Discrimination with AYUSH sector
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Sept 23: The Government Ayurvedic College Jammu which was commissioned in the year 2017 with intake capacity of 50 students is still running on internal arrangement basis though third batch of 50 students is about to start within few days.
Official sources told Excelsior that the Ayurveda has been given second class treatment by successive Central and State Governments and this step motherly treatment with Ayurveda is still going on in the State and can be apparently witnessed in Government Ayurvedic College, Jammu which is going to start third batch of 50 students but still running on with stop gap arrangement from field staff whereas on the other hand Government has already created and filled posts in five new Medical Colleges of Kathua, Rajouri, Baramulla and Anantnag before starting first batch of students.
Sources said that the lone Government Ayurvedic College in Jammu was opened in the year 1962 at Indira Chowk but closed in the year 1975 due to State Government’s apathy. Though in the year 2010-11, Department of Ayush, Government of India, again sanctioned a Government Ayurvedic College at Birpur in Samba but the then Health Minister take it to Akhnoor.
They said in the year 2013, the State Government transferred State land of 93 kanals at village Shangani, about 10 kilometres from Akhnoor town, for the construction of the Ayurvedic College as well its associated hospital with an estimate cost of 2580 lakhs.
“But, since some furnishing work of the college was still pending and building of its associated hospital was under construction, Government in the year 2016 decided to start the College on make shift basis and accelerated process for getting letter of permission from Central Council of Indian Medicines (CCIM) to start the College,” sources added.
Finally, sources said, the Government succeeded in getting LoP and the College was started with intake capacity of 50 seats from the academic session 2017-18 on make shift basis from the building of erstwhile Government Ayurvedic College, Indira Chowk (Jammu) with internal arrangement of faculty and other staff. They said neither the temporary campus nor the staff of the college is as per CCIM rules.
They said the College was inaugurated in April 2018 with pomp and show by Union Minister of State for AYUSH, Shripad Yesso Naik in the presence of Minister for Health & Medical Education, Bali Bhagat, Minister of State for Health & Medical Education, Asiea Naqash and MP Jugal Kishore Sharma.
“While speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister had said that Government of India will take more effective steps to upgrade the health sector with special emphasis on AYUSH sector as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very keen to promote the AYUSH sector across the country as this century old traditional medicare system is trusted and affordable for all and without any side effect,” sources said and regretted that even after more than two years of start of the college, the State Government is not serious in creation of posts and doctors from periphery are being called to take teaching assignments, which is a mockery of Medical Education as these doctors have no teaching experience.
Sources further said that during last two years, the Health and Medical Education Department sent proposal for creation of posts of the Ayurvedic College more than thrice to Finance Department but every time the proposal was sent back with reasons best known to the authorities.
“What is more shocking is that a doctor from other system of medicine (Allopathy) was appointed as Principal of the Ayurvedic College that too after the College was set into function whereas in case of five new Medical Colleges, the principals were appointed even before these institutions get Letter of Permission (LoP) from Medical Council of India,” they repented and questioned “how a person with a degree in other system can become a principal of other system institution and do justice with that”.
When contacted, Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education Department, Atal Dulloo, said that Government is very much interested in creation of posts for the Ayurvedic College but due to some technical issues it got delayed. “The file for creation of posts was sent more than three times to the Finance Department but every time they sent back it with some queries. Recently, we again sent proposal of 151 posts to the Finance Department which has been accepted,” he added and hoped that soon the College will get permanent faculty and staff.
On a question of shifting the College from temporary campus at Indira Chowk (Jammu) to Akhnoor, Dulloo said that some construction work of the College building in Akhnoor is still under construction. “We are just waiting for creation of posts and completion of construction work of the College building at Akhnoor. As soon as both these works are done, we will shift the College at Akhnoor,” the Financial Commissioner asserted.
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