HEALTH

Little liquor good for heart
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Dec 26 — If you are fond of drinking and want a spiritful New Year Eve and yet apprehensive about the bad effects, there is a hope, of course with one condition. Thodi thodi piya karo. Only a small amount of liquor can just not only be harmless, it may rather be beneficial.

According to Dr Murtaza Chisti, a leading cardiologist and Chief Cardiac Surgeon in Sigma Heart Centre here, liquor if taken in moderate proportions can be beneficial for the heart. “In fact moderate quantity of alcohol can reduce some heart ailments”, he opines.

Dr Chisti while arguing that preferably people should avoid alcohol, but given the fondness of people in Punjab for the drinks, it is necessary that the consumption should be regulated. He disclosed that during his stay for about two years in Ludhiana, the patients coming from most parts of the state with serious heart ailments have generally one question. Can we take liquor? Such questions are asked by even those patients who undergo open heart and bypass surgeries.

The surgeon said, besides relaxing the stress, small and moderate quantity of alcohol can also reduce the bad cholestral and increase the good cholestral. But how much is too much? About 30 ml of ethyl alcohol corresponding to two ounces of whisky or 300 ml of beer is alright.

However, Dr Chisti advises that this in no way it justifies consumption of liquor as it usually becomes harmful since most people do not observe any discipline while drinking. He pointed out, alcohol otherwise effects almost the entire system of the body and no organ remains unscathed. The excessive use of alcohol usually leads to cardiomyopathy.

But Dr Chisti also warns against the sudden and instant withdrawal from liquor. As too much of liquor at one time is harmful, a person used to taking liquor should not stop it instantly as it can have harmful effects. In fact this can lead to heart arrest and haemorhage.

Quoting various studies Dr Chisti said, there is a significantly higher incidence of high blood pressure among those who consume more than two ounces of ethanol a day, which translates into four ounces of whiskey, 16 ounces of wine or 48 ounces of beer. Abrupt withdrawal of alcohol from those consuming large amounts on a regular basis may cause the condition known as delirium tremens which is associated with a significant risk of cardiac arrest.

On the other hand, Dr N.K. Khetarpaul, who runs a drug deaddiction centre at Hisar, there should be absolute no to alcohol. Even a small quantity can make one addict. Because, he argues, one can never be sure whether a person will stop at the desired level. And some people have a tendency towards addiction, he warns.

Dr Khetarpaul said, from his experience with various alcoholics he has gathered that even a small amount can again attract a person to the alcohol. So one should always keep away from it. 

SPORT

Primary school sports
From Our Correspondent

DORAHA, Dec 26 — Primary School, Buani, was awarded the trophy for overall best performance in the annual primary school sports of Doraha block organised on the premises of Primary School, Dhamot Kalan village. Nearly 200 students participated in the meet. Mr Chajja Singh Gill, Block Education Officer, gave away the prizes to the winners.

In kabaddi (boys), Buani school secured first place, while Sihora school stood second. Again in kabaddi (girls), Buani school stood first and Primary School, Sihora, secured second place.

In kho-kho (boys), Buani school stood first and Ghudani Kalan school was declared second. In kho-kho (girls), Buani school came first and Sihora school stood second. In athletics, Bilaspur school secured first place.

In 100-m race, Bilaspur school and Khaira school bagged first and second positions, respectively. In 200-m race, Bilaspur school stood first and Ghudani Kalan school bagged second position. The overall trophy was won by Buani school.

Sports meet:
The results of the annual sports meet of Sant Ishar Singh Memorial Public School Karamsar, Rara Sahib, are as under:

In boys section (senior): 100 m race: Manjit Singh 1, Sarwan Singh 2; 1200 m race: Kuldip Singh 1, Manjit Singh 2; 400 m race: Sukhminder Singh 1, Sandeeo Singh 2; 800 m race: Sukhminder Singh 1, Sandeep Singh 2. In long jump: Kuldeep Singh 1, Sandeep Singh 2, Sawaran Singh 3.

In girls section (senior): 100 m race: Balwinder Kaur 1, Rupinderjot Kaur 2; 200 m race: Kuljit Kaur 1, Balwinder Kaur 2.

In Over-All House (senior and junior): Sahibazda Jujhar Singh House 1, Sahibzada Fateh Singh House 2, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh House 3. In Over-All House (Sub-Junior): Ajit Singh House 1, Fateh Singh House 2, Jhujhar Singh House 3.

Best athletes : In boys (senior): Kuldeep Singh, Manjit Singh; boys (junior): Bikramjit Singh; boys (sub-junior): Akashdeep Singh; girls (senior): Harsimran Kaur, Jaswinder Kaur, Balwinder; girls (junior): Parnit Kaur; girls (sub-junior): Manpreet Kaur.

Cricket tourney
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Dec 26 — Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS), PAU, defeated Sanatan Vidya Mandir (SVM) School, by 31 runs on the fourth day of the Parle-G Cricket Tournament, here today.

GMSSS won the toss and elected to bat first. They were all out for 151 in 34.1 overs. In reply, SVM were all out for 120 in 26.5 overs.

Vikas from GMSSS scored 27 runs while Jagdeep and Jaspreet scored 17 runs each. The GMSSS bowlers Lalit and Manpreet got four wickets each.

ADMINISTRATION

Bio-medical waste disposal centre for city
By Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, Dec 26 — A privately set up and run bio-medical waste disposal system, the first ever in the state, will come up in the city in next four months. The municipal corporation had already floated tenders for the project and work would start in the middle of next month.

With the implementation of Bio-Medical Waste (management and handling) Rules 1998, notified by the Government of India, Ministry of Environment and Forests, under Sections 6, 8 and 25 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, it has become mandatory for all hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, veterinary hospitals, dispensaries and other such institutions to dispose off bio-medical waste, strictly as per the provisions made under the said rules, within a fixed time frame.

In a high level meeting convened by Mr Rajan Kashyap, Principal Secretary to Government of Punjab, Department of Science, Technology, Environment and Non-Convertible Energy at Chandigarh recently, need was stressed for urgent action by the concerned local bodies in identifying sites for development of common facilities for proper disposal of bio-medical waste, generated by medical institutions during diagnosis and treatment of human beings and animals or research activities.

Bio-medical waste, identified under the said rules which needed to be disposed off properly and scientifically included used needles, syringes, solid waste, disposable cotton and bandages, anatomical waste, discarded medicines and chemical waste. The indiscriminate and unscientific disposal, it was emphasised in the meeting, could pose a serious threat to public health.

The meeting was attended, among others, by senior officers of department of Local Bodies, Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education and Research, Science, Technology, Environment and Non-Convertible Energy, Punjab Pollution Control Board, Punjab Health Systems Corporation, Medical Superintendents of Government Medical Colleges at Amritsar and Faridkot and the Commissioners of all the four municipal corporations.

After detailed discussion, it was decided to develop disposal facilities at Ludhiana, with provisions to cater to the requirement of the city, in addition to an area within a 100 kilometre radius, which would practically include all major towns in the state. To see the project through, a committee was set up under the chairmanship of Dr S.S.Sandhu, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, with the Deputy Director, Waste Management, Punjab Health Systems Corporations Ltd as its member secretary.

Speaking to Ludhiana Tribune, Dr Sandhu told that the centre would be set up on the pattern of those operating in Hyderabad, entailing nominal financial burden on the hospitals and other medical and research institutions. He said necessary land (between 1 to 1.5 acre) would be made available to the agency in Jamalpur and the facility would be developed and run by the private sector, purely on commercial pattern through collections from hospitals and nursing homes, on the basis of their bed strength.

According to Dr Sandhu, once the project of bio-medical waste disposal was functional, the MC would maintain a proper computerised management information system (MIS) in order to monitor the implementation of the rules by the government, as well as the private institutions. In addition, the Punjab Pollution Control Board would supervise the implementation of the bio-medical waste disposal rules and invoke penal action against defaulters.