HEALTH

Malaria, cholera on the comeback?
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 4
One migrant worker died of falsiparam malaria on May 24 in Guru Teg Bhadur Hospital, while two cases of cholera were reported from Mohan Dai Oswal Hospital, according to information available here today. Both the cases were reported from Moti Nagar.

Tata, age 6 years, son of Dang Shahi, was admitted to Mohan Dai Hospital on May 20, while Ajay Kumar, son of Genram Ram, resident of Moti Nagar, was admitted to the hospital on May 24. The pathologic tests conducted in the Mohan Dai Oswal Hospital confirmed that both of them were suffering from cholera. They were treated and cured in the hospital.

According to Oswal Hospital sources, as many as 32 cases of cholera were reported in the Mohan Dai Oswal Hospital during 1998-99. These cases were referred to the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkatta, which confirmed them to be cholera cases. According to the doctors of the Oswal Hospital, the main cause of cholera in Ludhiana town was the defective system of sewerage and contaminated supply of water.

Besides, four cases of dengue fever were reported in the town according to the Health Department . As many as 152 cases of gastroentritis were reported from various parts of the city. There were three cases of hepatitis -A which included one from Ludhiana, and one each from Mansa and Bathinda districts.

The Health Department took samples of the water being supplied to the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation. Out of 149 samples, 10 were found unfit for drinking. These samples were taken from Ghanta Ghar, Ghumar Mandi, Guru Arjan Nagar, Ravidas Pura, Bajwa Nagar, Machhiwara and Khanna, respectively.

As many as 27 samples were taken to check the use of chlorine in tubewells. Only five samples were found positive while 22 were found negative. The Health Department has informed the Municipal Corporation authorities about the same.

Meanwhile, Dr Rajinder Kaur, Civil Surgeon, Ludhiana said that the month-long anti-malaria campaign had been launched in Ludhiana district from June 1 to educate people.

All the SMOs and para-medical staff have been directed to undertake programmes to educate the people, she said.

Healing the community
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 4
Community medicine, as the name suggests, is taking health intervention measures at different levels for the people of the community. It primarily deals with maternal and child health care, both ante-natal and post natal. The subject has become mandatory for every medical college. CMC Medical College has been active in the field of community medicine for the past 47 years.

Dr Shavinder Singh, Prof and Head of Department, Community Medicine, said that they had identified four areas in Field Ganj, a colony of people from the economically weaker sections of society, three villages on Pakhowal Road and some villages on Jamalpur and Kulian Wala on Chandigarh road for providing medical services to the community. In total 45,000 people from these colonies were being taken care of by the total staff of 10 employed by the Department. There were health centres in the villages, which were looked after by medical officers- a male and a female. Every house was visited by a team of health workers.

During their visit if the health workers find that a woman had missed her menstrual cycle, she is taken for a pregnancy check. Throughout her pregnancy, the woman is taken care of. She is given vitamins and iron supplements and arrangements for delivery are made at the centres at home. In case of 5 per cent of high-risk mothers (due to high-blood pressure, diabetes, severe anaemia, tuberculosis), arrangements for delivery are made at the CMC hospital.

After the delivery, the health of mother and baby is of prime concern for the health workers. They teach the mother feeding practices, inform her about immunisation plans and have computer-based data for the detailed information. Dr Shavinder said, “The health workers advise eligible couples about family planning and appropriate methods like copper-T, condoms, sterilisation to be used, depending on family size. The birth rate has come down considerably in these areas. We advise the mother to choose the pregnancy. Even in the slums, due to constant counselling, the birth rate has come down considerably, though people from UP and Madhya Pradesh have fixed ideas and it is very difficult to convince them to take to family planning, yet the results are satisfying”, he explains. “CMC never believes in terminating of pregnancy and the mothers who indulge in abortions to kill the female foetus, are not provided any help. It is sad that the longing for a male child makes women abort the female foetus a number of times,” he further said.

He added that medical interns maintained the entire record of the day of birth, weight of the child, immunisation chart of the baby. They also advised the mother when to wean off the baby from breast-feeding. Medical officers also took care of communicable diseases, like tuberculosis in those areas. Community-medicine was doing a lot to help people in the community live healthy lives.

Scribes more prone to heart diseases
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 4
“Teachers, doctors and scribes were more risk prone to coronary artery diseases (CAD) due to environmental changes, high-fat diet, change in lifestyles, obesity and stress”, Dr G.S. Wander, Chief Cardiologist, Hero DMC Heart Institute, expressed these views on the opening of ‘Well persons clinic’ here today.

The clinic at the Hero DMC Heart Institute is the first of its kind in the entire region which will be beneficial for the people of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Dr Wander while giving details about the clinic said though the concept was quite popular in western countries, but in India it was still in its infancy as people were not health conscious. In the North India, the disease was spreading very fast and the medical facilities in proportion to area and population were quite inadequate and prevention seemed to be the best solution to control the deadly disease.

Dr V.M. Kohli, Chief Cardiac Surgeon, Hero DMC Heart Institute, said the clinic would be a blessing for the people who fall under the high-risk group of heart diseases and were living stressful lives, especially the executive class. He said, “The disease should be nipped in the bud and should not be allowed to strike”.

The clinic will offer services in the form of special packages which will include the doctor’s consultation and full medical examination with various tests like blood sugar tests, lipid profile, complete haemogram, blood group, serum tests, urine examinations, X-ray of the chest, ECG, TMT, stress screening by psychologist, yoga advice and dietician’s consultation.

Dr Wander added that women were less prone to CAD. The prevalence of heart diseases in them was, on an average, 10 years later than that in males. Women were more prone to CAD after menopaure, added Dr Wander.