The government says that their hands are tied in terms of providing jobs to a group of students that underwent an Ayurvedic course for the last 5 and a half years since 2011. The first batch of students passed out in 2018.
The Panbang’s Member of Parliament (MP) asked the Health Minister on the government’s stand regarding these students’ plight during the question hour session of the National Assembly today.
“A group of undergraduates are unhappy and hopeless without a job. These students have studied Ayurvedic course, similar to MBBS for the last 5 and a half years. But their certificates are not recognised by the government and are not given the opportunity to work. They are having a tough time. Ayurveda is considered under the traditional medicine category by the medical act. They are the victims of government’s blunder. Can the Health Minister inform the house on the plans and policies to resolve their issue?” asked Dorji Wangdi, the Panbang MP.
The Health Minister, Dechen Wangmo said the Ministry is looking to see alternatives such as to sit for the Royal Civil Service Commission Examinations.
“I doubt if proper research was done before sending the students abroad or not. These students got engineering courses, dentistry courses and other such important courses but they were advised to take up this ayurvedic course and become ayurvedic doctors. I have met the students many times and they told me that they are not getting jobs and it is true. They won’t get because after they were sent to study, acts were needed to be revised and nothing has been done. Now when the students are coming after graduating, our hands are tied, we cannot do anything. We have two health services that are recognized, allopathic medicine and traditional medicine. We have nine students in total. Two have gone to do their masters. But no one is struggling without a job. All of them are working. Some of them are working in NGO’s such as the Cancer Society. We have also talked with the RCSC to give the students to sit for RCSCE and we advised them to go for it,” said Dechen Wangmo, the Health Minister.
Tshering Dhendup
