Innovative Endovascular Procedure Saves Man's Arm

Suwinder Singh; a 72 year old from Patiala was in severe pain in his right hand. He had an earlier fistula for dialysis as his kidneys had failed. He was seen at various hospitals in Chandigarh, Mohali , Delhi and Gurgaon . However his hand continued to become blue and he could not sleep because of the pain. He then came to Dr Harinder Singh Bedi - Head of Cardio Vascular Endovascular & Thoracic Surgery at the Christian Medical College & Hospital in Ludhiana. Dr Bedi realized that the hand was rapidly turning gangrenous and would have to be cut if nothing was done. The reason for the low flow of blood to the hand was the fact that the shunt for dialysis was stealing blood from the hand. The option of narrowing the shunt had already been tried but had failed and the pain was terrible. If the shunt was dismantled it left the problem of how to get the dialysis done.

Dr Bedi has had extensive experience during his work in Australia and he is credited with having a Limca World Record in vascular surgery to his name. He has also extensive experience with endovascular surgery (in fact the first hybrid redo endovascular operation was done by him in Punjab and was awarded the first prize at an International Conference). A high risk surgery was planned. The shunt was taken down and without any additional cut an endovascular procedure was done and a stent put in the narrowed artery. The hand colour improved dramatically and the pain disappeared. Now the issue was how to put in a new shunt so that the life saving dialysis could continue. There were no sites available on the hands which are the usual sites for a shunt. So a innovative method of putting a graft in the leg was used. A special imported tube was grafted between the artery and vein of the leg. It started functioning immediately – a hand shunt takes about 3-4 weeks to ‘mature’.

The patient and his family are very happy that they came to CMC. Mr Suwinder Singh is now totally pain free. The other members of the team are Dr A Joseph, Dr Arun Gupta, Dr Neharika and Dr Arjin.

 Dr Abraham G Thomas – Director of CMC & H – said that Dr Bedi and his team had a good experience with the creation of dialysis shunts and this helped them to devise this innovative method.

4 SSPs 13 SPs and 16 DSPs transferred in Punjab

Chandigarh, July 28:  The Punjab government has today issued the transfer orders of 4 SSPs and 13 SPs and 16 DSPs  with immediate effect. 

According to a spokesman of Punjab government Mr. Balkar Singh Sidhu, PPS and Mr. Rajinder Kumar Shardha, PPS have been posted as SSPs of newly created districts Pathankot and Fazilka respectively. Mr. Manminder Singh, PPS has been posted as SSP Tarntaran and Mr. Surinder Kumar Kalia as SSP Gurdaspur.

          Besides this Mr.Gurmit Singh, PPS has been posted as SP (H) Ferozepur, Mr. Gurpreet Singh, PPS  as SP(D) Fatehgarh Sahib, Mr. Gagan Ajit Singh , PPS as additional DCP-II Jalandhar, Mr. Manmohan Singh PPS as SP (H), Tarntaran, Mr. Ranbir Singh, PPS as SP (Traffic) Tarntaran, Mr. Naresh Kumar, PPS as additional DCP-II Amritsar, Mr. Gursharan Singh Bedi, PPS as Zonal SP /Crime Bathinda, Mr. Jai Pal Singh, PPS as Zonal SP/Crime, Patiala, Mr. Harmohan Singh PPS as SP(H)/SBS Nagar , Mr. Satinder Singh, PPS as SP/Intelligence, Mr. Manjit Singh, PPS as additional DCP-I, Ludhiana, Mr. Ravinder Kumar Bakshi as Assistant Commandant, 2^nd IRB /Ladda Kothi, Sangrur and Mr. Bhupinderjit Singh, PPS as  Assistant Commandant Ist/IRB Patiala.

The spokesman further said that Mrs. Gurmeet Kaur, PPS has been posted as  DSP/Jaito, Mr. Bikramjit Singh PPS as DSP/City Bathinda, Mr. Kesar Singh PPS as  DSP/City-I, Patiala, Mr. Surinderpal Singh, PPS as DSP/SD/Sardulgarh with additional charge of DSP/SD/Budhlada, Mr. Harjit Singh, PPS as DSP/SD/Fatehgarh Churian, Mr. Balwinder Singh PPS as DSP/Vigilance Bureau, Punjab, Mr. Narinder Singh, PPS  as ACP/Hqrs. Amritsar, Mr. Ranjit Singh, PPS as DSP/D, Batala, Mr. Kehar Singh, PPS as ACP/Focal Point, Ludhiana, Mr. Jaswant Singh, PPS as ACP/Traffic, Amritsar, Mr. Cheta Singh, PPS as DSP/Hqrs. Patiala and Mr. Gurpreet Singh, PPS as DSP/D, Tarntaran. Besides this, five DSPs namely Mr. Paramjit Singh, PPS, Mr. Tilak Raj, PPS, Mr. Nahar Singh, PPS, Mr. Ranjit Singh, PPS, Mr. Mohinder Singh, PPS and  Mr. Gurdarshan Singh, PPS have been posted  as DSPs in Chief Minister Security, Pb., Chandigarh.

Joint Base Fuelers Keep Aircraft Ready

By Donna Miles  American Forces Press Service JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J., July 21, 2011 - With realignments, base closures and joint basing initiatives bringing together all four services here, the Air Force's 87th Logistics Readiness Squadron has taken jointness to a new level keeping their broad mix of aircraft fueled. Air Force Airman Kyle Schoenfelt, right, a member of the 87th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and Marine Corps Staff Sgt. F.O. Johnson from Heavy Marine Helicopter 772 "Hustlers" prepare to refuel Marine CH-53 Super Stallion helicopters, July 8, 2011. DOD photo by Donna Miles  Once upon a time, the 87th LRS was responsible for providing petroleum, oil and lubricants primarily for C-17 Globemaster III and KC-10 Extender aircraft assigned to wings at McGuire Air Force Base, as well as for transient aircraft at the base. That was before McGuire merged with neighboring Fort Dix and Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst on Oct. 1, 2009, to become the Defense Department's only tri-service base. It also was before two realignment actions brought Navy and Marine Corps units from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove, Pa., and Marine Corps assets from Marine Corps Reserve Center Johnstown, Pa., to the New Jersey base during the past several months. The merger and new arrivals brought to the joint base a full complement of Army, Navy and Marine Corps fixed-wing and rotary aircraft -– all now being fueled by the 87th LRS. "At most deployed locations, it's pretty typical to service all types of aircraft," said Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Jon Kristof, 87th LRS superintendent. "But at the stateside location, it is somewhat out of the norm to do it on a regular basis. That doesn't matter to us here. We service them all." The changes have increased monthly fuel output here by about 600,000 gallons, for a total of about 4 million gallons. Most of the newly arrived aircraft are helicopters or smaller fixed-wing planes with relatively small fuel tanks, Kristof explained. "That means we do a lot more [fuel] runs, but not necessarily a lot more gallons," he said. Learning to refuel different aircraft, and to work with other services to identify their unique ways of doing things, involves "a learning curve on both sides of the fence," Kristof said. "As new customers, they have to adapt to how the Air Force does business, and we have to adapt to how the other services do their business when they are refueling," he said. "Even though we are all Department of Defense, we still speak a different language, so we have all learned a lot about that over the last year and a half." That makes Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst a perfect training ground to keep the fuels management flight primed for future deployments. It's particularly valuable, Kristof said, in giving junior members such as Airman 1st Class Alonso Hall experience working with other services before their first deployments. Hall, with just 14 months in the Air Force, has been a quick study. He was named the 87th LRS' "Pumper of the Month" in June for personally dispensing 422,271 gallons of JP-8 jet fuel. Hall's recognition came shortly after the 87th LRS was named the Air Force's best fuels management flight for fiscal 2010. The award marked the first time the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst squadron received the Air Force's only flight-level award, presented by the American Petroleum Institute. The award was based on direct mission support, innovative management and quality-of-life initiatives. "This was a total team effort in every way," said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Eric Stone, the 87th LRS' flight chief. "Every person in this flight had a part in winning this coveted award," he said. "The accomplishments for the package were collected from our home base, downrange, Army, Navy and Marine Corps personnel making this a true joint-base accomplishment."

Related Sites: 87th Mission Support Group Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst

An R-11 refueling vehicle from the 87th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., refuels a CH-53 Super Stallion helicopter from the Heavy Marine Helicopter 772 "Hustlers," July 8, 2011. DOD photo by Donna Miles Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution

Indian Constitution Violates Itself

 Article 341 Para 3 v/s Article 15 Para 1 and 2        By Madhu Chandra
Article 15 of the Indian Constitution gives fundamental rights to all Indian citizens against any form of discrimination either by the state or any citizen on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them. Every Indian is proud about this guarantee without much knowing that the same constitution violets itself on the basis of religion. The Scheduled Caste, known untouchable or Dalits suffer under this violation for sixty one years.       

The President Order 1950 enacted Para 3 of Article 341, which discriminates Dalits on the basis of religion against fundamental rights guaranteed under Indian Constitution. The Presidential Order 1950 disqualifies Dalits to be members of Scheduled Caste known untouchable, if they choose any religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. Dalits who converted to Sikhism was disqualified until rectified the error by amending of Para 3 of Article 341 in 1956. So was also those Dalits who converted to Buddhism until 1990.

Pure form of constitutional violation by its own constitution, it still exists without any attempt to rectify it when the matter of interest related to those Dalits who have converted to Islam and Christianity.

It is a direct punishment to Dalits under the constitutional Presidential Order of 1950. It is like a punishment to Dalits, “if you leave Hinduism and convert to any other religion, which is also guarantee by Article 25 of Indian Constitution to profess any faith or religion of your choice, the constitutional provision will be taken away. This punishment includes the affirmative action programs for Dalits and legal provision like the Prevention of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Atrocity Acts 1989.

The constitutional provisions and affirmation action facilities are barred from those Dalits who have converted from Hinduism to any other religions, first to Sikhism till 1956, Buddhism till 1990 and continues to those who converted to Christians and Muslims. If this is not the violation of its own constitutional fundamental rights on the basis of religion, then what is the Article 341 Para 3?

As the constitution also provides the constitutional remedies, so the Sikh Dalits and Buddhist Dalits have struggled to get their fundamental, birth and constitutional rights and they got it after discrimination for six years to Sikhs and 40 years to Buddhist.

What about Christians and Muslims? They too have been fighting for their fundamental rights but unfortunately, their cry is not heard for last sixty one years. Commissions after commission were setup to look into the struggle and almost all of them have recommended to include Dalits converted to Islam and Christianity, including the latest Commission for Minority Religion and Linguistic Minority also known as Misra Commission, setup by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government in 2005.

Misra Commission has submitted its report to UPA Government on May 22, 2007 with recommendation to delink religion from Presidential Order 1950. Interestingly, rather surprisingly, UPA government has kept silent after Misra Commission report that the government is studying the report again. If UPA government wants to study Misra Commission reports, when then commission was setup?

The struggle continues and so also faith-based discrimination under Indian state to its own people. Dalit Christians from across the nation have decided to launch four days hunger strike at national capital city from July 25 – 27 and mass rally on 28, to bring pressure upon the government during Manson Parliament sessions.

The Chronology Dalit Christian reservation demands is listed at this link 

Madhu Chandra is a social activist and research scholar based in New Delhi. He works as Regional Secretary of All India Christian Council Spokes Person of North East Support Centre & Helpline and National Secretary of All India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations 

Save 10 year old boy Gulshan in CMC

Ludhiana: Gulshan S/o.Vishvanath (our hospital no.C7322437) a 10 year old boy admitted in CMC & Hospital from 19/06/2011. He has undergone surgery for traumatic perforation of small intestine cause due to fall from height. His general condition is serious and as he is septic and he is on the ventilator. His treatment can cost anywhere upto 1 lac rupees or more. 

The boy belongs to a very poor family and is financially handicapped and is in desperate need for help. His father is a daily wage migrant laborer earning upto Rs. 150- 160 a day. He is unable to meet the cost of his treatment and further surgery.

We encourage you to come forward and help this child by contributing as much as you can. The parents would be eternally grateful for such help.

The Department of Paediatric Surgery at the Christian Medical College & Hospital appeals to all well-meaning people to contribute towards this child’s treatment.

Donations will be taken in cash / cheque / bank draft. Cheques/bank drafts should be made in favour of ‘Christian Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana, Society’ with “Gulshan, C7322437” written at the back of all cheques and drafts.  All donations to this cause will have income tax exemption. For all cash donations please contact Dr. William Bhatti (+91 9876609924) or Dr. Dhruv Ghosh (+91 9915198894), Dr. Nandini K. Bedi (+91 9914360480) from the department of Paediatric Surgery. --Shalu Arora // Rector kathuria

White House Reverses Policy on Suicide Condolence Letters

By Jim Garamone 

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 6, 2011 - President Barack Obama and Defense Department officials will send condolence letters to the families of service members who commit suicide in a war zone.

The change is in keeping with administration efforts to remove the stigma of mental health treatment, an administration official said on background.

The president last year ordered a review of the long-held policy of not sending condolence letters to the next of kin of those who commit suicide in war zones. White House officials yesterday announced the policy change allowing for condolence letters to be sent. The president made his decision after consulting with the defense secretary and members of the military chain of command.

"As commander in chief, I am deeply grateful for the service of all our men and women in uniform, and grieve for the loss of those who suffer from the wounds of war - seen and unseen," Obama said in a statement released this morning. "Since taking office, I've been committed to removing the stigma associated with the unseen wounds of war, which is why I've worked to expand our mental health budgets, and ensure that all our men and women in uniform receive the care they need."

Defense leaders will follow the president's lead. "The administration will now send condolence letters to families of service members who commit suicide while deployed to Operation New Dawn, Operation Enduring Freedom and other combat operations," Pentagon spokesman Marine Col. Dave Lapan said.

"This issue is emotional, painful, and complicated, but these Americans served our nation bravely," Obama said in his statement. "They didn't die because they were weak. And the fact that they didn't get the help they needed must change."

U.S. service members have borne an incredible burden of war, Obama said. "We need to do everything in our power to honor their service, and to help them stay strong for themselves, for their families and for our nation," he said.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has long favored sending condolence letters to the next of kin of those who committed suicide, a Joint Staff official said on background.

Other military leaders also spoke in favor of the decision, including Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli. In a blog posting on the White House site, the general said the greatest regret of his military career was not recognizing the sacrifice of a soldier in Iraq.

Chiarelli commanded the 1st Cavalry Division in Iraq from 2004 to 2005. "I lost 169 soldiers during that year-long deployment," he wrote in the blog. "However, the monument we erected at Fort Hood, Texas, in memoriam lists 168 names. I approved the request of others not to include the name of the one soldier who committed suicide. I deeply regret my decision."

Service members are tired and stretched, Chiarelli said. "The persistent high operational tempo of this war, the terrible things some have seen or experienced in combat, have undoubtedly taken a toll on them," he said. "Many are struggling with the 'invisible wounds' of this war, including traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety. Any attempt to characterize these individuals as somehow weaker than others is simply misguided."

Even with leaders' emphasis on getting mental health help, a stigma persists, Chiarelli said. "We remain committed to raising awareness, helping individuals increase their resiliency while ensuring they have access to the right support services and resources," he said. "That said, if we hope to truly have an impact, we must continue to do everything we can to eliminate the stigma."

The president's decision acknowledges that the service rendered by these individuals, as well as the service and sacrifices made by their family, deserve the same recognition given to those men and women who die as a result of enemy action, Chiarelli said.

"Since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan nearly a decade ago, over 6,000 men and women have paid the ultimate price for freedom," he said. "Every day we have honored those fallen in combat. Now, in accordance with our commander in chief, we will honor all those who have fallen in service to our great nation."

An appeal to save 2 ½ year old boy Dhani

This is to state that patient Dhani S/o  Ram Kumar (our hospital no. C7257304) a 2 ½ year old boy admitted in CMC & Hospital from 27/05/2011. He has undergone surgery for Intestinal tuberculosis with intestinal obstruction and perforation. His general condition is serious and he requires prolonged care, good nutrition and management, antituburcular drugs and further surgery. His prolonged treatment will cost anywhere upto a lac of rupees. The parents of this child are very poor. The father is the only earning member of the family and is a daily wage laborer earning upto Rs. 100 per day. He will not be able to meet the cost of surgery.

The Department of Paediatric Surgery at the Christian Medical College & Hospital appeals to all well-meaning people to contribute towards this child’s treatment as he is in desperate need.

Donations will be taken in cash / cheque / bank draft. Cheques/bank drafts should be made in favour of ‘Christian Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana, Society’ with“Dhani, C7257304” written at the back of all cheques and drafts.  All donations to this cause will have income tax exemption. For all cash donations please contact Dr. William Bhatti (+91 9876609924) or Dr. Dhruv Ghosh (+91 9915198894), Dr. Nandini K. Bedi (+91 9914360480) from the department of Paediatric Surgery. 

Any help coming for his treatment would be welcome and the parents would be eternally grateful for such help. 

--Shalu Arora