NEIGHBOURHOOD

Nursing students in bind without degrees
Tribune News Service

Bassi Pathana, May16
The SDM’s office in the administrative complex was bubbling with activity on the last day of filing of nomination papers for the elections of village panches, here today. Prospective candidates, along with their supporters, thronged the complex in large numbers. However, confusion prevailed among candidates regarding the reservation 
category for the post of sarpanch, whether it is reserved or unreserved.

A similar situation was noticed at other places where nominations were being filed. It was a field day for form-sellers, stamp- paper vendors, computer typists, notary public, lambardars and other witnesses, who did brisk business. However, complaints of over-charging were also reported.

Keeping in mind the rush, Ashok Kumar Singla, district electoral officer cum deputy commissioner ordered an increase in the number of counters and introduced token system.

The applications of the candidates were accepted and they were issued a token number. Late in the evening, their papers were checked and any discrepancies were removed. A special magistrate was deputed for attestation.

Chandigarh, May 16
H.S. Bhadu was nominated honorary secretary general of the Association for Twenty20 Cricket (India) in its executive committee meeting held at Delhi on May 10.

Bhadu is presently working with the Haryana Olympic Association as director-cum-joint secretary. He is also the honorary secretary of the Haryana State Athletic Association and vice-president of the Athletic Federation of India.

Chandigarh, May 16
Chandigarh will very soon have the country's first national golf academy. Yes, this was disclosed by the president of the Professional Golf Association of India Manjit Singh in an exclusive chat at the CGA Golf Range here this afternoon.

The PGAI president was completely bowled over by the facilities available at the Golf Range. He said: "This will perhaps be the only one-of-its-kind academy which could be a platform to standardise teaching methods and produce qualified teachers for the betterment of the game."

Although a final decision is yet to be taken but going by the recommendations of Italian coach Donato Di Ponziano who is a masters grade coach and deputy chairman of the PGA, Europe, the announcement is expected any moment.

Donato has done a stint of coaching at the range earlier. He was again in the city last month on behalf of the R@A Golf Club of St Andrews, who are funding his coaching stint and are backing the golf academy being set up by the Indian Golf Union and the PGAI.

Gen J.J. Singh, former president of the IGU, and IGU secretary-general Wg Cdr Satish Aparajit have also given their consent for having a golf academy in Chandigarh.

The PGAI president said there was a dearth of qualified golf teachers in the country. He remarked that 10 grade A coaches, including two women, were available in the country. None of them has done his masters. He was happy that the Golf Range had a qualified grade A coach in Jessie Grewal. The academy will go a long way in the classification of coaches.

He was all for the promotion of pro golf. But one fact which was being overlooked was developmental golf. He said he had in mind to run 10 such tournaments, which could give upcoming golfers and a lot of caddies a chance to make it to the lower pro golf tournaments. "But that can be only in coordination with the PGTI, " he added.

Manjit Singh was also enthusiastic about the two-week coaching camp, which was part of the national coaching programme of the PGAI. This will be held at the Golf Range from June 7 under the only grade A coach of the region Jessie Grewal. The camp will be restricted to 50 trainees in the 7 to 17 (under-18) age group. He promised a follow-up of all the trainees with their performances being recorded on sonfware programming for an analysis of their swing.

The national junior coaching programme is being funded and run by the Lalit Suri Foundation. The sponsors will provide special balls thus, reducing the entry fee to a bare minimum for participants. Final day of the camp will see a pitch and putt contest for the trainees.

Chandigarh, May 16
Sandeep Singh Chadha won the title in billiards thrashing his rival Pankaj Gulati 3-0 in VII Saurabh Khattar Memorial Billiards and Snooker Championship that concluded at Chandigarh Club here today. In snooker, Sandeep Kochhar won the top honours by beating Ajay Singla 4-2 in the best of seven frames.

For Chadha, winning the billiards title was a cakewalk as he won three sets on the trot. In all the frames, Gulati put up a good fight but could not win any.

In the well-contested first set, the score was 75-68. In the next set, Chadha clinched by a margin of 36 points (77-41) whereas the score in the third set was 75-51.

In the best of seven frames snooker’s title clash between Kochhar and Singla, former won four frames comparing to two by the latter.

Singla produced better cue-ball control to win the first frame (29-64). But Kochhar managed to win the next frame by just five points. Maintaining momentum, he virtually crushed Singla by 82 points in the third frame to make 2-1.

Holding nerves, Singla again created interest in the game by winning the next frame 56-41 to level the game at 2-2.

But Kochhar emerged champion as he won the fourth and fifth sets 60-38 and 61-42.

Mohali, May 16
A ton by Bhupinder Singh (130) of was wasted as his Jalandhar team lost the match to Mohali team by 152 runs on the basis of the first innings lead in the two-day Punjab U-16 Inter-District Cricket Tournament for Poly Umrigar Trophy being played at Bultan Park Cricket Ground at Jalandhar today.

Mohali team piled up 382 runs at the loss of seven wickets in the first innings. In reply, Jalandhar were all out for 231 runs and hence, lost the match. Prateek was the wrecker-in-chief for Mohali and claimed four for 62 followed by Sumit who took 2 for 72. Earlier, Saurabh Chopra steered Mohali team to a respectable total with his unbeaten knock of 95 runs. The other batsmen who delivered for the team were Bir Kanwar (92 runs), Ankit (63) and Prateek (92). For Jalandhar, Gurkirat took four wickets for 130 runs.

Brief score:

Mohali: 382 for 7 in 95 overs (Saurabh Chopra 95 n o, Bir Kanwar 92, Ankit 63, Prateek 57, Gurkeerat 4 for 130)

Jalandhar: 231 all out (Bhupinder Singh 130, Prateek 4 for 62, Sumit 2 for 72).

Chandigarh, May 16
Can an untrained person do technical work like collect blood sample or conduct ECG test? Government health institutes in the city seem to believe so, as lab attendants — who assist lab technicians — are carrying out tests on patients or taking blood samples.

An untrained person in the cardio lab of the new OPD at the PGI has been carrying out ECG test on patients for the past several years.

On paper, he has been designated as lab attendant (grade II) but he has been performing the test that is supposed to be carried out by a technician, who falls in grade III here. He doesn’t possess the technical qualification. When Chandigarh Tribune spoke to the lab attendant working in the cardio lab, he admitted that he had been performing ECGs on patients for the past several years without any technical training.

“No one has ever trained me. I have gained experience myself by watching others carry out the test,” he retorted, oblivious to the fact that he was not authorised to handle the work.

Recently, a lab attendant was reportedly found taking blood samples from patients at the PGI.

Similar is the situation at the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, where ward servants are performing the job of ECG technician.

As per the PGI recruitment process for junior technicians (who is eligible to perform ECG and other technical job), the candidate must hold a BSc degree in medical lab technology or BSc (medical or non-medical) with two-year diploma 
in MLT.

Former PGI cardiologist Dr H. Bali said: “Conducting ECG tests is a specialised job and it’s unethical and illegal if attendants handle such jobs. They are supposed to carry machine only.”

He added that a similar situation had arisen 15 years ago and the administration had then decided to not allow untrained persons perform technical jobs. However, lab attendants continue to perform the duties of technicians, said Dr Bali. Similarly, blood sample collection also needs to be handled by competent and trained professionals.

So, what should patients do? “Check the credentials of the person who handles such jobs. You have the right to ask for the certificate that ensures that you are entrusting your heath and money with a qualified technologist like-microbiologist or a bio-chemist,” stressed senior doctors.

Chandigarh, May 16
For the past seven years, a machine - Laminar flow - bought by the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector 16, to ensure that infectious samples do not spread further is itself lying unused and kept under lock and key.

The machine was purchased by the hospital at a cost of around Rs 2 lakh. In spite of its immense uses, it is lying dumped in the microbiology department.

Kept in the lab safety cabinet, the machine was ordered for processing biological samples in sterilised atmosphere.

Notwithstanding the hazard posed to technicians at the hospital, the patients and their attendants visiting the hospital are exposed to infectious diseases due to open processing of biological samples of diseases like tuberculosis. The health authorities are yet to wake up to the call.

The lab safety cabinet allows operations in sterile and dust-free conditions due to continuous filtration of the work area by an un-directional horizontal and ultra-filtered air flow to ensure full product protection.

Microbiologists at the PGI said the cabinet was used to process samples of infectious diseases like TB and maintain cell culture.

“The aim of using this cabinet is to avoid contamination so that culture can be processed in sterilised environment for accurate results,” said a senior microbiologist at the PGI.

Similarly, if infectious samples are processed inside the cabinet, chances of spreading infection become negligible, he added.

Worse still, this expensive equipment has not been in use for a very long time. Sufficient efforts have not be made by the hospital administration to bring back this equipment in use.

Technicians carry out their tests in the open, thus not only risking their lives but also increasing the possibility of variations in reports due to environment contamination.

Director health service Dr M.S. Bains said: “I don’t have any idea. I will look into the matter and ask the persons concerned on the reason why the equipment is not being used.”

Chandigarh, May 16
Vijay Kumar, a resident of Sector 21, lodged a complaint against Jatinder Singh Randhawa, his wife Gurpreet and Ashok Kumar Bhandari, accusing them of trespass and trying to take possession of his house in Mani Majra by producing fake documents.

Chandigarh, May 16
The crime branch of the police has arrested two persons allegedly involved in the selling of gas cylinders on the black market. The police recovered as many as 104 cylinders from the possession of the accused who were not authorised to sell or distribute cylinders.

According to information, the crime branch today got a tip off regarding the involvement of a gas agency in selling cylinders to hotels at higher prices. The team raided the premises and seized the cylinders. The police has arrested Paramjit Singh, a resident of Sector 34, and Saaju, the driver who used to distribute the cylinders. However, the owner of the gas agency, Darshan Singh, is said to be absconding. It was learnt that the licence of the agency was cancelled recently. 

Chandigarh, May 16
Sparing a thought for environment protection, two public sector undertakings — the Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation (CITCO) and the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) — have decided to set up an an LPG petrol station in a southern sector.

To be located either in Sector 56 or Sector 38 (West), the LPG station would cater to the needs of the thousands of residents of the southern sectors besides hundreds of autorickshaws currently running on diesel and petrol in the wake of the shifting of a majority of bus routes to the ISBT-43 from ISBT-17, sources said here today.

In fact, the IOC recently granted licences to CITCO to operate two petrol stations in Sector 56 and Sector 38 (West). Since the Sector 56 site was on the national highway and had additional land available for the setting up of the LPG unit adjoining it, this seems to be the ideal location for an LPG station, officials highlighted.

CITCO managing director J.S. Bir confirmed that the proposal to have the LPG petrol station was under consideration of the corporation.

The IOC chief divisional manager S.P. Prasad told Chandigarh Tribune that the oil corporation had no problem setting up the unit provided adequate space was made available for it.

It has been learned that an area with a diameter of 18 metres was required for the setting up of the LPG unit and the Sector 56 site fits the bill.

The setting up of the station is in conformity with the recent transport policy of the Chandigarh administration that looks to replace petrol/diesel autorickshaws with eco-friendly and economically-viable LPG-run vehicles in a phased manner.

Recently, the State Transport Authority (STA) had proposed to phase out over 500 diesel/petrol-run autorickshaws.

Around 1,800 autorickshaws are to be converted to the LPG in a phased manner by next year.

A senior official said taking into account economic viability, the Sector 56 site seemed to be a good option for the station.

With thousands of residents shifting to cooperative group housing societies in the vicinity and the Chandigarh Housing Board coming up with mega housing projects in the area, having an LPG petrol station was in line with the administration’s vision of shifting people from traditional fuel to the LPG to cut down on pollution.