Gadvasu long wait for medical tests

Ludhiana: Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) was without a chief medical officer (CMO) from noon to 4pm, when students who had to get their medical tests done were stranded at the hospital for four hours. This is a regular routine that the hospital does not have a medical officer between these timings. On Tuesday, students of Diploma in Veterinary Sciences, Gadvasu, had to wait for more than four hours to get their medical test done.
PAU students have to also wait for sanctioning of medical leave. One of the students from College of Agriculture, PAU, who is also an ICAR student, was suffering from jaundice and needed a medical certificate to show his professor, so that she could take leave and continue her treatment in Chandigarh, her hometown, but all in vain.
She said, “I need to get my ECG and MRI done from outside. But I need to submit my medical report in the class to take my leave. I waited from 12.15pm but to no avail. Even the timings displayed outside the room of the medical officer were not correct.’
Msc Biotechnology student Adesh Gill said, “The doctor is available from 8am to 12noon and then comes back at 4pm. I feel the doctor’s services should be provided from 9am to 5pm in this hospital during the working hours of university. Beside this, other doctors too should be available so that students do not suffer.”
92 students were undergoing their medical test from PAU hospital for counselling of Diploma in Veterinary Sciences, Gadvasu, on Tuesday. All the students from faraway places suffered as they had to wait for long. A student from Mansa, Sardulgarh, was waiting for the past three-and-a-half hours at the hospital said, “I came along with my mother and my village is far away. My counselling got over at 12.30pm, and we immediately rushed to hospital, but no one is there. Counselling took just two hours and then four hours for the medical test.”
With the same problem, Sumit from Abohar, said, “It is quiet difficult for us to wait in the scorching heat. Alternative arrangements should be made available.” Tarsem Singh, father of Jashanpreet, who came for counselling of Diploma in Vet Sciences from Ropar, said, “This reveals the poor management of PAU and Gadvasu. Officials of Gadvasu should have informed the doctors to be available.”
And it is more shocking that there is no doctor between 12noon and 4pm. Ghanshyam Datt from Mansa district, whose son Nikhil Sharma was here for counselling of Diploma in Veterinary Sciences claimed it was sheer harassment for parents. Later, it was revealed that the PAU hospital did not get any such information from Gadvasu.
Dr SS Pooni told TOI, “Counselling starts at 9am, and with the time gap in the counselling process, seven to eight students turned up for the medical test at the same time. It is my routine that I come at 8am and leave by 12noon, and then again work from 6-8pm.”
Harish Verma from Gadvasu — the official who was counselling the committee, said, “We do not have any medical hospital in our university, and we share the hospital with PAU. Normally, the dates of counselling and academic calendar have been fixed in advance, which PAU has to look. PAU authorities or CMO has to look for this solution. I will take up this matter with the VC and they can correspond with them.”