Fire department says no to HIV positive

By Udumula Sudhakar Reddy

The AP Fire and Emergency Services Department will not recruit HIV positive men in the fire force.
The state government has amended service rules to keep out HIV positive men from the fire force as it did in the case of the police two years ago.
Similarly, the fire service also decided to continue with its practice of not recruiting women as fire fighters though the police had done away with similar rules. These specifications are present in the new AP Fire Subordinate Service Rules for recruitment of station fire officers, firemen and driver operators. Apart from physical and written tests, men have to take a medical test too to be considered for the posts.
As per rules, those who are HIV positive, physically handicapped, are flat-footed, or have pigeon chests and wobbly knees cannot be considered for the post. The rule also bans recruitment of those who suffer from abnormal psychological behaviour.
AP State AIDS Control Society had opposed the discrimination against HIV positive people in police and fire services department. It also moved court but the government stuck to its stance.
Interestingly, the director general of the predominantly male fire and emergency services department is a woman IPS official, Ms Aruna Bahuguna. She said HIV positive men were not eligible as per government rules and added that women won’t be considered either while recruiting for posts of 1,116 ‘firemen’ since firefighting needs lot of physical stamina.
“The fire-fighter has to break doors, windows, walls and climb up and down buildings,” she said. “They sometimes have to carry the victims out. Moreover, these posts are only for firemen.” She added that women might be considered for the posts of driver and fire station officers.
An APSACS official pointed out that there were several High Court judgments terming discrimination against HIV positive people to be irrational and unconstitutional.
“Even a bill to safeguard the rights of HIV positive people is being charted out,” he said. “HIV is not AIDS.” However, a senior police officer said that when even a slight squint or bad teeth was a disqualification for joining the police and fire force, it would be absurd to recruit an HIV positive person.
“They would not be able to withstand rigorous training because of the decreasing immunity,” he added

Deeksha culminates on Easter day

Saturday, 22 Mar 2008 18:22
U. Sudhakar Reddy
Hyderabad: Like Alpha and Omega which symbolise the beginning and the end inscribed on the Paschal candle, incensed in the Churches in the Easter night, vigil has lot to do with the Deeksha taken up by the Christians in the State during Lent that culminates on the day of ‘Resurrection of Christ’.
After the 40-day Deeksha, the faithful start a new lease of life and put an end to the old habits. After the rise of Pentecostal movement in the church, it is time for Bhakti culture in the Church to rise. Tappassu Kala Deeksha or Lent Deeksha taken up by Christians, particularly the Catholics in the State, has a lot of similarity with Ayyapa Deeksha and Bhavani Deeksha of Hindus and Nazirite Oath in the Old Testament.
Those who take up the Deeksha have to follow a set of rules that include not consuming alcohol, giving up smoking, keep ing away from eating non-vegetarian food, walk barefoot, always wearing a cross, taking just one meal in a day, not shaving or getting hair cuts, abstaining from sexual pleasures and so on. Hyderabad Archdiocese Vicar, General Fr. Thumma Solomon, says , "In Lent, most of the faithful fast but a few take up Deeksha. Gradually, many believers are inclining towards this, including a lot of young people.
Deeksha is more popular in semi-urban and rural parishes. On Easter, a new fire is lit that symbolises a new beginning from darkness to light and from death to life resembling the philosophy of the Deeksha."
The ceremonial lighting of paschal candle in churches is an imitation of a Jewish custom. On Easter night, people are asked to repeat their baptismal promise by rejecting Satan and his empty promises and accepting Jesus as their Lord and revesting with the ‘new man’ after removing the vestments of the ‘old man’.
Kalvaragiri Shrine near Jeedimetla has 45 devotees who have taken up Deeksha this time. Kalvaragiri Shrine priest in the city Fr. Y Thomas says, "Deeksha has roots in the Old Testament in the Book of Numbers Chapter 6 where the Nazirite Oath is taken. Those who take up Deeksha also keep away themselves from social vices and many come out of them permanently." Those who take up Deeksha follow a dress code like wearing maroon, white and blue shirts. Interestingly Women of all ages take up Deeksha.
After the fast, Easter brings them joy and hope.
Incensing Paschal Candle and cracking Easter egg is a symbol of new life in the same way that hatching of an egg is. The Easter egg is traditionally red to symbolise the blood of Christ.
The city’s heritage churches like St Mary’s Church in Secunderabad (since 1854), St Francis Xavier Church in Yapral (since 1876), St John Maria Vienna Church in Bhoiguda (since 1939) and Sacred Hearth Church (since 1929) still follow the old traditions of egg-cracking and distributing hot cross buns.
Sacred Heart Church at Lalaguda comprising mostly Anglo Indians follow the traditions of the Holy Week and distribute Hot Cross Buns on Maundy Thursday to large number of people.

City cancer Institute gets radiation bunker

By U Sudhakar Reddy
Hyderabad, May 2: The MNJ Cancer Hospital is constructing a specially-designed concrete bunker to house its high energy radiation equipment so that accidental leakage don’t affect surrounding localities. The MNJ Institute of Oncology and Research Centre is located in a highly-populated area of Red Hills.
On the instructions of the Bhaba Atomic Research Centre and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, the hospital has created a bunker which has two gigantic floors and walls more than two-and-a-half metres thick. It is meant to safekeep four high energy linear accelerators used for radiotherapy of cancer patients.
“The linear accelerator is high radiation-emitting unit and has to be kept in a specially designed place,” said MNJ director, Dr T. Mandapal. “It has been named Rajiv Gandhi Linear Accelerator block and the work is in progress.” The hospital is hoping to complete the work on the bunker in two-and-a-half months.
“It is being constructed by Andhra Pradesh Health, Medical Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation on 1,000 square yards at an estimated cost of Rs 4.8 crore,” said Dr Mandapal. Each floor of the bunker is almost ‘two stories’ high since the roof has to be high above the machines.
A linear accelerator with high dual energy mode system costs around Rs 6 crore. There are radiation safety officers in the hospital to take care of the systems. It was in 2000 that BARC permitted MNJ to resume radiation treatment for cancer patients which was suspended after it lost a hazardous radioisotope needle. Hospital authorities had said that it had only minimum radiation.