Labourers shown as patients; ayurvedic college orders probe

The government ayurvedic college at Osmanabad in the Marathwada region has courted controversy amidst reports that daily wage labourers were passed off as "patients" during a visit by a Central team.
However, the Dean of the Government Ayurvedic College Prakash Khaparde denied the incident, adding that he has ordered an inquiry after such reports came to light.
The team, from the Central Council of Indian Medicine, a statutory body under the Union Ministry of Ayush, was on a two-day visit to the college in connection with the proposed new academic courses, hospital dean Prakash Khaparde told PTI.
"When our attention was drawn to reports that some labourers were roped in as patients just because the committee won't notice shortage of patients in the hospital, I ordered an inquiry. The probe panel, comprising three lecturers, will submit its report in eight days," Khaparde said.

The college has 175 beds and an intake of 50 students who pursue the four-and-a-half year long BAMS course, he said.
"Normally, patient capacity in the hospital is over 75 per cent and we don't resort to such means (passing off labourers as patients)," he said.
"Coinciding with the central team's visit, the hospital authorities noticed that some blank case papers went missing and we have filed a police complaint," Khaparde said.
"Involvement of political elements in the entire episode cannot be ruled out," he said, but declined to elaborate further.