Stir by siddha students

Protest to remove portions of allopathic medicines

: Students of Government Siddha Medical College here staged dharna on the college premises at Palayamkottai on Friday in protest against the proposal to remove some of the vital portions of allopathic medicines from their curriculum.

The protesting students said the curriculum committee for siddha medicine of Tamil Nadu MGR Medical University for the year 2011 – 2012 had reportedly recommended the omission of certain vital portions from physiology, biochemistry, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, pathology and microbiology even after the Central Council for Indian Medicine had opposed the move.

At a time when important sections of allopathic medicines were included and taught to the students of siddha medicine in the past so that they could have clear understanding of those subjects, the present curriculum committee had recommended the partial or complete deletion of these vital topics.

“It is a move being made with ulterior motive to show the siddha medicines as unreliable system in the eyes of the public and prevent the siddha medical practitioners from having thorough understanding of these subjects. Moreover, it will only encourage the business of the multinational pharmaceutical companies in the country while annihilating the poor patients benefiting through siddha medicine” the protestors said.

They said the students of siddha medical college would continue their protest till the proposal was withdrawn.

Hunger strike by Ayush doctors

Hunger strike by Ayush doctors

As many as 400 doctors attached to the Karnataka Ayush Medical Officers’ Welfare Forum will go on a hunger strike at Freedom Park on July 31, demanding regularisation of their jobs.

The doctors have urged the Health department to make them permanent employees since they had been managing many primary health centres (PHC) without the help of MBBS doctors. “We are given training in conducting delivery and post mortem. We also treat patients. Yet, we are not treated on a par with allopathic doctors,” said Forum president Dr Sangamesh. He said they were paid far less than what an MBBS doctor on contract got in the Health department. Besides this, they were not given any facilities such as quarters which were given to their allopathic counterparts. In the last four months, around 40 doctors have been relieved from duty, with MBBS doctors taking their place. Dr Sangamesh said out of 750 doctors in the health department, 150 managed a PHC each all by themselves