HEALTH

Spinal Injuries Centre to start by year-end
Tribune News Service

SAS Nagar, January 20
The first phase of the upcoming Regional Spinal Injuries Centre in Sector 70 here will become operational by the year-end. Coming up on five acres of land, this centre will have 30 beds.

Dr Raj Bahadur, Medical Superintendent of Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Chandigarh, who is also the Project Director, said the centre would be completed in three phases. In the first phase, outdoor patient (OPD) would be made operational. The hospital would have twin operational theatres (OTs) and another minor OT.

Twelve senior residents from the GMCH would be treating patients of spinal injuries. The Project Director said a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, vocational counsellor, nursing staff, the ministerial staff and a driver had already been employed for the centre. Till the centre was completed, the facility at the GMCH was being used. The infrastructure for the centre was being sourced from Italy. The Union Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment would contribute around Rs 1.50 crore for the project. It had already released grants from the above-said amount.

Dr Raj Bahadur said as per a survey conducted on the nature of spinal injuries in the region, at least 65 per cent of the injuries were due to fall from height and the remaining 35 per cent were due to road accidents. However, the percentage of the patients receiving spinal injuries in road accidents were on the rise.

He said the centre would be a self-sustaining unit and the fee structure would be on the pattern of the GMCH. Stressing on the need for the spinal centre, he said most of the paraplegic patients die due to lack of proper treatment. Every year more than 20,000 persons sustained spinal injuries.

The centre would be equipped with all facilities to rehabilitate spinal injury patients.

Varinder Kaur’s kin demand another PGI probe
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 20
The husband of Varinder Kaur, a 38-year-old resident of Sector 27 who died at the PGI emergency on December 10, 2001, in a written note to the Director, PGI, have demanded another inquiry into the matter by an independent team of senior doctors, stating that the family was not satisfied with the findings of the PGI’s investigation team which had given a clean chit to the doctor on emergency duty and that the report was just an “eyewash”

Free medical camp
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, January 20
At least 500 children from slums were provided treatment free of cost at a medical camp for children organised at Colony No 5 today. The camp was organised by the Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College, Sector 32, in collaboration with the State Bank of India, medical institute branch. It was inaugurated by the Director-Principal, Government Medical College, Prof SBS Mann.

SPORTS

MCM girls win badminton title
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, January 20
MCM DAV College for Women, Sector 36, in women’s section and DAV College, Sector 10, Chandigarh, in men’s section emerged victorious in the Panjab University Inter-College Badminton Championships which concluded here today at the PU Gymnasium Hall. Third place in women’s section went to PU Campus, Chandigarh while in men’s section, it was bagged by DAV College, Abohar.

Results: Finals — women: MCMDAV-36 b Khalsa College for Women, Ludhiana 2-0 (H.Sarda Devi b Sangeet 7-0,7-0,7-0; H Sarda and Parnita Verma b Nazma and Sangeet 7-0,7-1,7-0.

Men: DAV College, Chandigarh b Government College, Ludhiana 3-0 (Deepak Sidhu b Ranbir Singh 7-0,7-2,7-0; Naresh Kundu b Touseef Ahmed 7-4, 7-2, 7-3; Deepak and Varun b Touseef and Ranbir 7-1, 7-1, 2-7, 7-3).

For third and fourth place: Women: PU Campus, Chandigarh b SD College, Moga 2-0 (Garima b Sandeep 7-0,7-0,8-6; Garima and Nidhi b Sandeep and Jasdeep 7-4,7-3,7-1). Men: DAV College, Abohar b PU Campus, Chandigarh 3-1 (Sameer b Vipin 7-5, 8-6, 7-5; Aseem lost to Gurdev Singh 0-7,0-7,1-7; Nitin and Aseem b S Khombe and Vipin 7-4, 7-4, 7-5; Nitin b Sandeep 8-7, 5-7, 7-5, 7-1.

Tennis meet

Kurukshetra University team beat Kumaun University, Nainital 3-0, Allahabad University team defeated Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar 3-0 while Calcutta University, Kolkata also 3-0 on the fourth day of the North East Zone Inter-University Tennis Meet played here today at the PU campus courts.

Baseball tourney

The DAV Unique Club and SGGS Club-26 won their respective titles in the men’s and women’s section of the Chandigarh Senior State Baseball Championships here today at the PU grounds. In the men’s final, DAV Unique Club beat Valley Club 4-1 while in women’s finals, SGGSC-26 got the better of GCG-11 10-6. Dr Kewal Singh, Assistant Director Sports, PU, gave away the prizes.

Kabaddi championship

Punjab emerged winners in both men and women section on the final day of the 14th Senior National Circle Style Kabaddi Championships here this evening at the Football Stadium, Sector 17. In women section, Punjab pipped Haryana 38-17. Usha and Sarabjit scored nine and eight points as raiders, respectively. The best stoppers were Aman and Meena who scored six and five points, respectively.

In men’s section, Punjab outclassed Haryana 47-30. Dilber Khan, Jarnail and Bawa scored 15, nine and eight points respectively.

Mr Ravinder Sandhu, IAS Secretary, School Education and Sports, Punjab, was the chief guest and gave away the prizes. Others present on the occasion were, Ms Lalit Joshi, Mayor, MCC and Mr J.S. Randhawa, President of the Amateur Circle Kabaddi Federation of India.

Cycling meet

The Chandigarh Amateur Cycling Association will hold the second National Mountain Bike Cycling championships for senior, junior and sub- junior boys and girls section at Chandigarh from January 24 to 27 under the auspices of the Cycling Federation of India. According to Mr Rakesh Mohindra, the organising secretary, the four-day championship will be held on MTB race circuit laid down in the slopes near the Kaimbala village behind Sukhna Lake. The events to be held during the meet are, cross country, massed start races and point-to-point time trial races.

More than 300 cyclists drawn from 24 affiliated units of the CFI will participate in the meet. Mr Mohindra said a cycle rally will also be organised on January 24 at 10.30 am. The aim was to educate students about the road safety and also to spread the message of reducing automobile pollution. Cash awards will also be given to the best slogan/visual clip display.

School games

Athletics events in under-17 and under-19 have been added to the 47th edition of the National School Games which will start from January 31 at Polo Ground, Patiala. The six-day meet will be organised by the Punjab Education Department under the aegis of the School Games Federation of India (SGFI). Mr R.S. Sandhu, Secretary, School Education, Punjab, will be the chairman of the organising committee.

The total number of events to be conducted in both boys and girls section will include athletics (under-17 and under-19), badminton (under-17), basketball (under-19), handball (under-19), kabaddi (under-19), fencing (under-19), chess (under-19) and volleyball (under-19).

More than 2,000 sportspersons from various schools under the affiliated units of the SGFI will take part in this meet.

According to the organising committee sources, earlier, boxing was also included but since been athletics had been added. The outdoor sports events would be held in the Polo Ground Sports Complex, while badminton events would be held in the indoor gymnasium hall. The players would be lodged in different schools of the city.

In a sport like fencing, electronic machines would be put into use for technical formalities. Earlier Patiala had played host to various events of the 45th edition of the National Games in the 1999.