C H A N D I G A R H   S T O R I E S


 
HEALTH
 

Attendants of mentally ill prone to depression: study
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 31
Taking care of a mentally ill can often be a long battle for the immediate caregiver. Not merely because the entire process is financially taxing or the severity of the disease does not lax on its own, but also because of the stigma attached to the metal disorders which result in a spill over effect. As a result, a majority of the caregivers develop psychiatric stress and depression and constitute the grossly unacknowledged category of “hidden patients.”

In a study presented at the ongoing 57th Annual National Conference of the Indian Psychiatric Society (ANCIPS) at PGI today, the psychiatrists from the Medical College and SSG Hospital, Vadodara, have found that around 53.8 per cent of the immediate caregivers of the mentally ill patients were themselves suffering from the psychiatric stress and depression.

The psychological effects of caring for the mentally ill become more pronounced with the increase in age. About 75 per cent of the caregivers above the age of 50 years were found suffering from psychiatric depression themselves, against 26 per cent who were below the age of 35 years.

However, in this interplay of emotions, the educational qualifications of the caregivers surprising do not influence their levels of stress as a similar number of illiterate and highly qualified persons were found suffering from psychological depression.

Moreover, the burden of providing care to mentally sick person falls on the women as 91 per cent of the immediate caretakers were women. “There is a need for the identification of psychological factors that may protect families from the stress of caring for the mentally retarded,” noted the psychiatrists, many of whom advocated the formation of the support groups of such families which could also act as pressure groups.

Psychiatrists said global studies had further confirmed that the stigma and discrimination against the mentally ill was not limited to them but spill over to the family as well, resulting in “associative stigma,” which could result in social isolation of the family members.

But what can safeguard the caregivers against the stigma and the psychological depression is a strong family support system, preferably a joint family. The study established the fact the levels of stress and depression among the caregivers were very low in joint families ( 27.3 percent ) while in nuclear families, 61.3 per cent of the caregivers faced stress.

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Gastroenterology experts to deliver lectures on February 6
Tribune News Service

Mohali, January 31
The Indian Association of Surgical Gastroenterology would organise a Continuous Medical Education (CME) programme at Silver Oaks Hospital, Mohali, on February 6, 2005. More than 150 delegates drawn from various Medical Colleges and hospitals are likely to attend the CME.

Stating this during a press conference, Dr Akhil Bhargav, Director of the hospital pointed out that experts from Delhi and Mumbai would be attending the CME and deliver lectures on wide ranging topics like surgical management of complications of acute pancreatitis, need and justification for the super speciality of surgical gastroenterology, cancer oesophagus, biliary drainage, difficult laparoscopic choleycystectomy, surgical options in morbid obesity etc.

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Tribune Impact
Jean Rodrigues comes to poor patient’s help
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, January 31
Help came in for Ram Devi of Kangra who had come to the PGI for the treatment of her daughter, but had met with an accident.

Following the publication of her plight in Chandigarh Tribune, Ms Jean Rodrigues, wife of the Governor and Administrator, Gen S.F. Rodrigues, today intervened to help the poor patients. She called up the Director of the PGI, Dr K.K. Talwar, and urged him to take care of the two women, according to an official of the Raj Bhavan. Ram Devi, who had received a fracture in her foot, has been rendered penniless as she has exhausted all her resources on her daughter, Santosh, who is suffering from severe fits.

According to an official of the PGI, Santosh Devi has been now admitted to the emergency ward. She has been assured of proper treatment by doctors. She would now be provided with attendants also. The arrangement of their accommodation is likely to be done in one of the ‘serais’ of the PGI. Both would be given treatment free of cost. Five more Good Samaritans have also come forward to help the woman-daughter duo. Dr Meera Castro, who runs a homoeopathy clinic in Sector 20, said,” Homoeopathy could cure these patients. My husband and I want to help them. We were ready to treat them free of cost and do whatever was possible.”

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SPORTS

PCA gets its act together for Indo-Pak tie
Entertainment tax waived off
Arvind Katyal

Mohali, January 31
'We have decided to allow nearly 7500 spectators from Pakistan to visit Mohali for the proposed India-Pakistan test match, scheduled to be held in the first week of March, said Captain Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister, Punjab, while presiding over the first meeting of the organising committee today at the PCA Stadium, Mohali.

To another query, the Chief Minister said Punjab Government was always willing to extend concessions to any sport including cricket and thus the PCA management has been asked to go ahead with the printing of tickets for the match and there would be no entertainment tax on the same.

Captain Amarinder Singh said though he had plans to go to Pakistan on occasion of Basant Panchami, which is a big festival there, but with dates clashing with the said test match, he might have to change his tour dates.

He said he would definitely extend an invitation to his counterpart in Pakistani Punjab, Parvaiz Elahi, for the match.

He said now it was for the Chandigarh and Mohali to look for accommodating such a huge visitors from Pakistan.

He said the Indo-Pak Punjab Games had been a great success and now both countries had more interests to share in many subjects with sports taking the priority.

Mr I.S. Bindra, President of the Punjab Cricket Association, said in order to provide facilities for Pakistan spectators, Punjab Government would be writing to the Ministry of External Affairs to provide tickets to them at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, only.

The visitors would be seated in the VIP block and Terrace block at the PCA and tickets for them had been priced at Rs 1500 each which includes the transportation and other incidental charges from Wagah border to Mohali and back, he added.

Mr Bindra said the PCA had decided to outsource services to various agencies except police which would be from Punjab.

He added both teams would be lodged at the Hotel Mountview and players were expected to reach Mohali by road from Dharamshala on March 2.

He said the tentative dates of the match had been fixed from March 4 to 8 and the PCA was fully geared to host the tie.

Mr Bindra said various committees had been also formed for the smooth conduct of the match like Mr Rajan Kashyap to head the Finance Committee, Mr Y.S. Ratra t head Marketing and Sponsorship, Mr G.S. Walia for Media Management, Mr Anil Gupta with the charge of Transport and Mr D.P. Reddy for Gate Management, Seating and Protocol.

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Pakistan win four matches
Our Sports Reporter

Pakistani player Qurat in action at the Indo-Pak tennis series at YMCA, Sector 11
Pakistani player Qurat in action at the Indo-Pak tennis series at YMCA, Sector 11, Chandigarh, on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Chandigarh, January 31
The fourth day of the ongoing The Fort Ramgarh Indo-Pak Total Tennis Friendship Series being played at Total tennis Academy, YMCA, Sector 11, saw mixed luck for both the nations’ players.

In the first match of day played between Indian giant killer Vijayant Malik and Pakistan under-17 number two player, Tanveer Ashiq, the former, a student of DAV school, Sector 8, got off to a good start by winning the first three games in a row by playing good all around tennis.

Tanveer got on the scorecard by holding his next service game. But Vijayant playing superb tennis from the baseline wrapped up the match by 6-3.

In the second match of the day, Pakistan under-17 top seed, Umar Babar, took revenge by defeating Navinder Pal Singh by an identical score of 6-3.

In the only girls match played today, Qurat-Ul-Ain defeated Shaleen Chandra of India 6-3.

The fourth match was won by 10-year-old Digvijay Singh Mehta, a student of St Stephen’s School, when he thrashed Ali Asghar Shiekh 6-0.

In the fifth match, Rajkanwar Singh of India was leading 4-0 when his opponent Abdullah Asghar Shiekh conceded the match because of a wrist injury.

Zulfiqar Ali Khan of Pakistan won the sixth match when he defeated Shiven Bali 6-1.

The last match of the day was won by Pakistan’s Khurram Nazir when he beat Ashwani Kumar 6-1.

Pakistan won four of the seven matches played today. India is leading the series 12-9.

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ADMINISTRATION
 

Drive to seal guesthouses from Feb 5
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 31
The Chandigarh Administration has decided that the Estate office will seal all guesthouses cases in connection with which are either pending or in progress, till the cases get cleared or finalised.

The Estate Officer, Mr Arun Kumar, said the exercise of sealing the guesthouses would start from February 5.

As per the record of the Estate Office, there are 55 guesthouses in the city. The number does not includes those running in Mani Majra and villages falling under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh.

Out of these 55 guesthouses, seven guesthouses have been completely closed.

Of the rest, building plans and other formalities of 10 have been completed and these guesthouses have already been allowed conversion into lodging-cum-restaurant sites.

Some cases are pending in various courts while building plans of some of the guesthouses have been approve.

However, the conversion fee is yet to be deposited by the applicants.

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Mayor, Commissioner to prepare sanitation plan
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 31
The Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh at its meeting here today gave powers to the Mayor and the Commissioner to work out the details regarding an effective plan of action for sanitation in the city.

The matter came up for discussion under the head of’ “Reorganisation of sanitation in the privatised area for sanitation in the city”.

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