Sir,
Your concern for improper health care facilities in rural areas [editorial, June 1,2019] is not only meaningful and purposeful but also symbolises hardships and anguish being faced by ailing rural masses without any worthwhile properly functioning alternative health care. As a matter of fact there are as many as 585 Ayush institutions in the state which are almost exclusively rural area based but due to mismanagement and administrative anarchy majority of these institutions are hardly in a position to provide any sort of alternative health care. Out of 585 institutions as many as 81 institutions have not been sanctioned and are being managed on internal arrangement basis by withdrawing staff from regular sanctioned dispensaries situated in most remote corners of the state leading to crippling of these institutions. There are 45 institutions which are functioning single handed since 1983, with provision of medical officer only and without any Para medical staff. During last two decades 89 more dispensaries have been added to this category and accordingly there are as many as 134 single handed dispensaries. It is not difficult to imagine the miserable plight of Ayush doctors posted in said single handed dispensaries situated in far flung rural areas of the state. During last 4-5 decades 57 new dispensaries have been “inaugurated” without any proper sanction under district or state plan. These institutions also are being managed [mismanaged?] on internal arrangement basis by withdrawing staff from sanctioned dispensaries. Ayush units in allopathic institutions, Panch karma and Khsyar sutra units in Ayurvedic hospital Jammu are also being managed under said “administrative panacea”. For want of sanctioned administrative staff in newly created districts, ten rural medical officers are functioning as Nodal officers and drug inspectors and “posted” at various district head quarters.
Newly opened Govt Ayurvedic College despite its third year of existence is still functioning on ad hoc basis and stop gap arrangement at non designated place. For want of sanction and subsequent recruitment of proper teaching faculty in the light of criteria laid down by Central Council of Indian Medicine [CCIM] 13 rural medical officers have been detailed to work in the said college under Govt order no 471 –HME of 2017 dated 01.09.17 though under CCIM Act it is mandatory to have 35 members faculty for intake of 50 students. Quite on the contrary proper sanction and subsequent recruitment of teaching faculty has been made well in advance for proposed medical colleges at various district head quarters .[ The data produced in the write up is in accordance to information provided by administrative department under RTI act }.
Dr H N Patwari,
former Deputy Director Ayurved.
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