The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

HEALTH

CT Scan Centre at GMCH opened
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, March 16
The Adviser to the Chandigarh Administrator, Mr Lalit Sharma, inaugurated CT Scan Centre in the newly constructed Block-B of Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32 here. The CT Scan Centre will provide day and night service to the patients.

According to a press statement, the Chandigarh Administration, in its endeavor to help the poor and the needy patients, will also provide 10 per cent free CT scans out of the total number of patients.

The ultra-modern CT Scan machine, installed at Rs 1.75 crore, will enable medical specialists to reproduce the body slice-by- slice. It will further enable them to prepare films for finding out the exact location of a disease or meticulous functioning of a specific body organ to detect abnormality.

The machine, is more precise and fast. As such, it will minimise the time and effort required in the entire scanning process. Moreover, the cost effectiveness of this machine will benefit the visiting patients immensely.

The rates of scans on this machine are comparatively much lower than the market rates. Head of the Orthopadics Department and Medical Superintendent Raj Bahadur, along with Head of the Radio Diagnostic Department, Ms Suman Kochhar, informed the Adviser about the features of the CT machine. Among others present on the occasion were Medical Education-cum-Home Secretary, Mr R.S. Gujral, and the Director Principal of the college H.M. Swami.

Skin cancer can take up to 20 years to develop
Monica Sharma

If you think tanning is the worst thing that can happen to you because of spending hours in the sun, you are wrong. Besides dehydration and heat exhaustion, overexposure can lead to sunburn and skin cancer.

Doctors at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research here confirm that you face a greater risk if there is a history of skin cancer in your family. They add that skin cancer can take up to 20 years or more to develop.

Doctors say that skin cancer is a disease in which malignant cells are found in the outer layers of the skin. It can occur anywhere on your body but is common in places exposed to sunlight, including face, neck, hands, and arms.

A growth or a sore that simply refuses to heal is a common sign of skin cancer. The lump can be small. It can also be smooth, shiny and waxy looking. It can even be red or reddish brown. Red rough or scaly spot can be another symptom. You must, however, remember that the symptoms do not essentially indicate cancer. A doctor must be consulted before reaching any conclusion.

The doctors add that the reduction of ozone in the earth’s atmosphere has actually increased the chances of skin cancer. “The amount of ultra violet (UV) rays that reach the earth’s surface is greater than it was 50 years ago,” they insist. Ozone layer, they add, acts as a filter. It reduces the amount of UV light we are exposed to. “Otherwise, UV light grows stronger as the height increases. This is because the atmosphere is thin at high altitudes compared to the sea-level,” they reveal.

Tanning, doctors say, is skin’s response to UV rays. “In fact, tanning actually helps in preventing further injury to the skin from overexposure to the sun. But it does not prevent skin cancer. The effect of UV rays depends upon the intensity and duration of exposure. In any case, sensitive areas including lips, nose, and palms of your hands should be protected.

Otherwise, you should avoid going out in the sun between 10 am and 3 pm. You should also liberally apply sunscreen with sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or more to the exposed areas. It should be reapplied after every two hours or swimming and excessive perspiring.

You should also go in for clothes that completely cover your body and shade your face. Preference should be given to full-sleeve tops. You can also wear hats to protect face and back of the neck.

SPORTS

Prakash wins 800 m race
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, March 16
Prakash Joshi and Ravinder emerged winner in the 800 metre race and shot put section, respectively, on the opening day of the annual rural games organised here today at Sports Complex, Sector 46. More than 100 villagers are taking part in athletics, kabaddi, volleyball and wrestling competitions.

In kabaddi, Khuda Alisher overpowered Kaimbwala 73-17 while Maloya defeated Palsora 51-13.

In wrestling final, (66 kg) Balkar Singh of Palsora won the first place, Bhoop Singh of Dhanas stood second while Harinder of Manimajra stood third. In 74 kg, Sunil of Dhanas won the first position, Parminder of Dhanas bagged the second prize while Natinder of Hallo Majra stood third. In 42 to 45 kg, Sandeep of Dhanas secured the first place, Sushil of Palsora stood second while Tarsan of Dhanas stood third.

In volleyball, Kaimbwala defeated Mouli Jagran 20-25, 25-14, 25-18 (2-1); Kishangarh beat Raipur Khurd 25-8,25-22.

Athletics: (800 metres); Prakash Joshi (Kishangarh) 1, Vinod Kumar 2, Bikram Singh (Kishangarh) 3.

Shot put: Ravinder 9.47 metre (Mouli Jagran)1, Varinder 9.45 metre (Dhanas)2, Shalinder Singh 8.66 metre ( Palsora) 3.

ADMINISTRATION

MC staff to be deemed deputationists
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 16
Employees of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh can heave a sigh of relief as they are all set to get the status of deemed deputationist.

The process to find out how many employees can be adjusted against the existing vacant posts within the Administration has been initiated. The employees will be told if they can be adjusted, otherwise they will be given the option to go back to the MC and be treated on deemed deputation.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has agreed to the idea of treating the MC employees as on deemed deputation, but it is pending a final notification. The notification cannot be issued till May 10, when the last phase of elections ends.

The Chandigarh Administration had asked the employees to give an option if they wanted to join the Administration or the remain with the corporation. The employees, under the banner of the Co-ordination Committee of Government and MC Employees and Workers, UT, Chandigarh, had been asking that employees of the Administration to the MC be treated as on deputation.

The 6,500 employees of the corporation had agreed to a compromise formula, in which they would drop the demand of being treated as deputationists. In return, they would get all service benefits of government employees.

The acceptance of the package by the coordination committee of employees had been conveyed to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Under the formula, all employees would get all post-retirement benefits like pension, gratuity and provident fund through the government and not through the corporation.

Accepting these 6,500 employees as on deputation to the corporation would have been impossible. All of them were originally employees of the Chandigarh Administration and were shifted to the corporation in 1996 on its formation.

Six cops for UN mission
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 16
One Inspector, four Sub-Inspectors and a Head Constable of the city have been selected to work in Kosovo on a UN peace- keeping mission.

Inspector Ashwani Kumar, Sub-Inspectors Shree Prakesh, Hardip Singh, Jaswinder Singh, and Harjeet Kaur and Head Constable Baljinder Singh have cleared the examination for the selection.

Sub-Inspectors Manju Sharma, and Sita Devi and Head Constables Charanjeet Singh and Suresh Kumar had also taken the UN test after completing their training.

Inspector Jaswant Singh Kheda and Sub-Inspectors Dilsher Singh and Jasbir had done the training, but did not take the examination for the final selection.