The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

HEALTH

Bleeding disorder patient gets a new lease of life
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2
A Pathankot resident, Gurdeep Singh (28), with a bleeding disorder problem, has successfully undergone a kidney transplant in Ganga Ram Hospital in the Capital. He is perhaps the first patient in the world with a bleeding problem to have successfully undergone this operation.

“The operation of both splenectomy (removal of spleen) for bleeding disorder patients and kidney transplant for End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) in a patient is a rare thing. They have not been performed earlier as it is a highly dangerous situation where the patient can die on the table due to the bleeding disorder,” said Dr Harsha Jauhari of the hospital’s Kidney Transplant Surgery Department.

The doctor said, “this is perhaps the first time in the world where the two procedures were combined to give the man a reasonable chance at normalcy.”

Gurdeep Singh had a bleeding disorder called Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), where the blood platelets get destroyed by the spleen, leading to a condition of excessive bleeding and failure to clot normally. Further, both the kidneys of the patient had failed. Any surgery in this combination of diseases was liable to bleed to an extent where his life would have been in danger.

Explaining the procedure adopted by the hospital, the doctor said the patient underwent laparoscopic splenectomy (removal of spleen) by the smallest possible incision. The spleen was then removed through this incision made for the kidney transplant, which was then performed successfully. The twin operations were performed by the two well-known surgeons, Dr Chowbey of the Laparoscopic Surgery Department and Dr Harsha Jauhari of the Kidney Transplant Surgery Department. Dr Choubey removed the spleen and Dr Jauhari transplanted the kidney donated by Gurdeep’s mother in a total of four hours’ surgical time. Dr Ashwani Gupta, consultant nephrologist, helped to conceptualise the procedure and was overall in-charge of the medical management. Dr Jauhari said the patient improved well, the platelets came up to normal in a few days after surgery and the kidney function parameters came down to normal.

SPORTS

Sports tourism the new mantra
M.S.Unnikrishnan

New Delhi, November 2
The 'National Sports Policy 2001' has recognised the “inter-dependence and inter-relationship” between sports and tourism sectors, "the integrated development of which is capable of generating very substantial revenues and ensuring a high volume of tourist traffic from within the country and from overseas, while simultaneously promoting a sports and fitness culture in the country”.

Insufficiency of financial resources has been a major constraint in promoting sports in India, and the new National Sports Policy has identified certain sectors which cannot only provide an impetus to sports, but also generate resources by combining the “sports and tourism” concept.

Adventure sports, in particular, have been identified as having "great potential for the promotion of tourism."

"Towards this end, the ministries/departments concerned of the Union and State Governments —-those handling sports, tourism and related subjects--will strive to draw up joint/unified plans and proposals for various parts of the country, with due reference to the possibilities in the North-Eastern Region, and to execute these programmes in a systematic and co-ordinated manner," notes the National Sports Policy which is ready for implementation after getting the approval of the Union Cabinet.

The National Sports Policy has come to the conclusion that for better resource mobilisation for sports "the Union and State Governments would need to provide higher budgetary provisions, and special efforts are equally called for to mobilise corporate funds for the development of sports in the country".

The long-term plan in resource mobilisation is to approach corporate houses and encourage them to "adopt and support particular disciplines as well as sportspersons in the longer term".

Elaborating further, the Sports Policy notes that "tripartite agreements between the Government, the sports federations concerned and the corporate houses may be entered into for different sports disciplines and private/corporate sectors would be more closely involved with the promotion of sports in general, and to build and maintain sports infrastructure in particular, with requisite emphasis on latest technologies. Eminent sportspersons of established merit will be encouraged to set up and manage sports academies".

It says the revenues generated by the sale of broadcasting and television rights of sports events will be shared between the sports federations/association and the broadcasting/telecasting agency on mutually agreed terms, through appropriate revenue-sharing agreements, so that the federations generate enough resources to fund their activities.

Arjun Singh takes 3-stroke lead
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, November 2
Arjun Singh played faultless golf for the second successive day and opened a three-stroke lead at the half-way stage of the Rs 30-lakh Honda-Siel PGA Championship at the Delhi Golf Club course here today.

Arjun aggregated 11-under 133, following a bogie-free three-under 69, in the biggest prize money event on the Hero Honda Indian Golf Tour. Mukesh Kumar shot a two-under 70 and remained in second place with a tally of eight-under 136.

Twice champion Uttam Singh Mundy moved up to the third place with a six-under 138, while there was a three-way tie between Daniel Chopra (Sweden), Rohtas Singh and Shiv Prakash for the joint fourth place at five under 139.

The cut was applied at seven-over 151 and exactly 50 pros made it to the money-making rounds. Also advancing to the third round were 10 amateurs, led by Keshav Mishra, who shot the day's best card of five-under 67.

Arjun started with a birdie on the par-5 first, and then added two more on the par-3 seventh and the par-4 15th.

The seventh was a particularly pleasing birdie for the Delhi-based pro, who drained a 20-footer there.

"I am very happy with my 69," said Arjun, who would be gunning for his fourth 'major' title on the Hero Honda Indian Tour.

Mukesh Kumar had two distinct phases during his round--the front nine where he could do no wrong, and the back nine, where the putts just won't drop. After starting with a back-to-back birdies on the first and the second, Mukesh added another on the sixth to make the turn at three-under. However, his putterlost all heat from the 10th hole onwards.

On the 10th, he missed a two-footer par putt, and then a three-footer on the 15th for his second bogey. On the 16th, he three-putted from 25 feet and then missed a three-footer for birdie on the final hole.

“I am not too worried at this stage. Eight-under is a good score after two rounds,” said the Order of Merit leader.

Keshav Mishra of Delhi shot a five-under 67, the best card of the day, to be in joint lead amongst the amateurs along with Simarjeet Singh, at four-under 140.

Dhindsa to open stadium
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, November 2
The Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers, Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, will inaugurate the newly developed cricket ground of the Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, University of Delhi, on November 5 at 2.30 pm.

Indian Olympic Association secretary-general Randhir Singh, who is also the secretary-general of the Olympic Council of Asia, will preside over the function. Jathedar Avtar Singh Hit, president, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), S Kulmohan Singh, general secretary of DSGMC and S Bhupinder Singh Anand, chairman, governing body of the college, will also be present on the occasion.

15-day camp for Taekwondo
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, November 2
A 15-day coaching camp for the Delhi Taekwondo team for the National Games to be held in Punjab from November 19 began at the Nehru Stadium here yesterday.

Eight men and eight women judokas, who won gold medals in the just-concluded Delhi State Taekwondo Championship, have been selected for the camp.

The campers are: Men: Narinder Bisht, Vikrant, ShivKumar, Rajinder, Deepak Kumar, Raminder, Narinder, KhemChand.

Women: Jyoti Sharma, Sarika, Ritambra, Madan, ReenaRawat, Ambika Sharma, Megha Bisht, Priya and Geeta Rana.

The reserves for the camp are Chandini, Kriti Malhotra, Sarita, Sumitra, Ajay Yadav and Jitender.

While Rashid Ansari and Madan Singh Chauhan will be the coaches, Anil Madan and B. S. Verma are selected as the managers.

The 18th Delhi State Championship was held at the Janakpuri Community Centre.

More than 350 taekwondoists, representing 30 units, participated in the championship.

The championship was organised by Surinder Rai Bhandoria and inaugurated by the president of the Taekwondo Federation of India , Harish Kumar, IPS.

ADMINISTRATION

Hotel canopy demolished
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, November 2
The authorities of the local municipal corporation demolished the alleged encroachment done by a three star hotel on Neelam-Bata road here today.

A team of the corporation officials led by the Joint Commissioner, Ballabgarh, reached the site this noon and removed a canopy -like structure of the hotel measuring 120x10 feet, facing the road. While the authorities claimed it was an encroachment the hotel owners described the action as wrong and politically motivated. The Additional SP was also present along with a team of policemen. The municipal corporation has also slapped a fine of Rs 85 lakh on the hotel for alleged irregularities.