HEALTH

Untrained midwives posing health risk
Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 27
More than 70 per cent midwives and traditional healers providing health services to over 16,500 residents of Dadu Majra are resorting to unhealthy practices, which warrants the immediate attention of Health authorities.

A study conducted by the National Institute of Nursing Education (NINE) at the PGI has stressed the need for initiating appropriate measures to keep a check on untrained midwives (traditional “dais”). It has also been found that in the absence of adequate qualified government doctors, people seek services of traditional healers like bone setters and others using herbs, oils and a variety of other concoctions.

There are only 35 per cent qualified MBBS doctors working in Dadu Majra, as the rest are either ayurvedic or registered medical practitioners, who are approached by socially and economically weaker sections of the society. “There is an urgent need to train the 73 per cent untrained midwives in Dadu Majra, so as to achieve the goal of National Population Policy-2000 of total deliveries by trained traditional birth attendants,” as recommended by the study.

Interestingly, it was seen that the 59 traditional and medico-religious healers had a lot of clientele in the colony. Another disturbing fact that came to light during the study was that pharmacists in government dispensaries, besides dispensing medicines, were seen examining patients and giving treatment in the absence of the doctor.

The large scale presence of quacks and traditional healers in the colony is justified by low literacy rate at 55 per cent and low monthly earning of most of the people, with some earning as low as Rs 500 a month. Taking advantage of these circumstances, majority of the traditional healers have established themselves in rural or semi-urban areas.

It was seen that quacks and traditional healers promised cure for everything, right from treating dislocations and sprains to infertility management and medicine for having a male child. A large section of residents of the colony seems to be having considerable faith in these therapies.

The study conducted by Ms Sarvjeet Kaur suggested the need for strengthening coordination and networking of local health functionaries with government medical services to bridge the gap between the two sectors. It was also felt that there was a need to strengthen health services in the suburbs of the city, where the majority of poor population was residing. An “anganwari” being run by the Department of Health and Family Welfare is also based in the colony.

SPORTS

Sejal, Sakshi rule the pool
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, July 27
Sejal Bawa and Sakshi Arora excelled in girls section in a swimming championship organised at the Chandigarh Club today.

The winners were awarded prizes by the president of the club, Mr Ravinder Chopra.

Results: free style:- (sub-junior girls): below eight: Sejal Bawa 1, Nandini Aggarwal 2, Pranvika Bedi 3. boys: Pranav Suri 1, Keshav Hara 2, Bhavesh Nibber 3; junior girls (two groups): 8-12 yrs: Janya Sarohi 1, Sakshi Arora 2, Navneet Sidhu 3; Preetika Bedi 1, Swantika 2, Shivalka 3; boys: (two groups): Vishal Suri 1, Vishnu Srihan2, Pranjay Jain and Jageer Chinna 3; Abhinay Singh 1, Ankush Arora 2, Danish 3.

Pre-seniors girls: Indeep Kaur 1, Karni Kaur 2, Amisha Nibber 3; boys:Varun Gupta1, Rajat Sachdeva 2, Abhitej Nibber 3; men: Karam Pal Singh 1, Vivek Suri 2, Mukul Khanna 3.

Back stroke event: sub-junior girls: Harat Kaushal 1, Sejal Bawa 2, Urika Nibber 3; boys: Bhavesh Nibber 1, Pranav Suri 2, Akhil Nibber 3; junior girls: (two groups): above eight yrs: Anica Kaushal 1, Janya Sirohi 2, Sakshi Arora 3. Swantika 1, Preetika Bedi 2, Astha Arora 3. Junior boys: two groups:Vishal Suri 1, Kanwarjit Singh 2, Pranjay Singh 3; Abhiney Singh 1, Rajat 2, Abhishek Nibber 3.

Diving (girls): Preetika Bedi1, Pranvika Bedi 2, Sejal Bawa 3; boys:Vishal Suri 1, Amitej Nibber 2, Kanwarjit Singh 3; and men Vivek Suri 1, Paramjit Sidhu 2, and Vivek Srihan 3.

Swimming meet

Isha Kalia stole the show by winning first place in the 50-metre free style and breast stroke sections in the swimming championship organised by the State Swimming Association here at the Panjab University swimming pool.

Various other winners in different categories are:Pankaj Chauhan, Gaganpreet Singh, Pankit Sharma, Harsimran Kaur, Prakit Sharma, Nikhit Pannu, Jashandeep Singh, Amrit Bir Singh, Aman Sharma, Shruti Sharma, Sunil Kumar, Puneet Rana, Prabhjot Kaur, Vivek Yadav, Kunal Bhardwaj, Vishnu Pratap Goyal, Inder Pal Singh and Gaganpreet Singh Boparai.

Taekwondo team

The Chandigarh Taekwondo Association has selected a 13-member Chandigarh junior taekwondo team, including five women, to represent Chandigarh for its participation in the 23rd Junior National Taekwondo Championship for men and women, to be held at Bhopal from August 18 to 20.

The team is: (men): Davinder Singh, Amit Kumar, Amrik Singh, Sudesh Bhardwaj, Som Bahadur, Manish, Vivek Thakur and Subhash Mittal; and women: Ruchita, Sarita, Manpreet Kaur, Jaswinder Kaur and Simer Kaur.