GOVERNMENT AYURVEDA COLLEGE STRUGGLES TO GET RECOGNITION

Times of India Friday, August 22, 2014

Varanasi: The Government Ayurveda College and Hospital, situated on the campus of Sumpurnanand Sanskrit University, is struggling for existence. The college was denied recognition by the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) in 2012 due to lack of faculty members. It had again applied for recognition this year.

The Central Council of Indian Medicine, the governing body of medical colleges, ranks the colleges on the basis of strength of faculty members and infrastructure. "The CCIM had denied recognition to our college in 2012, as it lacked required faculty. According to norms, there should be 12 teachers, including readers and professors. Earlier, we had only 10 teachers. But, now we have 13 teachers after three new teachers joined the college. We hope this year we get recognition," said Dr Vinay Mishra, chief medical officer of Government Ayurveda College and Hospital. Principal S N Singh said that they have applied for recognition this year.

Since the college was denied recognition there have been no new admissions on the 50 seats for the last two academic sessions (2012-13 and 2013-14). Another problem being faced by the hospital is poor infrastructure, which needs immediate attention.The number of patients coming to the hospital had also decreased. For a long time, the woman ward remained locked as there were no patients. The CMO said that earlier about 300-350 patients used to visit the OPD everyday, mainly for the Panch-Karma treatment, but now the number has decreased to 150-200. He added that most of the patients are from the slum area but the hospital is located in the interior of Sumpurnanand Sanskrit University, so people hesitate to visit. Although the hospital has all the required equipment and adequate staff for healthcare but it suffers due to poor infrastructure. Moreover, sanitation and cleanliness of the hospital is also in bad. The hospital welcomes its patients with a huge heap of stinking garbage at the entrance. Toilets also need proper cleaning and maintenance.

The principal said that till 1981, the college was a part of SSU but later it came under the state government. "We are making all efforts to re-establish the hospital. We have created all required facilities. We have also demanded specialists like radiologist, pathologist and a surgeon for better healthcare," he said. A new building is ready to accommodate the college and hospital outside the SSU campus.