The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

HEALTH

WORLD TB DAY
Cured patients to carry hope
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 23
“ dotS cured me, it will cure you too “ with this slogan, the UT health authorities under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) will be involving the 400 cured patients during the last one year in eradicating the disease.

“On the occasion of World TB Day tomorrow, we have decided to actively involve the 400 TB patients who have been fully cured in our efforts to sensitise the people, especially those residing in the slum areas as the disease prevalence is much higher there,” said Dr P.K. Shridhar.

Launched on January 25 last year, the RNTCP programme, had during this period, put 1,550 new cases on treatment, out of which 440 were found to be having positive sputum. “Had these patients not been put on treatment they would have passed on the infection to almost 5,000 persons every year aggravating the problem further,” said Dr Shridhar. He added that once the RNTCP programme was launched in the adjoining districts of Roopnagar and Panchkula, it would be easier for people from these areas to get treatment.

As against a non compliance rate of 15 per cent at the national level, in UT it was at 7 per cent. Out of a total of 124 falling under this category, there were 24 deaths during the last one year, informed doctors.” While 60 per cent of the total patients are from the slum areas, the prevalence rate is the highest amongst the 15 to 45 age group,” they added.

So as to provide treatment to the people close to their homes a 15- bed chest ward was set up at Sector 22 Polyclinic while two treatment units and 10 microscopic centres were set up elsewhere in the city. The PGI had been selected as the zonal centre for the entire Northern region comprising Haryana, Punjab, UT, Himachal Pradesh, Uttranchal and Jammu and Kashmir. The PGI would also the nodal centre where all the research work was being conducted.

While concerned over the situation in the slum colonies, the health authorities would focus more on involving the private practitioners, including those practicing homoeopathy, ayurveda and the RMP’s. “One thing that we wish to make very clear is that these private practitioners will only act as providers under the referral system and it is only the people from our department who will give the medicines,” added Dr Shridhar.

On the occasion of World TB Day tomorrow, the cured patients would be attending the function to be held at Ram Darbar. Apart from this schoolchildren will be taking out rallies to sensitise the people and the need to take treatment.

As against a prevalence rate of 2 per cent at the national level, the figure for UT is 1.5 per cent. It is states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa where the prevalence rate is much higher.

Poor patients’ fund poor in money
Monica Sharma

Chandigarh, March 23
The poor patients’ fund is breathing its last at the PGI. To make matters worse, the National Illness Assistance Fund for poor patients suffering from tuberculosis, cancer and other major diseases, released by the Government of India in December, 2001, has been exhausted. The next instalment is still awaited.

In fact, the institute has appealed to non-government organisations, trusts, social workers, companies, industries, even individuals, to come forward with generous donations for the Poor Patients’ Welfare Fund.

The reason behind their anxiety is not very hard to see. Every day, unidentified patients are wheeled in with serious injuries sustained after being hit by speeding vehicles. Others come with different ailments, including renal failure. They have to undergo surgery. They come from as far as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Ladakh.

Patients with empty pockets are declared “poor free” by consultants before money is dispersed by the Poor Patients’ Fund Section. The treatment is carried out till the victim is cured, in some cases sent to a charity home.

This is not all. Patients are given life-saving drugs, besides being provided with surgical for saving a limb or an organ. In fact, PGI is one of the few government hospitals in the country providing medical care to a large number of poor and indigent, besides helpless and destitute patients, referred by hospitals in northern and central states of the country.

Giving details, a senior PGI officer asserts, “the Poor Patients’ Welfare Fund is used for the treatment of people involved in accidents and other emergency cases. It is also utilised for the benefit of patients who fail to go back even after discharge because they do not have money to buy medicines and other essential stuff.”

“The fund is strictly used in emergency cases where the patient is unidentified, or is left with not even a single penny. The procedure is simple,” says the officer.

The patients have to get their bills sanctioned by the doctor attending on them. An application has to be written to the PGI Director also for seeking approval. The amount is handed over on the basis of priority. Medicines are also given after producing the bills sanctioned by the doctor.”

The officer asserts that funds are also required as in many cases, different tests, otherwise quite expensive, are done free of cost by the institute. “But for providing medicines and other facilities to needy patients, the PGI authorities need funds,” says the officer.

If you are interested in contributing, make payments through crossed cheques in favour of the PGI Director or deposit cash in the fund. Medicines, too, can be deposited with the Sewa Bharti office at the institute.

The donors “are eligible for deduction under sub-clause (iii) of Section 80 G (2) of the Income Tax Act of 1961 in the terms of the Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue, Director General of Income Tax (Exemption) Notification dated December 15, 1993.”

ADMINISTRATION

Rs 10 cr surface in IT survey
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 23
Income Tax Department’s survey over the past few days has resulted in the disclosure of disproportionate income worth over Rs 10 crore. As the last date of the financial year is approaching, the department has step up campaign against small-scale industrialists and traders so that they filed their returns and deposit full income tax.

Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Mr Vijay Khanna, Chief Commissioner, Income Tax, Chandigarh circle, disclosed that on specific information, the department officials had conducted surveys on the premises of tent houses, jewellers, department stores, doctors, grain merchants and rice shellers and some industrial units, which have resulted in surrender of crores of rupees.

Among others, he said, a rice sheller owner of Rajpura town had surrendered over Rs 23 lakh, a department store in city over Rs 1.40 crore, including 50 lakh in TDS cases. He said: ‘‘We are investigating their documents and stocks, which may disclose additional income from them. The purpose of the survey is to convince the assesses that it was in their interest to file returns in time otherwise they would have to pay heavy penalty.’’ It may be mentioned that this department store was recently involved in a controversy over violating Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banking) Act, 1978.

He said, though about 40 per cent of the returns are filed in the month of March, yet the department had already achieved over 70 per cent of the target by the end of February. He said: ‘‘We are quite hopeful to meet the target in Chandigarh circle and North Western region.’’ Regarding the cases of refunds, almost all the eligible persons had been issued refunds, the remaining cases would be settled soon.’’

He said the department had already started door-to-door survey in some of the markets in the city, which included Sector 22, 35, 17 and other major commercial centres. The officials were taking the help of market associations to persuade the traders to file returns and to deposit taxes as a national responsibility. It has helped department add new assesses and additional income tax.

Mr Khanna pointed out that despite shortage of staff, the department was making every effort to process the returns in time. He claimed that once the computerisation of department offices was complete, the assesses would not face any difficulty in getting refunds.

Thief ‘let off’ case: probe ordered
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, March 23
The Superintendent of Police, Mr Ranbir Singh Sharma, has instituted an inquiry into the case of two policemen letting off a car thief while in an inebriated condition, even as he has sent them to the Police Lines.

The two policemen, Manohar Lal and Murari Lal, both constables posted at the Sector 19 police station, have been sent to the Police Lines after their medical examination confirmed that they were under the influence of liquor while on duty.

Earlier, alleging police connivance in letting off a person involved in the theft of a car from Sector 12-A, residents of the area staged a protest at the police barrier on the Zirakpur-Kalka highway late last night. A stolen car (HR-03-C 3471) had met with an accident, and residents alleged that the police was hand in glove with the thief, as instead of arresting the guilty, he had been let off.

The residents alleged that the three policemen on duty, who pulled the thief out of the car, took him to the barrier, from where he disappeared.