The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

BODY & MIND
Good news for would-be mothers
Tripti Nath

The Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research in Mehrauli Institutional Area here claims to have taken the lead in setting up India’s first single room maternity care unit.

The unit was inaugurated on Friday by the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Mrs Sushma Swaraj. The objective of introducing the facility is to promote natural childbirth in comfortable and in homely surroundings.

According to Dr Vijay Lakshmi Bhargav, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sitaram Bhartia Institute, the single room maternity care unit assures the woman a definite advantage over other maternity wards where the expectant mother is first moved from the first stage labour room to the labour room and then to another room till she is discharged. In the single room maternity care unit, the mother and her newborn get holistic care in a single room till they are discharged from the hospital. The institute has two such units, which boast of every facility needed for the pregnant woman and the newborn. The facility is one of the key components of the Mother and Child Programme of the institute.

Dr Rinku Sengupta, Consultant, Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Institute, says that the programme is consistent with WHO recommendations of reducing the cesarean rates below 15 per cent. She said that cesarean section rates could be reduced without compromising newborn or maternal outcomes through a change in the attitude of the patient, their families and the obstetrician. She said that the cesarean section rate in Delhi ranges between 40 and 60 per cent in the private sector.

Speaking on the occasion, the I & B Minister said that the concept of single room maternity care marks the beginning of an era where state-of-the-art hospital infrastructural facilities will excel in providing ultimate patient care and comfort. “The facility will also bring a profound change in the entire childbirth experience since expectant mothers will be able to give birth in a large and comfortable suite in the presence of desired family members.

Symposium on knee replacement

Indraprastha Apollo Hospital is hosting a two-day international symposium on Mobile Bearing Total Knee Arthroplasty, better known as Total Knee Replacement (TKA). The symposium will be inaugurated by the Managing Director of the Apollo Hospital, Dr Yogi Mehrotra here on Sunday.

Nearly 150 delegates from India and abroad are expected to attend the symposium and see Dr Jean Louis Briard of France and Dr Rajeev K Sharma, Senior Orthopaedic Surgeon perform the computer assisted mobile bearing TKA on a Delhi based woman. The surgery lasting an hour and twenty minutes will be done on Mrs Santosh Juneja, 61-year-old, who is suffering from severe arthritis of both knees. The surgery costs Rs 2.5 lakh and the knee implant alone costs Rs 70,000.

The mobile bearing has an advantage over the fixed bearing TKA. The life span of the mobile bearing TKA implant is more than that of the fixed bearing TKA implant as wear and tear is less. Dr Rajeev K. Sharma, Senior Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital and Symposium Director explains that the main objective of the symposia is to educate more orthopaedic surgeons on this technique.

The symposium will also witness the launch of `Joint Effort’, a non-government organisation by the Health Minister of Delhi, Dr A.K. Walia. The main aim of the voluntary organisation is to educate and help people around the world on various options available in deferring and managing arthritis. Founder members of Joint Effort are Dr Briard, who pioneered computer assisted mobile bearing TKA, Dr P. K. Banerji, Kolkata-based orthopaedic surgeon, Prof O.N. Nagi, Head of the Department of Orthopaedics PGI, Chandigarh and Brijender Singh, President, Senior Citizen Forum, South Delhi.

According to Dr Rajeev Sharma, “Osteo arthritis better known as arthritis is degeneration of the cartilage, mainly involving the knee joint. It is age related.

Obese patients are at a greater risk of getting a severe form of arthritis. Surgical procedure is prescribed only for patients, who cannot lead a normal life and are so troubled with pain that they cannot sleep. Joint pains are a common problem in every home. Apart from age related arthritis; rheumatoid arthritis affects persons between the age-group 30 to 40). Few patients opt for surgery in India because of lack of knowledge and inability to afford the treatment.”

Zonal advisory committees

Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), a statutory body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, has constituted seven zonal advisory committees to broadbase the reach of its national programmes on disability across the country.

The committees have representatives from non-government organisations, academia and government to ensure rapid progress in the development of programmes/schemes to suit regional needs. The committees are supervised by an NGO active in the region. Apart from supervision, the NGO will collect feedback and give suggestions to improve and modify the existing courses of the RCI. The seven nodal agencies identified by the RCI are the Shishu Sarothi, Spastics Society of Assam, Guwahati (North Eastern zone), J.M. Institute of Speech & Hearing, Patna (Eastern zone), Digdarshika Institute of Rehabilitation and Research, Bhopal (Central zone), Vocational Rehabilitation and Training Centre, Ludhiana (Northern zone), Blind People’s Association, Ahmedabad (Western zone), Sweekar Rehabilitation Institute for the Handicapped, Secunderabad (Southern zone-1) and Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidayalaya, Coimbatore (Southern zone-II).

RCI Chairman, Padma Bhushan Major H.P.S. Ahluwalia says that the Council decided to decentralise its functioning and realised that the best way to do this was to have expert committees in each of the seven zones in the country. Realising that most of their programmes were not being executed successfully in rural and remote areas, the RCI felt it was imperative to choose representatives from government and non-government organisations who have necessary expertise and strong network in these areas.

The RCI was set up by the government by an Act of Parliament in 1992 to develop, standardise and regulate all training policies and programmes in the field of rehabilitation and special education all over the country.

Low-fat salad dressings

Fun Foods has launched a range of low-fat, high nutrition salad and pasta dressings. The range includes, a pasta dressing, which is rich in cheese and tomatoes along with peppers. Other products in the range are the Thousand Island Dressing, Honey Mustard Dressing for lettuce, crunchy vegetables and fruits, Kebab Dip, Ranch Dressing and Yoghurt-based Dip rich in flavours of herbs and spices, Caesar Dressing for meat and tuna salads. A 250 gram pack of salad and pasta dressings is priced at Rs 65.

SPORTS

Delhi annex Vinoo Mankad cricket title
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, December 28
Manu Sharma hit a quickfire 48 and Gaurav Chabra played an all-round role (38 and 3 for 21) as Delhi beat Chandigarh by 92 runs and annexed the 48th National School Games Under-16 Vinoo Mankad Trophy Cricket Tournament title at the Bharat Nagar ground. Assam beat Karnataka by 110 runs to finish third.

Scores: Delhi: 239 for 5 in 40 overs (Manu Sharma 48, Gaurav Chabra 38 n o, Robin Bisth 32, Shrey Chaudhary 29, Siddarth Sharma 2 for 39). Chandigarh: 147 for 8 in 40 overs (Gurpreet Singh 32, Gaurav Chabra 3 for 21, Abhishek Sakuja 2 for 23).

Prateek stars

An all-round performance by Prateek Khitchi (40 and 3 for 16) enabled Najafgarh Sports Club defeat Shubham Cricket Club by 146 runs in a league match of the first Shanti Memorial Under-14 Cricket Tournament at the Najafgarh Sports Complex ground. Prateek was adjudged the Man of the Match.

Scores: Najafgarh Sports Club: 210 for 7 in 30 overs (Prateek Khitchi 40, Amanjeet Singh 39, Akas Chaudhary 30). Subham Club: 64 all out in 20.2 overs (Prateek Khitchi 3 for 16, Dhanij Kumar 3 for 14, Pradeep Sangwan 2 for 8, Akash Chaudhary 2 for 2).

Devender Cricket

Rajeev Kumar played an all-round role when he scored 30 runs and claimed four wickets for 23 runs to help AIMS beat K N Colts by 29 runs and entered the quarter-final of the second All-India Devender Memorial Cricket Tournament at the Government Senior Secondary School ground. Rajiv was declared the Man of the Match.

Scores: AIMS: 208 for 8 in 30 overs (R Rawat 58, Sanjay Kumar 30 n o, Rajeev Kumar 30, Sandeep Rana 3 for 20, Vikas Sharma 2 for 31).

K N Colts: 179 all out in 28 overs (Manvinder Singh 45, Sandeep Rana 34, Rajeev Kumar 4 for 23, Mahender Kumar 2 for 25).

New indoor stadium at Siri Fort
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, December 28
A state-of-the-art indoor stadium to host games like badminton, volleyball, basketball and table tennis was inaugurated by chairman of the All-India Council of Sports (AICS) Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra at the Siri Fort Sports Complex of the Delhi Development Authority on Saturday.

The function was presided over by Lt-Governor Vijai Kapoor. The Siri Fort Sports Complex falls in the South Delhi Parliamentary constituency of Mr Malhotra, who is a Member of Parliament.

The stadium is spread over an area of 7200 square metres, with a seating capacity for 600 people. The flooring has been done with imported maple wood. The stadium has been constructed at a cost of Rs 6 crore.

Mr Malhotra, who recently assumed charge as the chairman of the AICS, said the main purpose of constructing the indoor hall was to “promote sports in Delhi in particular and of course all across the country.”

He said the inauguration of the indoor sports complex was “just the beginning and many more such sports complexes with similar facilities will be created in the coming years.”

Mr Malhotra said the indoor stadium was equipped with the latest infrastructure and other facilities for sports. He disclosed that the Prime Minister had assured him that shortage of funds would not be a hindrance for the promotion of sports. He exhorted the youth to excel in their chosen sport and bring laurels to the country from international competitions.

Police draw with N D Heroes in DSA League
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, December 28
Delhi Police came from behind to hold New Delhi Heroes 1-1 in a Group A preliminary league match of the Delhi Soccer Association (DSA)-SAIL Open Clubs Senior Division Football League Championship at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium East ground.

N D Heroes drew first blood in the 20th minute through inside-left Abhishek, who shot home following a defensive lapse. Delhi Police pulled off the equaliser in the 59th minute through Jatinder Singh.

Delhi Police and New Delhi Heroes have completed their league engagements, securing ten and 14 points respectively from seven matches.

Simla Youngs were held to a goalless draw by Bhuddist Blue Stars. Simla Youngs and B B Stars also completed their league engagements, collecting five and four points respectively from seven matches.

The last match of the preliminary league will be played between Indian Nationals and City Club at 3 pm on Sunday.

Syndicate Bank beaten

Fancied Syndicate Bank lost by 11 runs to Delhi Wanderors in a B Division match of the DDCA League at the Yamuna Sports Complex ground. Electing to bat, Delhi Wanderors made 225 in 40 overs.

Scores: Delhi Wanderors: 225 all out in 40 overs (Amit Sharma 120 n o, K S Bisth 41, Arun Kanojia 2 for 31).

Syndicate Bank: 214 all out in 37.5 overs (Gautam Sharma 41, Surender Kumar 2 for 51, Amit Sharma 2 for 50, Naresh Kumar 2 for 21).

Young Friends beat Times of India by 40 runs in an A-I Division match at the Shanti Sports Complex.

Scores: Young Friends: 179 for 3 in 20 overs (Mahesh Verma 68 n o, Himanshu Khullar 45, Ishan Bakshi 40, Amolak Singh 2 for 17).

Times of India: 139 for 7 in 20 overs (Sudhir Giri 67, Tarun Dutta 3 for 20).