Sowa Rigpa Medical College in Sarnath nears completion

Varanasi: Alongside the Ayurvedic system of medicine, Varanasi is emerging as a centre for the Tibetan medical system with the construction of the Yuthog Sowa Rigpa Medical College and Hospital at Sarnath. The first phase of the four-storey, 100-bed state-of-the-art facility, being developed at an estimated cost of around Rs99 crore, has been completed.Registrar of the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sunita Chandra, said that Sowa Rigpa is a traditional Tibetan system of medicine with a history of over 3,000 years and is comparable to Ayurveda in treating chronic and complex diseases.The first phase of the project, built in Tibetan architectural style, comprises two basement levels and a ground plus four floors, covering approximately 10,970.6 square metres. Constructed at a cost of Rs65.42 crore, the facility will initially begin operations with 45 beds.The building includes classrooms, administrative offices, OPD and IPD units, a dispensary, laboratories, a pathology lab, therapy wing, research and development units, a museum, a library, a 470-seat auditorium and a mini conference hall.In its second phase, the nine-storey medical college and hospital will feature advanced infrastructure including a helipad, OPD complex, six consultant rooms—including an astrology consultant—a spacious waiting hall, a modern emergency unit, ICU, operation theatre, indoor wards, therapy units, pharmacy, classrooms, library, museum, laboratory, herbarium and even a planetarium, along with other supporting facilities.The Sowa Rigpa system is widely practised in Tibet and Himalayan regions of India and has been taught at the institute since 1993–94 academic session. OPD and pharmacy services began in 1996. At present, around 3,500 patients visit the facility every month, while 65–70 students enrol annually in the programme.