HEALTH

Adolescent awareness week
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, July 28
With a view to spread awareness among the adolescents and their parents about the physiological and emotional changes taking place in their lives, the Indian Council of Paediatricians has decided to celebrate adolescent week from July 25 to July 31 and August 1 will be celebrated as the Teenager Day.

Neither does society nor the parents give the adolescents adequate knowledge about these changes, how to cope with them and save them from distress. The week was celebrated last year also said Dr Manorama Verma, Head of a Paediatrics Department, Christian Medical College and Hospital at a press meet.

She said, “The adolescents are going to be the parents of tomorrow. Realising the special needs of the adolescents, the paeditricians all over India urged the government to dedicate a week to them and urged the paeditricians to understand their problems and in turn to make other doctors, health workers, and community aware of them so that they can be helped to solve their problems. When asked whether there were any special wards for teenagers at the CMC, she replied that ideally there should be but the space and financial constraints have not allowed them to set up the wards.

She said in the entire world, the maximum number of HIV positive patients were are in India. Similarly, diabetes and coronary patients were also maximum in our country. In Punjab, the number of HIV positive cases are on rise. The adolescents should be made aware of AIDS. The CMC team of doctors will be talking to students of St. Thomas School to educate them about this disease. They also undertake Family Life Education Programme for the teachers and students of Government College for Women. The girls find such courses very useful as sometimes they are not even aware of simple things. Most of the times, these students were busy in their studies so whenever they come for vaccination, the doctors talk to them about their problems and offer counselling.

To a question about the growing problem of drug menance among the adolescents, Dr Verma said Delhi University was conducting a detailed research on magnitude and causes of the problems. But NGOs were doing wonderful work in de-addiction, she added.

SPORTS

Basketball tourney from Aug 2
Our Correspondent

Fatehgarh Sahib, July 28
The Punjab State Basketball Championship (boys and girls) would be organised at Gobindgarh from August 2 to 5, 2001. To make arrangements for the event, a meeting of the organising committee was held here today under the chairmanship of Mr Vikas Partap, Deputy Commissioner. Mr Harnek Singh Saran, SSP, Kanwarjeet Singh Sandhu, SP (D) and president of the District Basketball Association participated at the meeting.

Six sub-committees including technical, publicity, boarding and lodging conduct etc., have been formed for the smooth conduct of the games.

Mr Kanwarjeet Singh Sandhu and the president of the District Basketball Association would inaugurate the championship. An information centre to facilitate the participating teams have been set up at the Police Station, Mandi Gobindgarh.

Swimming competition
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, July 28
A two-day swimming competition for the members of the Lodhi Club and their dependents began at the clubs’ swimming pool this morning. Preliminary heats were conducted today and Finals would be held tomorrow.

All the participants will be given certificates. The Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, Mr S.K. Sandhu, will give away prizes to the winners, according to Mr B.M. Mahajan, general secretary, of the club.