HEALTH

Slashed rates raise doubts over tests
Shivani Bhakoo

Ludhiana, July 30
The slashing of rates by a diagnostic centre for various diagnostic tests has placed the patients in a fix. While the centre has recently slashed rates by about 50 per cent, others are sticking to the old rates. Some centres which are charging at the old rates argue that it depends on the investment made by the diagnostic centre. However, they maintain that the results are same everywhere.

On the one hand the variation in the rates has benefitted the patients, but on the other hand they have become confused. They have started doubting the credibility of the equipment of the diagnostic centres which charging less. The patients are in a dilemma thinking that the tests conducted on slashed rates may not be reliable as compared to others who are sticking to the old rates. So far the rates for the super-speciality tests like the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the CT scan have been more or less uniform.

Mr Raj Kanwar accompanying his ailing wife at one of these diagnostic labs said, “We were very confused in choosing the lab for her MRI test. I have been advised by my family and friends to get it done from some lab sticking to the old rates. As far as the health of my wife is concerned, I will not take any kind of risk. The rate of an MRI test varies at different hospitals and diagnostic centers. Some are offering it at Rs 5,000, while some others are charging Rs 2,250 to Rs 2,750. I personally feel that the labs charging Rs 5,000 might be equipped with latest technology. But there should be some uniformity of rates”.

Dr L.S. Chawla, chairman of the PG Committee, MCI, said there could not be any uniformity of rates. He said the price of an MRI equipment varied between Rs 50 lakh to Rs 4.5 crore. He stressed that the patients must consider the capability of the person who does the test. He said, “The slashing of rates is a welcome gesture, but the test should be done by a competent professional. The machinery should be good enough to produce reliable reports”.

Dr Chawla said, “A patient generally goes where his or her consulting doctor suggests. There is no law to regulate the prices of various tests at private hospitals and clinics. The difference in rates is quite substantial, but the patient should be smart enough to realise the accuracy and sensitivity of the result”.

Dr Chawla also felt that ‘cuts’ or ‘commissions’ were unethical and these should be discouraged.

Some of the patients on the condition of anonymity said there was a competition going on among the diagnostic labs. “These are the business gimmicks. The diagnostic labs are fleecing the poor patients, but patients have no other choice except to ‘surrender’”, they said.

A city radiologist said, “Transparency should be the priority in this profession. The person indulging in ‘unethical’ practice has no right to be a doctor. The variation in rates of diagnostic tests has made the patients confused”.

De-addiction camp at Kila Raipur
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, July 30
A local hospital in association with Social Welfare and Medical Council, Kila Raipur, has organised a 15-day drug de-addiction camp at Kilaraipur village. The camp had started on July 22.

Dr Inderjit Singh, Medical Superintendent of the hospital in a press note today said 37 patients including three children aged between 9 to 12 years, had been admitted for detoxification so far. During the survey, it was found that more than 80 per cent residents of the village were hooked to drugs.

Over 235 patients suffering from other diseases were treated with acupuncture treatment. The patients were examined by Dr Navinder Monga, Dr Amrik Singh, Dr Ravinder Kaur, Dr Pooja Bhardwaj and Dr Neeraj Katoch.

Need to reach out to adolescents stressed
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, July 30
Senior section students of St Thomas Senior Secondary School, Brown Road, observed the Adolescents’ Day on the school campus today. A function was organised by the Department of Paediatrics, Christian Medical College and Hospital.

Addressing the students, Dr Manorama Verma, Head of the Department, said adolescence was the stage of transition from childhood to adulthood and much attention was required from the parents and teachers. She said adolescents had several queries but were hesitant to ask their parents and teachers.

Dr Verma said with nuclear families fast replacing the joint families and with both parents working, the gap between the parents and their children had increased. She said unanswered question made them aggressive.

Suggesting ways to overcome such problems, she said parents should spend more time with their teenaged children, while authorities at schools and colleges should hold counselling programmes to bridge the gap.

Dr Verma, along with her team, also presented a slide show in which the students were shown the modes of transmission of HIV. They were told that it could be contracted through sexual contact with HIV afflicted persons, organ transplant, using unsterilised syringes, blades and needles but it could not be contracted through tears, sweat, and casual contact. She told them that it was mandatory to get HIV test done. Besides, wounds and cuts should be covered with waterproof tapes, she said.

Dr Sunil K. Singh, Deputy Medical Superintendent, CMC, said during adolescence physical growth was faster than the mental growth, therefore, special counselling sessions should be arranged for the teenagers at schools and colleges. All queries of the students should be answered during such sessions and they should be told about ways to cope up with the physical changes due to transition to adulthood.

An inter-house poster-making competition was also held on the occasion in which students of Classes IX to XII participated.

SPORTS

Swati, Sandeep shine in swimming meet
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, July 30
Swati Ladia and Sandeep Rait hogged the limelight by winning three events each in the first swimming competition for the members of the Lodhi Club and their dependents which concluded at the club’s pool on Sunday evening.

In the 12 to 16 year age group, Swati proved her supremacy in 50 m freestyle, 25 m breaststroke and 25 m butterfly events. The other highlight of this two-day competition was the brilliant performance by Sandeep Rait in the 16 to 25 year age group, who finished ahead of her rivals in three events, 25 m breaststroke, 50 m freestyle and 25 m backstroke.

In the male section (16-25 years) Vikas Sareen won two events, 100 m butterfly and 100 m backstroke. Vikas also won the second prize in the 100 m freestyle and the third prize in the 100 m breaststroke events.

More than 100 members and their dependents took part in this competition which was inaugurated by Mr B.M. Mahajan, general secretary of the Lodhi Club. Mr S.K. Sandhu, Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, and president of the club, gave away prizes to the winners.

Results:

Female: 25 m backstroke (8-12 year): Ashima Uppal 1, Jasleen 2, Angle Chawla 3; 50 m freestyle (12-16 year): Swati Ladia 1, Sifti Rait 2, Prerna Jain 3; 25 m backstroke (12-16 year): Ashima 1, Swati Ladia 2, Sifti Rait 3; 25 m breaststroke (12-16 year): Swati Ladia 1, Sifti Rait 2, Kanika Jain 3; 25 m butterfly (12-16 year): Swati Ladia 1, Kanika Jain 2, Prerna Jain 3; 50 m freestyle (16-25 year): Sandeep Rait 1, Shardha Jain 2, Supriya 3; 25 m breaststroke (16-25 year): Sandeep Rait 1; 25 m backstroke (16-25 year): Sandeep Rait 1; 25 m freestyle (8-12 year): Chahat Sahni 1, Shreya 2, Chahat Sareen 3.

Male: tube race: Karan Malhotra 1, Sahajbir Singh 2; 50 m backstroke (25-40 year): Vipin Singhania 1, Raman Malhotra 2, Jaswinder Singh 3; 50 m breaststroke (40-55 year): Jogesh Gupta 1, Dinesh Khanna 2, Naresh Jain 3; 50 m backstroke (12-16 year): Amit Bedi 1, Randeep Singh 2, Munish Uppal 3; 100 m butterfly (16-25 year): Vikas Sareen 1; 25 m backstroke (8-12 year): Arjun Sareen 1, Amritpaul Singh 2, Aditya Gupta 3; 50 m backstroke (12-16 year): Randeep Singh 1, Amit Bedi 2, Kunal Gupta 3; 50 m freestyle (40-55 year): Dinesh Khanna 1, Naresh Jain 2; 100 m backstroke (16-25 year): Vikas Sareen 1, Harinderpal Singh 2, Manraj Singh 3; 50 m breaststroke (25-40 year): Vipin Singhania 1, Ashok Jain 2, Jaswinder Singh 3; 25 m freestyle (8-12 year): Arun Sareen 1, Sankit Talwar 2, Aditya Gupta 3; 50 m freestyle (12-16 year): Manish Paul 1, Amit Bedi 2, Gagan Uppal 3; 100 m freestyle (16-25 year): Manraj Singh 1, Vikas Sareen 2; 50 m freestyle (25-40 year): Vipin Singhania 1, Raman Malhotra 2, Dr R.K. Aggarwal 3; 100 m breaststroke (16-25 year) Harinder Pal Singh 1, Manraj Singh 2, Vikas Sareen 3; 50 m freestyle (above 55 year): Baldev Raj Verma 1. 

ADMINISTRATION

New sullage water treatment scheme
Our Correspondent

Fatehgarh Sahib, July 30
The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Vikas Partap, today introduced the duckweed-based sullage water treatment scheme, developed by the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology in collaboration with Sulabh International, at Sanghol village, 20 km from here today.

The second unit of this scheme at Chanarthal village would start functioning within 10 days. With the implementation the scheme in both villages, Fatehgarh Sahib would be the first district to achieve this distinction in the state.

The duckweed-based sullage water treatment units would serve as demonstration units to provide training to manpower to maintain the units in other villagers. These units would clean the sullage water in a natural process by duckweed, comprising three varieties of weeds, named spirodela, lemena and wolffiea, besides generating an income of Rs 1.25 to 1.50 lakh annually for the village panchayat by way of fish farming.

Mr S.K. Jain, Senior Engineer, Punjab State Council for Science and Technology, informed that duckweed technology had been successfully tested and adopted in Wazirabad and now was being introduce in the villages of the state where the village ponds were posing a serious source of pollution. Mr B.S. Sandhu, ADC(D), Mr Janak Raj Ghai, DDPO, Mr Nirbhai Singh, SDM, Khamano, were also present.