The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

HEALTH

Dentists demand cheaper fluoridated toothpastes
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 19
Fluoridated toothpastes being the cheapest and most effective way of preventing tooth decay and caries, dentists feel the government should reduce excise duty on the product so that it is within the reach of Indian masses.

Addressing a press conference here today, the head of the Oral Sciences Department, PGI, Dr H.S. Chawla, said delegates attending the 5th Congress of Asian Academy of Preventive Dentistry at PGI felt the use of fluoridated toothpastes was the cheapest and most effective method to keep the teeth healthy.

Dr Chawla said with multinational companies producing toothpastes, it was treated as a cosmetic item with the price being on the higher side. Strongly advocating ban on ‘gutkha’ he said “the way gutkha has been banned by Maharashtra, all state governments must enforce this as it is the biggest reason behind oral and dental cancer in the country.” He said the dentists here would keep taking out rallies to demand the banning of ‘gutkha’.

Reflecting on the new areas in dental field, Dr Chawla said it had been found that supplemented folic acid, before conception, could reduce cleft lip and palate anomalies by almost 65 per cent.

He said a study by Marie M. Tolarova from the University of Pacific School of Dentistry, San Francisco , had proved that supplemented folic acid, prior to conception, could reduce cleft lip and palate anomalies. It has been found that 25 per cent of children born with this craniofacial anomaly never get any treatment or surgery, he said.

According to a conservative estimate, one in every 550 newborns is affected with this problem. In some population, the prevalence is higher, particularly among American-Indians and Asians. With a projected natural increase of births by approximately 1.8 million a year, there would be an expected additional 3,200 cases of cleft lip and palate anomalies.

Free medical camp on Nov 21
Tribune News Service

SAS Nagar, November 19
A free medical check-up camp will be organised on November 21 at Gige Majra village. The camp is being organised by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Punjab. Doctors from Kharar and SAS Nagar Civil Hospitals will examine the patients.

The camp will be held under the supervision of the Civil Surgeon, Ropar, with the active involvement of Kharar MLA, Mr Bir Devinder Singh. It will have special arrangements for a complete dental screening of primary schoolchildren.

The Lions Club Top, the Kharar, Rotary Club, SAS Nagar and the Innerwheel Club, SAS Nagar, will provide free toothpastes and toothbrushes to the schoolchildren coming for dental screening. Ranbaxy will provide free medicines at the camp.

Inter-country meeting in PGI
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 19
The PGI Director, Prof S.K. Sharma, today inaugurated a three-day inter-country meeting here. The meeting is being attended by over 30 doctors and educationists from Nepal, Thailand, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh.

The objective of the meeting is to develop a mechanism for information and faculty exchange between various health institutes. The WHO Coordinator for the programme, Dr P.J. Jayawickaramraja, said efforts would be made to set standards in health area and to remove imbalances in the field of Human resources in the South-East Asian region. He said the focus would be on providing quality services through exchange of expertise.

Although doctors from abroad have been coming for training here even in the past, but now the WHO would approve the curriculum for these courses, areas of information and the mechanism for faculty exchange.

Apart from working out these modalities, stress would be laid on web-based information exchange.

Doctors attending the meet said primary healthcare and public health would be given priority. Information on tackling epidemics would also be exchanged, they said.

Pulse Polio campaign from Jan 5
Tribune News Service

First phase of Pulse Polio campaign in city on January 5, 6 and 7

Second phase on February 9, 10 and 11.

The campaign in Haryana is part of the targeted programme in states where cases of polio have surfaced.

Chandigarh, November 19
Reports of special Pulse Polio campaigns in adjoining Panchkula and Ambala districts resulted in confusion in the city as parents of several young ones called up their doctors and newspaper offices for information.

In Chandigarh, the annual Pulse Polio campaign will be a part of the nationwide drive to be held in January and February next year. Health authorities told Chandigarh Tribune that the Pulse Polio drives in Panchkula and Ambala were part of the special drives as initiated by the Government of India in areas where cases of polio have surfaced. Similar drives have also been launched in parts of Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh and several other states. In Chandigarh, the drive against polio will be as per the schedule across the country.

Before the programme begins in Chandigarh, there will be an extensive publicity campaign in all newspapers to create awareness among the members of the public, added health authorities.

Shikha, Dheeraj win TT titles
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, November 19
Shikha Sharma of AG(Audit), Haryana, and Dheeraj Arora of the Reserve Bank of India clinched the women and men section titles, respectively, of the 15th Stag Chandigarh State Table Tennis Championship played here this evening at Sector 23 TT hall. Shikha has won the title consecutively for the past three years. Today in the final, she outplayed Barkha KC of AG, Audit, Punjab, at 14-12,12-10,11-8, 11-9. While in men final, Dheeraj Arora of Reserve Bank of India defeated Disney Ryat of Panjab University at 11-7, 1-11, 12-14, 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-8.

Other results:— semi-finals: (women): Barkha KC b Gurvinder Kaur 8-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7, 4-11, 11-5, 11-4; Shikha Sharma b Anuradha Bansal 11-4, 11-3, 11-7, 10-12, 11-3; (Men) Dheeraj Arora b Harish Kumar 11-5, 5-11, 11-3, 11-7, 9-11, 12-10, 11-2; Disney Ryat b Vikas Sharma 8-11, 11-3, 11-6, 12-10, 11-3.

Relay races

The GGS College for Women among girls and DAV College, Chandigarh, among boys stole the limelight on the opening day of the Panjab University inter-college relay races held today at university campus grounds.

Various results are: (Men) 4 X 200 metre relay: DAV C-10 (1), Government College, Ludhiana, 2, and SGGS College, Chandigarh 3; medlay relay: DAV Colege, Chandigarh, 1,Government College, Ludhiana, 2, GNN College, Doraha 3; 4 x 400 metre relay: DAVC-10 (1), Government College, Ludhiana, 2, and GNN College, Doraha 3.

Among women: medlay relay — GGS College for Women, Chandigarh, 1, Government College for Women, Ludhiana, 2, and GTB Khalsa College for Women, Dasuya, 3; 4x 200 metre relay: GGS College for Women, Chandigarh, 2, and GN Khalsa College for Women, Ludhiana 3; 4 x400 metre relay: GGS College for Women, Chandigarh 1, GN Khalsa College for Women, Ludhiana 2, and MCM DAV College for Women, Chandigarh 3.

Cricket meet

A superb performance by Rajesh Patha who scored 103 runs and claimed two wickets for just 20 runs enabled Shirdi Sai Cricket Club in beating Stadium XI by 70 runs in the First Shirdi Sai Cash Prize Cricket Tournament played here at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 19. In another match, High Court XI defeated LG XI by 19 runs.

Carrom tourney

Nitika Budhiraja of Little Flower School, Sector 14, Panchkula in girls section (class IX and above) and Tanya Singh of St Stephen’s, Panchkula (upto Class VIII) emerged winners in the IInd Saupin’s Inter-School Carrom Tournament played here today at Panchkula. Nitika got the better of Suguna Devan of Bhawan Vidyalya, Sector 15, Panchkula, with scores being 3-25, 18-17, 24-21. Tanya Singh defeated Chandini Sharma, 25-3, in a pulsating final.

In the boys section, Raman Sharma of DAV English Medium Senior Secondary School, Sector 8, Panchkula, beat Sachin his schoolmate in the final, while Harveer Singh of St Stephen’s School, Panchkula, defeated Mohit Saharan of Saupin’s School, scores being 22-16, 25-0.

SD college win

A belligerent knock of Rahul Arora who scored unbeaten 55 runs and Gurinder Saini who scored 44 runs enabled SD college, Sector 32, in beating Government College, Sector 46, by seven wickets in a league match for the Kapil Dev trophy played here today at PEC cricket grounds.

Basketball tourney

AMBALA: United Basketball tournament being held at War Heroes Memorial Stadium, Ambala Cantonment, concluded today.

In men’s section Rohtak team won the title while Jind was second. In women section, the champions were Jind while Karnal was second the prize were given away by Dr Ram Prakash. Among others, former minister Mr Nirmal Singh, Mr Balwant Gupta, Mr Brahm Pal Rana, Mr Ajit Sood, Mr Vishal Chibber and Mr Gulzar were present on the occasion.