HEALTH

Doctor attends conference on urology in USA
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, July 14
Dr B.S. Aulakh, Reader in Urology and Head of the Transplant Unit of Dayanand Medical College, attended an American Urology Association conference held at Anaheim, California, from June 2 to 7.

Dr Aulakh, in a statement today said issues regarding latest robotic technologies and management of stone problems, prostrate problems, kidney and bladder cancer, and kidney transplant were discussed at the conference.

Dr Aulakh, while commenting on the latest robotic technologies, which have been recently introduced in a few developed countries of the world, assured that the results of urological operations could be marvellous.

The conference was attended by over 10,000 urologists from all over the world.

The data of success rate in the robotic technology and its use was also discussed.

Meanwhile, Dr Aulakh also took advanced training in laproscopic urological procedures, especially removal of kidney of the donor laproscopically for transplant purposes, at University of Maryland and John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, from, June 11 to 24.

The DMCH authorities claimed that he was the first urologist and transplant surgeon in the region to receive laproscopic kidney removal training, which will be provided at the hospital.

Dr Aulakh said, “With new technique, it will be possible to remove kidney by doing three 0.5 cm holes in the abdomen instead of a big cut’’. He added

‘‘The procedure will be helpful for kidney cancer patients, adrenal tumour, kidney stones and blockage of the kidney”, he further said.

Impatient patients making doctors restless

THE patient-doctor relationship has probably touched the nadir, if one goes by the recent happenings. The violence in Tagore Hospital and the BBC Heart Care Centre of Jalandhar, the registration of a case against a doctor at Apra and a mob attack on a surgeon couple of Ludhiana confirms this.

The problem is multidimensional. The medical profession has lost its dignity because the general commercialisation has not spared it. People expect doctors to be of a noble profession and do not tolerate such commercialisation. Patients, too, have become impatient. Hectic lifestyles demand fast and early cure, which is not possible in a some cases. This makes a patient suspect the doctor, presuming that he or she is deliberately delaying the treatment.

Generally, Indians are not health conscious due to poverty and illiteracy. Due to this, they usually approach a doctor when the disease is in an advanced stage. This decreases the chances of and early cure, leading to confrontation.

Illiteracy complicates the doctor-patient relationship. An average Indian cannot differentiate between complication and negligence. Ramesh, a 22-year-old man, went to a doctor to receive treatment for vomiting. The doctor administered him an injection of Metoclopramide (Perinorm), a common drug for this problem. Unfortunately, the side effects of the drug caused bending of the neck, protruding of the tongue and fixing of eyeballs. The symptoms seemed serious to the patient’s attendants, though, for a doctor, these are common and easily curable with an injection of Phenergan. However, the furious attendants staged a demonstration in front of the clinic and alleged that the doctor had administered an injection of a spurious drug.

These factors are beyond human control and general awareness is lacking as well. However, the interference of “street politicians” into these matters is a serious issue. These politicians, in order to settle score with doctors or their relatives, squat in front of clinics to stage demonstrations. These petty politicians do not hesitate to spoil the careers of highly educated doctors for cheap publicity in newspapers.

These factors spoil the doctor-patient relationship, affecting the “nation’s health”. In the absence of any investment in primary healthcare by the government, the private sector is trying to bridge this gap. Ludhiana has four MRI-scan machines and none of these is in a government hospital.

Assault on doctors affect their morale and many of them have stopped taking up emergency cases and difficult surgeries. Now, they refer such cases to government hospitals to avoid trouble.

Dr Gursharan Singh, President of the Ludhiana chapter of the Indian Medical Association and the Editor of the Voice of Medical People

SPORTS

Hall gets ready for National Games
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, July 14
The multipurpose indoor hall of Guru Nanak Sports Complex here was built for the 1989 National Games that could not be conducted due to militancy in the state. This hall was built for basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, judo, wrestling and handball matches.

Many big tournaments have been held in this hall in the past decade. In March 1994, the 16th Federation Cup Volleyball Tournament was played here. This hall was also the venue of the 48th Senior National Basketball Championship that was held in January 1998. Besides, many other state meets have been conducted in this hall.

After a decade of its construction, the hall required to be renovated for September’s National Games and the local Municipal Corporation decided to take up the task. Handball and volleyball matches of the tournament will be held here. Technical experts of the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI), the Handball Federation of India (HBFI) and the Punjab Sports Department supervised the renovation work that cost Rs 1 crore. The construction work is in its final stage.

The roof of the hall has been made dome type. The spectators gallery now has a Kota stone base and a new railing. Floodlights have also been installed in the hall.

As per recommendations of the VFI and the HBFI, a Palquet flooring has been laid in the hall. Changing rooms and lavatories for participants have been created on the rear side of the hall. The arrangement can be altered to make space for two more events to be conducted simultaneously.

Space for offices of federations and referees, dining room and recepetion room has also been created.

After renovation, the hall will have three indoor volleyball courts and one handball court. Two other courts will be used for preliminary volleyball matches, while the semi-finals and the final will be played on the centre court.

Besides, the Punjab Sports Department has prepared a practice volleyball court near the hall for the participating teams.

Punjab acquatics trials on July 16
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, July 14
Trials to select the swimming and water-polo probables for the Punjab team will be held in the PAP Swimming Pool Complex at Jalandhar Cantt on July 16 at 3 pm. These probables will attend coaching camps at Jalandhar and Ludhiana before the National Games, according to Mr Balraj Sharma, honorary General Secretary of the Punjab Swimming Association.

On the basis of their performance at the last National Games in Imphal, Punjab teams have qualified for the swimming, water polo (men and women) and diving events of the next National Games. The first camp for 25 men water-polo players and 20 swimmers will be held in the PAP Swimming Pool Complex and the Sports School swimming pool at Jalandhar. Another camp for 20 women water-polo players and 10 swimmers will be held from July 17 to August 5 in the Municipal Corporation Swimming Pool Complex of Ludhiana.

Satnam Singh and A.S. Kochhar of Jalandhar, Gurcharanjit Singh of Patiala, Amandeep Kaur of Ludhiana and Balbir Singh of Sangrur will coach these probables. Gurbhagat Singh Sandhu and Kanwar Harpal Singh, District Sports Officers at Faridkot and Gurdaspur, respectively, will assist them.

Meanwhile, a Punjab swimmer, Harpreet Bhullar of Ferozepore, gave a good performance in the 28th National Junior Aquatics Meet that was held at Madgaon from July 6 to 10. In group II, Harpreet won a bronze medal in the 200 m breaststroke event. Punjab’s water-polo team finished fourth in this championship.

ADMINISTRATION

Road project to dominate MC meeting
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, July 14
At the last General House meeting of the Municipal Corporation here on May 18, several proposals on a supplementary agenda, including the one on the controversial elevated-road project were discussed. These items would be brought once again before the House for approval at another meeting on July 18 on the directions of the Directorate of Local Government.

At the last General House meeting of the MC, the BJP councillors had staged a dharna in the house on the issue of road project and disrupted the proceedings. Even though the BJP shared power in the MC with the Shiromani Akali Dal, it virtually had an open confrontation with the city Mayor, Mr Apinder Singh Grewal on the issue.

So the focus is once again on the elevated road, which has almost become a prestige issue, both for the MC administration and the BJP. As date for the meeting was finalised, hectic political activity was on for the last few days to achieve some sort of consensus on the issue. A meeting of the core committee, attended by the Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor, Deputy Mayor, group leaders of all political parties in the MC and others, earlier in the week could not make much headway.

Sensing that strategic alignments must be clearly established before the meeting of the House, the Mayor, Mr Grewal would convene yet another meeting of the core committee on Monday. The BJP councillors would also meet later in the day today to discuss the issues being brought before the House and specifically to decide the party’s stand on the elevated road.

Other proposals to be placed before the House for approval were related to pigs menace in the city, transfer of PUDA colonies to MC for maintenance, allotment of site for day care centre, taking over the staff of PSIEC in Focal Point Phases IV-A, VI and VII, scrapping Town Planning Scheme of Punjab Mata Nagar Part 1, 2 and 3, seeking financial assistance, including grant and loan from National Slum Development Programme of the Union Government for development of slum areas, amendment of building byelaws to incorporate provision of solar water heaters in functional buildings, regularisation of old encroachments, renaming College road in Civil Lines area as Sahir Ludhianvi road and amendment in Sunet area Town Planning Scheme.