CMC surgeon does the region proud

Dr. Navneet Kumar Chaudhry has been elected as President 

Dr. Navneet Kumar Chaudhry, Professor & Head of Surgery at Christian Medical College Hospital Ludhiana has been elected as the President of Association of Minimal Access Surgeons of India (AMASI), North Zone for the term 2012 -2014. Professor Chaudhry was elected to this position during recently held 7th International Congress of Association of Minimal Access Surgeons of India, at Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, from July 19-22, 2012. With more than 4500 members, AMASI is the largest section of Association of Surgeons of India (ASI).
The international congress was attended by more than 2500 delegates from all over India and surgeons from Australia, UK, Korea, Germany and US. During the congress, Dr. Chaudhry delivered a guest lecture and chaired 3 sessions on live advanced laparoscopic surgery.
According to Prof. Chaudhry, the main aim of the AMASI is to bring safe and affordable minimal access surgery to the masses, with a special focus on training young surgeons in this highly technical and patient friendly surgical technique.. Dr. Chaudhry is the first surgeon from the state of Punjab to be elected as President of AMASI north zone.
CMC Hospital, Ludhiana pioneered minimally access surgery in early nineties and has played a key role in making this technique popular in North India. ----Shalu Arora and Rector Kathuria

F-15C Eagles participate in a Red Flag exercise

Three U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles participate in a Red Flag exercise over the Nevada Test and Training Rang on, Nellis, Air Force Base, Nev., July 19, 2012. The aircraft crews are assigned to the 493rd Fighter Squadron, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England. The Nevada Test and Training Range hosts and organizes the realistic, combat training exercise.

:Maruti Suzuki Workers Union (MSWU)

Management has resorted in a pre-planned manner
The Maruti Suzuki Workers Union (MSWU) is anguished at the recent developments in Maruti Suzuki plant, IMT Manesar where the management has resorted to anti-worker and anti-Union activities in a pre-planned manner leading to violence and the closure of the factory yesterday.

We have had a long tough struggle with the strong unity of our permanent and contract workers to establish and register our Union last year, and had recently as of April 2012 submitted our Charter of Demands to the management of Maruti Suzuki, and the process of negotiation for wages and other demands was underway. However the management has done its utmost to derail the process since long and is trying to break the back of the spirit of unity of the workers and the legitimacy of the Union.

It is due to this, and continuing with this vindictive attitude and in a pre-planned manner, yesterday, the afternoon of 18thJuly, a supervisor in the shop floor abused and made casteist comments against a dalit worker of the permanent category, which was legitimately protested by the worker. Instead of taking action against the said supervisor, the management immediately suspended the worker concerned without any investigation as was demanded by the workers. When the workers along with Union representatives went to meet the HR to demand against the supervisor and revoke the unjust suspension of the worker, the HR officials flatly refused to hear our arguments, and it was in no mood to resolve the issue amicably.

When the negotiation was going on with the leaders of the Union inside the office, the management called in the entry of hundreds of bouncers on its payroll from outside the plant to attack the workers, and blocked the exit. This is completely an illegal vindictive action in the spirit of conspiracy to corner us into submission even as our demands and methods are legitimate and peaceful. The exit gates were closed by the security on behest of the management and the bouncers brutally attacked the workers with sharp weapons and arms. They, joined by some of the managerial staff and police later, beat up a number of workers who have had to be hospitalised with serious injuries. The bouncers, who are anti-social elements on hire, also destroyed company property and set fire to a portion of the factory. The gates were later opened to oust the workers and enforce a lockout by the company.

We have the workers and the company’s welfare in mind and have worked towards it after the resolution of the dispute last year, and to blame the current violence on us is unjust, which should be properly investigated. We are still keen to dialogue with the company and want to sit with the company management and the government labour department to amicably resolve the matter and restore industrial peace in the factory.

Ram Meher

President, Maruti Suzuki Workers Union (MSWU)           
19TH July 2012

Carter:

U.S. to Work with Japan on Osprey Analysis

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

TOKYO, July 21, 2012 - Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter answered a barrage of questions on the V-22 Osprey during a press conference with Japanese media representatives here today.

U.S. defense leaders plan to introduce the Osprey, a tilt-rotor aircraft, into service supporting Japan-based Marine Corps operations later this year. Full operational capability is currently set for October, but several Japanese leaders have notified the central government of their reservations about the aircraft's safety.

Reporters cited two recent crashes -- one in Morocco in April, which killed two people, and another in June that happened in Florida and injured five people -- as cause to delay operating the aircraft in Japan.

The first 12 Ospreys intended for use in Japan are now loaded on cargo ships and heading for Iwakuni, a Japanese port city that is also the site of a U.S. Marine station.

Reporters' questions today focused on whether the United States will stick to the October timeline, despite the concerns of several Japanese leaders and some residents of Iwakuni and Okinawa.

"The Osprey is an important capability; it's going to make an important new contribution to deterrence and to the deterrent capabilities of the alliance," Carter said. "And it's an aircraft that we are flying ... the world over."

The deputy secretary added that as DOD's chief management officer, "The safety of aircraft is a great concern to me, and a great responsibility of mine."

He said he understands that aircraft safety is also extremely important to the government and people of Japan.

"I think that's entirely appropriate," Carter said. "And we are committed to providing your airworthiness experts with all of the data and all of the information about the entire flight history of the V-22, including the two recent incidents, and allowing them to analyze that data and take every step they need to make to reconfirm the airworthiness of that airplane."

The U.S. and Japanese governments have agreed that flight operations will not begin until that reconfirmation has taken place, Carter said.

"This is a process, a technical process of assessing airworthiness," he said. "I think you have to let the experts do their work, have their access to their data, and so forth."

The two governments routinely work together to address airworthiness issues, the deputy secretary noted.

"It's a normal part of the process of confirming flight safety of aircraft of all types," Carter said. "So it's something that is totally understood by Japanese experts as it is by our experts."

Carter said addressing Japanese concerns over the Osprey's safety is an issue the two governments will solve together.

"That's what longstanding, trusting allies that are democracies -- this is how they work things through," the deputy secretary said. He added, "And, you know, we're going to resolve it. That's the whole point.

 

Biographies: Ashton B. Carter Related Sites: Special Report: Travels With Carter

Remembering the Victims of the Aurora, Colorado Shooting

Remembering the Victims of the Aurora, Colorado Shooting

President Obama honors the victims of the tragedy in Colorado, those who knew and loved them, and those who are struggling to recover.

Watch President Obama's weekly address:

U.S. Deputy Defense Secy addresses Japanese media

U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter, right, addresses Japanese media in Tokyo, July 21, 2012. Japan is Carter's third stop during a 10-day Asia Pacific trip to meet with partners in Hawaii, Guam, Thailand, India and South Korea

A new success by Dr. H S Bedi at CMC Ludhiana

Rare major open heart surgery saves  a new life
Ludhiana, 16th July, 2012 (Shalu Arora and Rector Kathuria)

Mr Vikas Masih – a   35 year old teacher – was in a very serious condition. He had developed a large blood clot in his lungs – a condition called massive pulmonary embolism – due to which he was not able to breathe. He was referred to Dr Harinder Singh Bedi – Head of Cardio Vascular Endovascular & Thoracic Surgery at the Christian Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana. On examination and investigation Dr Bedi realized that Mr Vikas was in imminent danger of death as his oxygen levels were dangerously low. This was damaging his brain and kidneys.
He had already been put on maximal medical therapy including the latest blood thinners at another hospital – but they did not work. The only option to save his life now was a major and rare open heart surgery called pulmonary thrombo-endarterectomy. Dr Bedi said that the surgery is done on a heart lung machine but additionally for a short period of time the circulation even through the heart lung machine has to be stopped. This is called circulatory arrest and is like totally stopping the heart and the lungs - both the natural and artificial ones.
Dr Bedi explained that this is because otherwise the blockage in the lungs cannot be seen clearly. During the tense 10 minutes while the patient was ‘clinically dead’ - on no circulation at all – his lungs were totally cleared of all the deadly clot. Dr Bedi is a pioneer in this field and in fact has trained in this rare surgery at the St Vincents Hospital in Sydney. However this was a very challenging case as Vikas is very young and this extent of disease was unexpected.
The other members of the Heart team are Dr A Joseph, Dr Sheetal Garg, Dr Melchi, Dr Paul, Dr Reenus ,  Dr Dinesh, Dr Pratap, Dr William, Dr Pearl,  Dr Savan, Dr Meenu, DR Nina and Dr Ashwin  . The heart lung machine was manned by Mr Jairus and Mr William – who are the senior most perfusionists of Punjab – along with Mr Mathew.
Dr Abraham G Thomas – Director of CMC & H – said that the CMC was committed to bringing the latest technology to Punjab so that the people of this area were given the best possible therapy.