Ludhiana, July 19 -- A medicine shortage continues to plague government ayurvedic dispensaries in Ludhiana for the second consecutive year, leaving thousands of patients without access to free healthcare.

Across the district's 64 government ayurvedic health institutions, including the Government Ayurvedic Hospital at Model Gram, patients continue to return with prescriptions instead of medicines. At the same time, the department battles both procurement delays and a severe manpower shortage. The shortage first surfaced in 2025 and remains unresolved despite repeated assurances from the department. With fresh supplies still at least two months away, patients say they have been forced to pay for medicines from private pharmacies or to disc...