HEALTH

Maternal mortality: Sushma gives wake-up call
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 1
Taking cognisance of the high rate of maternal mortality in the country, the Government has announced plans to implement a child and mother welfare scheme, Janani Suraksha Yojana from today.

The announcement was made by the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Ms Sushma Swaraj, while delivering the keynote address at the 87th convocation of the Lady Hardinge Medical College here today.

Mrs Swaraj said the primary objective of the programme, to be launched on the occasion of Safe Motherhood Day, was to facilitate the availability of delivery systems to the expectant mothers from the third month of pregnancy.

As per the scheme, pregnant women would be encouraged to register themselves in the primary health centres (PHCs). The programme has been particularly aimed at rural women. Ms Swaraj expressed concern that as many as 407 out of every one lakh pregnant women died at the time of delivery.

The minister pointed out lack of sufficient knowledge among gynaecologists in several district-level hospitals about safe delivery methods as a cause of maternal deaths.

She said a large percentage of women undergoing pregnancy at present suffer due to lack of basic facilities which proves fatal for many of them.

Ms Swaraj said an effective implementation of the national Health Policy was critically dependent upon the availability of quality medical services. In this context, the professional services rendered by woman professionals in the medical field had become extremely relevant, she pointed out.

The minister referred to the mindset of doctors with regard to the problems related to sex determination tests, insensitivity to the girl child in population-related matters and the urge to earn money with scant regard to the medical ethics.

She urged the younger generation of doctors, especially women professionals, to fight age-old mindsets with firm determination.

The minister also advised those professionals who had left the country to work abroad to return to their homeland and repay what they owed to the nation. Ms Swaraj later gave away medals and degrees to the graduating students.

Dr S P Aggarwal, Director General of the Central Government Health Service, made an impassioned plea to the medical graduates to play an important role in improving the living standards of all sections of society, especially women.

Free heart check-up camp
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 1
Metro Clinics, a unit of Metro Group of Hospitals and Heart Institute, is organising a free heart check-up camp for the residents of South Delhi on Sunday, the 6th April, 2003 at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Soami Nagar.

Dr Yoganand Shastri, MLA and former Minister of Food and Supply of Delhi Government and Mrs Jaishree Panwar, Mayor of Delhi and Area Councillor will be the guest of honour.

Following facilities would be available free of charge during the camp: ECG, ECHO, blood sugar, blood pressure, PFT and yoga lifestyle advice.

Metro Clinics is a prime super speciality medical facility headed by Dr Purshotam Lal who has recently received Padma Bhushan award for excellence in the field of medicine (Cardiology).

Dr Lal’s excellent team of doctors is further strengthened by joining of Dr Rajnish Sardana, a consultant cardiologist and electro-physiologist with fellowship in adult cardiology and cardiac electro-physiology from the famous University of Toronto, Canada. Dr Sardana, who is organising this camp, is an authority on pacemakers and arrhythias (abnormal heart rhythms), and has established arrhythmia clinic at Metro Clinics for the benefit of patients with palpitations, episodes of blackouts (syncope) and patients with implanted pacemakers and defibrillators.

SPORTS

Inborn, Sonnet qualify for quarters
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, April 1
Rookies Inborn stunned last year’s runners-up Rohtak Road Gymkhana by two runs to enter the quarter-final of the Davinder Singh Memorial Cricket Tournament for the Tara Devi Mathur Trophy at the Harbaksh Singh Stadium.

In another match, played at the Roshanara Club ground, Sonnet Club defeated Rajdhani Sports by 100 runs, to make the last eight grade.

Inborn, who were making their debut in the tournament, ran R R Gymkhana, packed with four Ranji Trophy players, close before coasting home by a narrow two runs. The quickfire knocks of Sunu Vaid, Rohit and Agnesh Surya eventually helped them triumph.

Scores: Inborn Club: 189 all out in 44.5 overs (Sonu Vaid 48, 52b; Rohit 37, 36b; Agnesh Suraya 36, 71b; Raja Gurmeet Singh 3 for 33; Abhishek Sharma 3 for 35).

Rohtak Road Gymkhana: Pradeep Chawla 39,72b; Deepak Sharma 42, 62b; D P Singh 50, 80b). Sonu Vaid got the man of the match award.

A strokeful century by Shikhar Dhawan and a dashing 78 by Akash Chopra were the highpoints of Sonnet’s 100-run victory against Rajdhani Sports. Akash and Shikhar put on 175 runs for the opening wicket. Akash, revelling in the company of his senior Shikhar, blasted 110 off 124 balls, with 11 boundaries.

Scores: Sonnet Club: 264 for 5 in 45 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 110, Akash Chopra 78, Ravi Yadav 3 for 54).

Rajdhani Sports: 164 all out in 37.4 overs (Pramod Bhati 52 in 40 balls, Rajeev 29, 44b, Arun Singh 3 for 33, Iresh Saxena 4 for 18). Shikhar Dhawan was adjudged the man of the match.

Good response to Delhi wrestling
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, April 1
Over 400 grapplers will take part in the Delhi State Wrestling Championship, to be held at the Border Security Force (BSF) campus, Chhawla, New Delhi from April 3 to 8. BSF director-general Ajay Raj Sharma will inaugurate the championship on Thursday. The participants will include 50 women and girls. The championship will be organised by the BSF, under the aegis of the Delhi Amateur Wrestling Association.

Events will be held in the senior, junior and cadets section (both men and women), free style for seniors, juniors and Greco-Roman for cadets.

The weight categories in which competitions would be held are 55kg, 60kg, 66kg, 74kg, 84kg, 96kg, plus 96kg and beyond. Delhi is the hub of wrestling in the country, as the national Capital has produced five Padmashri, two Dronacharya and 16 Arjuna Awardees.

Former Delhi soccer captain dead
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, April 1
Former Delhi State football captain Dev Raj Katyal died in Delhi on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. He was 58 years old. He leaves behind his wife, two sons and two daughters.

Dev Raj Katyal was one of the finest stopper backs produced by Delhi. He represented the Delhi State junior team for the B C Roy Trophy in 1963, and two years later, donned the Santosh Trophy colours for Delhi in Hyderabad.

He was a member of the junior team who emerged champions in 1963 at Allahabad, and captained the senior team in 1970 in the IFA Shield, Rover Cup, DCM and the Durand Cup. He was the only player who became captain of the Delhi University team twice.

He was the treasurer and managing committee member of the Delhi Soccer Association (DSA) for over a decade. He represented reputed local clubs like Youngsters, New Delhi Heroes and City Club in the league for several years. The DSA condoled the untimely death of Dev Raj.

Dominos edge out Nirulas, lift trophy
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, April 1
Dominos edged out Nirulas by one wicket in an exciting final match to lift the 14th Inter-Hotel Cricket Tournament at the Siri Fort Complex ground. Gurmeet Singh of Dominos was adjudged the best batsman while Alam Singh Rawat of Nirulas wrested the best bowler award.

Scores: Nirulas: 163 all out in 30 overs (Alam Singh Rawat 50, 1x6, 3x4; Puran 27, 3x4; Vineet 23, 2x4; Ashwani Arora 2 for 13; Madan 2 for 35, Hemant 2 for 37, Gaurav 2 for 48, Ashok 1 for 24). Dominos: 164 for 9 in 30 overs (Gaurav 33, 5x4; Hemant 24, 2x4; Ashwani Arora 14, Gurmeet Singh 10, Rakesh 2 for 30, Rishi Bhardwaj 2 for 34, Alam Singh Rawat 2 for 35). Ashwani Arora was named the man of the match.

Kuldeep stars for Golden Hawks 
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, April 1
An all-round performance by Delhi Ranji Trophy player Kuldeep Rawat (3 for 17 and 32) and an unbeaten 60 with five fours by Suresh Tanwar enabled Golden Hawks Club defeat Chand Khanna Club by six wickets and entered the quarter-final of the 13th SAIL Trophy Cricket Tournament at the Mohan Meakins ground, Mohan Nagar.

Golden Hawks will meet hosts SAIL in the quarter-final on April 5.

Kuldeep Rawat, who won the man of the match award, was honoured by former international Surender Khanna.

Scores: Chand Khanna Club: 138 all out in 39 overs (Gautam Gambhir 35, 1x4, 1x6; Jasprit Narula 42, 3x4; Rajiv Uniyal 31 n o, Sonu Vaid 3 for 23, Kuldeep Rawat 3 for 17; Vishal Sharma 2 for 34, Vishal Tyagi 1 for 20).

Golden Hawks: 141 for 4 in 36.2 overs (Suresh Tanwar 60 n o, Kuldeep Rawat 32, Sonu Vaid 20 n o, Pankaj Joshi 3 for 28). Wednesday’s fixture: Malviya Club vs Youngsters.

Piya Modi steals the show

New Delhi, April 1
Piya Modi of Delhi, astride Veneur, clinched the title with 204 points in the sub-junior and confined dressage events of the Delhi Horse Show held at the Army Equestrian ground.

Hitesh Ajmera astride Toofan finished second while Piya Modi astride Pronto logged 197 points to finish third. In the APRC confined dressage, Zoe Juneja, astride Biscut, emerged the winner, followed by Ujas Kumar, astride Majestic and Devyanshi Shegal, astride Cherokke. Piya Modi also won the Sub-Junior Jumping Normal. Hitesh Ajmera and Jaideep Singh took the second and third position, respectively. OSR

ADMINISTRATION

Highway patrol cops launch road safety drive
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, April 1
The Haryana Highway Patrol and Road Safety Police have launched a fortnight-long drive to create awareness among the people about road safety and traffic rules. All the villages, industrial units and truck unions of the towns located on national highways passing through the state would be covered under the drive.

According to the Superintendent of Police of highway patrol, Mr Saurabh Singh, around 250 places have been identified where the in-charges of traffic aid posts would hold meetings to make the users of highways aware about the safety precautions and traffic rules.

The drive would continue till April 15. Stressing the need for awareness among the people, particularly those crossing the NHs on foot, the SP disclosed that during 2003 so far, there had been 1,795 road accidents on NHs 1, 2, 8 and 10 in Haryana in which 849 people lost their lives and 2,307 were injured. Of these, as many as 479 accidents involved pedestrians in which 252 lost their lives and 263 were injured. He revealed that every traffic aid post will provide emergency services at phone number 1033 and the central control room could be informed about the road accident anywhere in the state at mobile phone number 98120-66666. Every traffic aid post is provided with an ambulance to provide first aid to the injured, he said adding that these ambulances are being equipped with the latest apparatus.

“The highway patrol police have also conducted a survey during the first week of March this year to ascertain the percentage of seat-belt and helmet users and its findings would be made available shortly,” he said and claimed that the highway patrol have set up its own website, www.haryanahighwaypatrol.com, and it will be operational soon.