District Ayurvedic health centres cry for attention

Ravi Chandel

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 13

Reeling under acute staff crunch and poor infrastructure, the Ayurvedic health centres in the district are finding it difficult to cater to the patients.

As many as 60 per cent posts of the Ayurvedic medical officers are lying vacant in the district for the past many years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first national-level Ayurveda Institute in New Delhi with the promise of opening Ayurveda hospitals in every district of the nation.

He had also given assurance to provide sufficient funds for their smooth functioning. As per information, there are 29 sanctioned posts of Ayurvedic medical officers (AMOs) in the district, of which 14 posts have been lying vacant for the past many years.

Besides, of the 28 sanctioned posts of pharmacists, 15 are vacant.

Similarly, 10 posts of midwife are vacant against 27 sanctioned posts.

On the other hand, District Ayurveda Officer Dr BS Buttar said they had time and again written to higher authorities regarding the dilapidated condition of their centres, inadequate equipment and medicines, besides staff crunch, but to no avail.

He said they didn’t even have their own building for office work. They are functioning from a residential building of a Civil Hospital employee, which is in a bad shape.

He said 12 pharmacists of these centres were recently engaged at civil hospitals and other health centres, but they have been deputed at service counters for issuing slips to patients. 

He said seven of their doctors were also deputed at allopathy health centres.

“At times, I feel bad that despite being District Ayurveda Officer, I have not been able to provide better platform to our employees. I don’t even have a proper office to discharge my duties,” he added. 

Punjab Ayurveda Director Rakesh Kumar Sharma said, “They had recently sanctioned Rs 36 lakh for the upkeep of the Ayurveda health centres.”