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Minority Healthcare Vision Stalled as Unused Medical Infrastructure Raises Questions
Anytime News Network
Pooja Srivastava
A major controversy surrounding healthcare infrastructure and institutional neglect has emerged in Bareilly, where a fully built Unani Medical College and Hospital remains underutilized while a government Ayurvedic college continues to function from a dangerously dilapidated building. The situation has triggered criticism over administrative inefficiency, delayed planning, and lack of seriousness towards minority healthcare institutions.
The SRM Government Ayurvedic College and Hospital, operating from an over 85-year-old structure, was declared unsafe by the Public Works Department nearly a decade ago. Officials have repeatedly searched for land to relocate the institution, but even after 13 years, no permanent solution has been finalized. Reports suggest that the building has become so weak that vibrations from nearby sawmills reportedly shake its walls.
Ironically, while the Ayurvedic college struggles for survival, the state’s newly developed Unani Medical College has still not started full-fledged OPD services. The infrastructure, built with the vision of promoting Unani healthcare and minority medical education, remains largely unused. As a temporary arrangement, authorities are now planning to shift the Ayurvedic college into the Unani campus.
The development has sparked debate within social and intellectual circles. Critics argue that minority institutions often receive emotional and political attention but fail to get sustained public engagement and institutional backing at the grassroots level. Many believe that if the Unani hospital had been operationalized on time, it could have emerged as a major center for alternative medicine and healthcare in Uttar Pradesh.
Officials maintain that the move is necessary to protect students and patients associated with the Ayurvedic college. District authorities have confirmed that land is still being searched for a permanent campus. Until then, the Unani Medical College building will be used to continue academic and medical services.
Healthcare observers say the situation reflects a larger governance challenge where expensive infrastructure projects remain underutilized while old institutions continue to struggle with unsafe conditions. The issue has once again highlighted the gap between policy announcements and ground-level execution.
