HEALTH

IMA to decide Sofats’ fate
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 17
A complaint filed by the Punjab unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) with the Medical Council of India (MCI) against the Sofat Infertility Centre and few others for bringing out advertisements in newspapers and other media, has been ultimately referred back to it. The IMA has reportedly been asked to decide itself on the fate of these doctors and their clinics, which are accused of issuing advertisements against the medical ethics.

The IMA is scheduled to hold a meeting next month in Jalandhar to discuss the issue. The meeting is expected to take a final decision on what action should be taken against these doctors as the advertisements go against the medical ethics. If the IMA sources are to be believed the Sofats may be let off with only a warning against repeating such practices in future.

In June, 2000, the state unit of the IMA had filed a complaint with the MCI against several doctors, including the Sofats, who were issuing advertisements in newspapers with huge claims, particularly for ensuring the birth of a child, to an infertile couple. The MCI had referred the complaint to the Punjab Medical Council (PMC). The PMC is currently a defunct body with only one office-bearer i.e. the Registrar. It is the Director, Research, Medical Association, who is the ex-officio Registrar of the PMC.

The Registrar, in a communication dated July 16, 2001, addressed to the state IMA president, Dr O P S Kande, has asked him to take a final decision on the complaint, while taking into consideration the version of the accused doctors.

After a prolonged confrontation between the IMA and the Sofat Infertility Centre, the case had been taken to the MCI by the former. While challenging the IMA complaint, Dr Sumit Sofat and Dr Sumeeta Sofat, in their representation to the council in December, 2000, had pleaded that they were not alone in advertising as there were several other doctors and clinics which also advertised. Moreover, they had claimed that their advertisements were not against the medical ethics since these were only informative in nature giving the information about the facilities provided in the centre.

The IMA sources said that the meeting of the state working committee had been convened in Jalandhar on August 12, which will decide the fate of these doctors and clinics. In all probability these clinics may be let off with a stern warning for going against the medical ethics.

ADMINISTRATION

MC taken to task for faulty sewerage
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, July 17
Shopkeepers on Mata Rani Road here, just a stone’s throw from the Municipal Corporation headquarters, are a harassed lot with nobody to listen to their grievances hanging fire for the past many years.

The faulty construction of the road, lack of drainage chambers, non-cleaning of open rain water drain in Niggar Mandi and certain obstructions in the flow of water towards the drain, have created a situation in which the entire stretch of commercial centre is inundated under three to four feet of water, with basements in some of the shops filled with accumulated water.

Rain, the shopkeepers arrested, brought misery for them. The accumulated rain water, mixed with slush and back flow of sewers, standing in front of shops, made access completely impossible and all business activity was disrupted. Besides, the accumulated water caused intensive damage to stocks and household articles.

According to Mr Mohinder Aggarwal, President of the Mata Rani Road Shopkeepers Association, the road being comparatively low, the accumulated rain water flowed towards the market from adjoining Meena Bazar, Partap Bazar and Akalgarh Market in Niggar Mandi. The shopkeepers, he added, had been pressing the civic body for channelising the rain water into the open drain in Niggar Mandi through a storm water pipe and cleaning of the drain to no effect till now.

Mr Sohan Lal, another shopkeeper, revealed that the covering of the open drain in Partap Bazar by shopkeepers of the area and the construction of a wall on the open drain near Minerva complex had restricted the flow of water into the open drain and remedial measures were called for without any delay in order to relieve the accumulation of water on Mata Rani Road. The dismantling of footpaths, along the market and raising the level of the road were other factors that had added to the problems of the shopkeepers, according to Mr Kala Singh.

Meanwhile, the following have been elected office-bearers of the Mata Rani Road Shopkeepers Association: — chairman; Mr Mohinder Aggarwal — president; Mr Kesar Das — vice-president; Mr Shohan Lal — general secretary; Mr Sunil Mehra, area councillor, and Mr Tek Chand were nominated as patrons.

PAU cancels auction of airconditioners
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 17
Due to certain objections raised by certain quarters, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) today cancelled the auction of air-conditioners which was scheduled to be held on July 19 and 20.

This was stated in a press note by the PAU Teachers Association (PAUTA), which said the VC had agreed to reconsider the decision of auctioning the air-conditioners. The press note further said the VC would appoint a high-level committee which would consider the matter and submit its report to him. The decision was taken in a meeting held here this evening.

Sources in the university said the committee would be headed by Dr V.K. Sharma, Additional Director, Research, Engineering, besides four to five members, and the time period for the committee had not been decided as yet. In a volte-face, PAU was putting 91 air-conditioners for auction, which were removed from its various offices under the austerity drive and were said to be installed elsewhere to generate revenue for the university.

The ACs were to be put for auction at Parker House, the guest house of the university, on July 19 and 20. While the university claimed that the ACs were surplus or old, the auction had raised many eyebrows as the university had deviated from its earlier stance of installing these at a number of PAU guest houses to generate revenue after hiking the price of accommodation in these rooms.

These ACs were removed by the authorities two months back to save the funds spent on the consumption of electricity. The Vice-Chancellor, Dr K.S. Aulakh, had issued instructions to all heads of departments of the university to remove the ACs. In a circular issued to all departments, the Vice-Chancellor had said all deans, directors and officials of the university, including the Vice-Chancellor, were authorised to have only one AC in their office room. The circular further stated that no air-conditioner should be used in any office, departmental committee room, departmental library or any computer room.

With the order the PAU had become the first university to take austerity measures in view of the financial crunch. The decision had evoked a mixed response from the members of the faculty. While some of the members had welcomed the decision, most of them were resenting it.

The PAUTA claimed that in its meeting with the VC the executive members of PAUTA impressed upon him to reconsider the use of ACs at various places of the university. These included laboratories and computer centres. The university had removed more than 200 ACs, out of which, 91 were being auctioned.