Students of Government Siddha Medical College here staged dharna on the college premises at Palayamkottai on Friday in protest against the proposal to remove some of the vital portions of allopathic medicines from their curriculum. The protesting students said the curriculum committee for siddha medicine of Tamil Nadu MGR Medical University for the year 2011 – 2012 had reportedly recommended the omission of certain vital portions from physiology, biochemistry, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, pathology and microbiology even after the Central Council for Indian Medicine had opposed the move. At a time when important sections of allopathic medicines were included and taught to the students of siddha medicine in the past so that they could have clear understanding of those subjects, the present curriculum committee had recommended the partial or complete deletion of these vital topics. “It is a move being made with ulterior motive to show the siddha medicines as unreliable system in the eyes of the public and prevent the siddha medical practitioners from having thorough understanding of these subjects. Moreover, it will only encourage the business of the multinational pharmaceutical companies in the country while annihilating the poor patients benefiting through siddha medicine” the protestors said. They said the students of siddha medical college would continue their protest till the proposal was withdrawn.
Source : The Hindu
