CME on advances in prostate enlargement treatment
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 28
Dr Baldev Singh Aulakh, a urologist and transplant surgeon at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) here, has said that a number of minimal invasive techniques like laser, stents, tuna and TMT for the treatment of prostate enlargement, have been developed. However none of these are comparable with the results achieved with the traditional surgical procedure of endoscopic resection known as TURP where no skin cutting or stitching was involved.

Dr Aulakh was addressing a CME on “Recent advances in prostate enlargement treatment” here last evening. The CME was chaired by Prof L.S. Chawla, founder Vice Chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences and a former principal of the DMCH.

Dr Aulakh said that the enlargement of the prostate was one of the commonest disease to affect men beyond the middle age. Every second person above 50 had this enlargement and half to these men had impaired quality of life as well. “The enlargement of prostate compresses the urethra (urinary tubes) and patient starts having difficulty in passing urine, urine flow becomes weak, patient has to use force to urinate and has to get up at night, sometime it becomes difficult to control urine and ultimately the patient might suffer from retention of urine. The problem, may at times, lead to sexual dysfunction.”

Sounding a note of caution to the participants, Dr Aulakh said at the time of evaluation of such patients, it was very important to keep an eye for cancer of prostate, which could be done by finger examination, measurement of prostate specific crutigen in blood and also by ultra sonography because the treatment of enlargement of prostate and cancer of prostate varied a great degree.

He observed that one fifth of patients with symptoms of prostate enlargement were treated surgically with TURP. This procedure yielded wonderful results with a success rate of more than 95 per cent. The patients undergoing TURP had improvements in symptoms and urine flow rate. 

Row over new members for DMC society
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 28
The general body meeting of the managing society of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital scheduled for June 30 is likely to be stormy one. The general body which is meeting after four months has an item on the agenda under which the internal managing committee has recommended that some new members should be taken in the managing society and the donation amount for the members be raised from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh each. The internal managing committee has also recommended that the society should amend the average age of the members. There is a proposal to have 15 or 20 members more in the society.

The members of the society feel that there is no need for having new members as it would become unwieldy. Moreover 11 new representatives of the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha Panjab would be added to the society following a settlement of a dispute between the rival factions of the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha.

Under the constitution of the society, the sabha can nominate 11 members. There was a dispute between two factions of the sabha over the nomination and the members could not be nominated. The present strength of the society is 43 and with the addition of 11 sabha members, the strength will rise to 54. At present the donation fee or each member of the society is Rs 5 lakh. Mr Jagdish Behl, a local industrialist and founder member of the managing society, has sent a legal notice to the secretary of the society taking strong objection to the agenda item involving the inclusion of new members in the society.

The notice reads: No such item had been recommended by the governing body till date of the issue of this agenda. Reviewing the age and enhancement of donation need amendment of the bylaws stipulating any amendment must narrate the exact amendment in the constitution of the society which has to be circulated in accordance with the rules of the society and in accordance with the registration of the societies Act. As such this agenda is also illegal on this account.

Mr Behl has requested the secretary of the managing society not to take up the matter at the meeting of the society slated for June 30. Any resolution passed in this matter at the meeting would be void abinition and the society and its members would not be bound by the same. The general body would also consider the proposal of constitution of various buildings and renovation at a cost of Rs 4 crore. The budget for 2004-2005 would also be passed at the meeting.

Sources close to the society said members were not satisfied with the functioning of the Hero-DMC Heart Institute and steps should be taken to revamp its functioning. The institute had not been receiving the desired number of patients as during May only 433 bypass surgeries were done whereas three or five surgeries were required to be done daily. Similarly, patient care at the Dayanand Hospital was also deteriorating and needed improvement, they added.