Where have all the interns gone?

A MASSIVE shortage of interns working in the casualty department has made it difficult for public hospitals across the city to treat their patients.

Hospitals such as St George Hospital, Gokuldas Tejpal Hospital and Bhabha Hospital are struggling as a new rule has stopped interns doing their Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) from completing their casualty internships.

The Central Council of Indian Medicine, the apex body regulating ayurvedic education in the country, has cancelled BAMS students' three-month internship at urban civil hospitals, depriving them of acquiring basic training in casualty cases.

The new rule states that, instead of a stint in casualty, they are to serve for nine months in their parent college followed by a three-month posting in Primary Health Centres (PHCs).

Doctors in the hospitals say the absence of the interns has put them under tremendous pressure.

Unhappy interns

Interns, too, are disappointed. "Earlier, we were suppose to serve for six months in our parent college, followed by three months at the casualty ward of a public hospital and then three months at a PHC or a rural hospital.
u00a0
But, according to the new order, we are expected to skip the casualty department internship, which is very important for us to understand the concept of modern medicine and learn to deal with emergencies," said Dr Deepak Rahangdale, an intern from the Mittal College, Charni Road.

More than 3,000 BAMS interns from the five major ayurvedic colleges in the city have refused to join their parent colleges as a sign of protest against the rule. "We had a series of discussions with the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences in Nashik, which had assured us help.
u00a0
We were supposed to join the internship programmes in our parent colleges on March 1, but we haven't done so yet," said Dr Gajanan Patange, a BAMS student from Sion Ayurvedic Medical College and member, Maharashtra State Internship Committee of BAMS Students.

The Other Side
Officials from the Central Council of Indian Medicine could not be reached for comment.