HEALTH

Trust to help breast cancer patients
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 2
Having lost his wife to breast cancer, a local industrialist and philanthropist, Mr Pran Arora, has set up a charitable trust to help victims of this killer disease.

With the objective of focusing on sizeable number of breast cancer victims in the region, especially rural and poor women, the trust, Krishna Breast Cancer Charitable Trust, will utilise the services of cancer specialists Dr J.S. Sekhon, Dr D.S. Sandhu and Dr Gurpreet Brar.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Mr Arora recalled that his wife, Krishna Arora, had died due to this disease in the USA even as the services of renowned medical specialists and latest medical care was available to her. The trust would be formally launched on August 3, the death anniversary of Krishna Arora.

According to Mr Arora, the trust will help at least one poor patient every month and provide free treatment. All diagnostic and medicinal expenditure will be borne by it.

Taking in one new patient every month, the trust would extend the facility to a minimum of 12 patients every year. If necessary, the number of beneficiary patients could be increased in the future.

Mr Arora felt that early detection of the disease rendered it completely curable. With this in mind, the trust is in the process of chalking out an elaborate programme to hold free awareness and education camps in rural areas.

Dr Brar, an oncologist, who was also present on the occasion, stressed that the women ought to become proactive as far as breast cancer was concerned. Any woman, who could feel a lump or mass in breast or the underarm area should consult a doctor and go for diagnostic tests.

Hospital staff protest against pay anomalies
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 2
Upset over anomalies in pay scales and failure of the management to grant promised annual increment to the employees, the para-medical, maintenance, administrative and other group III staff of Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) today held a protest in front of the office of Director for several hours.

The CMCH management, however, termed the protest by employees as uncalled for and a deliberate attempt to disrupt the working of the hospital.

A spokesperson of the protesting employees told Ludhiana Tribune that despite repeated pleas the hospital management had failed to remove the anomalies in the pay scales and promised annual increment was also being denied to the staff.

"As if to rub salt into the wounds of employees, the management has given whimsical interim relief to different categories of employees."

The protesting employees, who kept raising slogans and squatted in front of the office of the Director till late afternoon, were sore over the reported move of the management to link the wages or annual increment to bed occupancy and income of the institution.

They categorically stated that this formula was not acceptable to them and protest will continue till justice was dispensed to the staff.

The CMCH director Dr John Pramod, who was away to Patiala during the day, later described the protest as a handiwork of those in the habit of creating indiscipline. He said after verbal assurance was given to the representatives of the employees to hold a meeting and listen to their problems after he returned back to the office, most of the staff members resumed their work.

"But a few others chose to continue sitting in the vacant area, created unpleasant scenes and obstructed the patient care and working of other departments which is most unfortunate and reprehensible," Dr Pramod remarked.

Lecture on health education held
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 2
“Health education is one of the foremost needs of modern education,” said Dr Rajoo S. Chhina, Medical Superintendent and head of the gastroenterology department, DMCH, at a lecture for teachers at Government in-Service Training Centre here yesterday.

Dr Chhina dwelt on the WHO definition of health literacy which defines it more broadly as representing the cognitive and social skills which determine the motivation and ability of individuals to gain access to understand and use the information in ways which promote and maintain good health.

The Principal, Ms Gurdeep Kaur, thanked Dr Chhina for sharing his views.

SPORTS

Inter-class athletics results
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, August 2
An inter-class athletics competition was organised at New Senior Secondary School, Sarabha Nagar, in association with Bharat Vikas Parishad, Shaheed Sukhdev branch, on Monday. Mr J.S. Grewal, DPE, of the school supervised the event.

Mr H.C. Gupta, principal of the school, gave away prizes to Winners. Mr Rajesh Jhulka, Mr Anil Bansal, Mr Dalbir Nanda and Mr Brij Bhushan, office bearers of Bhart Vikas Parishad, were also present. Certificates were given to all participants.

Results: boys- 100 m race- Ashish 1, Roopesh 2 and Anuj 3; 200 m race- Gaganpreet 1, Himanshu 2 and Himmat 3; long jump- Ashish 1, Roopesh 2 and Himanshu 3; shot put- Karanbir Singh 1, Gaganpreet Singh 2 and Manikaran 3. Girls- 100 m- Jasmine 1, Sakshi 2 and Sukhpreet 3; shot put- Priya 1, Megha 2 and Prachi 3.

ADMINISTRATION

New bank manager joins
Our Correspondent

Samrala, August 2
Mr Sukhdev Singh Khaihra has taken over as Manager of the Bank of India, Machhiwara, 9 km from here, in place of Mr Hakam Singh who has been promoted as Senior Manager in the Mumbai head office. Earlier, Mr Khaihra was posted at Mohali.

Farewell

A farewell party was given to Mr Surain Singh Saini, Range Officer, on his retirement in Malhotra Palace which was attended by a number of officers and prominent residents of the area, including politicians and representatives of trade unions.

The Conservator of Punjab, Mr Jarnail Singh, District Forest Officer of Ludhiana, Mr T. K. Bahera, District Forest Officer of Hoshiarpur, Mr K. D. Kler, president of the Non-Gazetted Forest Officers Association, Mr Gurcharan Singh Dhaliwal, highlighted the services rendered by Mr Saini for the Forest Department. He was presented mementoes and gifts by the department.