Education and Training - Ayurvedic

 1.5 Education and Training 

At present, more than 190 undergraduate Ayurvedic colleges in India offer a curriculum for a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) degree. This program takes 5 1/2 years to complete and runs according to the standards of the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), which is a statutory body that regulates the ISM education in the country. During the 5 1/2 years of education, the student must go through internship for a period of 1 year. The 10 + 2 (10 years of school education followed by 2 years of predegree study) students with Science Group are eligible to take admissions in the degree course. This is similar to the requirement for the admission to the MBBS (allopathy) degree program. In fact, in many states there is a common entrance test to admit candidates to these courses. BAMS contains many modern subjects in its course material; however, nothing is taught in MBBS colleges about Ayurveda or any other ISM. This is a paradox, as many modern medicine graduates prescribe Ayurvedic drugs — especially in difficult- to-cure diseases like hepatitis — without any training in Ayurveda. The Department of ISM, being perceptive of this situation, has prepared course material containing basic concepts and fundamentals of ISM & H for incorporation in MBBS curricula. This has been forwarded to the Medical Council of India for appropriate action. In most states, e.g., Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, Ayurvedic colleges are state supported. 

Because it is necessary that Ayurvedic graduates understand modern advances in medical diagnostic methods, medical technology, and drug treatment, the present curriculum contains about 50% conventional medicine, and clinical and preclinical subjects. The CCIM, which is the apex body in matters related to the education and practice of Ayurveda in the country, is initiating steps to revise the curriculum to suit the present-day requirement by placing emphasis on practical-oriented teaching. Furthermore, at present there is no facility to impart training in some of the important disciplines, like Vriksha Ayurveda (a subdivision of Ayurveda that deals with matters related to cultivation of plants) and Pasu Ayurveda (Ayurvedic veterinary science), at the undergraduate level. Steps have to be initiated to include them as subjects for study at the undergraduate level. 

Soure: Lakshmi chandra Mishra, scientific Basis for Ayurvedic Therapies; 2004 by CRC Press LLC