The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

HEALTH

Pacemaker can prevent sudden deaths: cardiologist
Chitleen K. Sethi
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 8
More than 14 lakh people in the country die each year due to sudden death or ventricular infibrilation. Heart specialists now believe that since patients with heart problems are more prone to instances of sudden death than others, they should be advised to get a pacemaker implanted

Dr T.S. Kler, senior consultant of Interventional Cardiology and Head of Department of Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology at the Escorts Heart Institute in New Delhi, says that more than 25,000 patients need a pacemaker each year, whereas less than 8,000 pacemakers are being implanted in patients all over the country in one year. ‘‘Even a bypass surgery is not a safety measure against sudden deaths which occur due to very different reasons’’,he says.

Heart’s electric generation is responsible for conduction of waves through the heart which cause its contraction. Arrthmya is a condition in which due to faulty electric system the heart beats at a rate either much higher than the normal 60 to 100 beats a minute or much slower. When the heart beats more than a 100 times a minute, the condition is called tachy cardia and when it beats less than 60 times a minute, the condition is called brady cardia.

There are normal physiological reasons that the heart can get into an arrthmya like sleep or exercising but in many cases the patient complains of excessive or low heart beat in day-to-day working. Symptoms of arrthmya generally include tiredness, exertion and episodes of unconsciousness, a condition which is a major cause of worry for the cardiologist.

The main reasons for brady cardia can be a coronary artery disease which leads to the weakening of heart muscles or degeneration of the system with age. However, the condition is also found in many young people too. Rarely is the condition congenital, but it occurs in those newborns who have a congenital heart block. Dr Kler says although a simple ECG is enough to tell a doctor that the patient is suffering from brady or tachy cardia there are cases when the patient has to be monitored for a day. Implantation of pacemaker is the solution.

‘Bypass surgery not a safety measure’
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 8
More than 14 lakh persons in the country die each year due to sudden death or ventricular infibrilation. Heart specialists are now increasingly believing that since patients with heart problems are more prone to instances of sudden death than others, these patients should be advised to get a pacemaker implanted in order to avoid situations which can lead to sudden death.

Dr T.S Kler, who is a senior consultant in interventional cardiology and Head of the Department of Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology at the Escorts Heart Institute in New Delhi, explains that while more than 25,000 patients each year need a pacemaker, less than 8,000 pacemakers are being implanted in patients all over the country in one year. ‘‘Even a bypass surgery is not a safety measure against sudden deaths which occur due to very different reasons’’, he says.

Seminar on role of communication in public health
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 8
The Department of Mass Communication, Panjab University, is organising a workshop on the ‘Role of Communication in Public Health’ in the light of the recent outbreak of the pneumonic plague in collaboration with the Regional Institute of Public Health, Chandigarh, on April 13, 2002 at the ICSSR Complex, PU.

Representatives from all prominent local newspapers, news agencies, TV channels, including Doordarshan, and AIR will be participating in the workshop.

Other participants will include senior officials connected with public health from the Governments of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttaranchal and UT Administration, Chandigarh and also representatives of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, World Health Organisation’s office in the country and eminent doctors of the PGI.

A report on the discussions held at the workshop will also be compiled.

Delegation meets Health Secy
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 8
A centre of excellence, strengthening of the Indian System of Medicines (ISM) Department, cultivation of medicinal plants and setting up of a herb garden are among the several proposals made for promotion of Chandigarh as a destination for health tourism.

These points were brought out during a presentation made by a delegation led by Mr D.S. Jaspal, Chairman, Society for Promotion of Health Tourism in North West India. He, accompanied by Mr B.K. Srivastava, Secretary, Punjab Government, called upon Mr Karan A. Singh, Health Secretary, Chandigarh Administration, and Mr G.K. Marwaha, Chairman, CITCO.

Mr Singh and Mr Marwaha responded positively and wanted to proceed ahead with the concept by inviting people associated with Indian systems of medicine and health tourism projects. Mr Vivek Atray, Joint Secretary (Health), UT, Dr Gulshan Sharma, Director, ITFT, Dr Madan Gulati from the ISM Department, Chandigarh, Giani Gurcharan Singh from Ayurveda and Herbal House and Mr Naresh Thakur from Thakur Tours and Travels, also put their points across.

SPORTS

Young Zorawar creates sensation
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, April 8
It was a bright day for Chandigarhians when Zorawar Singh Thiara (4½) created sensation by bringing glory to the city, as he romped home with a gold medal in a prestigious horse show of the North India, named Delhi Horse Show, held last evening at the Army Riders and Polo Club in Nickolson Ranges, Delhi Cantonment.

Zorawar took to riding when he was just two-and-a-half-year-old under the guidance of Beeya Vohra at Campa Cola Riding School, Industrial Area. He was the youngest rider in the horse show. He performed under the floodlights. More than 20 riders below 12, drawn from entire India, took part in the show.

His father Ajay Thiara said Zorawar wants to be a polo player and also intends to compete in various dressage shows in the country. At present, Zorawar is being trained by riding instructor Qadir Khan.

Another rider from city, Meher Sidhu (13) and a class VIII student of Vivek High School, Sector 38, also impressed with her performance when she secured the third place in the above show in the girls’ section in the age group (13-16). Meher has been regularly participating in the show for the past three years. She has been learning riding for the past five years under Ms Beeya Vohra. Her father told this reporter that Meher, too, wants to excel at national level in future.

ADMINISTRATION

Order on dry leaves
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 8
In order to properly dispose of dry leaves falling from the trees during the spring season, the Chandigarh Administration today issued guidelines to be followed by the occupants of all government buildings and institutions within its jurisdiction.

As per the order, the occupants of non-residential buildings and institutions shall not burn the leaves. Instead, they shall dig up a pit on one corner of their premises so as to put the dry leaves into it. The size of the pit shall be decided on the basis of number of trees available within their premises. The order further says that the social institutions, especially, schools and old-age homes, shall take adequate safety measures to ensure that the pits are suitably guarded by barbed wire fencing.

The steps taken by the UT Administration would not only help in minimising the pollution level but also be helpful in negating the possible threat to human lives, property and traffic hazards.

Curbs on watering lawns, parks
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, April 8
The Deputy Commissioner, Ms Jyoti Arora, has directed that watering of lawns and parks in the city be discontinued from 5 to 9 in the morning. The residents have also been asked not to wash their vehicles during this period.

She said that boosters should not be installed on water lines and leakage should also be prevented in water tanks and coolers so that people may not face a shortage of drinking water.

Steps to check harassment
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 8
The Department of Social Welfare, Chandigarh Administration, today issued directions to all heads of departments, boards and corporations to constitute complaint committees to look into the cases of sexual harassment of women employees at workplaces. The instructions have been issued following the direction of the Supreme Court on sexual harassment at workplaces.

The judgment, known as the Vishaka Guidelines, provides a definition of sexual harassment, mechanisms to provide redress of complaints of sexual harassment and steps to be taken by the employer and other responsible persons towards prevention of sexual harassment at workplaces.

These guidelines instruct organisations to implement policies and establish committees to address the issue sensitively and justly. Sexual harassment includes such unwelcome sexually determined behaviour (whether directly or by implication) as physical contact and advances, demand or request for sexual favour, sexually coloured remarks, showing pornography and any unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature.