Plea to allot 50 acres for Tirunelveli Government Siddha Medical College and Hospital

The All Women Siddha Doctors’ Association has urged the Tamil Nadu Government to allot at least 50 acres of land for the Tirunelveli Government Siddha Medical College and Hospital, which is now functioning on a cramped 3 acre in Palayamkottai.

Secretary of the Association S. Yavanarani, at a meeting here on Tuesday, said the 60-year-old Government Siddha Medical College, Tirunelveli, is functioning on a strangled space of just 3 acres at Murugankurichi in Palayamkottai after it was started at this spot in 1964 in a temporary building even though the site intended originally for siddha medical college was Courtallam on the foothills of the Western Ghats.

After being started with just 300 students, the college now has over 1,000 students. However, no step has been taken to shift the college to a sprawling campus in Courtallam.

“Since the siddha medicines won the trust of the public during the COVID, dengue and chikungunya outbreaks in the past, the college has to establish its research wings on serious viral infections. Since the Tirunelveli Government Siddha Medical College and Hospital with over 1,000 students is in need of a sprawling campus for establishing new courses, postgraduate programmes, diploma courses, research units in each department, pharmaceutical unit, herbal garden etc. for getting the Union Government’s rating and assistances, the Tamil Nadu Government should identify at least 50 acres for establishing the college afresh. The paucity of land and absence of more mandatory facilities effectively obstruct the flow of assistances from the Union Government,” Dr. Yavanarani said.

She also pointed out that the Tamil Nadu Government was yet to implement the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court’s direction of allotting 50 acres of unused land of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University near Chettikulam on Seevalaperi Road for establishing the siddha medical college and hospital campus.

“Hence, we’ve gathered here to attract the attention of the Tamil Nadu Government towards this genuine demand of allotting 50 acres of land for Tirunelveli Government Siddha Medical College, our Alma Mater,” said Dr. Yavanarani.