HEALTH

Handicapped persons given aids
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 9
A special camp to identify handicapped persons for providing them artificial limbs free of cost was organised by the Punjab State Branch of the Indian Red Cross Society in collaboration with the Health Department at Guru Nanak Charitable Trust, Mullanpur Mandi, 20 km from here, today.

Dr D.P.S. Sandhu, Director, Health Services, Punjab, inaugurated the camp and Capt Rajdeep Singh Jaiya, secretary, Indian Red Cross Society state branch presided over the function.

As many as 122 handicapped persons were identified. Out of these, 70 were fitted with hearing aids, 25 were presented tri-cycles and five were given wheel-chairs. The measurements of the remaining 22 were made for the preparation of artificial limbs.

Addressing the function, Dr D.P.S. Sandhu, who is also the vice-chairman of the state branch of the Red Cross Society, informed that from December 27, 2002, 1169 handicapped persons had been provided tri-cycles and other aids by organising eight camps in different parts of the state by the Red Cross Society. He said that the Health Department had even directed the civil surgeons to arrange to send special medical teams to check those disabled persons who were unable to reach the Civil Surgeon Office or Civil Hospital due to physical conditions to get his disability certificate issued, even on the receipt of application directly or through panchayat.

He informed that the Civil Surgeon had also been instructed to put in all the field staff and avail the services of NGOs to create full awareness among the people regarding the preventive measures being taken by the government to prevent and treat the potential victims and to provide them timely required treatment so that the number of disabled persons in Punjab could be reduced.

Dr Sandhu claimed that the state had succeeded in bringing down the disability rate to 1 per cent of the total population against the national rate of 4.5 per 100. He informed that the special programmes launched to prevent disabilities like polio, leprosy, blindness etc had been implemented effectively in the state and polio had been completely checked in the state. He said last year, no polio case was reported in Punjab and this year only two cases had been reported so far.

Addressing the function, Capt R.S. Jaiya informed that as per a survey conducted in 1999-2000, 2.48 lakh disabled persons were identified, out of these 23543 were mentally challenged, 55110 visually challenged, 24581 with hearing and speech impairment and 1,45076 had loco motor disability.

He said that the Indian Red Cross Society (Punjab branch) would organise maximum number of such camps in other parts of the state also where the identification of the disabled persons would be made and artificial limbs and other aids would be provided to physically challenged persons free of cost.

Mr Malkiat Singh Dakha, MLA, while speaking on the occasion, appreciated the efforts of the Indian Red Cross Society for providing free aids to the handicapped persons.

Govt blamed for poor state of 
Ayurvedic dispensaries 
Shivani Bhakoo

Ludhiana, April 9
With over 40 Ayurvedic dispensaries in the district, people of the area should presumably be in perfect health, but things are otherwise in reality as there is hardly any dispensary with a physician, who comes to work as per the prescribed timings.

Though the government claims to have formulated a policy for promotion of the Ayurveda and Unani systems of medicine, practical reality suggests otherwise.

Grant in most of these dispensaries lapsed due to non-utilisation during the past financial year.

According to some Ayurveda practitioners, the department had been functioning without a technical head for the past 20 years. “Its actually nobody’s baby. One day they decide to hand over it to the ESI, then Family Planning Department takes care of it, then it is given in the hands of allopaths.

How can a department survive , when there is no one to look after it. The senior doctors in service hardly come on time as they are doing private practice,” says an Ayurvedic practitioner.

Another source disclosed that across the state, there were more than 400 Ayurvedic dispensaries and over Rs 30,000 to 40,000 were incurred on the salaries of staff of the each dispensary per month. But the amount of medicines supplied to each dispensary never exceeded Rs 500 per annum. None of these dispensaries had even a proper first-aid kit.

The number of patients in these dispensaries was extremely low. “We can show our output only if we are provided with the sufficient medicine stock,” said the doctor.

“We are not provided with a sweeper. Every month we pay Rs 200 to sweeper for the maintenance of the dispensary. Even some of the electricity bills have been paid from my pocket.

But for the past three years, my dues have not been reimbursed. Most of our dispensaries are in temples and gurdwaras and managements of these institutions pay the electricity bills”, said one of the doctors on the condition of anonymity.

At one of these dispensaries, medicine meant for sample was being given to a patient when this correspondent visited it.

On asking, the doctor said, "We can not spoil our reputation. If we tell patients that there was no medicine, no one will come to us.”

Ayurvedic doctors complained that they were being given step-motherly treatment by the government. “The Government Ayurvedic Pharmacy situated at Patiala can earn several lakhs of rupees a month, if run in a professional manner. But due to apathetic attitude of the state government, it manufactures medicines worth a few thousands a month. Most of the government doctors are interested in doing private practice”, stress most doctors who attend the dispensaries. Despite repeated attempts, District Ayurvedic Officer could not be contacted. 

2 jail officials to be suspended
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 9
The Additional Director General of Police (Prisons), Mr R.S. Chalia, has recommended the suspension of two Jail Superintendents for their alleged involvement in a scandal involving the purchase of drugs and other items for jails. The two superintendents, who are reportedly absconding, were posted in the Ludhiana and Jalandhar Central Jails.

During a talk here last night, Mr Chalia revealed that the two superintendents had been prima facie found involved in the scandal, amounting to about Rs 40 lakh. Mr Chalia also said that action would be taken against 12 more jail officials who were found to have connived with jail inmates for getting various prohibited things like drugs and mobile phones into the jail premises.