HEALTH

Book calls for adoption of TB patients 
Bijendra Ahlawat
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, March 23
“Do you wish to help someone in dire need; someone who is helpless and lonely yet ignored by the society, someone who is poor and suffers from a chronic disease, which in turn belongs to one of the most neglected fields of medicine; and even a very small help to whom might prove to be life saving? Adopt one TB patient for six months and feel the difference.”

This has been the offer made by well-known TB specialist Dr Raman Kakar, based here, to the readers of the book, ‘A Death Every Minute’, brought out by him recently.

Dr Kakar who has cured hundreds of patients at his clinic has appealed to the people through his book on its very first page.

He says adopting the patient meant creating awareness about the disease in a village or a town or the surroundings.

Claiming that a one-time help does not work in the case of TB; the patient requires proper guidance and information about the cure process and full treatment for about six months.

Dr Kakar has given his address for the purpose and has claimed that TB is still a dangerous disease especially for poor people.

Dedicating his book to all those who had become a victim of the disease, Dr Kakar claims that it was in fact the “lack of awareness that had taken so many lives so far”. It is stated that TB extinguishes one human life every minute in India and it has been the reason why the book has been titled `A Death Every Minute’.

The author says if all the TB patients were to assemble at one place, we would obtain a city bigger than Delhi as India has about 1.4 crore patients at present. Over 20,000 persons become infected with TB in India everyday and more than 5,000 develop this disease and about 1,000 succumb to it. Every third TB patient in the whole world has been an Indian.

According to figures, TB primarily affects working adults as 75 per cent of al TB cases are in their prime productive years (15 to 50 years) and this leads to loss of 17 crore work days.

The direct and indirect costs of the disease to the country could amount to a staggering Rs 12,000 crore per year.

The 88-page book describes the disease, its causes, its diagnoses, the treatment and attitude of the society in very simple words. The author has given a list of dos and don’ts, the myths and the precautions.

Under the heading of `Soul Searches for Doctors’, the book has elaborated about various aspects of TB and how to suspect drug resistance in a TB patient and the problem of HIV in a TB patient.

1.17 lakh tuberculosis patients treated
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 23
Over 1.17 lakh individuals suffering from tuberculosis have been treated in NCT of Delhi in the last five years. The death rate has declined from 25 per cent pre-1997 to 2.5 per cent in 2002.

The Delhi Health Minister, Mr A K Walia, told mediapersons on the eve of World TB Day that 25,945 lives had been saved because of timely medical advice. He said the programme to control TB in NCT of Delhi was started in 1962.

Till 1997, the diagnostic and treatment facilities were available only at 14 places. The programme was modified and called Revised National TB Control Programme with World Bank loan.

Till 1998, he said, 51 treatment cum diagnostic centres were established. Another 51 centres were added in February 1999. Currently, 216 centres were working in the Capital.

SPORTS

Strong contenders for Royal Challenge Open
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, March 23
A strong field of top-class players, including six former Indian Open champions, will vie for the coveted title in the $300,000 Royal Challenge Indian Open Golf Championship, to be held at the Delhi Golf Club course from March 27 to 30.

The six past Indian Open champions in the fray are: defending champion Vijay Kumar, 2001 winner Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand, 2000 winner Jyoti Randhawa, 1999 winner Arjun Atwal, 1998 winner Firoz Ali and two-time champion Ali Sher, who won the title in 191 and 1993.

Among the foreign participants, South African James Kongston, who finished second in a play-off at the European tour’s Qatar Masters last week, has four titles to his credit, as do Jyoti Randhawa, Thai veteran Boonchu Ruangkit and Thamanoon Sriroj. Thai national Thaworn Wiratchant and South African Nico van Rensberg, have won three tournaments each.

India’s Jyoti Randhawa and Arjun Atwal have nine titles between them. The 2002 Order of Merit winner, Jyoti, who has won the Hero Honda Masters twice, back to back, in 1998 and 99, the Singapore and Indian Opens in 2001, has four Asian tour victories to his credit.

Atwal annexed his fist Asian tour title with the 99 Indian Open in Calcutta. He then won the Hero Honda Masters and the Star Alliance Open in Hong Kong, in successive weeks, in 2002, followed by two European PGA tour co-sanctioned titles, the Singapore Masters in 2002 and the Malaysian Open in February 2003, making him the first and only Asian player in history to win two European tour titles.

South Africa’s Craig Kamps and Chris Williams, American Clay Devers, Taiwan’s Wang Ter Chang and Korean Chow Gwang Soo have two Asian tour victories each, while the one-time winners include Malaysian Dany Chia, Australian David Gleeson, Mayanmar’s Kyi Hla Han and Zaw Moe, Canadian Rick Gibson, who finished second in the Royal Challenge last year, Philippine’s Gerald Rosales, Scotsman Simon Yates, Swedes Stephen Lindskog and Daniel Chopra.

The Open Championship will be preceded by the International Match on March 25 and the Pro-Am on March 26.

The international match will require players to demonstrate golf skills in long drive, 150-yard approach shot, pitch shot over a sand bunker, and bunker shot and putting.

Each player will hit three shots in each skill area and his best shot will be recorded. The winning team will pocket Rs 4 lakh while the second-placed team will be given Rs 2 lakh.

Health Ministry crush EIL in DDCA League
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, March 23
Ministry of Health trounced Engineers India Ltd (EIL) by 40 runs in an A-I Division match of the DDCA League at the Kotla I ground. Fine knocks from Rajeev Ahuja and Sanjeev Kalra help Ministry of Health to put up a good score.

Scores: Ministry of Health: 228 for 9 in 40 overs (Rajeev Ahuja 51, Sanjeev Kalra 49, Mohd. Haneef 34, Munish Jolly 2 for 41, Virender Sharma 2 for 41).

EIL: 188 all out in 37.3 overs (Munish Jolly 89, Pawan Sharma 38, Naresh Kumar 4 for 48).

Bright Club defeated Dena Bank by seven wickets in a Super A Division league tie at the Kalindi College ground.

Scores: Dena Bank: 149 for 8 in 35 overs (Mahesh Sood 33, Soumik Chatterjee 54, Puneet Bisth 28, Netra Pal 2 for 13, Dinesh Kumar 2 for 23).

Bright Club: 150 for 3 in 28.5 overs (Dinesh Yadav 53 n o, Nischal Gaur 33, Vivek Kumar 48, Raj Kumar Sharma 2 for 24). In an earlier match at the same ground, Bright Club had crushed Dena Bank by 105 runs.

Scores: Bright Club: 313 for 6 in 40 overs (Dinesh Yadav 74, Vivek Kumar 61, Nischal Gaur 47, Pankaj Joshi 2 for 50, Raju Sharma 2 for 66).

Delhi Audit: 208 all out in 37.3 overs (Swarn Singh 44, K P Singh 33, Raju Sharma 22, Neelmani 20, Nischal Gaur 4 for 29, Dinesh Kumar 2 for 38).

RCN beat Ekta Club by five wickets in an A-II Division match. Scores: Ekta Club: 119 all out in 34.1 overs (Gurpreet Singh 40, Ankit Kumar 4 for 17, Rajesh Kumar 2 for 17, Sarwan Kumar 2 for 15). RCN: 120 for 5 in 28.3 overs (Firasat Ali 59, Manoj Tyagi 1 for 16, Gurpreet Singh 1 for 16).

Abraham helps Delphi trounce Hudco
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, March 23
A swashbuckling knock of 42, off 47 balls with three boundaries and one six by Abraham Joseph, enabled Delphi Automotive defeat Hudco by six wickets in the Reebok Cricket Tournament. Abraham Joseph and Ram Chander put on 91 runs for the opening wicket to put Delphi on course to the victory target.

Scores: Hudco: 136 for 7 in 25 overs (Shashi Bhushan 36, 38b, 4x4; Suresh Negi 26, 38b, 4x2; Amit Sareen 2 for 15, Neeraj Mathur 2 for 21).

Delphi Automotive: 137 for 4 in 21.5 overs (Abraham Joseph 42, 47b, 4x3, 6x1; Ram Chander 35, 56b, 4x4; V K Shukla 2 for 13, Mukesh Kumar 2 for 28). Abraham Joseph was named the man of the match.

Apollo Tyres defeated Xansa by 12 runs in another match. Scores: Apollo Tyres: 165 all out in 24.3 overs (Tej Pal 58, 40b, 4x7, 6x1; Amit Bhardwaj 28, 26b, 4x1, 6x1; Sachin Jain 27, 26b. 4x2, 6x1; P C Pandey 3 for 38; P K Roy 2 for 11).

Xansa: 153 for 9 in 25 overs (P C Pandey 38, 42b, 4x5; Tarun 33, 32b, 6x1; Gautam Bhalla 3 for 17, Tej Pal 2 for 23). Tej Pal was adjudged the man of the match.

B L Kashyap top pool

B L Kashyap beat Royal Sundaram by three wickets in a league match of the Turf Corporate Cricket Challenge played at the Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce ground to top the pool.

Scores: Royal Sundaram: 123 for 9 in 25 overs (Sunny Grover 29, Prashant 26, Manu Mehta 24, Monu Thapa 2 for 25, Sulabh 2 for 16, Deep 2 for 13). B L Kashyap: 124 for 7 in 19.2 overs (Kanav 63, Puneet 29, Sangram 2 for 28, Sunny Grover 2 for 30).

University sports trophy
Our Sports Reporter

Rohtak, March 23
Jat College, Rohtak, and Adarsh Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Bhiwani received the overall sports trophy of Maharshi Dayanand University in men’s and women’s category in the annual sports prize distribution function of the university held here today.

Maj-Gen (retd) Bhim Singh Suhag, vice-chancellor of the university, said the sportspersons should not aim below the international level. He said that the university had been providing all the requisite infrastructural facilities for excellence in sports. He gave away trophies and prizes to the colleges and individual sportspersons winning various games and sports events. He also honoured Arjuna awardee and internationally acclaimed wrestler Ashok Garg, who was guest of honour in the function.

Railway Officers in semi-final
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, March 23
Bharat Duphar hit an unbeaten 51 as Railway Officers Cricket Association beat Sar Group by six wickets to enter the semi-final of the Teri Cup Cricket Tournament at the Teri Oval. SAR Group made 142 for 7 in 25 overs.

Scores: SAR Group: 142 for 7 in 25 overs (Amresh Pradhan 35, 4x4; Rajiv Rana 27, 3x4; Mahesh Prasad 27, 3x4; Arun Sharma 2 for 23, Ajay Sharma 2 for 17, Sanjay Sawhney 1 for 27).

Railway Officers’ Cricket Association: 147 for 4 in 21.1 overs (Bharat Duphar 51 n o, 4x4; Mobin Ahmed 47, 1x6; Rajiv Mahajan 18, 2x4; Mahesh Prasad 2 for 20, Rajiv Rana 1 for 28). Duphar was named the man of the match.

Bicycle race today
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, March 23
Over 50 professional cyclists from BSNL, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Railways and Border Security Force will take part in a Bicycle Race, to be organised by the Cycling Federation of India in association with Cymo India, to mark the beginning of the Cymo India-2003, India’s first-ever comprehensive two-wheeler show. President of the Cycling Federation of India Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, who is also the Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers, will flag off the race on Monday at 10.30 am from Gate No 4 (Appu Ghar Gate), Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The race will culminate at Hall No 7, Pragati Maidan.