Even as the Madras High Court has given permission to the Government Siddha Medical College at Palayamkottai in Tirunelveli district to commence classes for the current academic year, shortage of faculties, infrastructure and medicines ails the healthcare institution located in the  southern part of Tamil Nadu.

The court on Monday issued order to conduct classes for the current academic year quashing the closure order given by the Ayush department last year on the basis of an inspection report submitted by the Central Council for Indian Medicine (CCIM). The Ayush department had cancelled recognition of two ISM Medical Colleges in Tamil Nadu, another being Government Ayurveda Medical College at Kottar in Kanyakumari district for non-compliance of minimum facilities and standards.

Since the Ayush department denied permission to commence classes for fresh admissions in November last year, one hundred fresh students of BSMS and 60 students of PG courses approached the court, in addition to an indefinite strike they staged before the college. The court verdict came on the 38th day of the agitation.

However, the hospital's problems go far beyond the academic issues. Seventy per cent of the total requirement of faculty members is lying vacant. The college is hiring retired teachers on contract basis to run the show. PG students of the college complain that the departments of General Medicine, Special Medicine, Paediatrics, Pharmacology, Pathology and Toxicology are struggling due to the shortage of teaching staff. According to them, each department should have a faculty strength of minimum 9 teachers, but the college has only 2 or three teachers in each department.

For teaching modern medicine papers like general medicine, pharmacology, paediatrics, toxicology etc., all the PG students are depending on tuition classes in various places.

In the case of medicines, there is no cure for the shortage of essential and routine drugs in the pharmacy, complains the students of MD in Siddha who are assigned to do the services in the OP wards. They said that as there is no supply of medicines, the flow of patients to the hospital is also decreasing which badly affects their study. Apart from book knowledge, the students are not getting practical experience in the medical college for want of patients. Most of the IP wards are lying vacant.

Dr S Ravi Kumar and Dr Jeeva Gladys, PG students of the College told this reporter that the CCIM gave negative report to the Ayush department because of this grave situation prevailing at the college with regard to drugs and faculties.

The college campus houses buildings of hospitals, colleges, hostels, pharmacy and drug production unit in a congested area of 3.8 acres of land. Apart from graduation and post graduation, courses of Diploma in Pharmacy and Diploma in Nursing are also conducted there. For all these courses altogether, around 1100 students are admitted into the college every year.

According to the students, despite plenty of memorandums and agitations to the government, so far no positive step was taken by the state government.