HEALTH

UROD de-addiction method risky: PGI
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 25
The method of ultra rapid opiate detoxification (UROD) claimed by the SAS Nagar-based Silver Oaks Hospital to be an effective, short and safe method of de-addicting patients might not be so.

According to information released by the Department of Psychiatry, PGI, in public interest this method is “not recommended for routine use. Literature suggests that this method be reserved for patients with severe withdrawals of opiods who have failed conventional detoxification treatment.”

Dr Pramod Kumar, neuropsychiatrist serving at Silver Oaks, had in a press conference on May 7(reported in The Chandigarh Tribune on May 8) claimed that the UROD method of detoxification had almost cent percent success rate and involved short hospital stay and no painful withdrawal symptoms.

Dr Savita Malhotra, Professor and Head, Department of Psychiatry, PGI, however, has stated that this method is not only costly but also involves risk and lacks basis in scientific research. “Addiction is a chronic relapsing disease, UROD takes care of acute and severe withdrawal symptoms of opiods. Even after this intervention, patients may continue to have protracted withdrawal symptoms for extended period of time. Moreover, its overall benefits as compared to other detoxification treatments are not proven,” states the press release.

Reacting to this Dr Pramod Kumar stated that this was just one of the many methods of withdrawal and not the only one. Starting from substitution treatment to symptomatic treatments there were a large number of treatments being used.

“But worldwide it has been found that these people are not responding well to the conventional treatments. Relapses are common. The recovery rate for withdrawal was significantly less before the invention of this treatment. This is being used in the USA since 1997. There are many research evidences to prove its effectiveness than the conventional methods of treatment.”

After UROD, the patient has to be put on a drug naltrexone, including counselling for at least an year and may be longer. “The recovery rate of this method as compared to the conventional treatment is significantly more. It is certainly not a magical cure, nor has it been claimed.

It is just a better method of managing withdrawal in a more comfortable way in a shorter duration of time. Going by my own experience, I have treated seven patients in the last one-and-a-half months of tidigesic dependence, a drug being prescribed by qualified psychiatrists to cure people of other addictions,’’says Dr Pramod Kumar.

Awareness camp on organ transplantation ends
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 25
A week-long public awareness camp on organ transplantation concluded at the PGI here today. The PGI Acting Medical Superintendent, Dr D. Behra, spoke on the occasion and commended the efforts of transplant surgery team for organising this activity. He felt that such activities would open doors for other organ transplant programmes in the institute.

During the week, more than 400 persons from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds attended the program. More than 200 persons pledged their organs after their death. Around 150 persons also participated in an on-the-spotsurvey to assess the level of awareness on organ donation. The survey showed that people had low level of understanding regarding organ donation in general and the concept of brain-stem death in particular. The knowledge of brain stem death is important for organ donation. 

SPORTS

AG club beat ICC XI
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, May 25
A superb knock of 108 runs by MP Singh enabled AG Punjab Cricket Club in beating the ICC XI by 81 runs in ‘A’ division match of the UT League Cricket Tournament played here today. Captain Tuli of AG Punjab won the toss and elected to bat first.

In another match of the day, the FCI XI defeated Prudential Cricket Club by 83 runs.

Brief scores: AG Punjab CC: 278 runs for eight in 35 overs (M.P. Singh 108,Amit Kakria 38, R.P. Singh 38, Ravinder Nain 33, Rakesh Sethi 26, Parveen Sharma 3 for 40, Amandeep Saggu 3 for 43). ICC XI: 197 runs for six in 31 overs. (Dharamvir 91 n.o., Gulab Rubani 60, Amit Kakria 2 for 18, Ravinder Nain 2 for 23, Arun Tuli 2 for 36).

Brief scores; IInd match: FCI XI: 256 runs for five in 25 overs (Ravinder Verma 103, Kulwinder 55, Sukhvir 24, Vipin 24, Pushpinder 2 for 27). Prudential CC: 171 runs for six in 25 overs (Ravinder Malik 65, Naresh 32, Mukesh 28, Sukvir and Kulwinder bagged two wickets each.

Netball trials

The Netball Association of Chandigarh will organise the selection trials to select the Union Territory (UT) teams in boys and girls section . The trials are scheduled to be organised here tomorrow at 9 am in the Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 27.

The players below 19 years as on June 1, 2002 may report to Mr Jaswant Singh, the coach at the above venue. This was stated by Mr Ram Sharan, secretary of the association.

The selected players will thus represent Chandigarh in the Junior National Netball championship to be held at Sunder Nagar from June 19 to 23.PATIALA

PCA win cricket tourney

A quickfire 102 by Shivkaran Singh enabled Patiala Coaching Centre to beat Atma Ram Kumar Sabha (ARKS) School by 57 runs in a league match of the Patiala District Hot Weather (u-17) Cricket Tournament played at the Dhruv Pandove stadium here today.

Scores: PCA: 214 for 4 (Shivkaran Singh 102; Rupeetinder Singh 20; Nirmal Singh 45 n.o; Ishpreet Singh 20; Tarun Kapoor 2 for 40; Sunil 1 for 45). ARKS school: 157 all out (Sandeep Kumar 49; Shanker 45; Rupeetinder 5 for 22; Yuvraj Singh 2 for 18; Gurmeet Sahni 2 for 28).