The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

HEALTH

BODY&MIND
No value of human life in national Capital
Tripti Nath

If quacks in the National Capital are incorrigible, the Delhi Medical Association is also determined to chase them away. To draw the Delhi Government’s attention once again to the menace of quackery and the need to pass the Anti Quackery Bill, the DMA is mobilising doctors from the Delhi north zone branch of the Indian Medical Association. A dharna has been planned at the Azadpur traffic intersection on Monday afternoon to raise the often-repeated demand to take punitive action against quacks.

DMA has demanded early passage of the Anti Quackery Bill, raids on the clinics being run by quacks, raids on institutions awarding fake medical degrees, raids on drug stores selling Schedule H/X drugs without proper prescription.

Dr Naresh Chawla, Chairman of the anti- quackery cell of DMA has warned that it would intensify its agitation if the Delhi Government fails to take steps to stop quackery. DMA president, Dr Anil Bansal says that the Congress government has put the Anti-Quackery Bill in cold storage. The need to table the bill afresh stems from the fact that about 40,000 unqualified doctors are practicing in Delhi.

In 1998, the then Health Minister of Delhi, Dr Harshwardhan tabled the Anti-Quackery bill as a private members bill. It was taken up by the Select Committee of Delhi Assembly. It was passed by the Delhi Assembly on September 28, 1998, with slight modifications that quacks be provided financial help for finding another means of livelihood. It was to be sent to the Lt-Governor for approval. In the meantime, Assembly elections took place and the Congress came to power. And the fate of the bill was sealed by the Congress regime.

In the last five years, DMA has staged about 25 dharnas to seek punitive action against the quacks.

The rise in number of cases where wrong medication by quacks has led to irreversible damage and death has prompted the DMA to raise their voice against quackery.

Dr Anil Bansal cites three recent cases to justify the agitation. In the first case, Mr Jaisingh, a 54 year-old businessman living in Azad Market in Central Delhi went to a Piles Hospital in Rani Bagh for treatment of a boil on his hips. After surgery by Mr Gupta, he developed severe septicemia and gangrene. He was taken to Tirath Ram Hospital in North Delhi where he was operated again. By then, the case had got complicated and despite best efforts, the patient could not be saved.

On receiving a complaint from his son, DMA reported the matter to the Principal Secretary, Delhi Government, Mr S.P. Aggarwal.

In yet another case, a doctor in Kalyanpuri holding a B.U.M.S (Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery) allegedly administered a wrong injection to Balam Singh Rawat, a 27 year-old man. He died in no time.

The postmortem report indicated wrong injection as the cause of death. Dr Ishrat Ahmed Khan was arrested but later released on bail. Interestingly, Dr Khan’s clinic had been inaugurated by Delhi Health Minister, Dr A.K. Walia.

There is no dearth of such cases. Mr Nawal Kishore, claiming to hold a postgraduate degree in Medicine and having a roaring practice in East Delhi, was caught when he applied for registration in Delhi Medical Council. He was arrested on charges of forgery. The DMC found that he was not qualified to practice and was only a matriculate from a school in Bihar. “In the absence of a legislation to prevent quackery and lack of political will, quacks continue to play with the lives of people and go scot free. There are quacks who are practising without a proper degree and qualified doctors, who instead of practicing Ayurveda or Unani system of medicine are practicing Allopathy.

The draft of the Anti-Quackery bill stated that only qualified doctors would be allowed to practice. It recommended a minimum fine of Rs three lakh and three years imprisonment to any body found practicing without a proper degree. “What is the difference between a murderer and a quack?”, asks Dr Bansal.

Medical air evacuations

Chances of saving the lives of loved ones by getting world class treatment have now improved through medical air evacuations.

In June end, Apollo Colombo saved the life of a two-day-old baby. The child was suffering from a severe respiratory disorder. It was airlifted from Jaffna and taken to Apollo Colombo by a Sri Lankan Air Force helicopter. The infant was treated at the hospital’s Neuro Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and discharged after two days. It was born to a 39 year-old mother who was sub fertile for four years and was suffering from respiratory distress syndrome. It became necessary to move the child to Colombo as the neonatal ventilators in the Jaffna hospitals were not functioning.

Dr Ajith Amarasinghe, a consultant at Apollo Hospital, Colombo, said that early detection helps achieve good results in such cases. In another case reported recently, the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital airlifted a newborn from Amritsar for treatment of Asphyxia and seizures. A team of doctors and technicians brought back the child to the neonatology ward of the hospital. The baby was discharged after a week.

Free Health Camps

Mr Yoganand Shastri, MLA, being examined at a free health check-up camp at Begumpur.

A large number of women and children availed of free medical services at a health camp sponsored by Coca-Cola India at Begumpur behind Malviya Nagar recently. The camp was the first in the series of five camps planned by the company in Delhi slums. The company has identified Chunapatty (behind Kirti Nagar), Nehru Camp (near Tughlakabad), Bengali Camp (behind Kidwai Nagar) and Yamuna Pushta (near Rajghat) for similar camps. In the year gone by, Coca-Cola India had sponsored eight health camps in some of the largest slums in the Capital.

SPORTS

Punjab Heroes qualify for Super Six
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, July 12
Punjab Heroes qualified for the Super Six stage when they came from behind to beat Shakti Club by 4-2 in a Group A match of the Delhi Soccer Association Open Clubs Tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium on Saturday.

Ravinder scored a fine goal in the 18th minute to put Shakti in the lead. But Punjab Heroes quickly got the equaliser when Rajkumar found the mark in the 24th minute.

Arvind regained the lead for Shakti, but the never-say-die spirit of the Punjab Heroes helped them stage a valiant fight back in the last quarter match of the match when they scored through striker Arun Robin.

Ajmal Club edged past Royal Bengal 2-1 in Group II.

Tushar Choudhry put Royal Bengal in the lead but Paras Rana pulled off the equaliser for Ajmal in the 22nd minute.

Kunal Hatura scored the match-winner for Ajmal in the 55th minute.

Young Sports and Gulabi Bagh played a 2-2 draw in a Group III match at the Nehru Stadium East ground.

Sunday’s fixtures: Delhi Tigers vs Venus (3.45 p m); Nivia vs Delhi Students (5 pm)—Ambedkar Stadium. Lodhi Club vs Gulabi Bagh (3.45 pm); Rohini vs South India (5 pm)—Nehru Stadium.

14-member Indian blind team for World Meet

New Delhi, July 12
The Indian Blind Sports Association will field a 14-member contingent to represent the country in the second IBSA World Championships and Games for the Blind to be held in Quebec, Canada, from August 1 to 12.

The IBSA World Championships and Games are held once in four years under the aegis of the International Blind Sports Federation. These games are the largest and most prestigious sports event organised exclusively for the visually handicapped.

India had fielded a team in the inaugural IBSA World Championship held in Madrid, Spain in 1998.

The Indian contingent, comprising four men and four women, prior to their departure for Canada on July 31, will undergo a coaching camp in Delhi from July 14 to 30.

The camp is being organised by the Indian Blind Sports Association and the Blind Relief Association, with the support of the Sports Authority of India and the Indian Olympic Association, at the warm-up ground of the Nehru Stadium.

Apart from onfield training, the athletes and their technical and support staff will also receive expert advise and instruction on the psychological buildup, sports medicine, and how to steer clear of banned substances. The coaching camps will be held in the morning and evening every day. OSR

Weider to sponsor Uttaranchal Heroes Football Club
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, July 12
In these cash crunch days, when even reputed clubs are finding it difficult to rope in a sponsor to support their activities, the Uttaranchal Heroes Football Club have enlisted the help of Weider, an American food supplement company, as their sponsors. Weider will sponsor Uttaranchal Club in the current season by providing kits and other necessary items to the players.

Executive director of the Asian Region of the company, Paul Chua, handed over the kit bags to the players at a function organised by Delhi Bodybuilding president Amarjeet Malik.

Mr Malik represents Weider in India while Paul Chua is also the general secretary of the Asian Bodybuilding Federation.

Paul came to India to inspect the next World Bodybuilding Championship venue in Mumbai. India will be organising the world event from November 22 to 27 in Mumbai, and Paul was satisfied with the arrangements being made in Mumbai. Eighty countries are expected to take part in the World Bodybuilding Championship.

The Uttaranchal Football Club comprise the following members: Paul Chua (chief patron), Amarjeet Malik (chairman), Rajender Sajwan (president), Kamal Kishore (general secretary), N S Negi (captain of the team), Trilok (vice-captain), Virender Malkoti, Chandan Rawat, Bijender, Chandan Rauthan, H S Bisht, S Merry, Denzil, Ashish Rawat, Rajesh Kanojia, Sandeep Negi, Azhar, Jahangir, Kulbhushan, Rahul Bhatti, Sandeep Bishi (all players) and P S Puri (chief coach).