HEALTH

A gift of laughter for ailing kids
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 29
Genuine laughter overshadowed every pain, the ailing children admitted to Advanced Pediatric Centre (APC) of the PGI have known, when Heart to Heart, a local NGO, organised an entertainment-cum-magic show for them in the APC auditorium here yesterday evening.

These children were the guests of honour with the whole show put up in a manner to make them forget their daily routine of painful injections and bitter medicines.

As the evening unfolded and songs were sung and dances presented, the magic show caused the little innocent eyes to acquire a mischievous glint. It could well have been a lesson for all of us to learn how lives are led.

Even parents of children suffering from cancer put up a brave face and arrived with their ill child in tow, laughed at every joke, coaxed their child to go on stage and the child, oblivious of his own pain, enjoyed every bit of the show.

Pooja, Gaurav, Dishu, Priyanka, Manoj and many more performed on stage, singing songs, reciting poems, even a ‘Gayatri Mantra’, with each effort appreciated with a generous round of applause from the audience consisting largely of parents.

The best was saved for the last. A magic show by the city’s own magician, Pradeep Kumar, kept the children enthralled. He involved as many children as was possible in his tricks and by the time the show ended, every child had a twinkle in his eye.

INSCOL’s chest wing commissioned
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 29
The 40-bed multi-super speciality hospital INSCOL, providing tertiary-level care in more than 15 specialities, now offers comprehensive respiratory services with the commissioning of the Pulmonary Department. This department is headed by Dr Aman S. Gill, who had four years’ training in pulmonary critical care and bronchoscopy at Louisiana State University Hospital in the USA.

Although the region has an extensive burden of chest problems — asthma, tuberculosis, pneumonias, COPD, lung cancer, sarcoidosis and pneumoconiosis — to name a few, comprehensive chest treatment facilities are not available in the private sector. The only institute providing such facilities is the PGI, which is overburdened. These ailments, including acute chest emergencies, will now be treated at INSCOL using the latest protocols and techniques.

The services offered include the management of acute chest emergencies.

INSCOL also offers comprehensive and under-one-roof support such as radiology, nuclear medicine, pathology as well as facilities for all other surgical and medical specialities, particularly cardiology under Dr R.P. Sapru who is also the Director (Medical).

SPORTS

Students participate in skating meet
Tribune Reporters

Chandigarh, November 29
An inter-house skating meet was organised by KB DAV Centenary School, Sector 7, Chandigarh, at the school skating rink this morning. Ms Madhu Bahl, Principal of the school, inaugurated the two-hour meet. She also gave away medals and certificates to the prize winners.

The events included 50 m race, skating race, obstacle race and roller hockey. The winners included Fardeen, Ashna (Pre-Nursery); Sanchit, Gunjot (Nursery); Ayush Seth, Priydarshini (KG); Bhaskar, Darshwinder (Class I); Shivam Thakur, Surabhi Jain (Class II); Sagar, Sheena (Class III); Sachin Mohan and Mehak Paul (Class IV); Manjit Singh, Jyotika (Class V), Hasit Chetal, Devanshi (ClassV); Amandeep, Kriti Sardana (Class VII); Chetanpreet, Kreeti Gupta (Class VIII); Jagdeep,Praveer (Class IX); Kavita (Class X). The top skaters of the school, Manjit and Mehak Paul, took a round of the skating rink with school flags. Speed races were also held. The roller hockey match was witnessed by more than 500 children of the school who cheered every participant with full zeal. A musical chair contest marked the conclusion of the inter-house skating carnival.

Joban Singh, an ex-student of St John’s High School, Sector 26, on Thursday was given ‘Vivek Singh Award’ for the year 1999-2000 for his achievements in sports and co-curricular activities by the Haryana Governor, Babu Parmanand, during the annual sports day of the school.

Bids invited for parking lots
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 29
The Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) here today invited bids for parking lots’ contract at Sectors 17, 8 and 9 till December 3 after removing certain conditions objected to by parties last time.

The corporation had made a second attempt on December 28 but bidders objected to conditions regarding the mode of payment and free parking for vehicles for a period of upto 10 minutes, among others. The auction was taken up for he first time on November 19 but could not be finalised as the bidders pooled together and did not participate despite depositing earnest money.