Homeopathic students launch dharna

Berhampur: The students of the government-run Biju Patnaik Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital here on Monday staged a dharna by locking the main gate in protest against the decision to hold up of admission to first year of the Bachelor in Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS) course this year.
Union ministry of ayush did not allow the college to conduct the admission due to lack of infrastructure, shortage of teachers and non-functioning of indoor wing (in-patient department) in the college.
"We had urged the government to fill up the teaching posts and start the indoor department immediately otherwise the college will be closed," said students' union president Gopal Krushna Padhy. He said the strike would continue till the government fulfils the demands.
As the 47-year-old college and hospital has no in-patient department, the students go to the nearby City Hospital for their internship in the last year of the five-and-a-half-year BHMS course.
The college has only eight permanent teaching staffers against the sanctioned posts of 35. Fourteen teachers have been engaged on deputation and contractual basis. Similarly non-teaching posts like technicians to operate different machines and librarian post are also lying vacant, college sources said.