State’s premier homeopathic hospital battling for survival

GUWAHATI, Feb 26: At a time when the Central government is putting stress on optimal development and propagation of alternative treatments like homeopathy and ayurveda, the Swahid Jadav Nath Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital here, which is under the Ministry of AYUSH, is battling a host of problems and gasping for survival.
Back in 1976, the Government of Assam established Swahid Jadav Nath Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital with the aim to serve people of the State, but the Hospital is currently facing critical shortage of manpower and necessary infrastructures. Some of the equipments available in the Hospital have been lying useless for long, the main reason being lack of trained staff.
A visit to the Hospital reveals the sorry state of affairs. The Hospital has an IPD, but it is often kept under lock and key for lack of facilities. Tests like USG can only be done in the Hospital when specialized staff from Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) visit it to conduct the tests. The Hospital has an X-ray machine, but it too is lying defunct because of non-use over a long period.
There are 12 departments in the Hospital, but the number of lecturers and professors is not adequate. Proxy lecturers and professors sometimes conduct classes of other departments.
The Surgery department of the Hospital has no surgeon and the OT unit has no facility. Due to non-availability of dissection room in the Hospital, patients concerned are referred to GMCH. The Hospital also doesn’t have a pathologist, labour room and emergency facility.
Although the Hospital has an ambulance and a bus, there are no drivers to run them. The Hospital has no hostel for boys, though construction of a hostel for girls is ongoing.
It may be mentioned that Assam has three Homeopathic Medical College and Hospitals – Swahid Jadav Nath Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital here, one at Jorhat and another at Nagaon.