Mohyeldin to head the Sudanese Indian Friendship Association

Sudanese Indian Friendship Association ( SIFA ) is made up of Sudanese people who graduated from Indian Universities. Whether it is from Madras, Pune, Nagpur, Baroda, Jabalpur or Hyderabad all the Sudanese Alumni from any of these Universities are members of SIFA. On Saturday 13^th December an election was held to elect the new President of SIFA under the guidance of Council for International Peoples Friendship. There were 350 members present. Moulana Abdel Bashit Abdel Majid former Education and Tourism Minister of Sudan represented the Council and set the guidelines. He insisted that the members of SIFA should be comprised of 70% Sudanese and rest 30% by Indians.

Ambassador of India H.E. Sanjay Kumar Verma was present and addressed the large gathering of Sudanese people who have been educated in India. His Excellency shared that every year 250 scholarships were awarded to Sudanese students to study in Indian Universities. Moreover 2500 students went to India every year under self- financing programs. The Ambassador was pleased to announce that Nuclear Medicine will be a new subject offered to Sudan. He added that SIFA has played a positive role in increasing trade relations between the two countries which was 1.3 billion US$ and is slated at 1.7billion US$ at the end of this year’s financial year ending in March’15. While he said that the Embassy of India represents the Government of India he also added that the Mission was for the people both Indian and Sudanese.

The outgoing President of SIFA Yousrie Burai thanked everyone for their cooperation and support and the newly elected President Mohyeldin Mohyeldin Abdeltam promised to do his best in creating a favourable atmosphere in all fields between India and Sudan. A successful businessman Mohyeldin formed a core committee of 20 members. Dr.Anil Mithani President of the Omdurman Indian Community is also in this core committee of SIFA.

Photographs of Psoriasis

As Pharmaceutical Marketing Professionals, we serve the Medical Fraternity with our offerings. We do care for the patients for they are our end users or consumers. Some companies have organized system of keeping track of their patients in a Direct To Consumer (DTC) communication.

I recently had a new kind of encounter with a patient. A leading Dermatologist requested me to take pictures of his patient for a ‘Before and After ’ effect. The patient is suffering from Psoriasis.

I was wondering that this patient would have to live with this chronic skin condition for life. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease and cannot be cured. It can be managed by slowing the process and keeping it under control. Psoriasis develops when the patient’s immune system sends wrong signals which tells the skin cells to grow very fast. But Psoriasis is not contagious-it does not spread by touch. I pray for the patient and hope that next time when I am called to take pictures after few months of treatment I find him well recovered.

Indian Jewel in Sudan's Crown

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), a Government of India company is categorized as ‘Maharatna’ company which means it belongs to the top jewel group of public sector enterprises. BHEL is entrusted as the EPC (Engineering-Procurement-Construction) contractor by the Ministry of Electricity, Government of Sudan to execute the 4X125MW Power Project at Kosti, Sudan named as Um Dabakir Power Station. This contract was signed by Eng. Makkawi Mohamed Awad the then Managing Director of NEC who is presently the Minister of Petroleum, Government of Sudan. The Consultant retained by the Sudanese Government for this project is Fichtner GmbH & Co. KG of Stuttgart, Germany. This was reported as the single largest export order secured by BHEL worth 457.5 million USD for setting up a 4x125MW (500MW) Crude Oil fired thermal power plant in Sudan. Government of India had extended a concessional line of credit of 350 million USD through EXIM Bank of India.

The BHEL project near Rabak at White Nile State is centrally located 320 km south of Khartoum with the White Nile flowing nearby. Mr. Rana Basu General Manager of BHEL, who has been at the helm of affairs since the inception of the project, has undertaken a herculean task in coordinating Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC).  This plant is a strategic project designed to supply power to Southern Sudan, Darfur and Khartoum ring. The crude oil was supposed to come from South Sudan, in turn to fire the boilers at the power plant. The main setback of supply of fuel happened ever since South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011.There were delays in transportation of materials manufactured by BHEL in India to Kosti. BHEL has appointed Indian contractors for the construction of the Kosti plant. Till few months back there were almost 2000 Indian personnel including workers engaged at the site. Today the number has reduced to 1000. Mr. Rana Basu along with their Site Manager Mr. Asim Sur take pride in saying that today three of the four units have been commissioned with relentless and sleepless hard working days and nights by BHEL construction team of 45 Engineers and they will be ready with the fourth unit for completion of the project by March 2015.

This writer recently visited the plant and was astonished with the mighty plant as you can see in these pictures. A matter of pride for every Indian is that the huge plant is designed in India and made of materials and equipment manufactured by BHEL in India. In other words, every piece of steel in this gigantic plant is Indian.

The raw water intake channel constructed by BHEL at the White Nile is very picturesque especially at sunset. It is an 800 meters long & 12 meters deep channel built to feed water from White Nile for the Power Plant. The water reservoir has a capacity of 90000 tons. This water is treated and demineralized so that it does not damage the turbines. This treated water is pumped into the boilers to generate steam and activate the turbines. There are four massive turbines each capable of generating 125 MegaWatts of electricity. Amazingly, all the activities, pathways and dynamics of each unit are controlled centrally in a control room by the click of a mouse. This speaks of the state of art technology in this project.

Dr. Mudawi Abdelkarim Musa Projects Director of Sudanese Thermal Power Generating Co.Ltd (erstwhile NEC) is a happy man today. He is grateful to BHEL for his learning experience with the project and loves India for the work ethics, ingenuity and culture. He said that the Kosti Thermal Power Project is a testimony to the strong bilateral relations between India and Sudan.

 

If walls could speak...

The present palace as you can see from the Blue Nile used to be the Governor-General’s palace. General Charles George Gordon who was the then Governor General, was decapitated on the steps of a stairway in the northwestern corner of this very palace. With the Mahdist revolt the British had decided to abandon Sudan. But General Gordon would not give up. The Mahdi had issued orders to prevent the General being killed, but unfortunately two days before his 52nd birthday, on 26^th January 1885, General Gordon was beheaded. The motley rescue expedition arrived on 28^th January 1885, two days too late.

The Meeting ‘Baad Al Eid’ To Never Happen

I used to meet him in many forums. Doctors’ conferences, Press Conferences, Tennis Tournaments. Latif Joseph Sabag was one of the founder members of Umma Party. He was also active with the Sudanese National Society of the Deaf. He used to write about many countries in his column ‘I’m Sudanese’. He had asked me to take his profile picture. He liked it and used it in his column. Before Eid he called me saying that he wanted to meet me. I said we will ‘Baad Al Eid’. But I’m saddened to say the meeting will never happen now. He succumbed to a heart attack on the second day of Eid. May his soul rest in peace. I pray for his family members to get the strength to cope with the loss.

Remembering Mahatma Gandhi’s Dream on His Birthday

“Mahatma Gandhi had dreamt of an India which was not only free but also clean and developed. Mahatma Gandhi secured freedom for Mother India. Now it is our duty to serve Mother India by keeping it neat and clean. I take this pledge that I will remain committed and devote time for this.

I will devote 100 hours per year that is two hours per week to voluntary work for cleanliness and devote time for this. I will neither litter nor let others litter. I will initiate the quest for cleanliness with myself, my family, my locality, my village and my work place. I believe that the countries of the world that appear clean are so because their citizens don’t indulge in littering nor do they allow it to happen.

With this firm belief, I will propagate the message of Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission in villages and towns. I will encourage 100 other persons to take this pledge which I am taking today. I will endeavor to make them devote their 100 hours for cleanliness.

I am confident that every step I take towards cleanliness will help in making my country clean”.

This was the pledge that millions of Indians read on Gandhi’s birthday 2^nd October, as the new Indian Government’s campaign for a ‘Clean India’ This is an initiative taken by the Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi.

On 2^nd October, Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday was celebrated at the Embassy of India, Khartoum. The Ambassador of India H.E. Sanjay Kumar Verma first garlanded the statue of Mahatma Gandhi and then read out the above pledge which was followed by the Indian Community. Then the Blood Donation Camp was opened where both ladies and men from the Indian Community and officials from Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs donated blood. The First Lady, Ambassador’s wife Mrs. Gunjan Verma was the first to donate blood. A few more ladies donated blood. Later the Ambassador donated blood.  A total of 33 units of blood were collected which will save the lives of almost 100 children at the Omdurman Hospital.

When the Queen bites in Khartoum

Indian Expatriates in Sudan may have an impression that since we have had malaria back home once or more than once, we are immune to malaria in Sudan. This may be a misconception. Here is a case of a couple who has been struck by malaria even after a decade’s healthy living in Khartoum. You may think that you have had flu or influenza or viral fever but it may not be so. Don’t forget the rains have caused water logging in your neighbourhood which is ideal for the breeding of mosquitoes. You may have been bitten by femme fatale- the female anopheles mosquito. It is this bite that transmits the malarial parasites. Your Blood Film Test for Malaria Parasite may be negative but the symptoms of intermittent fever with shivering and vomiting may persist. This is when you should insist on the confirmatory Immuno Chromatographic Test (ICT) for Malaria and to your surprise it may give a positive result. Once you are confirmed to have malaria, the treatment in Khartoum, Sudan is not like what is back home. It is the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria (the more dangerous type). Physicians don’t take a chance here even if your Blood Film Test shows that you have trophozoites (feeding stage) of Plasmodium Vivax (the common less harmful bug that causes malaria). Well this is of empirical value which comes through experience that there is every possibility of mixed infestation of both Plasmodium Vivax (less dangerous parasite) Plasmodium Falciparum ( near fatal parasite). If you are an adult you need to take eight injections of Artemether 80mg. First day 2 injections (12 hourly) followed by once daily total of eight. The injections are to be taken on your buttocks and make sure you are in safe hands with gloves and disposable syringes. On the day of the last injection you need to take three tablets of Sulphadoxine + Pyrimethamine, popularly known as Fansidar tablets, after dinner. It may not be available in the pharmacies but it will be available with 6 tablets of Artesunate. The Artesunate has already been administered through intramuscular injections. Now one needs to consume only the three white tablets in the pack.

If you think that eight injections and 3 tablets have taken care of all the malarial parasites, again you may be mistaken. There may be some hypnozoites- sleeping bugs comfortably sheltered in your cozy liver. Most of the relapse of malaria occurs when these dormant parasites wake up and start feeding on our red blood cells. Primaquine 15mg tablets are to be taken once a day for 14 days. Now Primaquine tablets are not available in Sudan. It will be a good idea to get them next time when you are in India.

During these days eat light which you can digest easily. Drink a lot of fruit juice but avoid extra sugar.

One has already lost at least a week’s working days. But you are still drained out of energy because these malarial parasites have literally destroyed your red blood cells. You need to administer haematinics- medicines that help you build blood.

Don’t keep your doors or windows open and use mosquito repellents at home. You will never realize when the queen mosquito comes and kisses you. Keep them away and stay safe.

The above piece is no prescription for malaria. It is only a guideline from practical experience and the dosages given above are only for adults not children. Please consult your Doctor whenever you feel that the female anopheles mosquito has touched you. Keep safe.