Ludhiana, March 8
The International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundation (IFKF) have jointly declared the second Thursday of March , beginning with March 9, 2006 ,as World Kidney Day (WKD).

As a part of this global endeavour, SPS Apollo Hospitals here would hold a week- long "early detection and prevention of kidney disease camp" from March 9 to 16, in which subsidised blood and urine tests and free consultation would be offered to persons at high risk of developing a kidney disease.

According to Dr Rahul Kohli, consultant nephrologist at SPS Apollo Hospitals, early detection and prevention was the theme for this year's inaugural WKD. The principal objective of WKD would be to raise awareness among general physicians and primary healthcare professionals about the role of kidney as a risk marker in related chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension.

Globally more than 500 million people or roughly about one in 10 persons has some chronic kidney disease.

"The situation is particularly alarming in Punjab which high incidence of diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure — risk factors for kidney disease".

Early detection of the condition could be accomplished through simple and inexpensive tests like serum creatinine and urine protein, particularity in high risk individuals, like those over 50 years, obese, smoker, diabetics (or with a history of diabetes in the family), or those having high blood pressure.

Dr Kohli said the Kidney disease can be avoided by reducing high blood pressure, control of glucose, blood lipid, quitting smoking , increasing physical activity and controlling body weight."

Ludhiana, March 8
The two-day International Anaesthesia Review-2006, jointly organised by the Department of Anaesthesia, Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) and the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, USA, concluded here yesterday.

More than 450 delegates from all over the country and abroad participated in the intensively interactive scientific sessions on advances in anesthesiology and critical care.

The exhaustive scientific programme was subdivided into seven sessions, according to Dr Baljinder Kaur, course director and anesthesiology professor at the CMCH.

On the second day, the scientific sessions started with an insight on post-operative complications and their management with Dr Laurence Torsher, Dr Abinash Virk, Dr Brian Costello and Dr Ratna Shashidharan, London Hospital Medical School, participating in the discussion.

The sixth session focused on various aspects of pain management, including the management of pain associated with labour and child birth as well as the management of chronic pain syndrome.

Dr Paul Carns, Dr Keith Joseph, Mayo Clinic College, Rochester, USA, Dr Ratna Shashidharan, London Hospital Medical School, Dr E. Lyle Gross, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and Dr Wendy Abramson, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, USA, shared their experience with the delegates.

Dr G.P. Dureja, professor of anesthesiology and in-charge of pain clinic, AIIMS, New Delhi, chaired the session.

While discussing the complexities of chronic pain, Dr E. Lyle Gross observed that failure to recover after an accident or illness beyond the suggestive recovery time was classified as chronic pain. Many factors, including socio-economic status, family support, stress and depression, financial problems, educational level etc., contributed to the chronic pain syndrome.

Quoting Charka, pioneer of ayurvedic system, he said the ultimate goal of a doctor was to understand the cause and then treat in order to return the patients back to their optimal level of functioning. Discussing the management of chronic pain, he said pain management was a team effort and an anesthesiologist, nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, psychologists and a spiritual adviser, all played an important role in the treatment.

Ludhiana, March 8
Belying the claims of the enforcement authorities, the Pre-Natal Sex Determination Test (PNDT) Act is being flagrantly violated in the city by 200 ultrasound centres which have virtually turned into ''easy money-making enterprises''.

Punjab was the lowest among other states in male-female population ratio and the industrial capital of the state was 10th lowest in this regard as compared to other districts. The fact that the scan centres are flouting the Act in connivance with the enforcement authorities is all the more unfortunate.

The Tribune has learnt from sources that the pre-natal sex determination test is being done by a few scan centres, spread in every nook and corner of the city, and charging exorbitant price. However, every thing is being done in a secret manner, both to avoid penal action and protect officials, who were allegedly patronising the unlawful activity.

Information gathered about the racket revealed that the rate for the PNDT was around Rs 5,000 and since it was one-to-one deal, the sonologists need not pay any commission to the referring physicians. The hefty fee collected for the test by the centres, therefore, enabled them to happily part with a significant part of the collection and keep the health officials happy.

According to the sources, a nexus of owners of scan centres and a large number of quacks, carrying on medical practice in the outer areas and periphery of the city, is indulging in the sex determination test and in many of the cases termination of pregnancy of female foetus. Some scan centres were also providing ''pick up and drop'' facility.

That all is not well with the enforcement officials and an accusing finger can be pointed towards some of them was evident from a couple of cases that took place in the recent past. Even though the Health Department had sealed the defaulting scan centres and penalising the law breakers, the blatant violation of the PNDT Act is continuing with impunity for the simple reasons that the ''rewards'' are much bigger than the occasional penalty that has to be paid for carrying out the lucrative sex determination test.

Ludhiana, March 8
A special campaign to stop the run of unauthorised autorickshaws in the city was launched here today.

District Transport Officer Kuldeep Singh pasted sticker on some vehicles at Bharat Nagar Chowk.

The sticker bears registration certificate number, permit number and validity and fitness period .The auto owners have been given a fortnight to affix the sticker on their vehicles.

Mr Kuldeep Singh said that the auto owners can get these stickers from his office on all the working days by producing the RCs . The DTO and ADTOs would also be pasting the stickers on the autos.