Hundreds of Students of Biju Patnaik Homoeopathic Medical College Hospital have launched an indefinite hunger strike against the State Government here since Friday in support of their five-point charter of demands.
Notably, the students earlier had locked the main gate of the college and sat on dharana on July 31 last having placards at hands and chanting slogans against the Government and in support of their demands which have so far gone unheeded.
The demands include filling up vacant posts of about 28 in number, regular conduct of all practical classes, regular functioning of indoor hospital, provision of separate common room facilities for boys and girls, regular opening of college library with adequate learning resources in the field of homoeopathic sciences, sanction of HMOs and HAs required for the hospital and appointment of lab technician for Pathology Department and radiographer for operating X-ray and Ultra sound machines, among others.
Sources said the homoeopathy college is one of the oldest in the State which remains neglected. Due to absence of subject teachers, routine teaching has been adversely affected. One faculty member of a particular discipline or stream has been kept in-charge of more than one department or stream who fails to give justice to the students.
Consequently, the students are deprived of practical classes and hands-on experience in laboratory experiments.
The college library is currently defunct and does not have adequate professionally trained staff. lack of basic infrastructure in the college is a clear indicator of the so called “Swachh Sasan” of Naveen Pattnaik led BJD Government, said an agitating student.
According to information available, the Director of the Directorate of Ayush, Odisha had requested the Additional Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department to take early action for filling up of the vacant teaching posts of lecturer through OPSC and higher posts through DPC by vacating the stay order passed by the OAT, Cuttack Bench. But the repeated demands of the students and persuasion of the Directorate of Ayush remain unheeded. It is more surprising to note that out of 144 sanctioned teaching posts for the four Government homeopathic medical colleges of the State, only 30 teachers are working and the remaining 114 posts of teachers are laying vacant.
Earlier, the agitating students had submitted a comprehensive memorandum to the Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department with copy to the Chief Minister, the Health Minister, and the local representatives for intervention, but in vein. Meanwhile, former Assembly Deputy Speaker Rama Chandra Panda urged the Government to immediately recruit the required number of teachers and technical staff to impart qualitative teaching.