Ludhiana, March 1
Dr Raga Ahmad Ali Musaid, head, Department of Anaesthesia, faculty of medicine, University of Aden, Republic of Yemen, paid a two-day visit to the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, here, on February 27 and 28. She was here on the invitation of Dr Tej K Kaul, professor and head of the Anaesthesiology Department, and Dr Avtar Singh, secretary, Research Society of Anaesthesiology Clinical Pharmacology (RSACP).

During her visit, Dr Musaid interacted with the faculty and residents of the Anaesthesiology Department, visited various operation theatres and intensive care units. She also evinced keen interest in the research projects undertaken by the department and also explored the idea of having a joint common research projects in the field of Anaesthesiology. She was impressed by the latest anaesthetic techniques being practised and the monitoring available at the DMCH which, she agreed, matched those available in the best centres of the world.

The visiting anaesthesiologist emphasised the need for widening the co-operation between the anaesthesia faculty of the two institutions. Dr Musaid particularly appreciated the role of the DMCH in imparting the necessary training to the residents in a methodical, scientific and planned manner. She also appreciated the role of the faculty of The Anaesthesiology Department at the institution and RSACP secretary Dr Avtar Singh in bringing out the internationally acclaimed 'Journal of Anaesthesiology Clinical Pharmacology.'

Dr Musaid and Dr Kaul assured each other of increasing collaboration between University of Aden and the DMCH in times to come. She later visited other parts of the hospital and was highly impressed with the infrastructure and facilities.

Ludhiana, March 1
ayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) here has emerged as one of the pioneer institutes in north India for the management of liver diseases. Many new technologies are currently available for the benefit of the patients.

This was stated by Dr Rajoo Singh Chhina, professor and head of gastroenterology department at DMCH, who was recently invited as a faculty member to International Update on Liver Transplantation and Portal Hypertension held at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow.

According to Dr Chhina, Hepatitis B and C were the common causes of liver disease in India. End stage liver disease could be managed by medical treatment but the definite treatment remained liver transplantation. "Liver transplantation is of various types like cadaveric, where liver is donated by a non-living donor and split-liver transplantation, where a part of the liver is taken from a living donor and the liver transplant is performed."

Dr Chhina observed that alcoholic liver disease was a very common condition, found in north India. In cases of alcoholic liver disease, liver transplant was done only if the patient remained off alcohol for at least six months. "Transjugular intrahepatic porto systemic shunt is a novel and latest technique for stopping GI (gastrointestinal) bleed due to veins in the esophagus. Very few centres in India have the expertise for this procedure."

He further said that India had one of the largest population of patients who required liver transplantation, and liver transplant programme was also likely to be introduced at DMCH in the near future. He informed that the cost of liver transplantation in India was in the range of Rs 20-25 lakh and the monthly expenditure on medicines was roughly around Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000. In contrast, in the USA and other European nations, the cost of transplant was nearly four to five times more.

The conference was attended by many international and national delegates. Dr Marshal Orloff from the USA, a leading liver surgeon, delivered a lecture on management of end-stage liver disease and portal hypertension. He felt impressed with the expertise of the Indian doctors in the field of liver diseases, added Dr Chhina.

Doraha, March 1
The Junior section of Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, Doraha, celebrated Sports Day with great vigour and elan. The chief guest Amrit K. Gurm, president of the managing committee, declared the meet open by releasing colourful balloons in the sky.

The students from Nursery to Class II participated in a variety of fun races like crayon race, balloon race, hop race, reverse-counting race and circle-drawing race. Tiny tots were given small tokens of appreciation and encouragement by the management. A cultural show presented by the tiny tots was the highlight of the programme.

Nursery girls presented giddha followed by an invigorating bhangra performance by KG students. A choreography on a Hindi song 'Chanda Mama' was presented by Prep students. Two plays in English 'Hare and Tortoise' and 'Giant and his beautiful Garden' were also staged by students of KG and Class I, respectively. The programme reached its climax when the girls of Class II and III presented a dazzling dance on the song 'Koi Kehta Rahe.'

Headmistress M. Vinayak elaborated on the play-way techniques being used in the kindergarten section. The headmistress reiterated the school’s commitment towards providing quality education to students.

The programme concluded with the annual prize distribution for the session 2005-06. Principal Manjula presented the annual report of the school highlighting the achievements. The achievers in different fields like academics, co-curricular, sports, attendance etc were awarded. Sujata Bhardwaj, who was ranked first in the Doraha block and second in the Ludhiana district in Class VIII board examinations, was honoured. Chitvan Vinayak of Class X was also honoured for securing the first position throughout her schooling from Class I to Class X.

Among those present on the occasion were Sukhpal Singh, chairman, DIMT, Umal Kaur, director, SGHPS, Amarjit Singh, trustee, SGHPS, Dr R.K. Lekhi, director, DIMT, Harnam Kaur, president, Municipal Committee, Doraha.