The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

HEALTH

Myths regarding organ donation removed
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, May 20
“Don’t take your organs to heaven... heaven knows we need them here.” This is the motto with which the team of doctors and their assistants are working for the Organ Donation Public Awareness Week, which started at the PGI here today.

Beginning with the first transplant of cornea in 1905, followed by a successful series of kidney and heart transplantations, as Dr Mukut Minz, Head of the Transplant Surgery Department, puts it, “Kidneys, heart, liver, lungs, pancreas, cornea, heart valves, bone, all can be reused after a person’s death and transplanted. Skin too can be reused to treat patients with severe burns.” He said improvement in techniques might soon make it practical to transplant other parts of the body also.

The transplantation process starts with two doctors carrying out a series of tests independently in order to confirm that the donor is “brain stem dead”. After the death of the donor has been confirmed, the local Transplant Co-ordinator is contacted. A computer-search is then done to find the most suitable patients as the donation may involve more than one organ. As they do so, preparation for the transplant operation begins. The organ is received at the transplant unit and transplanted immediately, and the process of recovery and the new life begins. This surgery is accepted medically, legally and ethically by most of the countries in the world. The surgery costs around Rs 40,000 to 45, 000 with the PGI charging the least. The people concerned suggested that the government should come forward for assistance of the needy.

The programme, organised by the Transplant Surgery Unit of the PGI, aims at generating awareness among people about donating organs after death. “Approximately 50,000 individuals require cornea of eye, over a lakh nationwide suffer from renal failure and more than 2.5 lakh die of liver disease annually. However, living donors satisfy only a fraction of the demand,” said Dr Minz. Since the time the Human Transplant Organ Act was passed in 1994, only 400 renal, 40 liver and 30 heart transplants have been performed from cadaver sources.

In India, this concept has not taken firm roots due to lack of awareness. As many as 200 persons from different socio-economic and educational background turned up today to rid their minds of myths and fears. A number of them pledged to donate their organs as well. Doctors and nurses attended to public queries and distributed educational material related to organ donation.

Donor cards were also issued to those who pledged to donate. A majority of the visitors appreciated the initiative taken by the institute. Similar activities are planned to be carried out in the future in schools and colleges as well.

With six days more to go, this is the best opportunity for city residents to do their bit for those whom they can help even when they do not exist anymore. The pledge and forms are available at the entrance of the new OPD block, PGI.

Pre-surgical nasoalveolar anatomy demonstrated
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 20
Dr Sanjay Suri, Assistant Professor, BRS Dental College, Panchkula, and consultant , Fortis Heart Care Institute, SAS Nagar, demonstrated a new pre-surgical nasoalveolar moulding to correct deformity and alignment of the jaw segments and nose anatomy at the recently concluded 102nd Annual Conference of the American Association of Orthodontists held at Philadelphia.

The technique, which helps to improve the surgical results of cleft lip and palate patients, was demonstrated by Dr Suri and Dr Bryan Tompson, Head Division of Orthodontics at the Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto.

This new clinical approach which Dr Suri developed during his tenure at the Hospital for Sick Children aims at actively moulding and repositioning deformed nasal cartilage and alveolar processes and lengthening the deficient columella in neonatal period, prior to primary lip and nasal surgery.

“We described a modified appliance and approach for presurgical nasoalveolar moulding in infants with cleft lip and palate. This approach uses a plate held in with outriggers, which prevents the cleft widening effect of the tongue”, said Dr Suri . He said it helps with tongue tip placement and utilises the functional movements of the facial musculature to guide and relocate the major segment medially to its normal position.

This technique helps to improve hemi-alveolar position and cleft width reduction, lip position, presurgical nasal form and columellar length and nasal tip projection, said Dr Suri.

Nurses Week functions end
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 20
The Nurses Week functions in various hospitals here ended yesterday with a valedictory function in the Sector 32 Government Medical College and Hospital. The chief guest on the occasion was Dr S.B.S. Mann, Director Principal of the GMCH, and the guest of honour was Ms Rajinder Dhadda, president of the Chandigarh branch of the Trained Nurses Association of India.

Ms Santosh Kaushal, secretary of the TNAI, read out a report on the week’s activities. The report included details of the inaugural function and cultural programme that had been organised in the Sector 16 General Hospital on May 12. The next day, there had been a panel discussion on ‘Menopause — Fears and Facts’ in the GMCH, where Prof Raj Bahadur, Dr Sanjay Badhada and Dr Poonam Goel were the panellists.

On May 14, a poster-making competition on the theme ‘Nurses — Always There For You: Caring For Families’ was held in the Sector 16 General Hospital. Merely Daniel of INSCOL Hospital won the first prize, Maninder Kaur of the GMCH stood second and Rajinder Khullar of the Sector 16 General Hospital was declared third.

On May 15, a debate on ‘Joint Family Versus Nuclear Family’ had been organised in the Sector 16 General Hospital. The winners included Renu Masih and Seema of the GMCH and Geeta Arora and Seeta Verma of the PGI.

On May 16, health talks were organised in all three government hospitals here, where nurses provided the OPD visitors with health counselling. On May 17, fun games were organised in the PGI. Lili Joseph and Raja Rajeshwari of the GMCH won the first prize in the three-legged race, while Gurdip Kaur and Sapna Harris came second. Shekhar and Ajay of the GMCH came third. Meenakshi of the Sector 16 General Hospital came first in the spoon-and-potato race, while Navneet Chawla of General Hospital came second and Santosh Kaushal of the GMCH stood third. In the needle-and-thread race, Maninder Pal Kaur won the first prize, while Gurdip Kaur of the GMCH stood second and Navneet Kaur of General Hospital came third.

Winners received certificates at the valedictory function today. The chief guest, Prof S.B.S. Mann, said politeness and helping attitude in nurses could go a long way in comforting patients. Ms Sudesh Arora proposed a vote of thanks.

Charitable camp for heart patients
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 20
Annie Heart and Medical Centre, Sector 15, in association with the Escorts team of doctors from New Delhi will organise a charitable camp for heart patients on May 26.

The camp, which the centre claims is first of its kind in the history of invasive cardiology, will be held from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and provide services like angiography and angioplasty on a charitable basis to patients under the supervision of Dr Suman Bhandari and his team.

Hospital facilities and services provided by the team of expert doctors will be free of cost. The patients will, however, be required to pay for the consumables.

This camp is being seen as a big opportunity for all those who are suffering from cardiac problems but cannot afford to pay for the tests. An angiography which costs Rs 10,000 will cost the patient Rs 3,500 at the camp. An angioplasty which costs the patient anything between Rs 75,000 to Rs 1,00,000 will cost the patient Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 at the camp.

421 donate blood
Tribune News Service

SAS Nagar, May 20
As many as 421 persons, including 110 women, donated blood at a camp organised by the Sant Nirankari Mandal at its bhavan in Phase 6 here yesterday. The camp was inaugurated by Mr Rajan Kashyap, Principal Secretary, Health, Punjab.

The donors were served food at a community kitchen run on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Kashyap said the blood collected at the camp would save the lives of a number of patients. The Nirankari Mission had set a target to hold 101 blood donation camps during the current year.

Mr R.L. Suri, local in charge of the Nirankari Mission, said donating blood was a permanent way of life preached by the mission. The camp was conducted by a team of doctors from the PGI, Chandigarh.

SPORTS

Ajeetesh, Sanjit win golf title
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 20
Ajeetesh Sandhu and Sanjit Bala clinched the Sher-e-Kashmir Golf Cup at the Chandigarh Golf Club defeating Col Suri and Col Ranjit Randhawa in the finals.

More than 110 members participated this year, according to Dr G.S. Kochhar, Chairman, Media and Publicity, Chandigarh Golf Club. The competition was played on a doubles match-play basis against ¾ handicap on knock-out basis.

All through this championship 13-year-old Ajeetesh Sandhu, a student of St. John’s School, Chandigarh, showed his ability and maturity beyond his age. Ajeetesh played consistently returning two-over par round in the first match, and a one-over par in the second and third match. In the final he returned a level par round. The match concluded on the 13th hole only.