The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

HEALTH

Gurkanwal cuts sorry figure at AIDS workshop
Neelam Sharma
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 17
Is it lack of awareness or mere reluctance to address the stigmatised issue of HIV\AIDS forthright, one kept guessing as the Minister of Social Security and Welfare, Punjab, Ms Gurkanwal Kaur, spoke at the inaugural function of a workshop on AIDS prevention here today.

She was ill-prepared and the lack of information on the part of a representative of the government was evident.

Ms Gurkanwal Kaur emphasised “AIDS is a disease which spreads mainly through blood infection and transfusion. Hence, there is an urgent need to check rampant use of infected needles at nursing homes and clinics.”

What she overlooked was that AIDS primarily spreads through sexual intercourse and the nearly 85 per cent of the infected cases in the country, including the state of Punjab, which has more than 292 registered AIDS cases, have been caused thus. The incidence of infection through blood transfusion is small in proportion.

“Many persons in the state are not still aware about AIDS and its causes,” Ms Gurkanwal Kaur went on, adding that “our children are very much prone to this incurable disease.”

In reality, the disease hits the reproductive age group, mainly those above 15.

The officials seemed ill at ease at spelling out the causes of the disease. The Special Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, also the Project Director, State AIDS Control Society, Mr K.B.S Sidhu, kept asking the audience to look at the banner behind him for the same.

Medical vans to be increased
Our Correspondent

Mohali, December 17
The number of medical vans under the Rajiv Gandhi scheme in Punjab will be increased from six to 22 to provide better facilities to people, Health Minister Ramesh Dogra said today.

The minister said each van would have two doctors and one technician. Rs 2 lakh each would be spent to repair those vans which were out of order.

The minister who was speaking to mediapersons before a function for the release of a souvenir cum-directory of the members of the Ropar District Chemists Association, said there was a shortage of 800 government doctors in Punjab although under the World Bank’s norms the figure was 1,372.

He said vacant posts of doctor had earlier been abolished but the process of reviving these was now in progress.

Mr Dogra said nine districts in the state had been covered under the anti-TB programme and the campaign was now underway in eight districts.

Replying to a question why the local Civil Hospital had not been upgraded so far, Mr Dogra said 154 hospitals and health centres needed to be upgraded. However, this was difficult due to the shortage of staff.

The state Drug Controller, Mr Mohan Singh, said that 13 licences of medicine shops had been cancelled last year and 168 licences suspended. Three licences were cancelled on the ground that narcotic drugs were being sold at the shops.

Mr Mohan Singh said there was a shortage of staff in his department.

SPORTS

Amar Ujala beat Press Club
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, December 17
Amar Ujala XI today sailed into the semi final of Hutch Inter-Media Cricket Tournament when they trounced Press Club XI by nine wickets in a match played here in DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8.

Batting first, Press Club XI were skittled down for 74 runs in 16 overs. Tejinder Sehgal was top scorer with 14 runs while Surinder Singh scored eight runs for Press Club XI. Shailesh Yadav was the most successful bowler for Amar Ujala as he took three wickets for nine runs while Praveen Antal and Gurdeep took two wickets each.

Amar Ujala achieved the target in only nine overs losing just one wicket. Praveen Antal was the top scorer with 28 runs off 24 balls while Gagan Sethi remained unbeaten at 15 runs. Surinder Singh claimed only wicket for Press Club by conceding 16 runs in four overs he bowled. Praveen was declared man of the match.

Amar Ujala will now take on the Times of India in the first semi-final tomorrow. Second semi-final will be played between The Tribune (A) and The Indian Express. Indian Express have been declared winners after The Hindustan Times team was disqualified on technical grounds.

Brief scores:

Press Club XI - 74 runs in 16 overs (Tejinder Sehgal 14 Shailesh Yadav 3 for nine, Praveen Antal 2 for three, Gurdeep 2 for 15).

Amar Ujala XI -75 in nine overs ( Praveen Antal 28, Gagan Sethi 15 (not out).

Jaswant is Mr Panjab University
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, December 17
DAV College, Sector 10, bagged the Panjab University Inter-College Best Physique (men) championship held here today while Jaswant Singh (below 80 kg) was declared Mr Panjab University. SCD Government College, Ludhiana, with 16 points got second place, Government College, Hoshiarpur, with nine points, secured third place while the PU campus with seven points clinched the fourth place.

Various winners in different weight categories are, below 60 kg — Ajay Kumar: below 65 kg — Puneet Chadha; below 70 kg — Pardeep Kumar; below 75 kg —Raj Kumar; below 80 kg — Jaswant Singh; below 85 kg — Anshul Arora; below 90 kg — Rakesh Sharma; above 90 kg — Anshuman Sharma.

MPS boys win medals

In the inter-school yoga and chess championship organised by Sri Aurobindo International School, Patiala, where 10 schools of the region took part, students of MPS brought laurels by winning various medals.

Shubham got first place in 8-11 years while Samdesh was given consolation prize. MPS also won third place in the girls section in 8-14 years. Another girl of the school Jasmine bagged the consolation prize in yoga. Ritesh won consolation prize in chess.

Manav Mangal players win yoga gold

Two Panchkula youngsters, Ms Kirti Gahlawat and Master Ashish, of Manav Mangal School, Sector 11, Panchkula, representing Haryana cornered glory by winning gold medal each in their respective section in the 29th National Yoga Championship which concluded at Chennai recently.