IN FOCUS
Animal care an attractive vocation
Sunit Dhawan

College of Veterinary Sciences, Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, was established in 1882 in Lahore as a veterinary school. After the Partition, with the help of the faculty of Lahore Veterinary College who had migrated to India, the then Punjab Government set up a Camp Veterinary College at Hisar in February 1948. The college was affiliated to the erstwhile Punjab University, Solan. The foundation stone of the present college building was laid on October 2, 1955. With the establishment of Punjab Agricultural University in 1962, Hisar Veterinary College became one of its constituent colleges. Then, Haryana Agricultural University was formed in 1970 and the college became a part of this university.

Ph.D (In 14 specialities)

MVSc (In 15 specialities)

BVSc and AH

Diploma in Veterinary and Livestock Development

The BVSc and AH (Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry) programme is recognised by the Veterinary Council of India (VCI). It is a five-year course, including six-month internship. The students having passed their Class XII exams with physics, chemistry and biology are eligible to apply for the course. The admission to the course is through an entrance test conducted by the university. While 15 per cent of the seats are filled on the basis of an All-India test, 85 per cent seats are filled on the basis of merit in the university entrance test. The number of seats in the BVSc course is subject to revision and generally varies between 50 and 60.

The master’s and doctorate degrees are recognised by the UGC and the Association of Indian Universities. The admission to the two-year master degree is on the basis of merit in the qualifying ,i.e BVSc exams. The course comprises the following disciplines: anatomy and histology, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, public health, pharmacology, epidemiology and preventive medicine, microbiology, parasitology, surgery and radio-diagnosis, gynaecology and obstetrics, clinical medicine, immunology, veterinary and animal husbandry extension and animal biotechnology. The last two courses were added to the curriculum last year and Ph.D programme in these would soon be started. The number of seats in these courses is also subject to review. According to latest information, there were 42 seats in master degree and 22 seats in Ph.D.

V and LDD course

The admission to the veterinary and livestock development diploma course is made on the basis of an entrance exam. The basic qualification for applying for this course is matriculation.

Faculty: Dr A.P.Singh is the Dean of the College, while Dr Jit Singh, Professor of Surgery, is the Acting Dean.

According to Dr Jit Singh, lately, there has been an increasing inclination towards private practice. The veterinary officers in government hospitals and other institutes get the same grade as the medical or dental officers. Besides government jobs, they can join the research and development wing of some pharmaceutical company or diagnostic labs. These days, there are good opportunities in getting research fellowships in foreign countries, Dr Jit Singh said, adding that many students of the college were practising in the USA and Canada. Veterinary doctors are also absorbed by livestock farms, poultry industry and Army’s Remount and Veterinary Corps. Besides, big pharmaceutical companies like Glaxo, Intas, Indian Herbs and Natural Remedies visit the college for imparting training to the students during their internship.

Facilities and Infrastructure

The college has a central diagnostic laboratory, a computer laboratory, a Teaching Veterinary Clinical Service Complex and a wildlife centre. The college has been reorganised as per the requirement of the VCI. Every department of the college has well-qualified faculty and modern laboratory infrastructure.

An interesting aspect of the college is its disease-free animal centre. The centre breeds different species of laboratory animals for biological research and teaching purposes. These animals are raised under controlled environmental conditions behind a perfect barrier system to protect them from any possible infections. The animals raised here are supplied to various institutions.

The college has all facilities required for research in the frontier areas of veterinary and animal sciences. The faculty has made seminal contribution in the field of camel anatomy, ruminant physiology, buffalo immunology and newer approaches to surgical treatment of livestock diseases.

In the past two years, biotechnological approaches such as hybridoma technology, polymerase chain reaction and DNA probes are being evaluated for the diagnosis of livestock diseases. The college has an in-house ethical committee which looks after the animal welfare issues while conducting research on them.

COURSE CHAT "Veterinary graduates can be absorbed by hospitals, diagnostic centres, poultry industry and animal farms. The research and development wings of pharmaceutical companies also provide good opportunities." Dr Jit Singh, Additional Director, Research, HAU, Acting Dean of Veterinary Sciences College and Professor in Veterinary Surgery and Radiology. Q: What are career prospects in veterinary sciences? A:. The field is promising and career prospects are looking upwards. This is evident by the increasing competition for admission to the veterinary courses. At present, there are 37 veterinary colleges all over the country, five of which have been upgraded to the level of universities. Q:. What are the kinds of jobs a veterinary graduate can get? A: Veterinary graduates can join the government service as veterinary officers. Their scale of pay and other facilities are the same as those enjoyed by medical and dental surgeons. They can start their own practice and can be absorbed by hospitals, diagnostic centres, poultry industry and animal farms. Then, the research and development wings of pharmaceutical companies also provide good opportunities. Q: What is the scope of going abroad? A:. There is immense scope as many foreign countries offer research fellowships at postgraduate and post-doctoral level. After completing the research, they may get absorbed there only. Many Indian vets are successfully practising in various foreign countries, including the USA and Canada. Q: What are the most preferred disciplines in study? A: The clinical disciplines, i.e. veterinary medicine and surgery, remain the evergreen choices. Those who want government jobs or private practice usually go in for these. Those who want to join research later prefer veterinary microbiology, biotechnology and immunology. Veterinary epidemiology and biochemistry are also being preferred. Q: What are the major problems faced by research scientists in India? A: A major problem faced by the scientists is that of red tape. Researchers are unnecessarily burdened with administrative work. They face so many bureaucratic/official hurdles that their efficiency is bound to be affected. Then, there is staff shortage. The government only considers the teacher-student ratio while making recruitments or sanctioning new posts. It ignores that the scientists are mainly engaged in various projects and other research-related activities. That way, research scientists ought to be treated differently from the faculty members of other teaching departments. — S.D.