‘Elekta Compact installed at CMC Ludhiana

Ludhiana: Christian Medical College, Ludhiana (CMCL) is a premier institute of the region providing Radiotherapy facilities for Cancer patients since 1938. It was the 1st centre in the region to provide Megavoltage Radiotherapy in 1958 by installation of Eldorado-A Teletherapy machine which was received by Govt. of India under Colombo Plan and donated to the institute. The institute has upgraded its facilities by installing a 6MV Linear Accelerator, ‘Elekta Compact’ Radiation Therapy machine. It is Elekta’s 1st unit to be equipped with Multileaf Collimator (MLC) and Electronic Portal Imaging Device (EPID). 

It is ably supported by Spiral CT Scan, 1.5 T MRI and other imaging equipments already existing in the Radiodiagnosis department, Advanced CMS Treatment Planning System, Mosaiq workstation and complete Radiation Dosimetric equipment. With all this infrastructure, it will be possible to deliver Conventional Radiation Therapy, 3-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy (3-D CRT) and Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). These techniques help to tailor the Treatment volume to the précised Target volume thus sparing the normal tissues entrapped by and/ or around the tumour to the maximum. This facilitates to reduce the complications of treatment and increase the compliance to the planned treatment, thus increasing the probability of cure. 

With the availability of this equipment, CMCL is able to provide Comprehensive Cancer Treatment Services fully supported by Dept of General Surgery and its specialties including Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Medical Oncology & Heamatology providing Bone Marrow Transplant facilities and supportive services for Palliative care. Further, this facility complies to the mission of the institution ie., Provision of State of Art facilities in Medicare which are community oriented, need based and affordable to the masses at large. 

The department is under the dynamic leadership of Dr M K Mahajan ably assisted by Dr Jaineet Sachdeva, Dr Pamela Jeyaraj, Dr Raja Paramjeet and Dr Sapna, all well trained Radiotherapists. Mr Murali Rajan, the Medical Physicist & Radiation Safety Officer will be looking after the equipment, Treatment Planning and the Quality Assurance programme.This facility is possible due to the commitment to bring state of art facility to CMC and the community by the administration of CMCL. It will be dedicated on 10th of December by Dr Rajinder Gyani, Chairman, Governing Board of Christian Medical College, Ludhiana & Society.  ---Rector Kathuria 

Amnesty International Calls on China to End Crackdown on Human Rights Activists Ahead of the Nobel Peace Prize Awards Ceremony

Posted on : Wed, Dec 8, 2010 at 9:51 PM

Washington, D.C.: Amnesty International is today calling on the Chinese government to end its intensifying crackdown on Chinese human rights activists ahead of the Nobel Peace Prize awards ceremony in Oslo on December 10. Amnesty International and Chinese human rights groups have documented hundreds of cases of people being detained, interrogated, or arrested in advance of the event honoring jailed Chinese human rights activist Liu Xiaobo. 
“The Chinese government’s travel restrictions target not just human rights defenders, but also ordinary travelers who somehow trigger the government’s suspicion,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s secretary general. “This reaction violates Chinese law as well as China’s international obligations and constitutes a serious breakdown in the rule of law.” 
Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo is currently serving an 11-year sentence for “inciting subversion of state power" for his part as the leading author behind “Charter 08”, a manifesto calling for the recognition of fundamental human rights in China. 
Xiaobo has consistently maintained that the sentence violates both China's own constitution and basic human rights, but, like many others in China who have chosen to speak out, he has been severely punished. 
He is just one of thousands of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience currently being held in China. Among the recent cases that Amnesty International has highlighted are: 
*        Liu Xianbin, a prominent Sichuan democracy activist detained since June 28, 2010 on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power”. 
*        Gao Zhisheng, named one of China’s “top 10 lawyers” by the Ministry of Justice in 2001, he was later arrested and tortured for his human rights activities and has been “missing” since being taken by police from his home in Shaanxi Province on February 4, 2009. 
*        Tan Zuoren, an environmental activist critical of the high death rate in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake due to substandard construction, he was later convicted of “inciting subversion of state power” for commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre and sentenced to a five-year prison sentence. 
*        Hairat Niyaz, a Uighur journalist convicted on charges of “endangering state security” in the wake of the 2009 Urumqi riots, he is now serving a 15-year sentence and being held incommunicado. 
*        Dhondup Wangchen, a Tibetan filmmaker arrested, tortured and held without charge for more than a year before being sentenced in a secret trial to six years’ imprisonment for “inciting separatism”.         

“The Chinese government should release Liu Xiaobo and all the other prisoners of conscience,” said Shetty. “They should uphold internationally recognized human rights standards, many of which are enshrined in their own constitution.”

The recent crackdown also coincides with a concerted campaign by Chinese authorities to disrupt the Nobel awards ceremony. 
Nobel rules require the winner or his or her immediate family to personally accept the prize. Liu Xiaobo’s enforced absence means that for the first time since 1938, the peace prize will not be awarded at the ceremony.

Liu Xiaobo’s wife, Liu Xia, could have collected the award for him, but she has been detained by Chinese authorities and is currently under house arrest in Beijing. She is unable to move about freely and has not been allowed to be in contact with friends or family for nearly two months.

Chinese authorities have also pressured other countries to boycott the ceremony. However, despite a campaign of political and economic pressure, only 18 other countries have declined the invitation to the ceremony.

“The Chinese government should be celebrating this global recognition of a Chinese writer and activist,” said Shetty. “Instead, the government’s very public tantrum has generated even more critical attention inside and outside China – and, ironically, emphasized the significance of Liu Xiaobo’s message of respect for human rights.”

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.8 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied. 

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Wife, Mother Serves for Family, Country

By Army Spc. Amanda Brown  Task Force Phoenix WASHINGTON : When Army Sgt. Autumn Hughes re-enlisted at Bagram Airfield on Nov. 23, she renewed her commitment to the Army while remaining dedicated to her role as a wife and mother. Army Sgt. Autumn Hughes of Keyser, W.Va., serves with Task Force Phoenix in Afghanistan's Parwan province. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Nadine Gonzalez  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. This was the second re-enlistment for the 25-year-old Keyser, W.Va., native, currently assigned to Task Force Phoenix with the 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade. One of her re-enlistment options was a two-year stabilization at her home station, Fort Drum, N.Y. "I re-enlisted for the stabilization and because I plan on staying in for 20 years," said Hughes, noncommissioned officer in charge of the Task Force Phoenix communications and information management shop. "I serve in the Army for the protection of my family and my country." While this is her third deployment, it's the first time Hughes has been deployed with her husband, Army Sgt. Anthony Hughes Jr., a native of Syracuse, N.Y., who is a 10th Combat Aviation Brigade intelligence clerk in Task Force Falcon. He said deploying with his wife makes some things easier and that he is proud of her and her sense of duty. "I am extremely proud of what my wife is doing for our country," he said. "She has decided to stay in the Army despite us having a child, and still wants to serve. I think that it takes a very dedicated person to do this when given the opportunity to get out because of us being [a] dual-military [couple]." Hughes said she enjoys her job in the Army because it allows her the opportunity to meet and get to know a variety of people. As a signal support system specialist, she helps to set up the unit's computer systems. She runs cables, connects printers, manages share portals and sets up radio sets. It is her responsibility to take care of most things that deal with communication. With more than seven years in the Army, she said, she is familiar with facing challenges and learning to overcome them. "I take challenges on with a positive attitude," she said. "If I don't know how to fix it, I ask questions. I'm never afraid to ask questions." The couple's 11-month-old daughter, Summer, with is staying with Autumn's mother while the soldiers are deployed. "This is the first time I've had to [leave my daughter], and I'm going to admit it is hard, but I know what I'm doing for our daughter and one day she will understand why I had to do it," Hughes said. "There are times that are harder than some, but I have to push those feelings onto the back burner and keep my head in the game -– not only for myself, but for my soldiers." (Issued on :Dec. 2, 2010)

Related Sites:  U.S. Forces Afghanistan