Standards for AYUSH medical colleges to be raised

The qualification standards for medical colleges and hospitals that come under the department of ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoepathy (AYUSH) will be raised, a senior official said Tuesday."We look for transparency in the practices followed by institutions to come under the system of AYUSH. By raising the qualification standards, we expect an upgradation in facilities such as distribution of medicines, condition of hospitals practicing this medium of medicine, and greater transparency," said Anil Kumar, secretary, AYUSH department in the health and family welfare ministry.The raising of norms comes in the form of changes in minimum criteria for higher level faculty, number of patients attended by the in-patient department (IPD) and out-patient department (OPD), the functional system of the hospital, and supply of medicines to the hospital among others.The decision comes after the ministry observed unfair practices of showing higher that actual number of patients in hospitals, lack of skilled faculty, and inadequate practices."We want to ensure quality in this branch of medicine by checking unfair practices. We have also collaborated with the National Sample Survey Organisation