer drugs. He stressed on multi-drug treatment for the disease as it was drug resistant.

The hospital Commandant, Maj Gen P Dayal chaired the CME. Col C M Adya spoke on Hughes Syndrome, a serious condition resulting from tendencies of blood to clot within blood vessels, which can even cause abortions and cardiac problems.

A paper on stroke in high altitude, a potentially dangerous condition affecting young soldiers serving in high altitude areas, was presented by Lt Col S.K. Jha, a neurologist. Col D.P. Vats presented a paper on eye injuries ranging from mechanical to radiation causes and elaborated on their comprehensive management.

Dr A. Bhansali, an endocrinologist from PGIMER, in a guest lecture, spoke on the management of diabetic ketoacidosis, while Lt Col H.C. Pathak, a neurosurgeon discussed in detail the management of head injuries, including their monitoring, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.

About 50 delegates and medical specialists from the military as well as civilian medical institutions are attending the CME. A scientific exhibition displaying various medical products has also been set up.

SPORT

Easy going for seeds
From Our Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Dec 16 — The seeds had it easy on the first day of the Chandigarh scholarship tennis tournament — 2000, being held at the Lake Club Courts, here today.

Results: Boys under - 14 (second round)— Dilpreet Singh b Sunil Sharm 7-0; Ardman b Viraj Gandhi- 0; Jitin Bisnoi b Kuldeep Chug 7-0; Manjit Singh b Varun Chandra 7-2; Rohan Bhandari b Kulwinder Singh 7-3; Harpreet Singh b Laxly Sharma 7-3; Annul Garg b Kamal Deep 7-4; Sandeep Kumar b Gursimran Brar 7-1; Harneet Singh b Paras Thakur 7-3; Yuvraj b Gursher Harika 7-2; Deepinder Singh b Vishav Partap 7-5; Manjit Dani b Jatinder Thakur 7-6; Pritam Singh b Simeervir 7-3; Sanam K Singh b Ramankant 7-0; Izreek Singh b Sandeep Ray 7-2; Karan Patnaik b Rajkanwar Singh 7-5.

Boys under-10: Ishan Thukral b Vidur Malik 6-1; Amit Chauhan b Sahil Singla 6-1; Shahbaz Singh b Bhavneet Singh 6-2; Sidharath Singh b Abheet Singh 6-4; Shiva Sangwan b Mandeep Yadav 6-1; Uday Karan b Akshay Chopra 6-0; Mehtab Cheema b Arjun Gauba 6-1; Arjun Sehgal b Sandeep Chugh 6-2

Boys under-18 (first round) — Prabjeet Singh b Vishav Partap 6-1; Gursher Harika b Vikas Doshi 7-2; Pritam Singh b Varun Chandra 7-1; Dilpreet Gill b Hardan Singh 7-1; Paras Thakur b Simeervir 7-4; Sandeep Kumar b Izreek Kumar 7-6; Sarthak b Karan Pathnaik 7-3.

Girls under-14 (first round) — Neha Singh b Gajal Verma 6-0; Taskeen Bains b Kusum Thakur 6-0; Alpit Sandhu b Mehak 6-0; Simer b Sonia Sharma 6-0; Bahar Paul b Aneurina Kapoor 6-0; Inayat Khosla b Gungeet Bains 6-3; Reenat Sandhu b Nishu Dhanda 6-5(4).

PANCHKULA

Cricket tourney
Hosts Satluj Public School, Sector 4, will take on Little Flower Convent School, Sector 14, in the final of Satluj Cricket Tournament tomorrow. The prizes will be given by Mr Bhupinder Singh (senior), former Indian cricketer.

Gill is honorary secy of CRA
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Dec 16 — Mr P.S. Gill of the State Transport Authority is the new honorary secretary of the Chandigarh Rowing Association.

The resignation of Mr Kailash Nath was finally accepted by the CRA. “I could not fulfil my duties as I was keeping indifferent health. There is tremendous potential for rowing in the region and for it to be tapped there was a need for a younger man. Mr Gill is an able sports administrator and I am sure will help the CRA do much more for rowing in Chandigarh.”

Mr Nath had been associated with rowing since 1960. Mr Gill had earlier organised the India International Cup in judo in 1998. He is also the director of football academy. 

ADMINISTRATION

FIRs sans hassle, says new SP
From Our Correspondent

SAS NAGAR, Dec 16 — There is no need to hide the incidence of crime and every case should be registered, the new SP, Mr Gurmeet Singh Chauhan, said here today.

Mr Chauhan, who took charge on Wednesday evening, said stress would be laid on the registration of FIRs without any hassles. “There will be free registration of cases,” he said.

There was a concept, the SP said, that a high number of cases registered was a reflection on police ineffectiveness. However, he disagreed with this. When a town developed and the population grew, the number of crimes was bound to increase.

Mr Chauhan said sometimes people took advantage and got false. FIRs registered. He cautioned that in such cases action would be taken under the law.

He said emphasis would be laid on the investigation of the pending cases. He said there was a shortage of staff and vehicles. Some NGOs from the Border Range had been deputed but they had not settled down yet. However, efforts would be made to get the best out of whatever resources the police had. The focus would be on basic policing, the regulation of traffic and the parking problem.

Mr Chauhan said to begin with, police personnel had ben asked to give guidance to the public on traffic rules instead of going in for “rapid challenging.”

A special traffic campaign would be carried out off and on in which even personnel posted at the police stations would be involved. There would be surprise checks to curb violation of the traffic rules. He said a decision would be taken shortly about on-the-spot fines.

Mr Chauhan said personnel were carrying out night duties and nakas and beats were being regularly checked.

Four more tubewells to be sunk in SAS Nagar
From Our Correspondent

SAS NAGAR, Dec 16 — The local Municipal Council has asked the Public Health Department (PHD) to clean the entire sewer and stormwater drainage systems in the town by March 31 next year.

Mr Kulwant Singh, president of the council, said today that the two systems were likely to get choked if proper attention was not paid to these. At a meeting with PHD officials yesterday the president had asked them to first clean the mainline of the sewer system and then the internal network. The work should be done on a war-footing and undertaken phasewise.

He told the PHD officials that the council should be informed about the progress of the work so that it could carry out a check. The total length of the two systems (excluding Sector 70 and 71) is around 300 km.

The president said for a housing board colony in Phase XI the council had already paid Rs 21 lakh to the PHD to set right the defects in the stormwater drainage system and the sewerage. However, the work undertaken was not satisfactory and the council would not pay more to put the systems in order.

To tackle the water shortage problem, Mr Kulwant Singh said it was decided at the meeting that four new tubewells would be sunk in the town. Work on four other tubewells was already in progress. He told the officials that he did not want any complaints from consumers on the drinking water front.

Mr Kulwant Singh said the council would write to the PUDA authorities for the early laying of the water pipeline from Kajauli. He would also meet the officials concerned in this connection.

At the meeting the issue of the hike in the water charges was also taken up. The Public Health Executive Engineer concerned, Mr S.S. Ghuman, said with the levying of the new charges the income next year would be around Rs 4.25 crore against an expenditure of about Rs 4 crore yearly as electricity bills for running the tubewells.

The council president asked the officials to immediate plug leakages in water pipes in various places in the town.

Purchase of equipment for PGI okayed
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Dec 16 — The purchase committee of the PGI, in a meeting held here today, gave a green signal to most of the items on its agenda to purchase latest equipment, besides exhaustive plans to modernise and upgrade the hospital facilities, in the current financial year.

The items in the agenda include a state-of-the-art cardiac cath laboratory, a digital X-Ray machine for the gastroenterology division of the Radiology Department, ventilators, including a high frequency ventilator, and two for the neonate and a video bronchoscope system for the Paediatrics Department.

The cath laboratory will cost around Rs 5 crore and the X-ray machine will be purchased at an estimated cost of Rs 1 crore. The amount for the cardiac cath laboratory will come from the money already sanctioned for the advanced centres. The other equipment will be purchased from the grant sanctioned to the institute annually by the Government of India.

The purchase committee also gave a go-ahead for an ultrasound machine for the Gynecology Department, one haemodialysis machine for Nephrology Department , some sophisticated machines for the Experimental Medicine Department and blood gas analysers and vital sign monitors for the Paediatrics Department.

The PGI, in the near future, will also purchase latest equipment for its Oral Health Services Department and Surgical Department. According to sources, during the meeting, there were also discussions about replacement of the old telephone exchange, besides purchasing computers for the various departments in the institute.