The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

HEALTH

BODY & MIND
Vision mission brings hope for senior citizens
Tripti Nath

THERE is some good news for senior citizens. Pfizer, a premier healthcare company has tied up with HelpAge India to restore the vision of 7,500 elderly persons afflicted with cataract. The project titled ‘Nai Nigah’ or ‘New Vision’ is in keeping with Pfizer’s nation wide commitment to cataract awareness and restoration of sight.

Pfizer Managing Director, Hocini Sidi, presented a cheque of Rs 60 lakh to HelpAge Patron and former President of India, R. Venkataraman recently. The grant will be used to conduct surgeries in 10 states including Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Mr Sidi is confident that restoration of vision will empower the elderly, making them independent.

Through this vision mission, Pfizer and HelpAge India plan to create awareness about cataract, organise free eye check-up camps, conduct 7,500 free Intra Ocular Implant surgeries, distribute medicines and assist in post-operative care. The mission is inspired by the magnitude of the problem.

According to a leaflet published by Pfizer, 80 per cent of the 12 million blind persons in India cannot see because of cataract, which is curable. Cataract is a condition in which the eye lens becomes progressively cloudy, impairing clarity of vision. A large percentage of such persons are senior citizens-the poor and destitute living in rural villages or urban slums with little or no access to any kind of affordable eye care service in the area.

Disabilities awareness

The National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities organised a state level workshop here on Saturday to spread awareness on the activities of the trust. According to the Trust Chairperson, Alok Guha, the objective of the workshop is to create awareness among parents of children who have any of the said disabilities. She said that non government organisations from Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Western UP attended the workshop.

So far, the Trust has held 55 workshops in 17 States including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and West Bengal.

A website on the trust (www.nationaltrust.org.in) was also launched by the Secretary in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, N. Gopal Reddy. The website covers eight broad areas including women with disabilities, activities of the trust in various States, schemes of the trust and forms to enable organisations to register with the trust and get nominated as member of the Board of Trustees.

According to Mrs Guha, about two to three per cent of the total population in the country is affected by any one of these disabilities.

Reiki healing

The Greater Kailash I market in South Delhi has earned the distinction of getting the first exclusive showroom of Reiki- ‘Healing, Pleasing and Energising’ devices.

A healing device available at Sol’abra.

Sol’abra,’ a Spanish word meaning ‘magic of the soul’ was conceived by Divya Bhasin, a gemologist and crystal healer who has learnt Reiki from the Dr Nalin Nirula, the fourth Grand Master of Reiki.

The recently opened showroom has a collection of chimes, pyramids, crystals, fountains, healing salts, stain glass and other healing and energising devices along with jewellery. The collection has been developed with the help of the Dr Nirula and clairvoyant and counsellor healer, Renoo Nirula with the secret knowledge of various energy flows and healing sciences. The devices have been manufactured by their company ‘Starlight’. Sol’abra also facilitates counselling sessions for individual customers to introduce them to the philosophy of Reiki. Appointments are also fixed with Dr Nirula and Renoo Nirula. Sol’abra will also specialise in setting stones in precious metals. “All these healing devices help to energise different areas of life. They are healing, empowered tools and cannot have any negative effects. They have been empowered by Reiki healing. Everybody is undergoing some crisis-mental, physical, emotional, professional and financial and needs to energise certain life situations,” says Divya Bhasin, a Reiki 3-channel.

CME workshop

The Dharamshila Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (DCH&RC) in Vasundhara Enclave near Noida, organised a CME (Continuing Medical Education) programme on thyroid cancer and thyroid nodules on Saturday. The CME was part of the quarterly CME programme run by the hospital and accredited by the Delhi Medical Council for CME credit hours. About hundred doctors from Delhi, Ghaziabad, Karnal, Panipat, Roorkee and Noida attended the programme.

Sources in the hospital said that the first session, chaired by the Head of Endocrinology, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, discussed the management of solitary thyroid nodules. Thyroid nodules are a common problem affecting about five per cent of the total population. The major problem in thyroid nodules is the risk of cancer. About 20 per cent of thyroid nodules can be cancerous. Dr Ravi Kashyap, head of the department of Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences highlighted the utility of radioisotope scanning for this purpose. Dr Aloke Dhar, Senior Consultant, Radiology, DCH&RC discussed the role of high-resolution ultrasound and colour doppler study. Dr M. Sahoo, Head of Cytology, INMAS talked about FNAC (Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology) for the diagnosis of cancer in solitary nodules.

The second session was chaired by Dr S. Bal, Additional Professor, Surgery, AIIMS. Dr Arun Goel, Senior Consultant, Surgical Oncology, DCHRC, addressed the doctors about the surgery of thyroid cancer. Dr C. S. Bal, Additional Professor, Nuclear Medicine at AIIMS talked about the utility of radio iodine in the management of thyroid cancer. Radio iodine therapy is an integral part of management of the papillary and follicular cancers of the thyroid. Dr Dinesh Singh, Senior Consultant, Radiation Oncology at DCH&RC spoke on the management of Anaplastic cancers of the thyroid.

Doorstep clinic

The doctor’s clinic is undergoing transformation in the era of medical revolution. A step in this direction is the introduction of doorstep clinic which has been initiated by the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre. The clinic would provide efficient, effective and economical treatment to the patients at the doorstep. In the first phase, the clinic would be operational in Vasant Kunj, Sector D, Pocket 3 and 4.

Inaugurating the clinic, Dr Naresh Trehan, Executive Director, Escorts Heart Institute, said “by 2005, maximum number of people will die due to cardiology problems, therefore it is duty of all medical fraternity to provide the best available treatment to all sections of the society.”

The Chairman of ISJC, Maj H. P. S. Ahluwalia, said the aim of this doorstep clinic is to ensure health safety of the senior citizens. Not only spinal injuries but other facilities like radiology and imaging will also be made available.

He said the ISJC is planning to provide this facility throughout the city so as to reduce the problems faced by senior citizens in commuting to far- flung hospitals.

SPORTS

Sonepat School crush Kendriya Vidyalaya in Nehru Hockey
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, January 19
CRZ Senior Secondary School, Sonepat made mincemeat of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pachmarhi (Madhya Pradesh) 9-0, after leading by 8-0 at half time, in the 30th Nehru-Nestle Junior Hockey Tournament at the Shivaji Stadium in the Capital on Saturday.

In other matches, DMDG Municipal High School, Valsad (Gujarat) sneaked past Bhonsala Military School, Nasik (Maharashtra) 2-1 while Government Boys Senior Secondary School, Chhatisgarh downed Government KVM High School, Aizwal (Mizoram) 3-2.

In a massacre of innocents, Sonepat swamped Kendriya Vidyala with a flurry of goals. The goal-rush started in right earnest when Bijender scored the first goal in the very second minute. He went on to score three more goals (fifth, eighth and ninth), while the second goal was struck home by Pradeep Antil in the 11th minute. Antil also added the fourth goal in the 14th minute.

In between, Sanjeev Ajmani converted a penalty corner to get the third goal while Naveen Kumar and Yash Pal were credited with the sixth and seventh goals, respectively. After taking an unassailable 8-0 lead in the first half, Sonepat played at a relaxed pace, and scored only one goal in the second half, that too in the 53rd minute, through Bijender.

In the first match, Valsad and Nasik played true and hard match, though no team could score in the first half. Valsad got two quick goals in the 64th and 67th minutes when Dharmesh Patel scored a brace. Bharat Bhushan pulled one back for Nasik in the 68th minute.

Chhatisgarh and Aizwal were involved in a see-saw battle as after the former took a 2-0 lead when Policarp Kujur converted penalty corners in the 27th and 30th minutes to give them a 2-0 lead at the break, Mizoram fought back in the second half to score through Lalhriatkima and Lalchungnunga (2-2).

Chhatisgarh knocked in the match-winner at the fag end of the match when Basant Ekka blasted in a brilliant field goal.

Sunday’s fixtures: Sainik School, Bijapur (Karnataka) vs St. Joseph High School, Calangute (Goa) (10.30 am); MG Inter-College, Rae Bareli vs Agriculture Senior Secondary School, Khera Garhi (Delhi) (12 noon); CAB Inter-College, Meerut vs Government Boys Senior Secondary School, Chhatisgarh (1.30 pm); Shah Satnamji Boys School, Sirsa vs Goda Verma Raja Sports School, Thiruvanathapuram (3 pm)—Shivaji Stadium.

Top teams for Dhyan Chand Cup Hockey
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, January 19
Eight top teams will participate in the 4th Chhatrapati Shivaji All-India Hockey Tournament for the Dhyan Chand Cup to be held from January 29 to February 5 at the Shivaji Stadium. A ‘Hit the Target’ silver-coated trophy will be awarded to the highest scorer of the tournament. Former Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh Varma, who is the chairman of the organising committee, announced that a trophy, along with a cash award of Rs 21,000, will be given away to honour those “who have sacrificed their lives fighting against terrorism”. A man of the match award of Rs 1,000 will be given to the best player in each match.

Eight top teams of the country, divided into two groups, will play on a league-cum-knockout basis.

Top players for HT Golf

New Delhi, January 19
Top players will be seen in action in the Rs 8-lakh prize money HT-Pro Golf series, the 17th leg of the 2001-2002 season’s Hero Honda Golf Tour, to be played from January 21 to 25 at the par-72 Jaypee Greens Course in the Capital. The pro-am will be held on January 21, and the main round will start a day later. The cut will be applied after the initial two rounds of the main tournament with the top 50 golfers plus ties making it to the final two money-making rounds. The winner will take home a whopping purse of Rs 1,29,600. The field includes leading names like Mukesh Kumar, Feroz Ali, Ali Sher, S.S.P. Chowrasia, Shiv Prakash, Rahul Ganapathy, Rahil Gangjee, Harmeet Kahlon, Indrajit Bhalotia and Amit Dube. A notable feature of the Greg Norman-designed Jaypee Greens course is it’s huge water bodies, which threaten to swallow up errand balls. OC