Home deliveries to avoid labour for beds
Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Break-up of deliveries in Chandigarh

* Total deliveries taking place annually: 25,000 (approx.) * Deliveries at General Hospital: 9,000 (approx.) * Deliveries at GMCH: 3,000 (approx.) * Deliveries at PGI: 3,000 (approx.)

Chandigarh, April 29
Despite the best efforts of the UT Health Department authorities, the percentage of institutional deliveries has gone down from 91 to 86 per cent as many expectant mothers are unable to get a bed in the city hospitals for their delivery.

While on the one hand, the administration has been giving advertisements in newspapers to promote institutional deliveries yet at the same time there is shortage of beds in the maternity wards of the government hospitals in the city. “Since there is an acute shortage of beds in the hospital, we are left with no choice but to take in only the first delivery cases as the risk involved is higher,” admits a General Hospital doctor.

Of the nearly 25,000 deliveries taking place in the city annually, it is estimated that almost 30 per cent take place at homes. “We are definitely not against home deliveries provided they are conducted by a trained hand and in a clean environment,” said Dr M.P. Minocha, Director, Family Welfare Bureau.

While admitting that the number of beds in the city hospitals including the PGI, Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and General Hospital, were inadequate, he felt one of the reasons for this was the extra burden of the migrant population. “Almost 70 per cent of the delivery cases in our hospital are from the slums and rehabilitation colonies inhabited by migrant labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh,” said a nurse at General Hospital.

Even though the UT has far better statistics than many other states, but the decline in institutional deliveries is definitely a cause of concern for all.

Health authorities feel that there is no methodology to judge professional competence of midwives so it is better that people should go in for institutional deliveries. With the PGI taking only the complicated cases, majority of the deliveries are taking place at General Hospital, GMCH and Sector 22 Polyclinic.

In fact, women going to government hospitals for their second or third delivery are being asked to go to private nursing homes due to shortage of beds as according to the doctors, the first-time deliveries need to be handled with utmost care.

The logic given by health authorities that private nursing homes should take some of the load off the government hospitals does not hold good as everyone can not afford the charges of private nursing homes, feel majority of people.

PGI VCD row takes new turn
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 29
Even as the PGI administration is adopting an extra-cautious approach in handling the VCD case that has rocked the Cardiology Department, the controversy has taken a new turn with the daughter of the patient claiming that she was kept in the dark about the identity of the person who interviewed her.

In her first ever face-to-face interaction with media, who had been provided with VCD containing her allegations, Ms Jaswinder Kaur today said she was not aware that it was the wife of Dr Anil Grover, head of the Cardiology Department, who had conducted the interview.

“Had I known that Dr Pawan Sharma, who was introduced to me first as Deeksha and then as a reporter of an English daily, was the wife of Dr Grover, I would not have given the interview,” said Ms Jaswinder Kaur. She had earlier alleged that after being promised by PGI doctors that the stent would be provided free of cost a local chemist had demanded Rs 70,000.

Dr Pawan Sharma said she had never introduced herself as a reporter of a newspaper and this impression was being created due to some confusion. “I told the patient my actual name but not that I was Dr Grover’s wife as I felt she will not be able to speak freely,” she clarified.

Meanwhile, the PGI’s Vigilance Cell has summoned the patient, Ms Basant Kaur, to the PGI on May 1, so that her statement can be recorded.” Since my mother is 74-year-old and not keeping too well, I will appear on her behalf as I have faced a lot of inconvenience due to Dr Bali’s rude behaviour,” said Ms Jaswinder Kaur.

Interestingly, Ms Kaur said she met Dr Bali for the first time only in mid March to obtain the discharge slip of her mother. “I admit that neither did Dr Bali say that the stent would be provided free of cost nor did he demand the money but I presume that his juniors including Dr Challia and Dr Idris were demanding payment of Rs 70,000 to the chemist on the directions of their boss, Dr Bali,” she said.

She clarified that it was Dr Challia, who had told her that one stent would be provided free of cost by the PGI and she too had never made a request to the PGI for poor free treatment of her mother, who resides in Ambala. “My grouse against Dr Bali is that because of him I had to face a lot of trouble in getting my mother’s discharge slip and for this PGI must take action against him,” she said.

UT Sports Department releases sports calendar
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, April 29
The UT Sports Department has released the calendar of sports activities for the session 2003-2004. A summer coaching camp for sub-junior girls will be held in the first week of May. Then high altitude camp will be held at Nauni (Solan) in the last week of May. The senior boys and girls will also undergo the summer coaching camp in the third week of June.

In the second week of July, the UT Sports Department will organise a tennis tournament in sub-junior and junior sections. A mini marathon race for sub-junior boys and girls will be held in the last week of August. Swimming competitions for sub-junior, junior and senior boys and girls will also be organised in August.

In September, Chandigarh games will be held in the first-week. The Challenge Cup Football Tournament will also be held for under-14 years September.

The state sports festival for women in selected disciplines will be held on second week of October. In the last week, an all-lndia sports festival for women in tennis, hockey and handball will be organised. The inter-coaching competitions in basketball, handball and volleyball will be held in the second week, followed by state-level rural sports festival for below-16 in boys and girls sections in kabaddi, volleyball, wrestling and tug-of-war, kho-kho and athletics.

An international hockey tournament will be held in December.

Mr Sidhu said the All-India Civil Services Sports Meet will be organised in January, 2004. An open rural meet in athletics, volleyball, tug-of-war, wrestling and kabaddi will be organised in February.

Dr Sidhu said the Roger Bannister’s & one-mile race for city youngsters will be held on May 4.

CRICKET MEET: Chandigarh earned five points against Patiala by virtue of their 55-run first innings lead in a league match of the Punjab inter- district cricket tournament (u-15) for the Sushil Bali Trophy which concluded at the Dhruv Pandove stadium here today. The hosts managed just three points from the drawn match. Brief scores: Chandigarh: 1st innings-202 all out; Patiala: 1st innings-147 all out; Chandigarh: (2nd innings) 270 for 8 ( Sumit 82, Simrat Bawa 51, Sourav 27, Sidharath Kaul 36, Gunjot Singh 2 for 29, Rajwinder Singh 2 for 62, Navjot Singh 2 for 49, Amarpreet Singh 2 for 78).

Gymnasts honoured
Our Sports Reporter

Gymnasts of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 10, Chandigarh, who were honoured on Tuesday.

Chandigarh, April 29
Gymnasts of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 10, who brought laurels to the school, were honoured by Mr J.P.S. Sidhu, Joint Director (Sports), UT, here today. The sub-junior team of the school bagged 21 medals. Mr Rajinder Sharma, SAI coach at the centre, said last year the UT Education Department had opened the sports wing in the school, which has finally started yielding results.

Mr Sharma also praised the principal of the school, Ms Jagjit Kaur, for providing all support to the gymnasts.