The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

HEALTH

New PGI projects may be cleared today
Chitleen K. Sethi
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 10
A crucial meeting of the PGIMER Standing Finance Committee (SFC) is scheduled to be held in New Delhi tomorrow. Other than seeking the go-ahead for some of the projects that the PGI will be undertaking in the future, the matter of delegation of financial powers will also come up for discussion.

In accordance with the PGI Act, the Director of the PGI has the authority of passing, on his own, projects costing up to Rs 50,000. Clearance for any project whose cost is likely to go beyond Rs 50,000 is to be sought from the Standing Estates Committee.

Sources, however, say that at a meeting of the Standing Estates Committee held last month, the PGI authorities were told by officials of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that the project permission limit with the Director ought to be increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 50 lakh in line with the authority vested with the Director, All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, both being bodies of similar constitution. This issue will form part of the agenda of the SFC tomorrow.

A decision on the proposal to increase the “notice inviting tender limit” authority vested with the Superintending Hospital Engineer, PGI, from Rs 70 lakh to Rs 2.5 crore was deferred last year.

Some of the projects proposed to be started by the PGI, which will be discussed tomorrow, include the building of a multi-level parking, development of land lying vacant on the PGI campus, upgradation of the existing services, setting up of a 500-seat convention centre, renovation of the lecture theatre complex, building of an advanced trauma centre and construction of a new operating theatre complex.

According to sources, a number of other projects were placed before the Standing Estates Committee meeting held last month to be taken up under the 10th plan. These include the upgradation of the Urology Department into a full-fledged urology centre, augmentation of the AC plant in the PGI, development of the campus under Phase II, setting up of a new animal house, augmentation of the water supply and the sewerage on the campus and setting up of a new guesthouse, faculty houses and a doctors’ hostel.

Hopeful of getting the go-ahead for almost all these projects, the PGI’s engineering wing will have a large amount of work on its hands. And not many are sure if it can handle all projects well. With projects like the National Institute of Nursing Education, the Advanced Eye Care Centre, the Community Centre, the renovation of toilets and hospital research blocks and the Bone Marrow Transplant Centre still under way, the wing is likely to face criticism for not being able to complete many of the projects within the stipulated period.

For example, two major projects, — the Rs 30 crore advanced cardiac centre and the Rs 20 crore advanced trauma centre — which had been sanctioned by the Government of India under the Ninth Plan are yet to get under way. The PGI Employees Union has reiterated its demand to the chairman of the Standing Estates Committee to hasten the construction of staff houses, Rs 10 crore for which was sanctioned in 1997 by the committee.

2,000 children get deworming medicines
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 10
The deworming campaign launched by the Society for Social Health (SOFOSH) in collaboration with the Municipal Corporation ended here today.

Volunteers and medical officers of this society administered deworming medicines to more than 2,000 students of 11 government and private schools of Kajehri and Nehru Colony.

Dr Naresh Anand, Director, SOFOSH, said that due to unhygienic living conditions in slums and colonies it was important that deworming medicines should be administered to the colony and slum children at regular intervals.

Training programme for medical officers
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 10
The three day training programme of the third batch of medical officers of the UT Health Department under the National Surveillance Programme for Communicable Diseases (NSPCD) was inaugurated by the Director, Health Services, Dr Rameshwar Chander, here today.

The DHS, while inaugurating the programme, highlighted that with this 75 medical officers would have received training under the NSPCD.

Soon after the training the pilot project for implementation of the NSPCD in the city would start.

Regarding the outbreak of the disease, the DHS informed that there was a silent background phenomenon before an outbreak took place. Detecting a disease in advance offers clues to the silent background phenomenon. He felt that detecting disease as and when it occurred and its clustering were essential for disease control.

Dr Veena Parmar, Prof and Head, Paediatrics, GMCH-32, emphasised that communicable diseases were still deep-rooted and diseases like cholera and TB had dominated the pattern.

Dr K.K. Garg, MS, General Hospital, Sector 16, highlighted that with the introduction of information technology in healthcare delivery the health system management would further enhance the quality of care and efficiency in the management of individual and community health.

Dr J.K. Kalra, Assistant Director, Malaria, while welcoming the delegates, stressed that medical officers could play an important role in establishing the early warning signals for taking effective and appropriate control measures in the field.

SPORTS

Satluj Coaching Centre beat PEC XI
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 10
Fine batting by Amit Bhardwaj (55) and Navneet Thapar (41) enabled Satluj Coaching Centre to beat PEC Employees XI by six wickets in the second Salzer Cup League Cricket Tournament at the PEC grounds here today.

Electing to bat, PEC Employees were bolstered by a fine knock by 54 by Narinder Walia and 28 by Rajesh Arora which enabled them to register 142 runs in the allotted 25 overs. Chasing the target, Satluj Coaching Centre got off to a flying start through Amit Bhardwaj and Navneet Thapar who scored 74 runs in just 10 overs. The team achieved the victory in 18.1 overs.

Brief scores: PEC employees XI: 142 for 9 in 25 overs (Narinder Walia 54, Rajesh Arora 28, Harminder Bawa 24, Vaneet Chawla 22, Manav Asopa 16, Jai Kapil 3 for 32, Ajay Bhardwaj 2 for 24, Nitin Mehtani 2 for 27).

Satluj Coaching Centre: 43 for 4 in 18.1 overs. (Amit Bhardwaj 55, Navneet Thapar 41, Ajay Bhardwaj 28 n.o., Sarpreet Gill 2 for 27, Kulwinder Romi 2 for 29).

In another match, Panchkula Cricket Club beat Koshur Cricket Club by four wickets. Koshur Cricket Club won the toss and opted to bat first and could not make a good total as they bundled out cheaply on 94 runs in 23.2 overs.

Panchkula Cricket Club chased the target in just 9.1 overs with four wickets in hand.

Brief scores: Koshur Cricket Club — 94 all out in 23.2 overs (Sanjeev 25, Sanjoo Kher 22, Anshu 20, Bharat Negi 2 for 5, Ankush 2 for 10, Dharinder Pal 2 for 31).

Panchkula Cricket Club: 96 for 6 in 9.1 overs (Anil Sharma 32, Gaurav 18, Yogesh 16, Sanjoo Kher 2 for 14, Ajay 2 for 42, Anshu 2 for 20).

Kits for young football players

Young players of the St. Stephen’s Football Academy could not have asked for more. After defeating Mehar Football Academy, Kurali, 4-0 in a friendly match, each team member received a complete football kit, courtesy Indian Oil, at the Panjab University Football Stadium here this evening.

And egging them on was their director principal, Mr Harold Carver. St. Stephen’s played as a well-knit team scoring two goals in each half.

Lakhbir Singh struck twice scoring the first and third goals. Jasanpreet Singh and Aita Ram scored ones each with Aita Ram converting a panelty kick.

Mr M.L. Toora, Chief Divisional Manager, Indian Oil, who gave away the kits to the players, said the company would do all to promote sports. He said the company would take care of the kiting for one year.