Jalandhar, January 13
The slogans of ‘healthcare at your doorstep’ sound hollow if the condition of rural hospitals all over the state are taken into account.

Services and infrastructure in the rural hospitals of the state are nearly non-existent.

As per the record gathered by TNS, there are a total of 46 rural hospitals in the state.

However, except a few, not even a single rural hospital fulfills the specified norms, both in terms of infrastructure and manpower.

Out of the total, 37 rural hospitals run without the services of permanent female medical officers or gynaecologists.

Worse still, there is only one rural hospital which provides services according to the specified norm of 25 beds and two medical officers.

In addition to this, there is no bed against the sanctioned strength of 25 in nearly 32 rural hospitals. Only eight rural hospitals have beds equal to the sanctioned number but ironically, services of qualified female doctors are missing in all these centers. It is important to mention here that only eight rural hospitals were existent in the state in 1966. This number rose to 14 in 1975, 23 in 1978, 79 in 1979 and 117 in 1987. Roughly, every block of the state had a rural hospital by 1987.

“Sudden decline in the number of rural hospitals coincides with the implementation of the National Health Policy of 1986. The national government has directed the states to implement this policy. There was a massive flow of funds for the establishment of new primary and community health centers. The Health Department hurriedly converted at least 70 of these rural hospitals just by changing the display boards of rural hospitals into Primary or Community Health Centers,” said a senior official of the Health Department, requesting anonymity.

“Practically, nomenclature or terminology of rural hospitals is non-existent in today’s books of health department. Rural hospitals are nothing but rudimentary centers, which the government is still converting into Primary Health Centers. But the curse is that by merely changing the status or name, little change is noticeable in the functioning of these centers,” said Dr. Hardeep Singh, State President of Punjab Civil Medical Services Association. “We demanded that these centers should be converted into 24X7 units, where the facility of delivery is available for 24 hours, but unfortunately, most of these centers run without gynaecologists or female medical officers,” he said.

Not only infrastructure and doctors, rural hospitals also suffer from the chronic absence of paramedical staff as a large chunk of the paramedical staff employed in these hospitals either works on deputation in Civil Hospitals or works on additional charge.

Jalandhar, January 13
City residents today celebrated Lohri by lighting the customary bonfire and singing the traditional Lohri folk songs. People, especially newly weds and those blessed with babies, were seen enjoying the festival with fervour.

Adding more charm to the festival was the sunny day today, which came as a major respite for people who have been reeling under the extreme cold wave. The sunlit morning lead to a rise in mercury as well.

Earlier in the day, local vendors had a brisk business selling the customary groundnuts, rewari, jaggery and popcorns on the occasion. The festival was also celebrated at schools and colleges as students danced to the tune of hit Punjabi numbers.

Phagwara: Lohri was celebrated with great fervour and enthusiasm in Phagwara, Phillaur, Goraya, Bilga, Apra, and Noormahal today. Most of the social organisations dedicated the festival to girls. Groups of children were seen demanding Lohri from door to door at several places. It was observed that Lohri was shifted from the streets to big palaces and hotels and the celebrations were being observed at a large scale.

Nawanshahr: KC Group of Institutes celebrated Lohri with traditional fervour and enthusiasm here on Wednesday. Prem Pal Gandhi, chairman, lit the bonfire. The members of the management, staff and students of various educational institutes of KC Group participated in the celebrations. The students also presented a cultural programme. The students, who participated in cultural items, were given a cash award of Rs 11,000.

Batala: RR Bawa DAV College for Girls celebrated Lohri at college campus on Tuesday. On the occasion, the Heritage Society organised a function, in which renowned Odissi dancer Rina Jana stole the limelight. Later, a bonfire was lit amidst students dancing to the tune of Punjabi folk songs. Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Karamjit Singh Sra, Batala SDM Rahul Chabba, Prof R.K. Sharma, Harmanpreet Singh, organizer, Heritage Society, Gurdaspur, and Shabnam Handa, Principal DAV Centenary Public School, Batala were present.

Tarn Taran: A cultural programme was organised at the local Sewa Devi S.D. College of Education to celebrate Lohri here today. Students took a pledge to spread awareness regarding social evils including dowry, female feticide etc. Kamal Kapoor, the manager of the college managing committee, advised students to go to slum areas to wake up the poor sections of the society against drugs.

Phagwara, January 13
In an interesting case, Phagwara SDM-cum-Collector has instructed the Phagwara branch of the Corporation Bank to attach the account number 070011 of Phagwara Improvement Trust as it failed to deposit Rs 16,10,000 to the Revenue Department, Phagwara, as arrears.

When contacted, SDM Amarjeet Paul told The Tribune that the trust mortaged its property while taking a loan of Rs 8 crore from Indian Overseas Bank, Phagwara, for its schemes on June 16 in 2003 and it was bound to pay fee of Rs 16,10,000 while taking the loan.

The SDM disclosed that after the stern instructions of the Financial Commissioner Revenue, issued after an objection of the Audit General Punjab, the Improvement Trust officials were repeatedly asked to deposit the amount with the Revenue Department, but despite repeated reminders, trust’s Executive Officer refused to deposit the money.

The SDM disclosed that moreover the officials of the Revenue Department visited the trust office to urge the trust chairman and EO to deposit the amount to avoid any controversial situation, but the said EO even refused to come to the office of the Chairman IT to listen, and the administration was forced to attach the salary account of the trust, having more than Rs 20 lakh.

Amritsar, January 13
The Union Government has selected the Government Medical College, Amritsar, for setting up the Physical,\ Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) Department at its premises.

A two-member team --- Dr U Singh, HoD of PMR, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Dr Rajindera Sharma, senior surgeon, Safdarjang Hospital, New Delhi --- visited the hospital to have the first hand information regarding the existing facilities in the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH).

The team would forward its report to Ministry of Health and Family welfare for release of requisite grant, revealed Dr RPS Boparai, Medical Superintendent of GNDH here.

“Under this project, the hospital would have the facilities of physiotherapy, occupation therapy, speech therapy, electro therapy and hydro therapy. Artificial limbs would also be manufactured”, he said. A 30-bed ward would be constructed in the hospital for this purpose besides reconstruction of physical deformities caused due to polio or leprosy would be done, he added.

The GMC is among the 10 medical colleges in the country, which has been selected for establishing the department. Dr Boparai said the building has been allocated for setting up the same while the government would provide all the necessary gadgets, equipments and appliances for manufacturing of artificial organs besides the trained staff under the project.

Hoshiarpur, January 13
Activists of the Public Anti-Corruption Board of India have demanded resignation of Union Minister for Agriculture and Food Supply Sharad Pawar on his “failure to check the prices of essential commodities, especially sugar.

In a meeting, they urged Prime Minster Manmohan Singh to sack the minister in case Pawar did not resign.

They urged Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to follow the policy of the Maharashtra government for controlling the price hike.