HEALTH

Dr Bose elected chief of surgeons’ body
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 7
Dr S.M. Bose, Prof and Head, Department of Surgery, PGIMER, has been elected as the President of the Association of Surgeons of India (ASI) for 2002. Talking to mediapersons here today, Professor Bose said that it was after a gap of 46 years that someone from North India has had the privilege of heading this 61-year-old body of surgeons of the country.

‘‘I am following in the footsteps of my teacher Prof S.S. Anand who took over as the President, ASI, in 1956 while he was at the Amritsar Medical College. It is both an honour and a responsibility and I have promised full support of the association to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in their various welfare schemes for the country’’, he said.

Talking about the challenges faced by the medical profession in general and state of health facilities in the country, Professor Bose said that lack of infrastructure in government hospitals in the country because of dearth of funds was one major problem. ‘‘Indian surgeons are second to none but lack of infrastructure in majority of government hospitals has deteriorated the health delivery system in our country. In our country the allocation for health is only 1.5 per cent of the total budget whereas in developed countries it is as high as 15 to 20 percent,’’ he said.

Dr Bose said that it was a matter of concern that the quality and kind of treatment available in various hospitals in the country varied so much that as a result there was no consensus on any standardised treatment protocol. ‘‘One of the main reasons for this variation is that there is no quality in management of education being imparted in the medical colleges of the country. The curriculum for undergraduate and postgraduate courses is not only old age but there is no standardisation or uniformity of it. Steps need to be taken in this direction and if the Medical Council of India cannot do it we are ready to take an initiative’’, he said.

Dr Bose also informed that the ASI would be releasing the first ever ASI Text Book of Surgery in the country very soon. ‘‘This book has been designed to be more relevant to Indian conditions and focuses on diseases common to India. We are also compiling a book on recommended surgical procedures and protocol for commonly-done surgeries in the country.’’

Dr Bose said that there was a need for making recertification of licensed doctors compulsory and to take stringent measures to find a lasting solution to quackery in the country. ‘‘We have offered our services in this regard to the government but unfortunately unlike developed countries where professional organisations play an important role in policy making and execution of projects related to their speciality, in India, such organisations like ours are not taken into confidence.’’ 

600 examined at medical camp
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 7
A free medical camp for the detection of diseases of the heart and the chest was organised by the Lions Club of Ropar in collaboration with Mukat Hospital and Heart Institute of Chandigarh in the dispensary of Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant yesterday. Dr K.R. Sharma, Project Chairman, Dr V.K. Mahendroo, General Manager of the plant, and Mr Hitesh Jain, president of the Lions Club Ropar, were the guests of honour.

After inaugurating the camp, Mr Gurpreet Bhullar, SSP of Ropar, praised the efforts of the club and the hospital in organising such a camp. More than 600 patients were examined by Dr R.K. Jaswal, senior interventional cardiologist, Dr Shashi Jindal, consultant cardiac surgeon, and Dr Uma Chopra, attending cardiologist of Mukat Hospital.

Dr Anand Kumar, Medical Specialist of Civil Hospital of Nalagarh, and a team of the PGI doctors led by Dr S.K. Jindal, Head of the Department of Chest Diseases, also examined the patients. About 40 per cent of those examined were found to have various heart diseases.

Programme to help psychiatric patients
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 7
Psychiatric services under the District Mental Health Programme were started at the Civil Hospital, Mani Majra, here today. Dr B.S. Chavan, Professor and Head, Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, has been appointed the nodal officer for the programme.

A 10-bed indoor unit in the hospital will be inaugurated by the Adviser to the UT Administrator, Ms Neeru Nanda, on January 9. A daily OPD is already operational since November 12 last year by a qualified psychiatrist with the help of a clinical psychologist and a social worker.

Patients suffering from various psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, phobia, obssesive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, mania and alcohol and drug-related problems are likely to benefit from these services. Medicines are also available for free disbursement among patients under this programme.

This unit is expected to decrease the workload of such patients at PGI, GMCH-32 and General Hospital. In India, the District Mental Health Programme was envisaged under the National Mental Health Programme which was approved in 1982. The district programme was started in 1985 in Karnataka and under the Ninth five year plan the programme was started in other states.

The programme aims at providing treatment for psychiatric disorders, easy accessibility of treatment facilities, reducing stigma towards mental illnesses through a change of attitude and public education and treating and rehabilitating patients discharged from mental hospitals.

5000 kids examined during dental camps
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 7
As many as 5000 schoolchildren were examined during free dental checks by members of the Indian Dental Association (IDA), Chandigarh branch, as part of the oral health week celebrations in the city.

The weeklong celebrations were organised by the IDA in collaboration with Colgate Palmolive (India) Ltd, as part of their efforts to achieve oral health for all by 2010 through community and preventive programmes and raise dental health awareness among public.

Contests like beautiful smile, on the spot painting, elocution etc were also organised during the week in which children from various schools from the city and rural areas participated.

In the age group of 6 to 10 years, Aishwarya of Shishu Niketan Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 22, stood first in the ‘beautiful smile’ contest while Siddharth Phutela of St John’s High School, Sector 26 and Sasha of Shishu Niketan Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 22, came second and third, respectively. Manisha of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 20, got a consolation prize in this category.

In the age group of 11 to 15 years, Vasudha of Shishu Niketan Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 22, stood first in the ‘beautiful smile’ contest while Neetan and Munish of Government High School, Lahora, came second and third, respectively. Shivani of Shishu Niketan Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 22, got a consolation prize.

In the age group of 6 to 10 years, Surbhi of Shishu Niketan Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 22, was first in on-the-spot painting contest while Arshpreet Singh of New Public School, Sector 18 and Sonit of New Public School, Sector 18, came second and third, respectively.

In the age group of 11 to 15 years, Ankur Kashyap of New Public School, Sector 18, stood first in on-the-spot painting contest while Ram Shankar of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 20, and Vasudha of Shishu Niketan Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 22, came second and third, respectively.

In the age group 10 to 14 years, Tushar Khanna of St John’s High School, Sector 26 stood first in the elocution competition while Simranjit Kaur of Shishu Niketan Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 22, came second.

In the age group of 15 to 17 years, Sunaina of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 10, stood first in the elocution competition while Satnam of Government High School, Lahora, came second.

Out of the participants of the on-the-spot painting competition, Surbhi’s painting has been chosen as the best at the national level and she would be awarded a winners’ trophy, a certificate and cash prize of Rs 10,000 on January 19 at the inaugural function of the 56th Annual Conference of the IDA scheduled to be held at Bhubneshwar.

Aishwarya and Vasudha represented the city at the national-level competition for beautiful smile contest held on December 16, 2001 at Mangalore, where Aishwarya got the second runners up prize, Rs 3000, a trophy and certificate.

SPORTS

Lessons for yoga enthusiasts
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, January 7
It was more of a learning experience for the young yoga enthusiasts who gathered last evening at the Divya Yog Mandir, Shivalik Enclave, Mani Majra. The yog darshans and yog karma were told in detail by Dr Shashi Shah. The yoga asanas were performed by yoga disciples, besides ‘havan’, ‘yog pardarshani’ and food.

Mr Surinder Garg emphasised the need for good ‘aahar’. He told how nowadays people consumed wheat flour without considering its harmful effects. Every grain of wheat had a thick coating of pesticides and insecticides over it.

Mr Garg said the selection of utensils for preparing and serving food was also important, Aluminium and stainless steel utensils should be avoided for cooking and frying as these left certain harmful ions behind which contaminated food to great extent. These poisonous elements caused various ailments. He claimed that back pain, joint pains, cervical spondylitis and asthma could be treated through yoga.

Team leaves

A 16-member UT shooting team, including six girls, left for Indore in Madhya Pradesh to take part in the 45th National Shooting Championships. This was stated by Mr Vijay Pal Singh, general secretary of the Chandigarh Rifle Association. The team comprised Daleep Chandel, Parminder Singh, Jaswinder Singh, Holinder Singh, Harvinder Singh, Malkiat Singh, Karambir Singh, Rajesh Kumar, Arjun Pratap, Akhil Pahuja, Tamanna, Prabhleen Chauhan, Shaleen Chauhan, Priti Sharma, Anu Prashar and Aarti Mehta.

Bodybuilding meet

The Chandigarh Amateur Bodybuilding Association will organise the 8th Sub-Junior, 11th Junior ‘Mr Chandigarh’ and first Handicapped Bodybuilding Championships on January 12 at DAV College mini-auditorium, Sector 10. The weighing-in and pre-judging will be held at 9 am while final pose down and prize distribution will be held at 4 pm. The permitted age group for sub-juniors is 18 years and for junior ‘Mr Chandigarh’ it is 21 years. Those interested are required to bring original age proof at the time of weighing-in.

Selection trials

Trials to select the Chandigarh women’s basketball and gymnastics teams will be held at Sports Complex, Sector 7, on January 9 at 3.30 pm.

Gymnastics trials will be held at Hockey Stadium. The teams represent UT in the forthcoming 27th National Sports Festival for Women (group III) at Agra from January 21 to 24. The coaching camp for selected players will begin on January 10.

ADMINISTRATION

RPO issued 1,60,922 passports in 2001
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 7
The Regional Passport Office, Chandigarh, issued a record number of 1,60,922 passports during the year 2001, the highest number issued in a single year in the past 32 years. During the year, the office rendered 16,800 miscellaneous services on passports of applicants such as issue of additional booklets, change or addition of surnames, extension of validity of passports, emigration check endorsement, issuance of police clearance certificates etc. The total number of passport issued during the year 2000 was 1,11,624.

During the year 2001, the Speed Post service was begun in selected general post offices in various districts of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. Through this, applicants can obtain from and deposit their completed application forms with the GPOs in their respective towns/cities and, thus, avoid the problem of personally visiting the passport office merely to submit application forms.

The government is taking necessary steps with the approval of the state government to open collection centres of passport application forms in all offices of District Magistrates or Superintendents of Police where the passport applications will be scrutinised and then forwarded to the RPO, Chandigarh.

Punjab will be the first state to have this facility on January 15, 2002.

Training camp for block officials
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, January 7
The Panchayat and Development Department today organised a training camp for the Presidents and members of the Development committees of Barwala block.

Speaking on the occasion, the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mr S. K. Goel said that the development committees had been provided with sufficient powers for carrying on development works. He urged that they must utilise the grant given by the government for developing their areas.

Among others present on the occasion included Mr Rajesh Jogpal, City Magistrate , Mr Rajpal Sharma and Mr. S.S. Dhir.