HEALTH

GMCH gets cobalt radiation machine
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 26
With the installation of the Rs 2 crore tele-cobalt radiation machine, cancer patients coming to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) will now get radiation-free treatment, eliminating all harmful effects.

The UT Administrator and Punjab Governor, Justice O.P. Verma, inaugurated the first cancer treatment machine in north India at the GMCH today.

Procured at a cost of Rs 2 crore from Canada, the grant for the purchase of the state-of-the-art equipment was given by the Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare.

Prior to this all cancer patients coming to the GMCH were referred to the PGI or other institutes. Though the PGI has three cobalt machines, but the one installed at the GMCH is the latest with a high level of precision.

Though the approval from the Bhaba Atomic Research Centre for setting up of the oncology wing was received in 1999, it took some time for the grant from the ministry and the final installation of the machine to arrive.

Two special reinforced concrete cement (RCC) rooms have been constructed in the Block-D of the GMCH at a cost of about Rs 60,000.

“Having a source as small as 1.5 cm will eliminate all harmful effects in cancer treatment,” explained Dr B.D. Gupta, Emeritus Professor and former head of Radiotherapy at the PGI. He added that being computer based the dose needed for cancer treatment will be controlled, ensuring high patient safety level.

Cobalt is a radioactive source and the radiation kills the cancer cells. A lot of precision is required so as to save the normal cells from getting affected. The machine, takes barely two minutes for treatment, while being very effective in cancer treatment.

Others who were present at the inaugural function included Mr R.S. Gujral, Secretary, Medical Education and Research, Prof H.M. Swami, Director Principal, Medical Superintendent, Prof Raj Bahadur, and former Director Principal, GMCH, Prof V.K. Kak and Prof S.B. S. Mann.

GMCH technicians call off strike

Chandigarh, December 26
The striking contractual junior laboratory technicians at the GMCH today called off their strike after receiving an assurance from the authorities that that the contractor would pay their salaries tomorrow.

Since the strike was called off late in the evening, the laboratory services at the GMCH remained affected for the third consecutive day. It was following an assurance by the officiating Director-Principal, Prof H.M. Swami, that the contractor had been directed to give them their salaries tomorrow that they agreed to call off the strike. Earlier in the day, the technicians staged a protest by waving black flags when the UT Administrator and Punjab Governor, Justice O.P. Verma, came for a function at the hospital. The laboratory services, especially during emergency hours at the GMCH, were hit since the technicians had been on an indefinite strike.

Meanwhile, the Medical Superintendent, Prof Raj Bahadur, said the problems being faced by the technicians would be sorted out as all formalities regarding giving contract to a new company had been finalised. TNS

Medical camp
Tribune News Service

Mohali, December 26
The Shaheed Udham Singh Educational and Charitable Trust, Mohali, will organise a free medical camp at 10 a.m. on Sunday at Shaheed Udham Singh Bhavan, Phase 3A, to mark the 105th birth anniversary of Shaheed Udham Singh.

The camp will be organised in collaboration with Indus Hospital, Phase 3BII. Eminent doctors will examine the patients and medicines will be distributed free of cost.

SPORTS

PU squash team wins silver
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, December 26
The Panjab University Squash racquets team won the silver medal in the All India Inter University Squash Racquets Men Tournament, which concluded last evening at Maharishi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak. The PU won the medal after more than two decades.

In the finals, PU players lost to Delhi University 1-3.

The team comprised Subodh Sangwan (captain)- PEC-12, Vipul Kashyap and Akshay Verma (both UIET, PU), Amit Bahri, Gautam Tewatia and Aditya Ahluwalia (all PEC-12).

Fine knock by Tejwinder

A brilliant performance by Tejwinder Gill, who hammered 78 runs off 47 deliveries, including 10 hits to the fence and four sixes, enabled Satluj Coaching Centre to beat the Friends Cricket Club by 39 runs in the second Satluj Cup League Cricket Tournament played at Panchkula.

Brief scores: Satluj CC: 182 runs for seven in 22 overs (Tejwinder Gill 78, Raman Vats 31, Pawan 18, Nitin Thapar 17 n.o., Dhirender Gusain 3 for 28, Dharamvir Yadav 2 for 21, Ranjeet Rana 2 for 29). Friends CC: 143 runs all out (Vivek 29, Dinesh 26, Shekhar 21, Karandeep 3 for 21, Jai Kapil 3 for 18).

In another tie, a partnership of 107 runs between Umesh Kaira, who scored 65 runs, and Vaneet Chawla, who made 48 runs, helped Century Steel Industries to beat DC Model Coaching Centre by 46 runs.

Cricket tourney

The Chandigarh Cricket Association and the DAV College Cricket Academy, Sector 10, will jointly hold the first Captain Chander Vijay Memorial Cricket tournament for under-13 boys from tomorrow at DAV College, Sector 10.

Tennis tourney Mehak of Chandigarh bagged the bronze medal in the under-14 section, while the Chandigarh team finished runner-up in the under-17 girls team event in the 49th National School Games tennis event at Surat in Gujarat. The under-17 team comprised Simer and Chandni. PATIALA Hockey tourney ITBP registered their third successive victory in the 28th All-India Liberals Hockey Tournament played at the Ripudaman College grounds here today. They beat Air Force, New Delhi, 2-1, while Indian Navy had to toil hard to beat Ropar Hawks 4-3. In other matches, Rock Rovers outclassed Indian Postal XI 5-3, while Namdhari XI subdued Air India Academy by a solitary goal to enter the next round.

Mehak (above); and Chandni and Simer, who won medals in tennis in the National School Games.

Gymnastics meet from today
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, December 26
The 44th Senior National Gymnastics Meet will be inaugurated by Justice O.P. Verma, Governor, Punjab, at the Indoor hall of the Shivalik Public School, Phase VI, Mohali, tomorrow at 11 am. The five-day meet is being organised by the Chandigarh Gymnastic Association (CGA) under the aegis of Gymnastics Federation of India. More than 400 gymnasts drawn from 24 states and union territories along with around 100 officials will take part in the meet.

Meanwhile, Chandigarh has been chosen as venue for the National Sub-Junior Aerobics Championship by the Gymnastics Federation of India. This was stated by Mr Kan Singh Rathore, Secretary-General of the federation, today at Mohali. The meet will be held sometime in November and the dates will be finalised at a meeting of the federation to be held on December 28 at Mohali. Rathore stated that India will also host the Central-South Asia Gymnastics Championship in Hyderabad. He said the Junior National Aerobics Championship has been allotted to Karnataka while the Senior National Aerobics meet to Assam.