MUMBAI: Even as traditional medicines get a fillip from the Centre, demand for some AYUSH courses are on the rise. In Maharashtra alone, Ayurveda seats have gone up by almost 30% in four years and only a handful of them have gone vacant, admission data shows. Homeopathy (BHMS) too has seen a rise in demand, with the number of vacancies dropping from 844 in 2019-20 to 60 this year. While MBBS remains the top choice of every aspirant appearing for NEET-UG, the bachelor of Ayurvedic medicine (BAMS) degree has moved to No.2 slot in recent years.
In 2018-19, there were over 4,300 Ayurveda seats in the state, and the number has gone up to almost 5,600 in 2021-22. Medical education counsellor Muzaffar Khan says earlier students used to opt for dental seats if they failed to get admission to MBBS, but now they prefer BAMS.
“Opportunities have increased as students can practice Ayurveda and at the same time they have knowledge of modern medicine too. These students also get clinical exposure right from their second year. AYUSH doctors were also in the forefront during the Covid-19 pandemic. They are employed in rural health centres, where there is a shortage,” said Govind Khati, director, Directorate of AYUSH, Maharashtra, and the dean of R A Podar Ayurveda Medical College. “People are also getting drawn towards Ayurveda as they have realised that there are minimal side effects and there are many lifestyle diseases which do not have a cure in modern medicine,” he said. Also, students are pursuing PG in Ayurveda, he added.
Moreover, parents are willing to pay more to get management seats in private Ayurveda colleges, said former director, Directorate of Medical Education and Research, Dr Pravin Shingare. “Since the last four years, the state government has allowed homeopathy doctors to pursue a bridge course in modern pharmacology in medical colleges. Except for ailments that require specialty, such as cancer, these doctors are trained to provide medicines for diseases,” Shingare said. The one-year bridge course was started only in government medical colleges but the demand has pushed the state to permit it in a few private colleges too. However, whether AYUSH doctors can legally practice modern medicine is under debate as medical practitioners strongly oppose it, a doctor said.
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