Bathinda, March 10
High drama prevailed outside a clinic near the Arya Samaj Chowk in the city today in the morning after relatives of a patient, who had died, raised a furore, accusing the hospital staff of negligence.

The patient, Ashok Kumar, 28, was undergoing treatment at the nursing home of Dr OP Mittal, a piles specialist who runs the Bombay Clinic and Multispeciality Hospital at court road near the Arya Samaj Chowk.

His grieving relatives said he had died due to the lackadaisical attitude of the attendants at the hospital. They had brought the body of the patient and raised slogans against the doctor for over an hour.

The flow of traffic in the area was also affected as a large number of people blocked the road.

Officials from the Kotwali and Canal Colony police stations reached the spot and tried to pacify the agitators. Members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) too arrived and held a meeting with the agitators.

The matter was resolved after an assurance regarding the payment of compensation was given and the doctor's staff tendered an unconditional apology for their alleged misconduct.

Dr OP Mittal could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

State president of the IMA, Dr Shiv Dutt Gupta, when contacted, said he was not in a position to comment as he was out of station.

President, IMA Bathinda chapter, Dr Surinder Garg, later told the Bathinda Tribune that he was aware of the incident as he had visited the clinic of Dr OP Mittal along with the other IMA members.

The patient, Ashok Kumar, 28, was undergoing treatment at the clinic of Dr Mittal for the last few days. Ashok Kumar belonged to a financially weak family and had been selling tobacco products. He is survived by his wife and a six-year-old daughter.

The patient was anaemic and had undergone an operation for piles a few days ago. He needed blood transfusion everyday at the clinic.

On Friday, he left the clinic after around 12.30 pm. The patient had lunch at his residence in Hari Nagar. Soon after, he felt uncomfortable. His relatives and friends called up the doctor who was not available. Those attending the call disconnected the phone saying they are not authorised to disclose the cell number of the doctor.

The IMA president said the family members then rushed the patient to the Civil Hospital where he died. The relatives were irate over the lackadaisical attitude of the clinic's attendants and raised a hue and cry.

"We assured the family members and the friends of the deceased of all possible help. We expressed our solidarity with the agitators who refused monetary compensation and asked us to donate money to the local gaushala," Garg said.

He pointed out that the matter was resolved in the presence of the SHO, Canal Colony police station, Gurjeet Singh Romana and cops from the Kotwali police station.

SHO Gurjeet Singh Romana said no case has been registered as both the parties reach a compromise following the assurance by the police and the members of the IMA.

Bathinda, March 10
Due to the absence of the lift facility in the new OPD block of the Civil Hospital, the seriously ill as well as the elderly patients have been facing problems in reaching the first and second floor of the building.

The patients have to climb the stairs or take a long route, through the ramp, to get examined.

The first floor of the building houses the biochemistry and haematology laboratories besides the OPDs of the ENT, eye, psychiatry, skin and the dental departments.

On the second floor of the building are located the homoeopathic dispensary and the offices of the deputy medical commissioner (DMC), senior medical officer (SMO), administrator and the chief pharmacist.

When this reporter today visited the OPD block, it was noticed that some elderly patients were climbing the stairs with great difficulty. One of them said that as the hospital authorities had established OPDs, like ENT, eye, dental and homoeopathy on the first and second floor, they should immediately arrange for a lift so that the patients could easily reach these floors.

Some of the patients were of the opinion that if after spending crores on the construction of the new OPD block, the government could not provide a lift for the patients, then what was the need to spend such a huge sum on the project.

It may be mentioned here that about four months ago, the SMO of the local Civil Hospital had written to the XEN, PHSC, to install a lift in the new OPD block but the XEN, PHSC, in his reply sent to the SMO on December 2, 2011, stated that as one more storey is yet to be constructed in the new OPD block, so it was not possible to install the lift as of now.

On the other hand, the SMO, in his reply to the XEN's letter dated December 2, 2011, wrote that keeping in view the difficulties being faced by the patients, the lift facility should be provided at the earliest.

When contacted, the SMO of the Civil Hospital, Dr Satish Goyal said he had already written to the XEN, PHSC, to install a lift in the building as there was a provision for installing it in the building.

He said if there was any hurdle in the installation of the lift as one more storey remained be constructed, then the PHSC could initiate measures to construct one more storey later.

But the liftt should be installed as early as possible for the convenience of the patients who faced difficulty in climbing stairs.

Bathinda, March 10
The banks, which sanctioned a loan to the applicants for plots in phase IV and phase V of the Bathinda Development Authority (BDA), have started calling them up demanding payment of interest on the loans granted to the applicants.

Around 12,000 applicants had taken earnest money on loan from different banks for 226 plots. At the time of awarding the loan, some banks had charged interest for three months while the others had charged interest for four months. With the three-month term expiring, these applicants are now getting calls from the banks to deposit the interest for another three months.

While the last date of moving the application was November 21, the draw for these plots was to be held on December 16. The draw was, however, deferred after the owners of the land on which these plots had been carved up, moved the Supreme Court against the Government of Punjab. Acting on the writ petition, the court awarded a stay and the next date of hearing was fixed for October 12, 2012.

"This means that no draw could be held before October 12. Till then, we have to pay interest on the loans taken. We don't know what to do," said Nirmala, a resident of Sirki Bazar, an applicant.

However, in its document, the BDA had stated that if the draw is not conducted within 180 days (six months) from the last date of application (November 21), the BDA would reimburse the entire money of the applicants.

The applicants demanded that the BDA should refund the money and keep the applications. "The BDA has already earned interest for four months and according to the principles of natural justice, they should reimburse the money," demanded another applicant, Jagjit Kaur from Kamla Nehru Colony.

Meanwhile, the ACA, BDA, Abhinav Trikha said the BDA is moving an application for early hearing in the Supreme Court. "We realise the problem that the applicants are facing. Hence, we will move an application before the SC next week. We were waiting for the state of Punjab to file its reply which has been done," he said.

Bathinda, march 10
Northern Cardiology Network is holding a summit in collaboration with the Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (AIMSR) on March 11.

In a press statement issued here today, the college spokesperson said the conference is being held under the Punjab Medical Council, Cardiological Society of India (Punjab and Chandigarh chapter) and Association of Physicians of India (Malwa branch).

The summit has been accredited for four hours by the Punjab Medical Council (PMC). A website, www.northerncardiologynetwork.com, has also been launched to update the NCN proceedings.

Padma Vibhushan Dr Purshottam Lal, member, Board of Governors, Medical Council of India will inaugurate the Northern Cardiology Network Summit 2012 with vice-chancellor Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Dr SS Gill and president PMC Dr Manmohan Singh.

Director, Cardiology, Fortis Escorts Institute, New Delhi, Padma Bhushan Dr TS Kler will be the guest of honour on the occasion.

Eight papers, divided into four categories, would be presented at the conference. The papers would be presented on clinical cardiology, ECG, guidelines and disease prevention.

In the first category, Dr Parveen Chandra from Medanta Medicity, Gurgaon, would present a paper on Acute MI (myocardial infarction) in cardiogenic shock.

Dr Balbir Singh from Medanta Medicity, Gurgaon, would present a paper on ‘Broad ORS Tachycardia: Approach and Management’. Under the guidelines category, Dr TS Kler from Fortis Escorts, New Delhi, will present a paper on ‘NSTEMI: What is new? Focus on newer anti-platelet agents’, while Dr Gurpreet Singh Wander from the Hero DMC Heart Institute, Ludhiana will present a paper on ‘Management of hypertension: India guidelines’.

In the ECG category of the cardiology summit, Dr KK Sethi from Delhi Heart Lung Institute, New Delhi, will present a paper on ‘ECG for Primary Care Physicians: What They Should Know?’ and Dr Jitendra Singh Makkar from the Fortis Escorts, Jaipur, would present a paper on the challenging ECGs in practice.

In the disease prevention category of the summit on cardiology, Dr HK Bali from the Fortis Hospital, Mohali, will present a paper on ‘New Frontiers in Interventional Cardiology’ and Dr Peeyush Jain from Fortis Escorts, New Delhi, would present a paper on ‘Statins: Which is the best’.

Bathinda, march 10
A tuberculosis (TB) awareness programme was organised in Government Dispensary, Bal Bhawan, Ganesha Basti here today. The programme was organised by Gagan Goyal, Communication Facilitator of the District Health Society (Revised National TB Control Programme).

Addressing the people, Goyal said the disease affected about 20 lakh persons every year in the country while five lakh TB patients died every year.

He said the examination for the disease was done free of cost in the government hospitals and dispensaries and the pateints were also given the medicines free of cost for six to eight months.

He called upon the people to come forward for creating awareness among the masses about TB, so that healthy persons could be saved from the disease.

Bathinda, march 10
Prof Rupinder Mann Yadgari Samvedna Manch Punjab is organising the third literary function at Teachers’ Home, Bathinda, on March 11.

The press brief issued here today stated that a book on Prof Rupinder Mann, penned by Surinderpreet Ghania and Hardam Singh Mann, will be released on the occasion.

Chief guest at the event will be Dr Bikram Singh Ghuman from the Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.

Special guest on the occasion will be Sukhjinder Singh Brar from the Government Education College, Faridkot, and Amolak Singh from Desh Bhagat Yadgari Hall, Jalandhar.

Barjinder Singh Chauhan from Delhi would be specially honoured on the occasion.

Bathinda, February 10
On the occasion of the International Women’s Day, the state-level Mother Teresa Award was conferred on 38 women from the Punjab state. The list of awardees included Usha Sharma, a Punjabi professor from the SSD Girls’ College, Bathinda.

The award ceremony was organised at the Dev Samaj Girls’ College, Ferozepur, and Dr Sikander Singh, director of Punjab chapter of the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan, gave away a shawl, a memento and a letter of appreciation to Usha Sharma.

The award was given by the Punjab Computer Education and Welfare Organisation, under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan.

Usha Sharma was chosen for the award in view of the social work that she has been doing for the past many years. Apart from teaching Punjabi in the college, she has also been the NSS coordinator in the college for 22 years.

She has also been actively involved in organising blood camps in the city. She has been spreading awareness about environment conservation, female foeticide, de-addiction, dowry and child labour by organising rallies.

Every year on the World AIDS Day, she plays an instrumental role in organising HIV/AIDS awareness seminars and rallies.

Under her guidance, the NSS volunteers took upon themselves the task of educating the poor and underprivileged kids of Vishal Nagar and also came up with an adult education centre in the vicinity.

On September 24 last year, the award for the Best Programme Coordinator was conferred on her for the second consecutive time. While the award was given to her by the Panjabi University, Patiala, vice-chancellor Dr Jaspal Singh, she was chosen for the honour by the NSS programme coordinator, Dr Paramveer Singh.

Taking cognisance of her work in the field of social service, many city-based NGOs have honoured her over the last couple of years. 

Bathinda, march 10
The annual prize distribution function of Government Rajindra College will be held on Sunday.

Dr SS Tiwana, dean, (Academics) Punjabi University, Patiala, will be the chief guest and Dr PS Romana, dean (Language, Literature and Culture), Central University of Punjab, will be the guest of honour and will give away the prizes.

Releasing the press note, principal of the college, Vijay Goyal, said four academic, one cultural, six sports and two NSS awards, along with the highest award — Roll of Honour — will be given to the students.

Merit certificates will be awarded to 78 students.

Bathinda, March 10
The Baba Farid Industrial Training Institute (ITI) Centre, Kot Shamir, clinched the national style kabaddi title in the ITI Zonal Sports Competition, organised at the Government ITI, Bathinda. The winner defeated the hosts on the last day of the four-day tournament on Saturday.

Students of nearly 22 government and private ITI institutes from the zone took part in the competition which included several indoor and outdoor games, comprising kabaddi, volleyball, hockey, badminton and track and field events. As per the information, the Government ITI, Bathinda, is going to hold the ITI state-level kabaddi championship in circle and national styles on March 13-14. Winners at the zonal-level contests would take part in the two-day competition. — TNS

Bathinda, march 10
Goods worth `80,000 were stolen from a readymade garments shop near Ghorewala Chowk. In his complaint to the police, the owner of the shop, Gurbaz Singh, a resident of Power House chowk, said the thieves took away expensive clothes from his shop on the night of March 6.

He said the burglars decamped with 30 sweaters, 30 belts, 130 denims, 4 coats, 10 watches, 50 goggles, 8 wallets and 1 LCD from his shop. The total cost of the stolen goods is nearly Rs 80,000.