Patiala’s Ayurvedic Hospital Goes Into Overdrive

Deserted looking Government Ayurvedic Hospital, Patiala, was flooded with patients today. This would help in granting permission to the college for admitting students in the 2013-14 academic sessions, when a team of the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, went to the college in order to inspect.

Headed by elected member of the CCIM and associate professor, Government Ayurvedic Medical College, Lucknow, Dr PC Chaudhary, the other members of the team included Dr Anil Verma from Government Ayurvedic College and Hospital, Bareilly, and Dr Subhash Chand Verma from Government Ayurvedic College and Hospital, Patna. The team checked the patient’s registers, medicines stock and other records to see the availability of facilities and bed occupancy of the hospital.

As the college didn’t fulfill the eligibility conditions, the CCIM did not grant permission to admit students in the undergraduate and postgraduate courses, for the past two years.
Last year, the college had to fulfill eligibility conditions by October 31, 2012 as directed by the Ministry. The college had only 24 teachers for a required number of 36 teachers (32 for undergraduate and 4 for postgraduate courses), against the CCIM norms.

The college also did not have genuinely functional Ayurvedic hospital with a required patient load of 50 per cent bed occupancy. Regarding this issues Dr Chaudhary stated that they will send all the essential reports to the CCIM and then wait for them to take the eventual decision.

In order to impress the visited team, the hospital authorities had not only forged the number of patients visiting on daily basis but also admitted patients with minor problems who didn’t need bed rest, just to increase their bed occupancy, said sources in the hospital.
One of the patients in the hospital said he had come along with his father Baldev Singh, resident of Deep Nagar, and he was asked to occupy a bed.

A mid-day meal cook from Patiala said, she was here just for a minor ailment but was asked to take a bed and rest for some time. And then she also said that she had other things to do as well while interacting with them.