The wings of Ayurveda and Homoeopathy operating inside the campus of Associated hospital of Doon Medical College (DMC) are still continuing to operate even after the DMC received green signal from the Medical Council of India (MCI). As a norm the Ayurveda and Homoeopathy departments are not part of medical colleges.
These wings are part of a district hospital and persisted in the campus even after the erstwhile Doon hospital was absorbed into medical college to fulfill the obligation of having an associated hospital with a minimum capacity of 300 beds. Apart from these two wings the hospital also continues to house an Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) centre for the Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) patients similarly some space is also occupied by NGOs working on AIDS and child development. Interestingly in a cover up bid the DMC authorities did a camouflage act and pasted name plates of departments of a medical college outside these wings during the recent inspection by the team of Medical Council of India (MCI). During the inspection period these wings remain closed so that a rosy picture before the visiting MCI team is presented.
When contacted, the Medical Superintendent of the hospital Dr KK Tamta accepted that these wings should not function inside a medical college hospital.
He said that the respective directorates of the Ayurveda and homeopathy should take initiative for shifting these wings. Dr Tamta added that the DMC would soon take action on the matter.
It is learnt that the problem with shifting of these wings is pending as the government is yet to decide on district hospital in Dehradun. After conversion of Doon Hospital into associated hospital of DMC, the state capital is without any district hospital now. One of a proposal is to shift these wings to the Coronation hospital. large number of patients visits the Ayruveda and Homepathy wings of the hospital. The data suggests that more than 200 patients visit their OPDs daily on an average.
The facility of Panchkarma therapy is also available in the Ayurveda wing of the hospital. One of a doctor of Ayurveda system said that the government should shift these wings in a place which in the heart of the city so that the patients of these forms of the medicines are not affected.