HEALTH

‘Women more prone to osteoporosis than men’
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 5
Severity and incidence of osteoporosis is more in women than men. Out of 184 patients screened for the disease during an osteoporosis detection camp organised at the GMCH Orthopaedics Department today, as many as 117 were women. And out of these, 74 per cent of the women patients were found to be either osteopaenic or osteoporotic. In males the corresponding figure was 61 per cent.

According to the Head of the GMCH Orthopaedics Department, Prof Raj Bahadur, osteopaenic is the condition when the bones are less than normal but are in no danger of developing fractures. And osteoporotic is when the bone becomes weak to such an extent that it is liable to suffer pathological fractures, say the specialists.

Prof Raj Bahadur says that reason behind this lop sided difference in incidence of the disease between males and females was the fact that women suffer from the disorder at an age much earlier as compared to men due to hormonal imbalance at the time of menopause. This also is the reason behind the severity of the disease in women, he added.

Speaking about the pathogenesis of osteoporosis, Professor Bahadur said a living bone maintains an equilibrium of bone resorption and bone formation. In post-menopausal women, this balance gets disturbed due to hyperactivity in the process of bone resorption. In males, the disease, however, results from sluggishness of the process of bone formation and usually does not manifest itself before the age of 60. Osteoporosis can also occur in young people mainly due to metabolic disorders, the commonest of which is rickets, a disease due to deficiency of vitamin D.

Other predisposing factors include lack of physical activity, poor calcium and protein intake in diet, alcohol abuse , smoking and drugs like steroids and anti-epileptics

Treatment includes intake of diet rich in calcium and proteins, vitamin D, incorporating physical activity into the daily routine and administration of drug alendronate which helps in decreasing the process of resorption. During the camp, the patients were also informed that milk and milk products were good sources of calcium and proteins. Moreover, exposure to sunlight also helps in getting the natural vitamin D. The diet, however, needs to be supplemented with drugs for better management, especially in the established cases of osteoporosis, he added.

PGI to incinerate waste from nursing homes
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 4
Nursing homes in Chandigarh will start disposing of their biomedical waste in a scientific manner from next Monday. Earlier, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has reached an agreement with the PGI for incineration of biomedical waste produced by various nursing homes and clinics in the city. The PGI had agreed to incinerate the waste at Rs 10 per kg.

According to Dr G.S. Kochchar, President, IMA, the association was keen on starting with the process as soon as possible. However, an authorisation letter for transportation was still awaited from the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC).

The CPCC has issued an ultimatum to all private nursing homes, hospitals and clinics, among others, to dispose of the biomedical waste scientifically and take the necessary steps as per rules and regulations to ensure no adverse affect occurs to human health and environment.

For transportation, the IMA has tied up with a Delhi-based firm, India Waste Energy Private Limited, for delivering the biomedical waste from the backyard of the nursing homes to the incinerator at the PGI. According to Dr Kochchar, the firm had applied for authorisation for transportation with the CPCC and was arriving in the city with the vans tomorrow.

To deal with 10 different types of biomedical wastes the firms will provide different colour bags. The nursing homes will segregate the waste at their end into these bags which will be transported to the PGI in these specially designed vans with stainless steel compartments and temperature maintained between 10 to 25 degrees centigrade. 

MO's concern about cleanliness
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 4
With a view to sprucing up the cleanliness of Sector 17 Plaza, the Medical Officer of Health (MoH), Dr G.C. Bansal, today held a meeting with the representatives of the Sector 17 traders' associations.

He not only heard their grievances but also put forth some suggestions which shall be implemented in the near future for the betterment of the city centre. To begin with, he asked them to place dustbins in front of every shop. Even the waste papers should be burnt and then thrown into the dustbins.

Dr Bansal said that a fine of Rs 500 would be imposed on those shopkeepers who failed to keep dustbins outside their shops, but the shopkeepers opposed the suggestion on the ground that the same may be removed by the general public and asked him how could they be held responsible for the same. A decision on this would be taken later. Dr Bansal also urged them to discourage the use of polythene bags.

The shopkeepers suggested that safai karamcharis should accompany the sanitation inspector who should supervise them and they, in turn, could complain about their being irregular to him. It was also proposed that the presidents and general secretaries of these associations should be given the authority cards to check these safai karamcharis.

For the purpose of public awareness, announcements would be made in the next few days, said Dr Bansal.

The meeting was attended by Health Supervisor Hardial Singh, Sanitation Inspector Rajbir Hooda, and presidents of the various traders' associations.

SPORTS

Controversies mar badminton camp
Arvind Katyal

Chandigarh, July 4
Controversies continued to mar the ongoing national schools badminton camp at Sector 42 with more discrepancies being noticed while the team was ready to take off to Selangor (Malaysia) on July 7 for the Asian Schools Badminton Meet. First the delay in laying out synthetic courts hampered the ultimate aim to have good practice. It may be recalled that Chandigarh Tribune published a story in these columns on June 24 quoting president of the School Games Federation of India, Mr C.L. Negi, that the ‘hova courts’ (synthetic courts) will be made available to the players only after June 25.

Another glaring and revealing information gathered by this reporter related to the June 15, 2001, letter sent by Mr Tek Ram Chauhan, in charge of the camp, to the Executive Director (Teams) SAI, Delhi, Mr O.P. Bhatia. The letter stated that B. Bhobora and Krishna Dekaraja of Assam have not reported for the coaching camp as they were going to Teheran (Iran) for a tournament. The letter further stated that one of the selected boys for the camp, T. Krishan, has not come because he was overaged for the said meet. So in his place Piyush Aggarwal of Haryana was recommended to join the camp.

The two players of Assam were later told by Mr Negi that their names were disapproved by SAI corporate office and their names were also not in the original list thus they cannot be allowed to even appear for the trials. It may be recalled that Mr Negi had also quoted during the camp that only those who had secured any of the first three places in the last national school games were considered for the camp. But this reporter after investigation found that one of the selected player in the final team (Jaydeep of Gujarat) secured fourth place but was included in the camp at the last moment. Sources said strength of the team was increased to six instead of usual five players in each section to accommodate Jaydeep.

How and why Piyush Aggarwal of Panchkula (Haryana) was recommended by Mr Chuahan though he did not secure any place in the last school nationals was not clear?. Sources said he was basically recommended by Mr Ravinder Kapoor of the Haryana Sports Department, posted at Panchkula.

One could wonder that out of 24 ( 12 boys and 12 girls called for the camp), eight girls and nine boys finally reported. Why the remaining seven players in the waiting list were not given chance to appear for the trials at least is still questionable.