Chandigarh, April 6
There is a new insight into the alarming skewed sex ratio in the prosperous state of Punjab. Close on the heels of cancer deaths, the overuse of pesticides has emerged as one of the major causes of adverse sex ratio in the state giving sleepless nights to policy makers.

“In fact, having a long-term residual effects, the pesticides act as “folic acid antagonists” and the folic acid deficiency leads to high rate of neural tube defects (brainless babies). There is an alarmingly high rate of brainless babies in the state with a high per centage of these babies being females, who immediately die after birth or are medically aborted if detected during pregnancy,” said Dr S.G. Kabra, director, legal affairs and medical audit, SDM Hospital, Jaipur, during a seminar on “environment contamination and social response” organised by the Kheti Virasat Mission here today.

Having 1.5 per cent of the total area of the country, Punjab has the dubious distinction of using 18 per cent pesticides and 12 per cent fertilisers in the country. The alarming high incidence of cancer deaths on account of high use of pesticides is well documented in the state.

Alleging that the agricultural growth has taken a heavy toll on the reproductive health in Punjab, Dr Kabra claimed that several pesticides act as hormone disrupters causing female foetal loss and disrupting reproductive and menstrual cycles. There’s a high rate of miscarriages, he asserted.

The pesticides which are teratogenic, the agents which cause physical defects in the developing embryo or foetus when the pregnant female is exposed to that substance, leads to gross defects in fetuses sparking off high rate of spontaneous abortions. And eventually, in early spontaneous abortions, more female foetuses are lost, the acclaimed doctors claimed.

Dr Kabra said the reproductive toxins - chemicals damaging the reproductive systems of both men and women - pose serious health risks to the human population. 

Jalandhar, April 6
Mata Gujri Memorial Medical College (MGMMC) has become the only Sikh minority institution running post graduation courses in the country.

Located in Kishanganj, Bihar, the college was established in 1990 but has been permitted by the Medical Council of India (MCI) to admit students for postgraduate classes from the current academic session. Former union minister Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, who is also the president of the Trust Committee and the Governing Council of the unaided college, told newspersons that the MCI has allowed them 28 seats in 14 disciplines. The college passed a budget of Rs 30 crore for this year some days ago.

Being a minority institution, 50 per cent of the seats will be reserved for Sikhs and students from Punjab should apply and take benefit of their own college, he added. “Efforts were also afoot to start a nursing college on the campus during the current session. We are in touch with the British Nursing and Midwifery Council to find if we could adopt their curriculum. This would help more of our youth to find employment in the country and foreign shores,” he revealed. Dr Dalip Kumar Jaiswal, director of the institution, said, “It has taken us 18 years to create infrastructure and faculty needed to attain the status of a postgraduate college. We will admit students in the disciplines of medicine, pediatrics, skin, surgery, gynaecology, orthopaedics, ENT, microbiology, biochemistry and anaesthesia”. The college, situated on the mofussil border town of Kishangarh, also operates an 800-bedded hospital where treatment, food and medicine are given to poor patients free of cost. We also run rural clinics in the remote areas of the state besides the border areas, he said. He also said so far 300 Punjabi doctors have stepped out of the college portals and are practicing in the country and abroad.

The latest addition is that truckers from Punjab are allowed to stay in the gurdwara and are also being helped in terms of any hardship including lodging and boarding, he said. 

Jalandhar, April 6
Air Marshal P.K. Barbora, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command, would be on a two-day visit to the Adampur Air Force Station from April 7. He took over as the AOC-in-C on January and would be on a familiarisation exercise.

Air Marshal Barbora was born in Shillong and got commissioned as a fighter pilot in June, 1970. A graduate from College of Combat, Mhow (higher command), the AOC-in-C has served as the Air Attaché India at Moscow and was assistant chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Perspective Plans and Force Structure). He also served as assistant chief of Air Staff (inspection) at Air headquarters. He was the first person from the North-East in the services to be promoted as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command. — TNS

Hoshiarpur, April 6
The faulty life style, use of junk food and lack of exercise are the main reasons for cardiac diseases. Besides, patients suffering from diabetes and hypertension are more prone to heart ailments.

This was revealed by cardiologist Dr Anwar Khan of BBC Heart Care, Jalandhar, while addressing a gathering at a free heart checkup camp in which 200 patients were examined. The camp was organised by an NGO Sri Ram Charit Manas Parchar Mandal on its 33rd annual Sammelan being held from April 6 to April 16 at Shakti temple.

Dr Khan said, “Number of cardiac sufferings is increasing everyday and according to the official sources, more than 10 per cent of the total population had come under the grip of heart ailments”. He advised people to consume boiled vegetables and fruits. In addition to it, excessive use of oils should be avoided.