Sir,
In connection with your editorial “Apathy for indigenous medicine” (DE July 14th 2014) I endorse your comments that the State Govt. had taken right decision to reopen Ayurvedic and Unani colleges at Akhnoor in Jammu and Ganderbal in Kashmir. As reported by your correspondent Avtar Bhat out of allocated fund of Rs 58 crore, Rs 26 crore have already been incurred on Govt Ayurvedic College, Akhnoor and 70 percent construction work of college is complete whereas construction of Ayurvedic Hospital is in initial stages. Unless the buildings are completed, necessary posts for the college and hospital are sanctioned, advertised and filled up, the fresh batch from the session 2014-15 can’t be commenced and a lot needs to be done in this regard. Without completion, permission from the Central Council of Indian Medicines won’t be granted nor affiliation with University of Jammu obtained. Once the admission is started, only then after completion of the requisite infrastructure as per CCIM norms, recognition to the college can be granted. You have titled the editorial as apathy for indigenous medicine and this apathy is because of non-serious and indifferent attitude of the State Govt. towards ISM in general and Ayurved in particular as is evident from ignoring the most genuine demands of ISM organizations including betterment of ISM dispensaries in respect of buildings, staff and supplies; bifurcation of the existing directorate of ISM and setting up of separate directorates for both the provinces of Jammu and Kashmir to provide equal opportunities for promotion to all the systems under Ayush.
The apathy of the Govt can also be gauged from its disinterest in making the Pharmacy and drug testing laboratory at Jammu functional, the buildings for which were constructed long back with Central funds and no machinery and equipment was installed nor necessary posts sectioned till date. The hotch-potch created by posting Unani Doctors in Ayurvedic dispensaries and even as district officers against Ayurvedic posts, supplying Unani medicines in Ayurvedic dispensaries is also indicative of lack of clarity on the part of authorities. Hope your editorial will make the Govt. reviews its policy towards ISM and initiate necessary steps towards admission of first batch from the current academic year.
Yours etc…
Dr G.R. Gupta
President VAP, J&K Jammu
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