The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

HEALTH

BODY & MIND
Orthopaedic meet for national trauma policy
Tripti Nath

The Delhi Orthopaedics Association (DOA) concluded its two-day annual conference recently with welcome recommendations favouring drafting and formalisation of a ‘National Trauma Policy’. The conference was inaugurated by Professor P.K. Dave, Medical Director of Rockland Hospital and former Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

The DOA plans to send its draft resolution on the need for a ‘National Trauma Policy’ to the Jabalpur based secretariat of the Indian Orthopaedics Association. The IOA will present a final draft of the resolution to the Ministry of Health and request policy makers in Nirman Bhawan, headquarters of the Health Ministry in Delhi, to take up the issue with the National Highway Authority of India and the ministries of Railways and Surface Transport.

The initiative is long overdue in a country where most highways are notorious for drunken driving, road rage, hit-and-run cases and fatal accidents.

Dr I.P.S Oberoi, Arthroscopy surgeon and organising secretary of the conference, drew attention to critical gaps in trauma management while moderating a panel discussion on trauma in the Indian scenario. He stressed the need for setting up a primary trauma centre every 50km with first aid and paramedics to at least manage and evacuate.

“We don’t have a national trauma policy. We don’t have guidelines regarding highways. We need to take lessons from countries, which have developed protocol for management of trauma cases.”

Other prominent speakers who aired their views on various aspects of trauma were Dr H.K.T. Raza, a disaster management expert, and secretary of IOA, Dr D.K. Dhawan, Dean, Maulana Azad Medical College, Professor Ravinder Singh from Rajindra Hospital and Medical College, Patiala and Professor S.S. Sanghwan, Head of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, MDU, Rohtak.

While Dr Raza shared his experiences of providing relief at the doorstep to the quake victims in the Kutch region during the Bhuj earthquake, Dr Dhawan stressed the need for a national disaster policy. Professor Ravinder Singh said that 60 per cent trauma victims fall in the category of neglected trauma due to illiteracy and ignorance. Professor Sanghwan said that protocol is essential for management of trauma. He said that stepwise management is imperative for road and railway accidents.

The significant decision to send a resolution to the IOA has come at a time when the DOA is celebrating its silver jubilee.

The Northern Railway’s Central Hospital successfully hosted prominent arthroscopy surgeons from Delhi and other stations. Leading surgeons discussed new techniques during a pre-conference arthroscopy video symposia. Prominent among those who made presentations were Dr Anant Joshi, consultant to Bombay Hospital and Jaslok Hospital, Dr Sanjay Desai from Bombay Hospital, Dr David Rajan from Coimbatore, Dr V.B. Bhasin from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi, Dr H.L. Nag from AIIMS and Dr Pushpinder Bajaj from Rockland Hospital.

Relief from peptic ulcers

For 12 months now, Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd. has provided relief to persons suffering from peptic ulcers with the help of its anti-ulcerent product, Rabeloc. Cadila’s version of Rabeprazol called Rabeloc was launched in January, 2003 and was the first in the segment of Rabeprazol drugs.

And now, Professor Peter Katelaris, Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Sydney and senior consultant, Gastroenterologist, at Concord Hospital, Sydney, has given a favourable opinion about the efficacy of Rabeloc.

In India to address two seminars, one each in Chennai and Delhi, Professor Katelaris said that the good news is that ulcer disease can be cured by a specific treatment called triple therapy.

He said that triple therapy includes a PPI drug such as Rabeloc.

“Pylori Helicobacter is an organism which causes peptic ulcer in a proportion of people who are infected. The treatment of peptic ulcers involves a PPI drug combined with two specific antibiotics for usually one to two weeks. It is crucial that the patient complies because failure to comply reduces the success rate alarmingly. But when the patient is compliant and the treatment successful, the treatment in some ulcers is almost always cure,” he said.

Professor Katelaris has authored the Australian Clinical Guidelines for Helicobacter Pylori and Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. The Sydney based scientist, who has served in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, further observed that Reflux disease appears to be on the rise in India. He explained that the problem of Reflux (Oesaophaegeal Reflux Disease) is a condition where the acid from the stomach refluxes upward into the oesopahgus often and causes heartburn and sometimes inflammation in the oeasophagus. He said that Reflux disease is of two kinds-erosive and non-erosive. In the first condition, the acid causes inflammation, while in the second, it causes inflammation as well as heart burn and upsets the patient. He said that treatment by PPI drugs is effective.

Professor Katelaris recommended control of dietary fats and fat intake for management of Reflux.

According to Dr Arun Maseeh, Head, Medical Services, Cadila Pharmaceuticals, Rabeloc is for five indications including gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcers, GERD (Gastro Oesophageal Reflux Disease), ZES and H.Pylori eradication.

Getting rid of piles

‘Thank God’ kit for piles treatment.

An investment of Rs 399 is all that is needed for getting rid of piles, usually caused by increased pressure in the abdomen. For a month and a half, retail outlets across the country have been selling ‘Thank God’, a kit comprising an information booklet, capsules, itching cream and a herbal formulation.

The kit has been prepared by Panacea Biotech, a Faridabad based healthcare company. The company recommends a two-week course by kit users.

According to Panacea Biotech, Piles is caused by constipation, prolonged straining, derangement of the internal anal muscle and pregnancy. Piles can develop at any age and affect men and women. Piles can be prevented by a timely consultation with the doctor due to persistent or heavy rectal bleeding, painful or itching piles especially if it interferes with your job performance, abdominal pain, change in the normal bowel habit lasting more than two weeks, rectal bleeding beginning at the age of 45.

SPORTS

Malviya Club enter semi-final
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, January 17
Half centuries by Gagandeep Singh and Rahul Prasad and deadly bowling of 3 for 20 by T Anand and 3 for 28 by Sachin Choudhary helped Malviya Club defeat Khalsa College by 50 runs and entered the semi-final of the eighth Sahibzada Ajit Singh Cricket Tournament at the Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce ground, Pitampura.

Gagandeep was declared the man of the match.

Scores: Malviya Club: 190 for 6 in 40 overs (Gagandeep Singh 59, Rahul Prasad 52, Sachin Khurana 26, Aman Arora 3 for 28, Hemant Dogra 3 for 26).

Khalsa College: 140 all out in 35.2 overs (Rohit Sharma 24, Gaurav Malhotra 22, T Anand 3 for 20, Sachin Choudhary 3 for 28).

Ankit hits unbeaten ton

An unbeaten century by Ankit Chawla (102) helped RCN Club defeat United India by 10 wickets in an A-I Division match of the DDCA League at the Ramjas College ground. Scores: United India: 163 all out in 33.5 overs (Shiv Kumar 54, Virender Kohli 31, Chandan Chugh 3 for 23). RCN: 164 for no loss in 22.2 overs (Ankit Chawla 102, Vineet Rana 50 n o).

Salwan Boys record big win

An all-round display by Yogesh Nagar (3 for 19 and 52 n o) and deadly bowling of 4 for 24 by Shobhit Kaushik helped last year’s runners-up Salwan Boys defeat Meera Model School by ten wickets in the inaugural match of the Rohtak Road Gymkhana Inter-School Under-16 Cricket Tournament at the Bharat Nagar ground.

The tournament was inaugurated by Mr S K Jain. Pramod Jain, Sarvan Kumar, Sanjay Bhardwaj and Salwan School principal R S Dabas were also present.

Scores: Meera Model: 95 all out in 35.3 overs (Vipul Kumar 30, Rishab Kumar 32, Shobhit Kaushik 4 for 24, Yogesh Nagar 3 for 19, Anant Marichi 3 for 23).

Salwan Boys: 99 for no loss in 26.4 overs (Yogesh Nagar 52 n o, Anshul Gupta 32 n o).

Atwal makes grade on PGA Tour debut
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, January 17
Star Indian golfer Arjun Atwal strung together a well-compiled two-under 68 to make the cut at the Sony Open in Hawai, his first outing on the prestigious US PGA Tour.

Atwal, who at the year-end became the first-ever Indian to qualify for the biggest stage in the world golf, rests on the bubble with a two-day tally of one-under 139, the very score on which the cut was applied. The tournament is being played at the par-70 Walalae Country Club, Honolulu.

According to reports available in Delhi, Daniel Chopra, a Sweden-based Indian, also into his first season on the PGA Tour, slipped out of contention despite tying for the ninth position in his opening round.

Chopra followed up his day on 67 with 73 today, thereby slipping to a tally of level-par 140. Meanwhile, Australian Steve Allen fired a super eight-under 62 to assume a one-stroke lead at 11-under 129.

Atwal’s forgettable Thursday, when he struggled to find the fairway, can be credited to nerves. However, the Kolkata-based golfer was a changed man today, proving to himself more than anybody else that he belonged to the PGA Tour.

The 31-year-old started on the tenth tee and after a series of pars, suffered setbacks in the form of bogeys on the 15th and 17th. Atwal held his nerve to birdie the 18th.

One over on the first tee box, the resolute golfer steeled himself, pulled his game together and fired birdies on the third, fifth and one on his closing hole to earn himself a place in the week-end rounds.