First newborn with permanent pacemaker in Punjab

Ludhiana// 31st Jan, 2012//Shalu Arora and Rector Kathuria: 

Baby with parents and Dr Gurmeet Kaur and Dr Harinder Singh Bedi in CMC

A young innocent baby boy was born to Mrs Monica and S Amit Singh   of Jammu. Unfortunately before birth they were told that the baby had a complete heart block. In this condition the electrical system of the heart is underdeveloped - so that the baby’s heart was beating at 40 beats per minute instead of the normal of 130 / min. The baby was born in Iqbal Nursing home.  Dr Iqbal S Ahuja realized that time was of essence as the condition could be fatal if untreated. He immediately referred the baby to Dr Harinder Singh Bedi – Head of Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery at the prestigious Christian Medical College & Hospital in Ludhiana.  Detailed examination by the Head of Paediatrics –Prof Gurmeet Kaur - confirmed the diagnosis and therapy was immediately instituted. An immediate permanent pacemaker was inserted in the tiny baby via a minimally invasive approach.
Dr Bedi explained that pacemakers are routinely put in adult patients by the venous route – but in a newborn the veins are too small and so a direct approach to the heart is made by a small incision and the pacemaker is attached to the delicate heart by a screw-in mechanism. The pacemaker was kept below the skin in a pouch specially created in the abdominal wall. The baby immediately improved. The other members of the surgical and anesthesia team were Dr A Joseph, Dr Paul, Dr S Garg, Dr Melchi, Dr Udeyana, Dr Marina and Dr Vaishu.

However because of the initial low heart rate the rest of the body was still damaged and took time to recover. The baby was kept in a special ICU called a Paediatric ICU where under the guidance of Dr Gurmeet Kaur highly trained ICU nurses and doctors slowly healed the baby and got her over the crisis. Dr Gurmeet Kaur said that such newborns need a very specialized environment and trained personnel. CMC is one of the few Institutes in India to have this service.  The other members of the Paediatric team are G Dhar, Dr A Mathew, Dr K Abraham, Dr K Sharma, Dr Tejmeet , and Dr Jaskaran.
The baby is now well and is a bouncy joy to the parents and doctors. Dr Bedi told that the pacemaker is a special one which will respond to the metabolic needs of the baby as he grows. A long length of the wire has been left so that it does not pull out with growth. The battery should last 10 – 12 years. The company has a lifelong free battery replacement warranty. Dr Bedi also said that the battery can be easily changed without disturbing the heart. Dr Gurmeet Kaur explained that the baby can develop to a normal potential in life and need not be limited in any profession he chooses to follow. According to the makers of the pacemaker (St Jude - an International company based in USA) this is the first such implantation in a neonate – a newborn baby – in Punjab    .

Dr Abraham G Thomas – Director of CMC& H - reiterated the commitment of CMC & H to deliver the best services for the betterment of people of this region.

A block of Ludhiana:159 voters deleted illegally

Conspirators remained active to kill the democracy

Sh. Dharam Pal Maur who represent non teaching employees of PAU for six consecutive terms, for a total period of twelve years, have a considerable vote bank in the campus of PAU was shocked to see that the BLO Mehal Singh Sidhu, who affiliated to a particular political party, committed a corrupt practice and by ignoring all the directions of the election commission illegally deleted the names of 159 voters. The total numbers of the voters which were caste the votes pooling station no.26 was 724. Large number of voters whose names were deleted came present to caste their votes. Out of them some were renewed agricultural scientists. They were having valid election voter identity cards with them. The strongly protested against the corrupt practice of the BLO. 
Dharam Pal Maur also felt shocked and expressed grief that for narrow purposes of Sh.Mehal Singh Sidhu interfered in the pious act of exercise of franchise. This illegal act of the BLO has caused irrepairable loss to his win ability. He has requested the Chief Election Commission of India, Chief Election Officer Punjab and Returning officer to cancel the pooling in pooling station no.26 and to order to re-pole after correcting the voters list.

Another story from  a free lance journalist Manmeet Kaur conveys the same complaint.She and her mother were not allowed to cast their votes. she reports,"I left home to vote at 9:30 and got home at noon--in 24 years of voting, I've never seen this. I had to park way down the road from my polling place, which had 4 long lines that filled the building when I arrived and stretched outside by the time I left. The polls were well staffed and running smoothly. . Several neighbors waved from other lines, and a couple of them came up to chat. I could've voted absentee, but how many opportunities are there to participate publicly in our  democracy? And due to the government apathy i missed my right to vote but then I came to know that I was not only me who could not cast her vote. There were some 150 more voters in Kitchlu Nagar B block who could not cast their respective votes. Dr. Balwinder B O who was there in the sraff informed this,"when our employee go for the survey then there was lock or  some thing else so we delete the voter from the list. Frustrated voters were not satisfied with this cover up reply. 

Medical checks on some Afghan children

U.S. Army Spc. Joe Kunsch, a medic assigned to the 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, Task Force (TF) Spartan Steel, conducts medical checks on some Afghan children in Khowst province, Afghanistan, Jan. 25, 2012. TF Spartan Steel is part of the Spartan Brigade based at Forward Operating Base Salerno in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Epperson, U.S. Army/Released)

Greeting a guest

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta greets a guest at a Martin Luther King Jr. observance in the Pentagon auditorium Jan. 26, 2012. Keynote speaker the Rev. Samuel “Billy” Kyles, a civil rights activist, knew King and witnessed his assassination. (Department of Defense photo By Glenn Fawcett/Released)

Approval for funding Phase-Ill of the UIDAI

UID scheme at an estimated cost of Rs.8,814.75 crore

The Union Home Minister, Shri P. Chidambaram briefing the media on UIDAI, in New Delhi on January 27, 2012. The Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the Chairman, UIDAI, Shri Nandan Nilekani and the Principal Director General (M&C), Press Information Bureau, Smt. Neelam Kapur are also seen. 27-January-2012 (PIB)

The Cabinet Committee on Unique Identification Authority of India related issues (CC-UIDAI) today approved commencement of Phase-Ill of the UID scheme at an estimated cost of Rs.8,814.75 crore which subsumes the earlier approval of Rs.3,023.01 crore, and comprises costs for issue of 20 crore Aadhaar numbers through Multiple Registrars upto March 2012, printing and delivery of 20 crore Aadhaar letters, technology and other support infrastructure cost for creation, storage and maintenance of data and services for leveraging the uses of Aadhaar for the entire estimated resident population upto March 2017.

Out of amount of Rs.8814.75 crore that has been approved for incurring expenditure upto March 2017, Rs.2412.67 crore would be towards recurring expenditure including IT operational cost and recurring establishment cost and Rs.6402.08 crore would be towards non-recurring project related expenditure.              (PIB)  ***

Obama speaks during a press conference

President Barack Obama speaks during a press conference at Buckley Air Force Base, Colo., Jan. 26, 2012. (DoD photo by Senior Airman Marcy Glass, U.S. Air Force/ Released)

Poll preparations in Manipur

Polling Officials carrying Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and other election materials for the Manipur Assembly Election, at Thambal district on January 27, 2012.      (PIB)