25032024-CT-01.qxd 3/25/2024 12:36 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune IN DEBT, FAMILY OF THREE TAKES POISON, WOMAN DIES OWNERS OF 3 MAKESHIFT BARS IN MOHALI ARRESTED PRENEET KAUR MEETS BJP WORKERS IN DERA BASSI A woman died while her husband and son were hospitalised as they consumed poisonous substance.P2 The Mohali police arrested owners of three makeshift bars serving illicit liquor and hookah. P2 BJP candidate for Patiala Lok Sabha constituency Preneet Kaur begins her poll campaign in Dera Bassi area. P2 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 98 PANCHKULA 29 MOHALI 88 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD INBRIEF HIT BY TRUCK, SCOOTERIST DIES Chandigarh: A woman who met with a road accident succumbed to her injuries. The police said the woman scooterist was injured after a truck hit her at the Transport light point, Sector 26. She was admitted to a private hospital in Mohali where she succumbed to the injuries. A case has been registered at the Sector 26 police station. TNS YOUTH ARRESTED WITH HEROIN Chandigarh: A 22-year-old youth has been arrested by the Chandigarh Police after he was found possessing 4 gm of heroin. The police said the suspect, identified as Mohammad Faizaan Ansari, a resident of Mani Majra, was nabbed with the drug near Kishangarh. A case has been registered against him at the IT Park police station. TNS KISHANGARH MAN HELD IN ARMS CASE Chandigarh: The UT police have arrested a man found in possession of a knife. The suspect, who was identified as Zubair Ali, a resident of Kishangarh village, was nabbed near his house. A case under the Arms Act has been registered against him at the IT Park police station. TNS WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH APNI MANDI: Sectors 43 and 45, and Maloya MOHALI APNI MANDI: Phase V PANCHKULA APNI MANDI: MDC, Sector 5 SUNRISE TUESDAY 6.20 AM FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE PGI OPD footfall doubles in 2 years Kharar woman gang-raped at hotel, 2 held 27 lakh patients visited medical institute last year as against over 14 lakh in 2021 Naina Mishra THE FALLOUT Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 24 The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here has witnessed a staggering surge in its outpatient department (OPD) footfall, raising concerns about the strain on healthcare facilities and the urgent need for deployment of additional staff. According to data available, the OPD footfall at the PGIMER skyrocketed from 14,23,487 in 2021 to a remarkable 27,05,020 last year, marking an unprecedented 90% increase. The surge exerted immense pressure on various departments, significantly impacting patient care and service. Key departments experiencing a major increase in OPD footfall include anaesthesia (150%), cardiology (107%), dermatology (167%), endocrinology (124%), gastroenterology (110%), orthopaedics (177%) and plastic surgery (116%). The surge has overwhelmed the existing healthcare workforce, leading to challenges in providing timely and comprehensive care to patients. The shortage of faculty members across several critical departments, including anaesthesia, endocrinology, gastroenterology, gynaecology and neurosurgery, has exacerbated the situation. These departments are struggling to meet the growing demands of the increasing ■ The surge exerts immense pressure on various departments, significantly impacting patient care and service. ■ The increase in OPD patients overwhelms the existing workforce, leading to challenges in providing timely and comprehensive care to patients. ■ The shortage of faculty members in several critical departments hinders optimal patient care. PLAN TO REDUCE QUEUES ■ Queue Management System DEPT-WISE INCREASE IN OUTPATIENT COUNT SOLUTIONS IN WORKS: PROF LAL Department 2021 2023 The OPD rush will be managed Anaesthesia 16,880 43,634 with queue management system Cardiology 67,683 1,40,442 and many other features. We are Dermatology 47,167 1,26,375 also looking at increasing Endocrinology 34,269 76,961 manpower resources so that Gastroenterology 30,758 64,875 the patient load can be Gynaecology 48,611 92,448 Orthopaedics 42,295 1,17,469 handled effectively. ❝ Plastic surgery 9,319 patient population, hindering optimal patient care. For instance, the Anaesthesia Department, which is responsible for patient care at over 72 locations, is operating with a faculty strength that falls significantly short of the required number. With an increase in patient visits and investigations, the Endocrinology Department has witnessed a 10-fold jump in workload over the years. Despite handling over 25,000 investigations per month, Three drug peddlers land in UT police net Chandigarh, March 24 Three drug peddlers, including a taxi driver, have been arrested by the District Crime Cell (DCC) of the Chandigarh Police after he was found in possession of charas, heroin and smack. The police said they had laid a naka near the ISBT, Sector 43, and were checking vehicles when a car bearing Himachal Pradesh (HP) number approached them. Cops signalled the driver to stop the car but he tried to speed away. Police personnel managed to stop the car and nab the driver and two other occupants. The police said the suspects were identified as Ajay Sharma (34), a taxi driver, Ashish Kumar, alias Manu (36), a dhaba owner, both residents of Hamirpur district in HP and Arshad , Afsar (19), a Delhi resident. During search, the police recovered 260 gm of charas from Ajay, 9.60 gm of heroin from Ashish and 3.55 gm of smack from Arshad. A case under the NDPS Act was registered against the suspects. The car was also seized by the police. The police said the two HP residents had criminal past as two NDPS cases each had been registered against them in Una district. —TNS 20,181 the department struggles with a shortage of assistant professors, hampering its ability to meet the growing demands of patients. The Gastroenterology Department has experienced a 110% rise in patient numbers, coupled with the introduction of advanced procedures, leading to an exponential increase in workload. The complexity of interventions such as magnification endoscopy and complex stent placements has fur- ❞ — Prof Vivek Lal, DIRECTOR, PGIMER ther strained the department’s resources. The department has seen a significant rise in patient visits, deliveries and major surgeries, translating into a 90% increase in outpatient visits and a surge in surgical procedures. The department requires additional faculty members to manage the growing workload effectively. Operating across multiple areas, including Emergency, operation theatres and trauma centres, the Department will be incentivised to reduce walk-ins ■ Online registration of the patient (new and revisiting) through mobile app ■ Electronic prescription of medicines and its dispensing through e-pharmacy MANPOWER REQUIREMENT FLAGGED ■ A total of 32 departments had requested for creation of 182 posts of assistant professor to manage the rush. The agenda was tabled during the Standing Academic Committee meeting held last year ■ Four departments raised serious concerns over the escalating workload on senior residents, leading to mental stress and suboptimal patient care. They collectively demanded the creation of 51 new posts of Senior Resident (SR) to reduce the burden ■ PGI requested for 17 laboratory attendants in the Standing Finance Committee meeting last year of Neurosurgery is struggling to handle patients due to staff shortage. With the existing workforce stretched thin, the department is finding it challenging to provide services effectively in all areas. On the ever increasing patient rush at OPDs, Prof Vivek Lal, Director, PGIMER, said, “We are constantly upgrading our facilities as Hospital Information System 2.0 is in the offing. It is expected that the OPD rush will be managed with Ravneet Singh Tribune News Service Residents buy colours on the eve of Holi in Chandigarh on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VICKY SCADA system to help in early detection, repair of defunct lights PILOT PROJECT 7-YEAR PACT WITH FIRM ENDING implemented in Sectors 17, 22, 35 and 43 with a total of 3,570 streetlights. Later, it will be extended to the remaining areas of the city. ■ “Physical work is completed and software testing is going on. This is a pilot project. After its successful completion, this can be expanded pan-city,” said an official. The MC had signed a ~48-crore contract with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a public sector undertaking, for the replacement of about 48,000 ordinary streetlights with LEDs in February 2017. Presently, all streetlights are maintained by the EESL. The seven-year maintenance period is going to end soon. An electrician repairs a streetlight on Madhya Marg in Chandigarh. PRADEEP TEWARI observed an urgent need for revamping the entire streetlight infrastructure, including lights, poles, cables and wires. Under the SCADA system, the civic body will connect all streetlight points with the central server, which will be monitored by designated staff. The staff will further inform the MC’s electrical wing to repair the defunct lights. As a pilot project, it will be first implemented in Sec- queue management system and many other features that will be offered for streamlining the OPD rush. We are also looking at increasing manpower resources so that the patient load can be handled effectively.” In response to the burgeoning patient influx surpassing 10,000 individuals daily at the hospital, an urgent directive was issued stressing that faculty members must be present at their respective OPDs no later than 9.15 am. tors 17, 22, 35 and 43 with a total of 3,570 streetlights. Later, the project will be extended to the remaining areas of the city. “Physical work is completed and software testing is going on. This is a pilot c m y b Chandigarh, March 24 Two persons have been arrested for allegedly raping a woman at a hotel in Sector 43 here. The suspects have been identified as Sukhwinder Singh, alias Sukhi (32), and Akash (35), both residents of Ludhiana. Sources said Sukhwinder had booked a room at a hotel to watch an IPL match on Saturday. It is alleged that Sukhwinder called his woman friend to the hotel. The police said the woman reached the hotel and found that Akash was also present there. The victim alleged that the duo raped her and fled the place. The police were informed about the incident following which cops reached the spot. The victim, a Kharar resident, had alleged that Sukhwinder was her friend for the past six months. A case under Section 376 (D) (gang rape) of the IPC was registered at the Sector 36 police station and both the suspects were arrested from Ludhiana. The duo was produced in court, which remanded them to judicial custody. Man accused of killing woman he wanted to marry walks free HOLIDAY ■ The pilot project will be first Tribune News Service ■ Patients using online registration (QMS) module will reduce patient queues outside OPD rooms and it will also generate tokens for queue management in the Hospital Information System ■ Option of self-printing of OPD cards for new patients and selfstamping for revisiting patients Sandeep Rana Chandigarh, March 24 In a major move to transform the way streetlights function, the local municipal corporation (MC) is going to monitor city’s streetlight infrastructure through supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system. The objective of the project is to monitor each streetlight individually with respect to electrical parameters, detect faults in specific poles and rectify them within a specified time frame. The project aims at enhancing the operational efficiency, reducing energy consumption, ensuring timely maintenance and improving overall street lighting management in the City Beautiful. The corporation had MAX 32°C | MIN 15°C YESTERDAY MAX 29.3°C | MIN 16°C TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD Civic body to keep watch on streetlight infra online Tribune News Service MAINLY CLEAR SKY SUNSET MONDAY 6.36 PM » MONDAY | 25 MARCH 2024 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST project. After its successful implementation, this can be extended to the entire city,” said an official. Each streetlight in the area has been mapped on GIS platform. It will help timely detection and rectifi- cation of faults such as bulb failures, wiring issues or power supply problems. There will be a mobile application for field staff, interactive dashboard with workstation monitoring. Earlier, a total of 41,782 streetlight fittings have been replaced with LED fittings of power ranging from 18 Watt to 200 Watt. In addition, development of streetlight/garden lights to cover 9,310 dark spots has also been completed. The civic body had signed a Rs 48-crore contract with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a public sector undertaking, for the replacement of about 48,000 ordinary streetlights with LEDs in February 2017 and presently, all streetlights are maintained by it. The seven-year maintenance period will end soon. Panchkula, March 24 The court of Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Kumar Lal has acquitted a person who was accused of murdering a woman he wanted to marry. The man was acquitted over the failure of the prosecution to connect the chain of events of murder to the accused. Mukul, a migrant living in Mauli Jagran, Chandigarh, was charged with murdering a woman. In a complaint to the police, the deceased woman’s father Ram Charan, a resident of Budhanpur here, stated that Mukul wanted to marry his daughter Preeti, but the family was against the inter-caste marriage. He said Mukul had called him up on May 27, 2020, and asked about Preeti. The same day he came to know about his daughter’s unnatural death. The complainant suspected that Mukul had committed the crime. The prosecution brought witnesses, including the residents of the house where the woman had been murdered, her family members, statements of police and medical officers who visited the crime spot and others along with documentary evidence on record. The accused, however, denied the charges. Mukul’s counsel Sameer Sethi stated that despite examining a number of witnesses, the prosecution could not prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. He pointed towards different versions with regard to the discovery of the body. The advocate also referred WHAT COURT OBSERVED ■ Nobody saw the accused committing the offence. ■ The offence was committed on May 27, 2020, but the complaint moved two days later. ■ The investigating team had failed to collect any CCTV footage of the locality where the incident took place. ■ The prosecution evidences brought on record could not complete the chain of events to prove its case. to the girl’s father’s statement during cross-examination where he had stated, “…I cannot say who has killed my daughter. I had not seen Mukul killing my daughter”. The counsel said the accused was implicated only on the suspicion of failed love affair and added that there was no eyewitness to the case and also there existed no chain of circumstances which could result in Mukul’s conviction. The court observed that nobody had seen the accused committing the offence. The offence was committed on May 27, but the complainant moved an application two days later. The court held the May 29 statement of the woman’s father as a delayed report and unjustified. It pointed out that the probe team failed to collect any CCTV footage of the locality where the incident had taken place. The court acquitted Mukul while stating that the prosecution evidences brought on record could not complete the chain of events to prove its case.
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