CMC Heart Surgery Team finds

Heart diseases equally affects people in rural areas

Dr Bedi interacting with the father of a child with heart disease at camp 

Heart disease is the leading cause of death and disability in India.  People across all regions, both urban and rural are equally prone to heart problems. Earlier this disease was majorly seen among people in urban areas due to their sedentary lifestyles, changed food habits, lack of physical exercise and increased level of stress. But today, even in the rural areas people tend to imitate the lifestyle and culture of urban cities and follow the same pattern. So, this causes people to suffer from various lifestyle diseases leading to heart diseases often. Recently the Cardiac Surgery Dept of the Christian Medical College &Hospital , Ludhiana organized  free health checkup camps  at Village Isru in Khanna and in Samrala.  Under this camp, 500  people from different age groups were examined , in which 215 were found to be having heart problems. Among those  24 were children below 15 years of age and 38 were adults below  40 plus years of age.

All patients were examined by super specialists , investigated , counseled and given free therapy . DrHarinder Singh Bedi – Head of Cardio Vascular & Thoracic Suregry of CMC & H - stressed that it was a holistic approach to therapy as they laid a great stress on prevention. Trained dietitians and a full time Yoga Acahrya were part of the team which had 6 doctors, 14 nurses and 12 paramedical staff from CMC.

Dr. Bedi says, “The statistics shows a rise in the number of heart patients in rural areas, which is very alarming. It is a matter of concern as this is the highest rise we have observed in a rural area. Change in the lifestyle patterns of people in rural areas have been observed in the recent years, which ultimately leads to increase in various diseases like diabetes, hypertension, high blood pressure and heart problems. At the CMC &H  I see more of patients with heart diseases needing surgery from rural areas today. The numbers have consequently increased. In order to bring this under control, it is the need of the hour to take preventive measures and educate people by creating awareness.”

Dr Abraham G Thomas – Director of CMC & H- said that the CMC was committed to a positive health of the people of this region and outreach camps were an integral part of the ethos of CMC.         --(Shalu Arora and Rector Kathuria)  CMC Heart Surgery Team finds

*Dr.H S Bedi may be contacted at: 9814060480

Dr.Dinesh Badyal gets award

 Tue, Dec 18, 2012 at 1:08 PM
Received M. L. Gupta Prize in Medical Education

Ludhiana, 18th December, 2012 (Shalu Arora and Rector Kathuria):Dr. Dinesh Badyal, Professor & Head, Department of Pharmacology, Christian Medical College, Ludhiana  received M. L. Gupta Prize in Medical Education and Technology for recognition of substantial contribution to Medical Education and Technology with special reference to Physiology/ Pharmacology or Allied Sciences in India by Association of Physiologists and Pharmacologists of India (APPI) for the year 2012. Mr. Shahid Manzoor, Honorable Minister of State, Government of UP presented him the award and certificate in inaugural session of the Annual Conference of Physiologists & Pharmacologists of India (APPICON 2012) held in Subharti Medical College, Meerut on 18 December, 2012. He delivered his oration on “Medical education in India: Effectiveness and relevance of faulty development programs in India”

He told that medical teachers used to teach as they were taught by their seniors and there have not been formal training programs for medical teachers. Even in other arts science teachers get formal training for teaching skills. So, there is need to train doctors to be teachers, one of their basic responsibilities in medical colleges. Dr. Badyal has been very actively working the area of medical education for more than 12 years. He is program co-director of CMCL-FAIMER regional institute, Ludhiana. This is one the 6 regional institutes of FAIMER (Foundation for Advancement in Medical Education and Research), Philadelphia, is a non-profit organization of ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates), USA. This centre provides fellowships in medical education. He is co-convener of Medical Council of India (MCI) Regional centre for Faculty Development, CMC, Ludhiana. MCI has created 15 regional institutes to train doctors working in medical colleges in teaching skill and technologies. Their centre has trained medical teachers form 20 affiliated medical colleges. These training programs for doctors in medical colleges have become very important as the new curriculum for MBBS needs the teachers to be trained in relevant areas. In CMC and other institutes they have trained a number of medical teachers. 

In his oration Dr. Badyal explained the evolution of training programs for medical teaches in India. He added that more and more doctors are being opting to get trained in faculty development as the awareness has increased and regulatory agency is making it criteria for teaching appointments. With accreditation becoming a norm, soon the trained faculty and faculty development program will be much sought after. The whole consortium of trained faculty and feedback from students and faculty is contributing to evolution of medical education in our country. 

Dr. Badyal also received Best Paper award last year in an International conference for his work in medical education. He also trained doctors in use of alternatives and simulations to replace animals in medical education. He is faculty in National and International programs in medical education.                                           Dr.Dinesh Badyal gets award 
Dr.Dinesh Badyal may be contacted at: 9815333776

World Stroke Day 2012:

Stroke Walk and Road Show by CMC Unit 
Mon, Oct 29, 2012 at 1:57 PM

Ludhiana, 29th October, 2012 (Shalu Arora and Rector kathuria) CMC Stroke Unit has been carrying out several public awareness activities in the city for the past 6 days. This is to commemorate the Stroke Week and World Stroke Day. The World Stroke Day is celebrated throughout the world on 29th October every year. Dr Jeyaraj D Pandian, Chair of the World Stroke Campaign of World Stroke Organization said that this year’s theme is “1 in 6” people will experience a stroke in their life time. 

The medical students, physiotherapy interns and students, doctors of CMC, Staff and Students of All Saints College of Physiotherapy had gathered near Hotel Park Plaza today for the “Stroke Walk”. The number of people who participated in the walk was 120. During the walk they displayed placards, educational leaflets to the public. They concluded the walk near canal road. Another team of doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and students in a separate vehicle did the road show. They passed through Sarabha Nagar, civil lines, model town and various Malls in the city. In the road show emphasis was placed on recognition of stroke symptoms and accessing to immediate treatment of stroke within 4 ½ hours. Dr Santosh Mathangi, Consultant, Physical Medicine Rehabilitation department who organized the stroke walk and road show stated that after the medical treatment patients should receive rehabilitation in the form of Physiotherapy, Occupational therapy and Speech therapy. 

Yesterday the team went to West End Mall and screened about 100 people for the risk factors of stroke. They also distributed stroke awareness pamphlets to the public.

The other key personnel involved in organizing the Stroke walk and Road show were Ms Lizzy Julia, Ms Rajni Arora,  College of Physiotherapy, Mr Navneet Singh, Mr Devan, Ms Deepika Sharma, Mr Dheeraj KV, Vice Principal, College of Physiotherapy, research staff of department of Neurology (Mr Amber Sharma, Dr Shweta Jain, Mrs Gagandeep Mehmi, Dr Deepti Arora, Mr Himanshu Koundal, Ms Raminder Kaur, Mrs Paramdeep Kaur) and students and interns of College of Physiotherapy CMC and All Saints College of Physiotherapy.

The stroke team at CMC is available 24/7 to rapidly evaluate stroke patients who come within the golden time of 4 ½ hours after the onset of symptoms. The stroke warning symptoms are sudden weakness, numbness in one side of the body, sudden trouble speaking or understanding, sudden loss of vision in one eye, sudden imbalance, sudden headache and loss of consciousness. If any of you experience the above symptoms please call the stroke hotline numbers 7508100222, 7508100111.

World Stroke Day 2012: 

IDPD appealed

Wed, Oct 17, 2012 at 5:02 PM
Australia should not supply Uranium to India

Courtesy Photo

Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) while welcoming the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on visit to India has appealed that Australia should not supply Uranium to our country for any purpose. Dr.L.S.Chawla – National President, Dr.Arun Mitra – General Secretary and Dr.Bharti Uppal – Finance Secretary said that there are many fields where both countries can strengthen trade relations to the benefit of both countries. Australia is the second biggest producer of Uranium in the world. But it is to the credit of Australia not to have any nuclear power plant. Nuclear energy is inherently dangerous and nuclear power plants are neither safe nor economical. Moreover they can be a potential for the production of  nuclear weapons any time in future. That Australia would supervise India over the use of Uranium supplied by it does not sound realistic. India has ample number of renewable resources for energy. It will be pertinent that the two countries work together in the field of renewable resources.
IDPD appealed 
For more detail contact Dr Arun Mitra,General Secretary IDPD on Mobile No. 94170 00360

Arogya Fair 2012

12-October-2012 17:02 IST
27,000 students are admitted annually
“AROGYA” is an exhibition showcasing the strength, efficacy and affordability of the AYUSH systems of medicine which include Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homeopathy. The fair showcases the best and latest developments in the field of AYUSH. The last Arogya fair at Hyderabad was held in November 2005. 

Addressing the meeting of AROGYA fair at Hyderabad today, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare said the fair started in 2001. The fair has grown into a country-wide phenomenon with more than 10 fairs organized throughout the year now. The Department of AYUSH organizes and supports these fairs to encourage the dissemination of information on the benefits and achievements of the AYUSH systems of medicine and for sharing of experiences and best practices between the industry, academia and research institutions. The active participation of AYUSH drug industries, medicinal plant traders, research institutions, hospitals, publishers and other stakeholders in the AROGYA fairs ensures a wide spectrum of activities thus making it more informative and interesting for the general public. 

Shri Azad said that over the past three decades there has been a tremendous resurgence of peoples’ interest in the AYUSH Systems of Medicine, not only in India but also in many parts of the world, including Europe and the USA. This is mainly because of holistic approach towards preventive, promotive and positive health and multi-dimensional aspects of disease management in these traditional systems of medicine. It is a matter of pride that there are 504 AYUSH educational institutions including 111 postgraduate colleges where about 27,000 students are admitted annually. India has the largest number of traditional and alternative medicine teaching institutions in the world. India has signed several MoUs for bilateral cooperation in the area of traditional medicine and setting up Ayurveda chairs and AYUSH information centres in various countries, such as South Africa, Malaysia and Trinidad & Tobago. 

He said that AYUSH has been adopted as one of the core strategies under NRHM to augment effective provisioning of healthcare services. AYUSH services are being introduced at various levels, i.e. in the Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres, Sub-District and District Hospitals across the country. The aim is to utilize the AYUSH doctors in implementation of the national health programmes. A national survey report from National Health Systems Resource Centre says that the use of AYUSH and local health traditions is the mainstay of healthcare in many rural areas. With mainstreaming of AYUSH strategy under NRHM, the patients’ attendance in the PHCs, CHCs and District Hospitals has increased in the last three to four years. The Department of AYUSH has set up a Traditional Knowledge Digital Library in collaboration with Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). This initiative, well acknowledged by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), is a patent compatible instrument for patent search and prevention of wrong patenting of products based on traditional knowledge. AYUSH systems have a long history of use by the communities as it requires simple technological inputs for diagnosis of ailments and preparation of medicinal products. Organization of such fairs in other parts of the country will continue to promote our holistic systems for overall public good, Shri Azad added. 

Shri N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh; Shri D. L. Ravindra Reddy, Health & Family Welfare Minister, Govt. Andhra Pradesh; Shri Kondru Murali Mohan, Minister of Medical Education and AYUSH, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh; Shri A. P. Sawhney, Principal Secretary, Health, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh and Shri A. K. Ganeriwala, Joint Secretary, Department of AYUSH, Government of India also addressed the meeting. 

An impressive Yoga demonstration was presented by MDNIY Yoga students on the occasion. 

BN/AS/HB

“Depression: A Global Crisis”

Management and prevention discussed at CMC

Ludhiana, 12th October, 2012: (Shalu Arora and Rector Kathuria) M. Sc. (N) 2nd year students of Mental Health (Psychiatric) Nursing, College of Nursing, Christian Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana, celebrated World Mental Health Day by putting up poster exhibition in the Medical OPD on the theme  “Depression: A Global Crisis”. The programme started with prayer by Rev. Roger, Fellowship Department. Mrs. Reena Jairus, Associate Professor introduced & welcomed the Chief Guest Dr. Kim Mammen, Associate Director, CMC & Hospital Ludhiana. He addressed the gathering and made them aware of depression. Dr. Kim Mammen, Dr. Kanwal Masih, Medical Supdt., Dr. Sandeep Goyal, HOD psychiatry department were honoured and welcomed with flowers.

Prof. (Mrs.) Triza Jiwan, HOD, Mental Health (Psychiatric) Nursing, unfolded the theme “Depression: A Global Crisis”. In her speech she explained about what is depression, its causes, management and prevention. Dr. Sandeep Goyal delivered a speech regarding depression, its early treatment and management. The occasion was graced by the benign presence of Prof. (Mrs.) Seema Barnabas(Vice Principal), Mr. Amrian Gill (Deputy nursing Superintendent), faculty, supervisors, ward incharges, staff and students. Pamphlets were released and poster exhibition was inaugurated by the Dr. Kanwal Masih (Medical Superintendent). B.sc Nursing 3rd year students enacted a role play which was very educative. A good gathering attended this programme and gained knowledge about depression. Approximately 160 patients with their relatives viewed the posters. Queries were cleared by the M.Sc. Nursing 2nd year students. A good response was observed. Public also urged to put up such type of exhibitions frequently on different disorders.

Punarjot organizes State Level function//Subhash Malik*

Mass Thanks Ceremony of 299  Eye Donors of 2012 

Punarjot Eye Bank Society organizes a State level special mass thanks ceremony of Eye Donors of 2012 at Merry Land Resort for giving gift of sight to corneal blinds.


Mr. Subhash Malik, Hon. Secretary of the society welcomed the chief guest Bhagat Chunni Lal, Hon.  Cabinet Minister, Medical Education & Research, Pb. and other guests came from different parts of Punjab. Mr. Malik give the details of work done by the society and thank the eye donor families to restore the vision of needy on selfless basis. He also told that our society is no.1 in collection and transplantation of cornea in Northern India.


At the occasion the chief guest, Bhagat Chunni Lal, Hon. Cabinet Minister, Medical Education & Research, Pb inaugurated the event by lightning Punarjot lamp and all candles were ignited from Punarjot lamp in sweet memory of all eye donors from almost whole of Punjab in 2012. Hon. Minister appreciated the work done by the society by giving the facility of free corneal transplantation and announced a grant of Rs. 2 lacs to the society for this noble cause of eye donation.


Dr. Ramesh, Medical Director of the society while thanking the chief guest told that Para-medical staff can play a vital role to spread the message of eye donation at the time grief to the family as most of the family forgets the eyes even the diseased have pledged during lifetime. Dr. Ramesh thanked the electronic and print media for their support in this noble cause. Dr. Ramesh thanked the eye donation families, motivators and different by different associates working in the eye donation movement in different parts of Punjab.


At this occasion students of college of Nursing DMCH & CMCH, Guru Teg Bahadur college of Nursing, Dr. Mohan Kaur institute of Nursing, Arvindoo College of commerce and Management and All Saints college of medical sciences participated in the Declamation, Skit and Rangoli competition on the theme of Eye Donation under the dynamic guidance of Dr. Ranbir Singh Sekhon. Dr. S.M. Bhatti, Principal, CMCH and Dr. G. S. Bajwa, HOD (Eye), DMC Ludhiana selected the winners of the competition.


The function was attended by Sh. R.K. Verma, commissioner and Sh. P.S. Bhullar, Joint Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Sh. Parveen Bansal, President BJP, Distt. Ludhiana, S. Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria, counselor, S. Inderjit Singh Gill, owner of the resort, Dr. Subash Bansal, President, Optical association Punjab, Mohd. Sadique and Hakam Bakhtariwala renown singers.

*Mr. Subhash Malik is contributing his services to the humanity as the Hon. Secretary of The

Punarjot Eye Bank Society. His Contact Number is: 93575-06505

Eye Care Tips for the Season//Dr Nitin Batra*

'Red Eye' can either be due to allergens

Courtesy Sketch 

Summer season makes its appearance in end March with daytime temperatures exceeding 30 degree Celsius. When things begin to heat up, many suffer from itching, burning, and watering of the eyes especially May onwards.

DR. Nitin Batra

A clear, thin membrane called the conjunctiva covers our eyeball and the inside of our eyelids. If something irritates this covering, our eyes may become red and swollen. Our eyes may itch or even hurt and they may water also. Conjunctivitis, therefore, is the term given to an inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye.
This 'red eye' can either be due to allergens, called 'allergic conjunctivitis', or due to infections- 'infectious conjunctivitis' which can be viral or bacterial. This can also involve the central transparent structure of the eye ball- the Cornea which may lead to corneal inflammation known as Keratitis. The causative agents can be allergens like pollen, hay particles and animal fur in the surroundings which essentially takes place during the summers. Another common eye problem encountered in this season is Dry Eyes, which is manifested in the form of severe grittiness, irritation, redness and watering of the eyes.
It is advisable not to self medicate with over the counter medications in these conditions as they may lead to severe complications. Maintaining hygiene, staying indoors and routine eye checkups are advisable in this season.

*Dr Nitin Batra is the Prof & Head of the Department
Department of Ophthalmology, Christian Medical College and Hospital
Dr Nitin Batra has done a fellowship in Manual SICS from Venu Eye Institute, New Delhi. His special interests are Community Ophthalmology, Anterior Segment, Research activities and teaching UG students. He has actively been involved with the National Blindness Surveys and SSU Project of the NPCB, Govt. of India, New Delhi, since 2001. He has been a member of the NPCB-WHO Expert Group on Trachoma in IndiaPh: 9988333556