HEALTH

Seminar on infertility today
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 30
A national level seminar on “Practical management of infertility in 2001” will be held on July 1 in which problems of infertility and latest developments in the field will be discussed by infertility specialists from Chennai, Lucknow, Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Jalandhar and Patiala.

The seminar will be followed next day by a hands-on-training workshop on intra uterine insemination (IUI). The seminar and training workshop are being jointly organised by New Life Infertility Research Centre (IVF), Suman Hospital, Ludhiana, and New Hope Infertility Research Centre (IVF), Vardaan Medical Centre, Jalandhar. Over 200 reputed gynaecologists of North India are likely to participate in the seminar.

Prominent speakers will include Dr Thankam Rashmi Verma, Medical Director, Institute of Reproductive Medicine and Women’s Health, Chennai, Dr N. Subramanium, Senior Consultant at Apollo Hospital, Delhi, Dr P.K.Shah, Chairman, FOGSI, Imaging Science Committee and Dr Gautam Allahbadia.

The speakers will discuss various topics like the status of IUI, increasing problem of male infertility, role of imaging in ART and trouble shooting during follicle monitoring, intrauterine insemination-indications and limitations, sex pre-selection — a scientific approach and sperm preparation techniques.

Dr Vanie Thapar and Dr Vidhu Moudgil, infertility specialists, said the main purpose of the seminar was to make people and professionals aware of the new fertility management technologies like test-tube babies in this part of the country.

The hands-on training workshop, which will be organised on July 2, will focus on demonstrating various procedures related to practical management of infertility, which are being practised nationally and internationally. The training programme will also include demonstration of transvaginal sonography IUI, sperm preparation and sperm cryo-preservation.

Excellent care at lithotripsy centre
Asha Ahuja

Ludhiana, June 30
Fostering the commitment towards premium health services, the Lithotripsy Centre, Department of Urology, Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) is yet another milestone in the quest for excellent patient care services with a rare combination of professional expertise and cutting-edge technology.

Providing a peerless facility for the non-invasive kidney stone treatment, the lithotripsy centre is equipped with the most advanced, state-of--art Direx (Israel) lithotripsy ensuring finer stone fragments, easier to pass out and the Selenix (Italian) C-Arm/Image Intensifier for sharper/accurate localisation in both renal and ureteric calculi. About 25 lithotripsy procedures have been carried out successfully, so far.

Giving details of the technique Dr Kim Mammen, Professor and Head of the Urology Department, said, ‘‘Lithotripsy is a method of crushing a kidney stone while it is still inside the body. In literal sense too, litho means ,‘stone’ and tripsy is ‘to break’. It is a non-invasive and painless method that does not require any cut or hole. This is done on OPD basis, usually without anesthesia. During lithotripsy, the stone is localised with the image intensifier (a form of X-ray) and then the shock waves hit only the stone, causing it to crumble into sand-like particles. These particles are then pass out of the urinary tract.

After the procedure, the patient is monitored for an hour or so and then allowed to go home or even to resume work. To reduce the possibility of stone recurrence, the patient is advised to take a lot of water on a regular basis, ideally one glass of water every awake hour. The stone fragments are sent for analysis and an appropriate diet is advised accordingly. Lithotripsy is absolutely safe in almost all patients. Complications, if any, are very rare,’’ he added.

New surgery services at Mohan Dai Hospital
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 30
To provide better facilities to patients, the Mohan Dai Oswal Treatment and Research Foundation has started two new services — the plastic and reconstructive surgery and minimally invasive surgery with the operating laparoscope.

The department of plastic and reconstructive surgery has been started by Dr S.Kohli, who trained in plastic surgery at the Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi, Dr Kohli had recently returned from the USA after working with Dr Ian Jackson, a world famous plastic and cosmetic surgeon.

Dr Kohli, while giving details said,”reconstructive surgery is important to restore the appearance and function of various affected organs of the cancer patients in which tumours have to be surgically removed. For example, removal of breasts following breast cancer causes a low self esteem in many women. New breasts can be developed by utilising fat and skin from the abdomen or with the help of implants”.

Dr Kohli said that hospital also started microvascular surgery, in which small blood vessels were joined under the operating microscope.

Other facilities under the plastic service included cosmetic surgery, hand surgery, hip management and maxillofacial surgery.

The Department of Minimally Invasive Surgery has been started under the Medical Director, Dr Satish Jain, the Chief of Surgery and Surgical Oncology. Dr Jain said, “The advantages of minimally invasive surgeries include very small incision, more comfortable post operative period and lesser hospital stay.”

Dr Jain said, “Removal of gall bladder, appendix and uterus as well as hernia repair is done through minimally invasive surgery. In cancer patients, it will be used for staging of tumours as well as resection in some cases. Open operation will be avoided in many patients”.

SPORTS

Punjab weightlifters selected
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, June 30
Trials were conducted here yesterday at the Ludhiana Weightlifting and Body Building Club, Rakh Bagh to select the Punjab Weightlifting teams for men as well as women to attend the camps at Ram Garhia College, Phagwara and K.V.M school, Jalandhar, respectively, from July 1 to 21, according to Mr Tara Singh, general secretary, Punjab Weightlifting Association.

At the completion of these camps, weightlifters will be selected for the 31st National Games to be held in September in Punjab.

A weightlifter in action during the trials in Ludhiana to select Punjab probables for a camp for the National Games. — IV

The selected probables are (men) - 56 Kg Vicky Batta - Ldh, Surjit Singh - Gdr, 62 Kg Jasbir Singh - Kpt, Chandandeep Singh - Kpt, 69 Kg. Gurcharan Singh - Kpt, Baljit Singh - Hsr, 77 Kg. Narinder Singh - Kpt, Mandeep Singh - Ldh, 85 Kg. Gobind Singh - Kpt, Tejinder Singh - Jal, 94 Kg. Sukhjinder Singh-Gdr, Baljit Singh - Asr, Amarjit Singh - Jal, 105 Kg. Gurpreet Singh - Jal, Rajesh Batra- Jal, Gurwinder Singh - Asr, Manjit Singh - Kpt, + 105 Kg Dalbir Singh -Jal, Rajinder Singh - Jal, Balbir Kumar - Kpt and Amarjit Singh - Kpt.

(Women) 48 Kg Rekha Ratra - Jal, 53 Kg Sukhbir Bal - Asr, Rekha Sharma - Jal, 58 Kg Lovleen Kaur - Asr, Jaskaran Kaur - Jal, Sunaina - Jal, 63 Kg Umeshwari - Jal, 69 Kg Gurwinder Kaur - Ptl, Sonia Prabha - Jal, 75 Kg Meenu Dogra - Jal, Geeta Rani - Sng, + 75 Kg Jasvir Pal Kaur - Ptl.

The two camps will be held under the supervision of Mr D.K. Sharma and Mr Gurnam Singh, both SAI coaches and Capt. Piara Singh retd. (men) and SAI coaches Mr H.S Sandhu SAI and Mr Kuldeep Singh (women).

Camp concludes

The off-season camp for the sub-junior badminton players of Punjab organised by the Ludhiana District Badminton Association under the ageis of the Punjab Badminton Association (PBA) concluded at the Shastri Badminton hall here on Saturday evening. Fifteen shuttlers attended this 14-day long camp from June 16 to 30. The players who attended the camp included Sahil Arora , Parminder Singh and Ms. Komalpreet of Jalandhar, Ramnik Sharma , Gurbax Singh, Raj Kumar, Pranav Chopra, Sahil Puri, Aman Dhand,Ashutosh, Antarpreet Singh and Sukhpreet Singh of Ludhiana, Gurpreet Singh of Ropar and Jagbir Singh of Hoshiarpur.

Five coaches, namely Mr Gian Inder Singh, Mr Gursahran Singh, Mr Charanjit Singh, Mr Kartar Singh and Mr Mangat Rai Sharma, were engaged by the PBA to impart coaching to young promising players.

During the camp, emphasis was on how to correct the fundamentals of game and basic techniques. Mr R.P. Goyal, Joint Director General, Foreign Trade, was the chief guest at the concluding function of the camp.