Now, MBBS books in Punjabi

PATIALA: If the state government’s bizarre plan works out you may hear phrases like ‘ratt koshika ka hrass’ (disintegration of blood cells) and ‘ratt jor vicar’ (blood in joints) in Punjab’s hospitals in the time to come. The Punjab government wants MBBS students to read books about medicine and surgery written in the Gurmukhi script.
The government has already directed the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) to start project of translating medical books into Punjabi.The step is already raising eyebrows as this could mean that the future doctors in Punjab would be cut out of latest research in the medical field which is shared across India and the world in English.
That government is serious about the project and has identified a team of 60 doctors to translate the text of medical science. Once the project is over, students in Punjab may be made to learn medical science’s Latin jargon and terminology in Gurmukhi.
“Medical science was first written in Sanskrit 2,500 years ago” is a one of the reasons given by an expert associated with the project, besides logic of disseminating medical knowledge to wider population through their native language.
“There is an urgent requirement to promote the publication of medical and nursing books to be written in Punjabi. The university should also initiate publication of these medical books in Punjabi to facilitate the students for easy access to them,” reads a document of BFUHS, Faridkot. The document also mentions that university would have the copyright of these printed books.
Assistant professor at department of pediatrics of government medical college (GMC) in Patiala, Hrshinder Kaur, has been appointed as coordinator of the project. “First text of medical science was written in Sanskrit 2,500 years ago. It was then translated into Arabic and languages of the world. Then why can’t it be translated into Punjabi. Moreover it would promote Punjabi,” she said.
Asked as to how huge collection of Latin words would be translated, she added, “Initially, the terms would not be changed. Only thing is that Gurmukhi script would be used instead of Roman script. The government’s aim is that such books should become part of curriculum of MBBS students.”
She said that 60 doctors from GMC Patiala, Faridkot and Amritsar have been identified who would contribute in this translation work.
Experts however called it as waste of resources. “Since medicine is a multidisciplinary subject, which involves all topics ranging from anatomy and biochemistry to physics and optics, it is not possible to translate medical books before developing native scientific terminology of other basic and applied sciences. Today, it doesn’t sound more than a daydreaming,” said Pyare Lal Garg, former joint director medical education and research department of Punjab government.