Ayurvedic medicine manufacturers support move to launch integrated medicine course at JIPMER
Even as the Indian Medical Association (IMA) is opposing the move to launch an integrated course combining Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) courses at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry, the Ayurvedic Medicine Manufacturers Organisation of India (AMMOI) has welcomed the proposal.
P. Ramkumar and D. Ramanathan, AMMOI president, and general secretary, respectively, said that the World Health Organisation had been taking steps to integrate traditional medicine systems under the traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine initiative. Studies had proved that combining the advantages of various branches of medicine was beneficial. The co-location scheme of the Union government providing Ayush treatment along with modern medicine treatment at primary health centres, community health centres, and district hospitals and the integrative medicine departments launched at Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College-Safdarjung Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College Hospital, New Delhi, were meant to take forward this idea. They highlighted the rising demand for Ashwagandha, an Indian herb, in the global market, as an example of the people's preference for traditional systems of medicine.
However, teachers in government medical colleges in Kerala said on Monday that they were clueless about how the proposal would shape up. They said that other than media reports, none had any idea about the syllabus to be followed. The IMA had earlier said that the mixing of medicine systems had failed in China, which also 'resulted in decimation of their traditional medicine'.
Dr. Ramkumar and Dr. Ramanathan, meanwhile, claimed that those who learn modern medicine would not be able to complete their studies without studying about Sushruta, who is considered to be the father of surgery. More than 25% of drugs manufactured in any branch of medicine are derived from plants, they said, quoting studies. They claimed that launching an integrated MBBS-BAMS course at JIPMER would help practitioners of modern medicine understand the possibilities of Ayurveda. It would also help dismiss certain campaigns on social media against the perceived side-effects of Ayurvedic drugs. They also claimed that integrative medicine would help reduce the dependence on drugs by 50% and help people lead a healthy life.
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