Doctors spending 3 mins on patient instead of recommended 10: PGI survey

Chandigarh, January 7

It may sound strange, but doctors in the public sector hospitals in the city spend on an average merely three minutes on a patient, just a little more than the time it takes to cook the two-minute noodles.

A recent study by the community medicine department of the PGI, which was sponsored by the National Rural Health Mission, reveals that doctors in various secondary-level hospitals, including the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital-16, spend only 180 seconds (three minutes) on a patient in the OPD. Though some doctors claim this time is “sufficient”, keeping in view the rush that government hospitals witness, the Medial Council of India has been propagating that at least 10 minutes should be spend on each patient in the OPD.

The study also attempted to look at the satisfaction levels of the patients on various parameters, including the overall time spent in the OPD by a patient, accessibility and staff and doctors’ behaviour. Surprisingly, 60 per cent of the 1,000 people, including over 510 women, who were interviewed, were satisfied with the overall quality of the OPD services.

On the time spent by the doctors on the patients, 86 per cent said doctors heard them carefully. However, 68 per cent were dissatisfied with the privacy the doctors maintained while examining or talking to them. About 82 per cent people were uncomfortable with the excessive use of medical terminologies by physicians.

The study also revealed that long queues and waiting time irked a majority (more than 50 per cent) of patients. The study showed that the waiting time at the reception counter at the GMSH-16 was 11 minutes and on an average, three minutes at the dispensaries, polyclinics, and the community health centre (CHC).

Dr Sonu Goel, principal investigator of the study and a faculty member at the community medicine department, PGI, said the study found that excessive waiting time was perhaps the greatest cause of irritation and dissatisfaction among the patients. The study was conducted over a period of six months from September 2010 at health units, including the GMSH, CHC-22 and polyclinics in Sector 45 and Sector 10.

The patients frequented the departments of general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, orthopaedics, otorhinolaryngology, ophthalmology, cardiology, neurosurgery, tuberculosis and chest disease.

26 sq-km bone of contention

UT Admn holds 6 meetings in a year, but forest officials left out
Chandigarh, January 7

The UT Administration seems to be least interested in resolving an inter-state dispute over a 26 sq-km patch of the eco-fragile Sukhna wildlife sanctuary area. The seriousness of the Administration can be gauged from the fact that in the last year, six meetings have been held, but the Administration has never invited officials of the forest and wildlife department, a major stakeholder of the area, to resolve the contentious issue.

This area, touching the boundaries of Punjab in Kansal village and Haryana in Saketri village, has witnessed haphazard constructions with land sharks eyeing the area. The Camelot project of TATA, which has been stayed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, was also coming up in the Kansal area.

Sources revealed that the officials of the departments of urban planning, architect, Deputy Commissioner’s office, legal wing and even representatives of Punjab and Haryana also attended the meetings, but not once were officials of the forest and wildlife department invited.

In response to a communication of the UT Chief Architect, the office of the Deputy Commissioner had requested the home department for a legal opinion on the status of the land to decide on future planning.

The DC’s office had submitted its report to the Administration, in which it was mentioned that though the ownership and possession of the land was with the UT, it fell under the revenue jurisdiction of Punjab and Haryana.

DC Brijendra Singh had sought legal opinion on land ownership. So far, the legal department has not submitted its report to the Administration.

The land was transferred to the UT on March 15, 1963, but fell outside the 114-sq km territory in the revenue records of the UT.

The UT area of 114 sq km does not include the 26 sq-km area of the Sukhna wildlife sanctuary and 2.17 sq km of Sector 1, where the Capitol Complex and Rajindra Park are located.

SUKHNA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

Seeking extension: Due to a dispute over the area, the UT Administration has already decided to seek another extension of four to six months from the Punjab and Haryana High Court to complete the master plan. The court had fixed January 9 as deadline to complete it.

Former councillor Arshad Khan dead

Chandigarh, January 5
Thirtyseven-year-old Arshad Khan, former nominated councillor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, died of a cardiac arrest here today. He was the first nominated councillor in the history of the corporation and was given ticket by the Congress to contest from Ward No. 26 in the elections held recently.

He was declared brought dead at the PGI emergency ward around 2 pm today. However, his medical card was made at 4.20 pm.

A doctor who examined the body said a bluish tinge was visible on the face and lips of the deceased. The body has been kept at the PGI mortuary and a postmortem is likely to be conducted tomorrow.

Arshad collapsed in his office at the IT park, Chandigarh, and was rushed to the PGI.

A close friend of Arshad said he had been suffering from a heart ailment for the last four years and was taking medication regularly. His condition started deteriorating a few days ago due to exertion and pressure of campaigning.

Several sitting and former Congress councillors, including the Mayor, Raj Bala Malik, rushed to the PGI.

“Where has my son gone? He would never leave me alone. How can he go away like this? I want to take him to Hyderabad. Please book our tickets for tomorrow,” his wailing mother Circa Khan lamented.

His burial is likely to take place in Hyderabad, his hometown.

UT gets serious about Sukhna

Tells Punjab, Haryana to ban high-rises in catchment area

Chandigarh, January 4
The UT Administration has asked the governments of Punjab and Haryana to stop construction of high-rise buildings in the Sukhna catchment area. In a letter forwarded to both the states, the Administration has also raised the points of the Punjab and Haryana High Court order which has banned construction in the catchment area. The Tribune was the first to highlight the issue of construction activity in the catchment area.

A senior official of the Administration said construction activity was going on in the Kansal area where people had constructed five or six floor residential buildings, which would be harmful for Sukhna Lake. He further said the authorities concerned were not checking the construction activity.

The High Court had already constituted a committee for the demarcation of the catchment area near the lake. The committee had been constituted to ensure that there was no illegal construction in the catchment area and had been asked to submit a report on February 13.

Acting on a petition filed in public interest to save the lake, a Division Bench of the High Court had on March 14, 2011, banned construction of any kind in the catchment area falling in Haryana and Punjab.

Building projects, particularly societies, are a major concern in the area, especially the changed tracts of the rivulets feeding the lake. Constructions have blocked the natural path of these rivulets, which pose a threat to fields and even buildings next to the original tract.

The issue of haphazard constructions in the areas falling in Punjab and Haryana and adjoining Sukhna has assumed bigger significance with big realtors coming up with mega residential projects.

‘Casual’ Admn

When the Punjab and Haryana High Court banned the construction activity, the amicus curiae in the case, advocate Tanu Bedi had questioned the casual approach of the UT Administration towards the lake and for failing to keep a check on the increasing rate of urbanisation in the catchment area. She had contended that if the urbanisation trend was not checked at this stage, the lake would die.

Chandigarh Weekly Wishes Happy New Year 2012 to all our Readers!

Police grappled with spate of murders, snatchings and thefts

Chandigarh, December 28
Sensational murders, increased cases of assault, ruckus at discotheques, snatchings, robberies and thefts - the Chandigarh police remained on its toes throughout 2011, with the city witnessing a spurt in crime.
The year that began with the murder of a five-year-old boy, Khushpreet, after being kidnapped ended with the gruesome murder of two siblings in Sector 41.
Incidents of daylight snatchings, fatal accidents and kidnappings were the highlight of the year and the UT police invited wrath from the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) for its failure to provide justice to complainants.
The year also saw the joining of Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) from Punjab and Haryana on deputation with the UT police.
While on the one hand, their joining resulted in factionalism within the force, on the other, the demand of the police to fill vacancies was finally catered to. In addition, 1,200 constables joined the UT police force this year.
The year also saw the revival of “Mashaal Parade” after a gap of several decades during the Chandigarh police week. Moreover, a mobile police van was launched to provide on-the-spot services to the residents.

The UT police also upgraded its weaponry and purchased an armoured troops carrier. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) costing several lakhs of rupees was inducted into the force and put to use during a rally by BSP leader Mayawati.

HIGHS

Tanishq robbery

The UT police solved the biggest-ever heist case in Chandigarh - the Tanishq robbery at Mani Majra - with the arrest of all gang members within a week of the robbery of Rs 10 crore was reported in January this year. The police arrested Paras Soni as the mastermind who had 15 cases registered against him with the police of different states. The entire jewellery was recovered.
Top police officers inpect the Tanishq showroom at Mani Majra where Chandigarh’s biggest robbery took place. Tribune photo: Nitin Mittal

Bapu Dham kidnapping

Learning a lesson from the Khushpreet murder case, the UT police solved a case of kidnapping for ransom within hours after the first ransom call. The police was swift to act and launched an intensive operation at Siswan village to arrest the kidnappers, as they came to collect the ransom. The child, Prince, was kidnapped by his uncle, who was his neighbour in Bapu Dham Colony, on February 8.

Healthyway fraud

By forming a special team to crack the whip on fraudulent immigration firms, the UT police arrested Amit Kakkar, owner of Healthyway Immigration, and slapped 11 cases of cheating on him. Hundreds of complainants had approached the police complaining of fraud.

Largest recovery of vehicles

The UT police recovered as many as 42 vehicles from an inter-state gang of vehicle lifters, comprising scrap dealers, insurance company surveyors and second-hand car dealers, who adopted a peculiar modus operandi of selling off stolen vehicles with the original documents of vehicles damaged in accidents. The police recovered 42 vehicles, including high-end cars and SUVs worth over Rs 2 crore following the arrest of five of an unknown number of gang members.

Facebook page

The UT traffic police launched a special page on Facebook, inviting residents to post pictures of traffic violations. The page has been a success, with over 800 challans having been issued by the police in response to the pictures.

LOWS

Khushpreet murder

On January 5, the strangulated body of five-year-old Khushpreet, who was kidnapped for ransom on December 21 last year, was recovered from a pit in Mohali. Residents of Burial village erupted and staged a protest, hurling stones at the police. The victim’s family blamed the police for the killing, as they had failed to arrest the kidnappers who fled right under the nose of the police. Even though the case was solved in March, the case will go into the history as one of the biggest failures of the police in saving the child.

Rising crime graph

The city witnessed 841 vehicle thefts, 201 snatchings, 65 robberies and 261 burglaries this year. The recovery rate remained low and residents had sleepless nights, with the police failing to control the rising crime.

PCA orders

The Police Complaint Authority (PCA) passed 20 orders against police officers of various ranks, including a DSP, for their negligence in handling a case. The UT police failed to implement the orders in most cases, rendering the PCA a toothless tiger.

Tao, Voodoo ruckus

The police failed to keep a check on discotheques as they operated at late night hours beyond the permissible time. A ruckus was created at Tao in September when over 15 armed assailants barged into the disco and attacked the guests and staff. The police arrested some of the assailants. A similar ruckus and a shootout incident that took place at Voodoo is still unsolved.

Inspector suspended

An inspector and former SHO of the Sector 17 police station, Jaswinder Singh, was suspended after he was found creating a ruckus at Score discotheque. A departmental inquiry was marked and the inspector was soon reinstated even as the probe is pending.

High Court’s wrath

The police invited the wrath of the Punjab and Haryana High Court twice this year, as it passed strictures against the police for failing to file their replies in court. In one case, the police was fined Rs 10,000, holding a sub-inspector responsible, while in another case, the police was fined Rs 5,000 last month, holding a woman inspector responsible.

Neha murder case

The police conducted narco tests of suspects this year but failed to solve the sensational case of the murder of an MBA student, Neha, in Sector 38 West last year.

LOOKING AHEAD Functioning of the mobile police van, improved beat system, better servant verification system, increased police force and improved armory are on the agenda of the UT police. Crime graph shows upward trend  Police officials show stolen vehicles recovered in Mohali. file photo Mohali, December 28 Increase in the incidents of snatching and stealing of vehicles kept the Mohali police on its toes during the year. Due to the increase in the incidents of dacoit, burglary, rape and cheating, there was a marginal increase in the total number of cases registered during the year as compared to the previous year. Recent recoveries of stolen vehicles and snatched valuables did help the police in increasing its tally of traced cases. But the police was found groping in the dark to solve two cases of murder and at least six cases of vehicle snatching in the town. The year might be ending on a positive note, as the police has been able to bust several gangs of interstate car thieves. But it remained unsuccessful in cracking a mysterious murder of a property dealer at Nayagoan and that of an unidentified person at Kambali village. The percentage of detection in theft cases is still less than the number of vehicles stolen in the last one year. Of the roughly 125 burglary cases reported in the district, investigating officials managed to trace down the stolen property in 61 of the cases. Otherwise also, the changing economic profile of the district, especially Mohali town, is witnessing a sharp rise in the cases of cheating and forgery as compared to the previous year. Against 128 cases of snatching registered in 2010, 270 cases were registered this year. Hard pressed with VIP duties, the investigating officials do find it hard to exclusively work on the theft cases. As a result, the acquittal rate remains much higher than the conviction rate. Compared to the conviction rate of 48 per cent in 2010, the conviction rate this year is 36 per cent. Traffic Violations 16 motorists challaned a day  Zirakpur, December 28 At least 16 motorists, on an average, were challaned every day for violating the traffic rules during 2011 at Zirakpur. Of the total 5,750 offenders, at least 2,539 were challaned for riding without helmet. Traffic violations in the town were on the rise despite special drives conducted by the traffic police. The traffic police issued 5,750 challans to vehicles till December 27 this year and recovered Rs 14.93 lakh in penalty. In 2010, 4,886 vehicles were issued challans for various traffic offences. These included helmet-less riding, triple riding, vehicles in “no parking” zones, drunk driving and violations under the Motor Vehicles Act. Sources in the traffic police said the local traffic police challaned 2,539 helmet-less riders and 555 auto-rickshaws drivers for overloading. At least 203 challans were issued for using mobile phone while driving and 366 for triple riding. Other violations included tinted glasses, using pressure horn, flag rod, red and blue beacon and driving without documents. Besides, vehicles parked in “no parking” zones were impounded under Section 207 of the Motor Vehicles Act, the sources added. The traffic in-charge, Naveen Pal Singh Lehal, claimed that the traffic police had been consistently punishing the violators. “We will conduct special drives in the coming days to curb violations in the township and raise awareness among school students, Tempo unions and auto-rickshaw drivers about traffic violations through camps.”

Students can use Aakash till March 31

Were supposed to return it after feedback

Chandigarh, December 28
The lucky ones who have got the world’s lowest priced touch-screen Aakash will have the chance to use the pocket-sized wonder tablet until March 31.

Students were supposed to return the device after giving feedback. However, project coordinators have decided that the students can use the tablet till the end of the academic session.

As a part of the project, 20 lucky city college students had got Aakash on a trial basis and after using the tablet, they had to submit a feedback of the device.

The students had to rate it on various parameters of hardware and software.

Dr Dalip Kumar, an associate professor at the Postgraduate Government for Girls, Sector 42, and one of the technical experts who handled the implementation of the project, said soon after the feedback on Aakash was sent, the IIT-Jodhpur asked us that the students should surrender the device, which should be sent back to the IIT-Jodhpur.

“We have sought an extension so that the students can use the device till the end of the academic session, as they have been using the devices for their projects,” Dr Kumar said.

After the trials, the students had highlighted some of the negative aspects, which included long charging time, generation of heat after 30 minutes of use and repeated hanging while working.

Based on the feedback, the company manufacturing the device was supposed to revamp the device under same cost.

Dr Kumar said they had not got any further communication, as when would be the device available for all students. “The device after modifications was supposed to be put on sale, however, its’ not yet decided as when will the students be getting their own 7-inch touch screen computing and Internet device,” he added.