CMCH switches medicine covers after Hindi text sparks language policy row

Coimbatore Medical College Hospital swapped its Hindi‑tagged medicine covers for new ones after protests that the trilingual design violated Tamil Nadu’s two‑language rule. The brown paper covers previously used in the pharmacy bore instructions in Tamil, English and Hindi. DMK leader and former Industries minister T.R.B. Raja posted on X that the inclusion of Hindi amounted to a three‑language policy being forced in state hospitals, noting similar covers had appeared earlier in Karur. He shared a photo of the cover showing the three languages. A senior CMCH official said the covers were printed by Chinthamani Cooperative Society and that no one had raised an issue with the Hindi text. The hospital removed the old covers on Tuesday evening and introduced new ones that display only Tamil and English. A source from the pharmacy section confirmed that such trilingual covers had also been used during the previous administration, and pharmacists have been instructed to stop using them. CMCH serves roughly 3,000 to 4,500 outpatients each day, many of whom are migrant workers from nearby areas. The change aims to respect the state’s language policy while continuing to serve a diverse patient population. ## Context Tamil Nadu’s official policy requires government hospitals to use Tamil and English for public information, and the appearance of Hindi in official materials is often viewed as a political issue. The hospital’s large migrant‑worker clientele explains why Hindi was originally included on the covers.