Mohali, March 5
The local civil hospital fails to meet certain basic needs of patients even after the process of upgrading it to a 200-bed hospital has started.

Patients feel harassed when they find that the emergency wing of the hospital is not fully equipped to attend to their needs.

At times, patients are asked to arrange various items needed for their treatment.

The PCO near the emergency has been out of order for the past about a week, causing inconvenience to patients and hospital staff.

The chemist shop on the premises of the hospital being run by the district Red Cross society does not remain open for 24 hours, as required under rules.

Small instruments used in the emergency are quite old and the staff find it difficult to use those.

It cannot be said for sure whether proper autoclaving of the instruments is being done.

Three persons from Kansal village, Mohinder Pal, his brother Dharam Pal and the latter’s daughter Geeta, were admitted to the hospital on Friday night after they sustained head injuries during a clash.

They felt harassed as they could not be given immediate treatment at the hospital.

Their attendants were asked to arrange for some items so that stitches could be given to the patients.

Baljinder Kaur, wife of Mohinder Pal, said when they were brought to the hospital, the staff on duty asked her to arrange thread and needles for the patients.

As the chemist shop on the hospital premises was closed, she did not know where to go and buy the items late at night.

When a journalist, known to the family, reached the hospital and questioned them about the availability of thread and needles, both were arranged.

Baljinder Kaur said the patients were then taken to the general hospital in sector 16 of Chandigarh, but the staff there asked them to take the patients to the Mohali civil hospital as the area where the clash had taken place was out of their jurisdiction.

H.S. Sarang, SMO in charge of the hospital, said the authorities were informed that the chemist was not keeping his shop open for 24 hours, adding that would shift his telephone to the emergency till the time the PCO was out of order.

Chandigarh, March 5
It was a swig and swing event. Slightly tizzy golfers slugged it out under floodlights in the nine-hole night golf event at the Chandigarh Golf Club on Holi eve. The competition continued till almost midnight and each participant was allowed one club and a putter.

The winner in the above-80 category was Sqn-Ldr J.S. Gill. The veteran Air Force officer won the event played on the stableford format.

Another veteran golfer K.K. Batta clinched the title in the 75-80-year-category.

The golfers were required to have a ‘chhota’ whisky or vodka after every alternate hole for which five bars had been laid out in the nine-hole greens.

For beer guzzlers, it was a pint of beer at every alternate hole. But probably, the most difficult was having a bottle of sweet milk after every alternate hole.

Col D.S. Waraich was declared the winner in the 65-75 age-group.

Another doctor, who is a regular at the greens, G.S. Kochhar, clinched the title in the 50-65 age category.

Manish Jain was seen having a swig as he walked up to the podium to receive the winner’s trophy in the under-50 age category. It was a double for Manish as his wife clinched the title in the under-60 title for ladies.

Vicky Janjua managed to hit within 2 ft 4 in on the par 3 eighth hole to win the nearest to the pin title.