The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

Year Ahead
Govt hospitals to get better equipped
Pradeep Sharma
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 28
With a view to providing better patient-care, three major hospitals of the city — Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and Government Multi-Speciality Hospital (GMSH) — are going in for a major infrastructure development in 2008.

Though, Medicity, an ambitious project of the Chandigarh administration to give a fillip to medical tourism, may not take off next year, better patient-care is high on the agenda of the hospitals and dispensaries, if claims of the authorities are any indication.

Leading the way is the premier health institute — PGI — where several projects, including advanced cardiac centre, animal house, installation of PET scan, gamma knife, burn unit and liver transplant facility will begin operations.

The infrastructure is being improved to provide better facilities and care to patients, says PGI director Prof K.K. Talwar.

Besides, the PGI is taking its ongoing projects of telemedicine, stem cell research and computerisation to the next level to impart efficiency to its working.

While the telemedicine project is set to be extended to far-flung areas of Leh and Sikkim and some SAARC countries, new strides are being taken in stem cell research.

GMCH is also set to collaborate with the premier institute in the areas of telemedicine and stem cell research.

In fact, the administration is pursuing a project to link all medical facilities in the city through telemedicine.

Besides, an ambulance service to provide requisite supportive treatment during transportation in consultation with experts posted at the base hospital is also in the offing, GMCH director-principal Prof Raj Bahadur says.

Besides telemedicine, the GMCH is looking for collaboration with the the PGI in stem cell research.

Since the PGI is the leading institute in the region for carrying out stem cell therapies, the GMCH plans to take the advantage of its proximity by doing collaborative research in this field, Prof Raj Bahadur adds.

In fact, both PGI and GMCH are set to harness the information technology to their advantage with computerisation of their various departments and OPDs.

Meanwhile, new postgraduate courses in general medicine, general surgery and ENT are in the offing at the GMCH.

Besides, paramedical courses like BSc, X-ray, BSc (medical technology) and BSc (operation theatre techniques) will get under way during 2008.

Similarly, the GMSH will also get new infrastructure, including new building, for the convenience of patients and attendants.

Official sources said though the medicity project might not see the light of the day, the upgrade of facilities at government and private hospitals might give a boost to medical tourism.

However, with load on the government-run hospitals increasing with each passing day in the wake of large-scale urbanisation in the tricity and its periphery, managing rush will engage the attention of the authorities concerned in the next year.

Tele-helpline on adolescent aggression
Tribune News Service

Mohali, December 28
A 24-hour tele-helpline to deal with the growing problems of childhood, adolescent aggression and violence was launched here today at Cheema Medical Complex, Phase IV. The helpline number is 9878899660.

With round-the-clock availability of senior consultant psychiatrists and psychologists to address the increasing number of queries regarding child aggression and behaviour, the helpline is aimed at addressing the vital concerns which parents and adults are facing every day. With special stress towards anger control programme, the helpline will provide expert advice on mental health related issues.

While inaugurating the helpline here, Dr Ajaiwant Cheema, director, Cheema Medical Complex, informed that recent incidents of violence involving young kids, especially adolescents, had rendered such a counselling helpline absolutely necessary. What happened at a Gurgaon school a fortnight back when a young boy ended up killing a classmate out of vengeance, was both, shocking as well as appalling but provided a trigger point to address the problems of subdued and pent-up emotions which often manifested in the form of extreme aggressive behaviour, said Dr Cheema.

Dr Cheema further informed that consultant psychiatrist Dr Vani Kaler and psychologist Nitika Gupta from Cheema Medical Complex would be available for all kinds of psychological counselling over the tele-helpline. She said though such incidents of violence by adolescents were common in developed countries like Europe and US which offer little in terms of social and psychological support structures for people, but in India they were unacceptable, given the strong familial, social and community support which children and adolescents enjoyed in India. Still there was enough room and need for psychiatric or psychological advice which was hardly available. “Our helpline plans to fill that vacuum by providing the residents of the tricity this round-the-clock option of seeking expert advice,” she said.

Dr Kaler, pyschiatrist at Cheema Hospital, added that it was important for parents to understand the potential triggers and causes of aggression amongst children before it was too late. Family environment like disturbed marital relationships, behavioural impulsiveness and lack of self-restraint and responsibility, genetic and extrinsic factors like mass media or incidents controlled the inherent aggressive tendencies. If not given a vent or an outlet, the pent-up or suppressed emotions, feelings and impulses could lead to catastrophic consequences, said Dr Kaler.

Centre nod to rehab dept at GMCH
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 28
With the ministry of health and family welfare approving the setting up of the state-of-the-art department of physical medicine and rehabilitation, the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, is set add another feather to its cap.

In fact, the ministry recently okayed the setting up of the department at five centres in India, including Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer), Puducherry, Lady Hardinge Hospital, New Delhi, and King George Medical Centre, Lucknow, for the benefits of patients.

Sources said the setting up of the department would be a boon for thousands of patients suffering from various kinds of disabilities and reporting for treatment in different departments.

In 2003, the proposal to set up the department was first mooted and the health ministry reportedly sanctioned an amount of Rs 21 lakh for this purpose.

However, in the wake of the absence of any follow-up action, the proposal failed to take off.

However, new GMCH director-principal Prof Raj Bahadur, during his recent meeting with health ministry officials, including director-general health services (DGHS) Dr R.K. Srivastava, impressed upon them the necessity of having a department at the hospital that catered to the needs of thousands of patients from North India.

Confirming department’s approval, Prof Raj Bahadur said Dr Srivasvata, a physiotherapist, was instrumental in the setting up of new centres in different areas of the country.

He said the ministry had agreed to fund the equipment and staff for 10 years after which it would be taken over by the Chandigarh administration.

Under the plan, two consultants, besides other physiotherapists, will be appointed for better patient care.

The main objective of the department was to restore the patient to his highest level of daily function and improve his quality of life.

City lad wins all-India golf title
Donald Banerjee

Chandigarh, December 28
Seventeen-year-old Chandigarh golfer Rahul Bakshi could not have asked for more. He clinched the coveted Sunfeast all-India golf title despite playing a four-over par 76 on the last day at the Army Environmental Park and Training Area golf course in Delhi today.

“It feels great to win the title which gives me the confidence as I step into my amateur career. This is a great parting gift that I can give to myself,” said Rahul who finished the tournament at 1-over 289, four shots clear of his nearest rival.

Rashid Khan with a card of 2-over 74, finished with a four-day tally of 293 to finish as the runner-up. Abhijit Chadha finished fourth with 296, while Chikkarangappa was fifth at 297. Ashbeer Singh Saini and Ankur Chadha were tied for the sixth spot at 302.

Rahul, like most players, could not cope up with the environmental conditions where the cold winds obstructed the players from playing to their potential.

The tricky greens too provided the extra challenge. The Chandigarh lad had a see-saw front nine where a bogey on the third was followed by a birdie on the fourth and a bogey on the fifth.

Once again he repeated the sequence on the seventh and eighth respectively, making a birdie on the latter. Yet with a 1-over total on the front nine, Rahul led by four shots.

On the back nine, a lone birdie stood out against four bogeys, mostly coming after over-shooting the green and failing to make up and down. “I was trying to control the ball but it just rolled and rolled,” said Rahul. The birdie came on the 14th where he missed a five-footer for an eagle.

Leading scores (after 72 holes): Category (A & B) : 289 Rahul Bakshi (69, 70, 74, 76); 293 Rashid Khan (70, 72, 77, 74); 296 Abhijit S Chadha (76, 73, 75, 72); 297 Chikkarangappa (72, 77, 74, 74); 302 Ashbeer Singh Saini (79, 74, 75, 74), Ankur Chadha (75, 71, 78, 78); 304 Kapil Kumar (81, 76, 76, 71); 306 Bhanu Pratap Singh (81, 72, 77, 76), Kanishk Madan (72, 78, 77, 79); 307 Ajay Verma (78, 74, 77, 78). Category B: 297 Chikkarangappa (72, 77, 74, 74); 302 Ashbeer Singh Saini (79, 74, 75, 74), Ankur Chadha (75, 71, 78, 78); 310 Tarundeep Singh Chadha (75, 81, 82, 72); 317 Ainesh Ahluwalia (80, 80, 80, 77). Category C: 322 Viraat Badhwar (82, 82, 82, 76), Rahul Ravi (85, 79, 78, 80); 325 Varun Verma (84, 85, 76, 80); 331 Harman Virk (79, 87, 83, 82); 333 Roshan Raj (83, 80, 87, 83). Category D (54 holes): 235 Vidit Singh (81, 80, 74); 249 Piyush Sangwan (83, 85, 81), Jairaj Singh Sandhu (86, 76, 87); 256 Prakhar Asawa (88, 82, 86).

PHL
Sec-42 stadium swells with spectators
Akash Ghai
Tribune News Service

A young hockey fan at the hockey stadium, Sector 42, in Chandigarh on Friday. — Tribune photo by Pradeep Tewari

Chandigarh, December 28
Anticipating a thrilling clash between Chandigarh Dynamos and Sher-e-Jalandhar, a large number of spectators turned out to watch PHL match at the hockey stadium in Sector 42 this evening.

Balloons, bugles, painted faces and colourful wigs worn by children added zing to the electrifying atmosphere.

The stadium was kept alive amid the chanting of “Chandigarh-Chandigarh” followed by “Sheran di balle-balle” by fans.

The stadium started swelling with fans way before the match began at 6 pm.

Around 10,000 spectators turned out to see their favourite stars in action under the floodlights.

“We came from Jalandhar to root for our team. Though we lost the match, we enjoyed every bit of it,” said Jaswinder Singh and Baljeet Singh.

Another local hockey buff, Anup Kumar, said: “Who says the game is not popular. Just see the turnout for a domestic-circuit match. One can well imagine the situation if India take on a team of another country here.”

Due to heavy rush at the stadium, people also faced a some inconvenience. An hour-long traffic snarl-up was witnessed outside the stadium.

NEIGHBOURHOOD

DC reviews council’s performance
Our Correspondent

Ambala deputy commissioner Mohammad Shayin (centre) addresses a special meeting of the municipal council in Ambala on Friday. — A Tribune photograph

Ambala, December 28
Ambala deputy commissioner Mohammad Shayin summoned a special meeting of Ambala Sadar municipal council today to review the performance of the council. President of the council Neelam Sharma and as many as 22 other municipal councillors were present in the meeting. The deputy commissioner had received several complaints against the working of the council.

Some of the councillors, including Omkar Nathi, Kamal Kishor Jain, Narender Bengali, Ria Ratra and Dimple Mittal raised the issue of mutation. They alleged that an employee of the council had tampered with some of the records of the mutation. The deputy commissioner took the matter seriously and summoned the said record. Later, he took the records with him to go through them in detail.

Some of the councillors said there was no transparency in the working of the president of the council. They also raised the issue of sanitation and streetlights. One of the councillors said the contractors of sanitation and streetlights repair were not working as per the terms of the contract. They demanded a probe into the working of the contractors.

The deputy commissioner, while addressing the meeting, said he would summon a meeting of the council every month to asses the performance and grievousness of the people. He asked the councillors to work jointly to solve the problems of the people. He directed the president of the council to take strict action against encroachments.

	TB Control Medical body seeks SGPC's help Tribune News Service Fatehgarh Sahib, December 28 The Rural Medical Service Association (RMSA) of Punjab welcomed the decision of the SGPC for starting a campaign against female foeticide and drug abuse. In a statement issued here today, Dr Aslam Parvez, state president of the RMSA (doctors working under zila parishad in Punjab), said the RMSA felt that the SGPC could play an important role in helping the rural doctors fight tuberculosis, which at present, was killing more adults then any other infectious disease in the country. He said the doctors' association would soon be holding a meeting with SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar to apprise him of the situation. Dr Aslam said though free medication was available across the state, lack of awareness was hindering the efforts of the doctors. He said discontinuation of treatment in some cases led to development of drug resistance in patients after which it became difficult to cure the disease. He said in case the SGPC could make it mandatory for all the gurdwaras under its jurisdiction to relay information about TB and tell people that it was curable through proper treatment, it might rid the state of this dreaded disease. The president of the doctor's association said globally, it was estimated that 18 lakh people died of TB each year. The annual incidence of new cases of all forms of TB (pulmonary and extra pulmonary) worldwide was estimated to be approximately 88 lakh, of which about 95 per cent occurred in developing countries. In India, more than 40 per cent of the population was infected with TB bacilli and the country spent more than Rs 12,000 crore every year on curbing its spread, Dr Aslam said.
	ASI suspended for misconduct Our Correspondent Ambala, December 28 Ambala SP K.V. Ramanna placed ASI Suresh Kumar under suspension for misbehaving with the members of a family of Kanchghar area at Ambala City last night. Suresh was posted at the Baldevnagar police station. According to information, the ASI had gone to the residence of Aman Kumar along with a few others to recover the pending installments of a car loan that Aman had taken from a private bank. Aman alleged that the ASI was under the influence of liquor and misbehaved with his family. Aman said he tried to persuade the ASI that he would deposit the installments soon but when he continued to threaten him and his family, they got agitated and nabbed the ASI. They, along with some of their neighbours, then took him to the civil hospital for a medical examination. Some other police officials, present there, tried to hush up the matter but the agitated crowd was determined to get the medical test of the ASI done. Later, the examination was conducted. The residents of Kanchghar area met the SP today and briefed him about the incident. The SP assured them that action would be taken against ASI Suresh Kumar. Later in the evening, the SP placed the ASI under suspension and ordered a departmental inquiry against him.
	Free reflectors for tractor-trailers soon Tribune News Service Patiala, December 28 Reflectors will be affixed on tractor-trolleys free of cost during National Road Safety Week to be observed by the Patiala police from January 1 to 7. Pollution check of vehicles will also be conducted by the police with the help of the Punjab Pollution Control Board and the All India Human Rights Organisation on January 3. “The objective of the exercise is to make people aware about traffic rules. Since absence of reflectors are a major reason of road accidents, we are going to affix reflectors on tractor-trolleys free of cost with the help of social organisations on January 2,” said SSP S.K. Asthana. The awareness campaign will be expanded upto Nabha where truck drivers will be accorded knowledge about traffic rules.
	One killed, 2 hurt in accident Our Correspondent Ambala, December 28 One person was killed and three others seriously injured in a road accident on Ambala-Hissar road near Mathadi village this evening. Two of the injured were referred to the PGI, Chandigarh. Daman, Pushpa and Suman were coming from Pehowa to Baknor village to meet a relative. When they were crossing Mathadi village, a tractor-trolley hit their car. Pushpa died on the spot while Daman, Suman and one other occupant of the car were rushed to the civil hospital, Ambala City. They were sent to PGI, Chandigarh. A case was registered against the driver of the tractor.