HEALTH

Global Health Care System introduced
Asha Ahuja

Ludhiana, May 15
Children of upper middle-class families are becoming addicted to fast food, thanks to television advertisements and parents’ yielding to their consistent demands. Result — obesity and various deficiencies in the body. Children from economically weaker and middle-income sections also suffer from deficiency diseases due to malnutrition. In all such cases students suffer from short attention span during studies, poor power of grasping , ill health etc. Unhealthy children grow into unhealthy adults.

“Children are the most effective agents of change. If we wish to make every individual of society healthy, this change has to be initiated from children,” opines Dr Deepinder Singh, a city-based medical practitioner, who has introduced Global Health Care System, for raising community health at large. The system proposes to assess nutritional status of school-going children and suggest measures to control these deficiencies.

Forty nutrients are required for the overall development of children, and deficiency of any one of these nutrients can hamper their physical, mental, emotional and intellectual growth. Children who do not receive adequate nutrients in their diet suffer from frequent infections and illnesses. A scale has been designed under the Global Health Care System for cross-sectional assessment. The proposal is to visit schools three times a year to assess nutritional status of the students and to submit a report suggesting measures to correct these deficiencies.

Dr Deepinder Singh says the system is a powerful means of raising nutritional status and overcoming malnutrition and deficiency disorders.

It primarily deals with nutritional health of children.

A group of professionals will visit schools. The data will be analysed and a report submitted to the school authorities after each visit. At the end of every year, growth of every child will be analysed in totality including nutritional status. It will help children in overcoming malnutrition and other deficiency disorders and improve their health.

DOC SPEAK
Avoid over exposure to sun

Sunburn is a common problem during summers . It is a painful skin condition, which occurs as a result of over-exposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun. It affects persons of all age groups. Children and infants are especially sensitive to the burning effects of the sun. The sun’s rays are strongest during the period between 9.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Acute exposure to sun’s rays can be fatal and significant temporary disability is experienced by millions of sunburned people each year.

Symptoms and causes

Symptoms may not appear for a few hours, and the full effect may not be apparent for upto 24 hours. Severe reactions may include fever, chills, nausea or Rash.

Skin is red, tender and warm to touch.

The pain is burst between six to 48 hours after sun exposure. In severe sunburns, blistering of the skin may occur.

Swelling of the skin, specially in the legs, is common.

Skin peeling usually begins between three to eight days after exposure.

Chronic sun exposure causes premature wrinkling and aging of the skin.

Skin cancer is directly related to the amount of exposure.

Over-exposure to the sun’s rays causes sunburn.

Some medications, such as the anti-biotic doxycycline can make a person more susceptible to sunburn.

Prevention and remedies

Avoid sun exposure during hours of peak sun ray intensity.

Everybody should wear sun hats or helmets (during driving).

Apply cucumber (kheera ) and lemon juice on face before bath during hot days.

Drink lime-water.

Do not apply butter or petroleum jelly to the area affected by sunburn.

Do not wash burnt skin with harsh soap.

After sunburn take a cool bath for 15 minutes, several times a day. Baking soda in the water may help relieve the pain.

Apply a soothing lotion to the skin.

Light clothing reflects the sun’s rays most effectively.

Consult your doctor if there are signs of shock such as fainting, rapid pulse and breathing; the person can also experience pain in the eye and eyes are sensitive to light.

Dr Anil Dheer