Hundreds of AYUSH students from across Odisha have been staging demonstration at the Lower PMG in Bhubaneswar for the last three days seeking immediate steps by the government to fulfil their demands.
The agitating AYUSH students had a scuffle with police when they tried to break a barricade and enter the Assembly which is currently in session. Police have detained several students in the process.
The agitating students of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) alleged that no new appointments were made for the last 21 years. After clearing NEET and completing their medical degree, thousands of AYUSH doctors are waiting for government employment since last several years but in vain.
Though the government has appointed over 1,000 new allopathic doctors, no appointments of the Ayurveda and Homoeopathy doctors have been made, the protestors claimed.
They also demanded that necessary steps should be taken to open at least 500 government homoeopathic and ayurvedic dispensaries each and 30 district AYUSH hospitals this year to propagate the usefulness of the medicine and create new posts for ayurveda and homoeopathy graduates.
The protesters said that the AYUSH students will intensify the protests if their demands are not met at the earliest.
“We will intensify our strike and continue it until our demands are met,” said a protestor.