The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

HEALTH

Health services in poor state
Our Correspondent

Amloh, February 7
Health facilities at the local Civil Hospital have failed to keep pace with the growing needs of the people. The state of the hospital tells the story of utter neglect on the part of the Health Department.

Though the building and infrastructure of the hospital has been provided by the Punjab Health Systems Corporation after spending Rs 1 crore, it is like a body without soul so far as the strength of the staff and stock of medicines are concerned. The shortage of doctors and medicines seem to have acquired chronic dimensions. Although the hospital has been provided with 10 beds, it has no indoor patients.

One Senior Medical Officer (SMO) and one Medical Officer (MO) have been provided to the hospital but both posts are lying vacant as Mr Avtar Singh Bhullar, SMO, and Mr Mahesh Jindal, MO, have been transferred.

The community health centre wing has been provided in the hospital complex to accommodate four specialised doctors, including a gynaecologist.

To cope with the situation doctors from neighbouring dispensaries have been deputed for a day or two in a week to attend the OPD. Around 100 patients are being examined daily in the OPD. The hospital has been provided with four staff nurses, three pharmacists and 11 class IV employees. Provision of X-rays, ECG and lab tests have been provided. The ultrasound machine of this hospital was shifted to Fatehgarh Sahib. Around Rs 2.50 lakh per month is spent on the salaries of the employees etc., but the public does not get the required services from this hospital.

On the contrary, in the rural hospital of Mallowal village, 8 km from here in Amloh subdivision, has two doctors to examine 10 patients in the OPD on an average.

Health awareness camp held
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, February 7
HOPE, an NGO working in the area for the uplift of the poor, organised a health awareness camp at Guruhar Rai Nagar, near Jalandhar byepass, here yesterday. The camp was inaugurated by Mr G.S. Virk, Superintendent of Civil Defence, and Mr H.S. Rana, Deputy Chief of Civil Defence. Dr Gurinder Singh Kapoor, Dr Vinay Sharma and Dr Jagjit Kaur delivered lectures on bringing about awareness among the members of the community on different aspects of health. They gave tips on proper diet and mother and child care to the people. Later a medical check-up session was also conducted wherein about 300 patients were examined and given medicines.

Other eminent members present on the occasion were councillors, Mr Simarjeet Bains, Ms Kashmir Kaur and Mr Rajiv Katna, and civil defence members, Dr Rajinder Chugh, Mr Honey Khanna, Mr Nitin Bhatt, Mr Surinder Sharma and Mr Rajan Sharma.

SPORTS

Punjab zone teams enter semis
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, February 7
Hosts Punjab secured their berths in the semi-finals of the North Zone Employees Provident Fund Volleyball and Basketball Tournament that began on the Punjab Agricultural University campus here today.

In volleyball, other teams which made it to the last four stage include Haryana, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh while in basketball, besides Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi (head office) and Haryana zones reached the semi-finals.

In volleyball, Haryana faced a little resistance from their rivals Delhi (head 0ffice) whom they outclassed in straight sets 25-12, 25-12. In the second match, Uttaranchal zone fought a pitched battle against Himachal Pradesh 25-21, 25-20, 19-25 and 25-18 to earn a place into the semi-final.

The Punjab zone beat Delhi (Regional Office) to secure a place in last four stage.

In basketball, Delhi (head office) defeated Delhi (Regional Office) and Punjab thrashed Uttar Pradesh 30-7 while Himachal Pradesh beat Uttaranchal 19-7.

Earlier, Mr R.K. Mahajan, Additional Central Commissioner, Provident Fund inaugurated the three-day tournament in which teams from six zones namely Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh all taking part.

DMCH to host sports festival
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, February 7
Teams from10 medical colleges of the north India will take part in the three-day north zone inter-medical colleges indoor games scheduled to be held here at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital from February 13 to 15.

In a press note issued here today , Dr Rajoo Singh Chhinna, Chairman Dayanand Medical College Sports Council, said competitions in table tennis, badminton, chess and carrom will be conducted in the individual as well team sections. One team from each college will be allowed to participate in the boys and girls sections. The events will be organised on three singles and two doubles pattern for boys and two singles and one doubles pattern for girls.

For individual events, a maximum of five entries will be allowed from each college, separately for boys and girls. The individual events will be open events. All matches will be conducted on knock out basis.

The hosts have made hostel accomodation for the guest teams and there will be a cultural function on February 14 as a part of the Valentines Day celebrations. The council would also organise athletics meet and a cricket tournament, informed Dr G.S. Bajwa, convener, Sports Council, DMCH.

Seema Rani best athlete for third time
Our Correspondent

Doraha, February 7
Seema Rani was declared the best athlete of Guru Nanak National College, Doraha, for the third time in a row in the 30th annual athletic meet of the college, which concluded today.

The meet was inaugurated by Mr Tarsem Bahia, Principal, A.S. College, Khanna and Senator, Panjab University, Chandigarh who exhorted the girls to carve a niche for themselves as they had already done in almost every field. He congratulated the management committee of the college and the staff on the achievements.

Seema Rani was declared the best athlete and she broke her own record of the last year in two events, 1500 m race and cycle race. The other results are:

100m race: Seema Rani (1), Veenu Sharma (2) and Sandeep (3).

Long jump : Rajdeep Kaur (1), Manpreet Kaur (2), and Seema Rani (3).

Shotput : Sandeep Kaur (1), Sandeep Kaur (2), and Ramanjeet Kaur (3).

200m race: Seema Rani (1), Sandeep Kaur (2), and Pardeep Kaur (3).

1500m race: Seema Rani (1), Pardeep Kaur (2)and Veenu Sharma (3)

High jump: Jagjit Kaur (1), Veerpal Kaur (2), and Sandeep Kaur (3).

Discus throw: Seema Rani (1), Simaljit Kaur (2), and Sandeep Kaur (3).

Three-legged race: Sandeep Kaur and Jaspreet Kaur (1), Sukhpreet Kaur and Manpreet Kaur (2), and Ramanjit Kaur and Harpreet Kaur (3).

1500m cycle race: Seema Rani (1), Pardeep Kaur (2), and Veenu Sharma (3).

400m race: Seema Rani (1), Veenu Sharma (2), Pardeep Kaur (3).

Chati race : Harjit Kaur (1), Amrit Preet Kaur (2) and Balbir Kaur (3).

Sack race : Sandeep Kaur (1), Amrit Preet Kaur (2), and Kamaljit Kaur (3).

Musical chair race was won by Sukhpal Singh Dhami.

Tug-of-war was won by the students from the staff.