Indian doctors to conduct polio surgery in Nigeria

A 24-member team of doctors is ready to fly to capital city Abuja in Nigeria on 2nd December, to conduct over 400 polio-corrective surgeries.
The team of India-Nigeria Polio Surgeries Medicare Mission comprises 12 ortho-surgeons, five anesthesiologists, one pathologist, one general surgeon, and five volunteers from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Himachal, Haryana, Maharashtra, Kerala and Uttrakhand.
The team of Doctors and Volunteers for this mission is from Districts 3131, 3132, 3080, 3201 & 3150 in India, who are being assisted by Rotarians from District 9125 & 9140 in Nigeria, with PDG Rtn. Dr. Deepak Purohit from District 3131 as the Chief Project Coordinator, and PDG Rtn. Dr. Rajiv Pradhan as the contact person for this Matching Grant project.
Inter-continental Medicare Missions were conceived by Past Rotary International President Rajendra K. Saboo in 1998, and since then he has led various medicare missions to different countries including Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Swaziland, Cambodia, Madagascar, Lesotho, Congo, Rwanda, etc., besides leading similar missions to the interiors and tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh.
Nigeria is one of the three remaining endemic countries in the world along with Pakistan and Afghanistan, and so long as there is even one country in the world affected by polio, it would continue to endanger the lives of the children everywhere, Rtn. Saboo feels.
This polio corrective surgery project is different; since it is for the first time a single speciality surgical team is going to Africa.
“Certain sections of the population in Nigeria, which is still a polio endemic country, are resisting immunization efforts due to several misconceptions, and we hope that an initiative like polio corrective surgeries would help us send a strong message to the people and create an atmosphere of faith in this world-wide efforts to immunize children against polio,” Mr Saboo informed.
Similar situation in India was tackled in UP and Bihar through Rotary’s efforts to conduct similar camp in which nearly 4,000 children and adults underwent polio-corrective surgeries, he added.
“India as a country was always looked upon as a nation that would be looking for help from the outside help but with a whole lot of talent and expertise available in the medical field, the medical mission provided us the opportunity to reach across the borders with medical care for the people in need,” Rajendra K. Saboo says.
The doctors from India would be taking along specialized surgical equipment, medical supplies and would also train the local doctors in the procedures as well as making of prosthetic limbs.
From our District 3080, the team members include Rtn. Dr. J.P. Nawani from Dehradun as ortho-surgeon, along with three volunteers, namely PRIP Rtn Raja Saboo, and Rtn. Charanjit Singh from Chandigarh, and Dr. S.K. Sablok from Nahan.

We have never stopped. Should we now?

The fight must go on till we have erased it One Hundred Percent.

Why do we do the things the way we do?

This was the moot question that nearly 300 Rotarians from all over our District 3080 converged to discuss at Chandigarh Judicial Academy, Sector 43, Chandigarh. 

It was an Intercity meet with a difference.  The agenda, the format, the line up of speakers distinguished it from a normal intercity format, and rather made every participant look within and probe one's conscience and ask, am I walking the right way?

The Rotary Colloquium on "Living Your Values: Do Values of Life Change with Changing Times?” concluded successfully with everyone affirming a commitment deep within themselves, "I must do something about it?"   

Though not all questions were answered. It could not be in a half day session. But the learned speakers provided different perspectives on how one can leave a better world for our children just by following ethical values. 

Addressing the Colloquium Hon'ble Mr. Justice Rajive Bhalla of Punjab and Haryana High Court said that values need to be looked at from the personal, societal and global angle and though these may differ from person to person, values must bring to the fore the humane aspect of one’s life. 

However, he lamented at the societal "values" of female foeticide which continues as a practice since centuries till today in the northern region and the only change had been in  the mechanism of killing the girl child.  Mr Justice Bhalla also questioned the value systems of the relentless development of colonies wiping away the greenery and rivulets from our midst and impacting the entire ecosystem, leaving a barren land for the next generation.  Everyone has its own value proposition, but what is right from a wider perspective is what one need to look at, he added. 

Brahmchari Suvir Chaitanya of Chinnmaya Mission Patiala, a young B.Tech from Delhi College of Engineering who decided to take the Vedanta route, said that the real transformation of the society, the nation and the world begins with the transformation within us. Responding to a question from a student of Bhavan Vidyalaya he said that the values as conceived after much deliberations by great thinkers, rishis and philosophers, continue to be relevant as these transcend time and space, and relate more to one’s behavior.

KPMG India’s partner and head of risk consulting Mr. Deepankar Salwalka, and has investigated most of large white collar crime cases including Satyam and Commonwealth Games, admitted that under pressure of business performance, business ethics and values are getting compromised, but corporate India should take heart since our ability to better detect, build public opinion and development of counter-balancing forces like social media are eventually bringing guilty to justice.

Neville D. Gandhi, Regional Compliance Officer of Siemens Ltd,  asserted that it is possible to do business with ethics without any dilemma provided one is determined to follow the ethical way.  He presented the case study of world’s largest German company Siemens Ltd, which till 2006 became one of the worst companies to work with losing credibility and being hauled up in US courts for rigging and bribery to obtain contracts, decided to proactively transform the organization and adopted strict discipline based on transparency, honesty, and ethical work practices.  Siemens, he said has become today one of the world’s best ethical companies.

Past Rotary International President Rajendra K. Saboo, who had been the thought leader of this Colloquium said that the objective of the colloquium had been to revive interest amongst the youth, business and professional people, about the simple values of life that can only create a better world.  The best way to inculcate the values of honorable ethical living is for the present generation to walk the talk and be a role model to them. 

Past District Governor of District 3140, Dr Bharat Pandya,  underlined the need for personal integrity and doing the right things when no one is looking. As a passionate speaker he cited numerous challenges that face any person whether it is societal, peer or superior's pressure, or the desire to earn quick money, an unethical act would remain unacceptable.  He said that the value-based living is best reflected in relentless pursuit of good conduct even when no one is looking. 

District Governor Manmohan Singh quoted the scriptures where value-based living is well defined and that the best way for anyone to excel in life is to follow the right course and earn one's living honestly. 

He also explained that Rotary Colloquium on values system was organised since October is the Rotary’s focus area for promoting ethical practices in one’s vocation.

Later CNN-IBN’s senior editor, Jyoti Kamal, conducted an interesting interactive session and moderated the questions from the audience that further focussed on  personal or professional value system whether it was  a question of euthanasia amongst the medical professionals, or miscarriage of justice or outdated laws, or even the media assault on the sensibilities of the people.

I wish to thank all the Rotarians of Rotary Club of Chandigarh under the leadership of President Rtn. Vivek Gupta, with the wise counsel of Past Rotary International President  Rajendra K. Saboo, past district governors Kawal Bedi and Madhukar Malhotra, the co-chairs in past president Man Mohan Singh Kohli, and Hassen S. Mejie, assisted by Secretary I.D. Shukla, Kewal K. Seth, Praveen C. Goyal, Baldev Aggarwal, Arvind Mehan, D.P. Singh, Jatinder Kapoor, Sukhjit Singh Gill, Darpan Kapoor, Shuchita Luthra, AP Singh, Manju Chaudhary, Anil Khanna, and of course the staff of Rotary House, that made it a memorable event. 

With diverse perspectives at the fore, the seeds were sown in the minds of the people who attended.  To transform the world for the better, the transformation must begin from within...from ourselves.  Post this colloquium, if each one of us take the topic on our dinner tables and take the first step...WITHIN...the miracle of change would start happening. 

Living Your Values

Values are great determinants of our actions.  
And actions lead us to happiness.
Do you know what is important for you in your life ?
Are your actions leading you to your happiness?

On Sunday, the 28th October 2012 you might find the answer to these and many other questions.. Bring your friends, business associates, family, children to the Rotary Colloquium (the second intercity of our District), on "Living Your Values: Do Values Change with Changing Times?" 

Chandigarh Judicial Academy

The reporting time is 9am for registration and breakfast (till 10am only) at Chandigarh Judicial Academy, Sector 43, Chandigarh. The Colloquium would be over after lunch.

Some of the noted speakers in the Rotary Colloquium include Hon'ble Mr. Justice Rajive Bhalla of Panjab & Haryana High Court, Dr. Naresh Trehan, Chairman of Medanta-The Medicity; Brahmchari Suvir Chaitanaya of Chinmaya Mission, Mr.  Neville Gandhi, Regional Compliance Officer of Siemens Limited, Mumbai; Past Rotary International President Rajendra K. Saboo, and PDG Bharat Pandaya from RI District 3140 Mumbai, along with Mr. Jyoti Kamal, senior editor CNN-IBN as the moderator.

Please confirm your registration immediately to Rtn. Jatinder Kapoor, jkkapur@gmail.com, or Rotary Colloquium Chair Rtn. Charanjit Singh, seejaysingh@gmail.com, or call 93161 33924.

Registration Fee Rs.750 single and Rs.1400 for couple.

Have you voiced your support?

Rotary created a page on the social media service Thunderclap, which enables supporters to sign up to share a single message through their social media accounts. The message will go out at a designated date and time to amplify the voice of our cause.

If we reach our goal of having 100 people add their account, our polio eradication message will be shared simultaneously across all supporting accounts on World Polio Day to raise awareness of the fight to end this crippling disease.

Visit RI's page on Thunderclap to add your voice. For more information about polio, visit www.endpolio.org.Visit RI's page on Thunderclap to add your voice. For more information about polio, visit www.endpolio.org.