5 days ago
IMA opposes proposed integrated MBBS-BAMS course, calls it unscientific
The Indian Medical Association on Friday (May 30, 2025) condemned the proposed introduction of an integrated course combining MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) and BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) programmes at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry.
Calling the move 'unfortunate', it said this 'unscientific mixing of various systems of medicines will not benefit doctors or patients''.
The Central government had earlier announced plans to integrate modern and Ayurvedic medicine under one academic curriculum, with a new integrated medical programme expected to be launched at the premier healthcare institute in Puducherry.
'It is unfortunate that the Union government seems to have decided to go ahead with its plans to unscientifically mix systems of medicine. Reports indicate that the first integrative course mixing MBBS and BAMS would be started in the premier institution of JIPMER, Pondicherry,' said the IMA in a statement.
The MBBS is the foundational undergraduate medical degree that prepares students to practice as physicians and surgeons. It typically takes five and a half years to complete and includes a year of mandatory internship. The BAMS, on the other hand, is a degree focused on Ayurveda, the traditional Indian system of medicine. The BAMS too is a five-and-a-half-year programme and requires four and a half years of academic study and a one-year mandatory internship. The MBBS and BAMS are currently offered in India as two separate degree programmes.
The IMA said it had pointed out several times that mixing of 'incompatible systems' was an 'irreversible catastrophe'. It appealed to qualified Ayurvedic physicians to defend their system, warning that 'mixopathy takes away the right of the patient to choose care of his/her choice'.
'Let all systems retain their pristine purity. Refrain from producing hybrid doctors who will be only qualified quacks,'' said the IMA, adding that the misadventure will set back healthcare by a century.
It further said India is the 'frontier of medicine today' and infrastructure and expertise exist to undertake any medical intervention at a fraction of the cost elsewhere. 'Indian doctors are the backbone of medical services in several western countries. IMA fails to see any compelling reason or logic in the ill-advised government move,'' it said. The IMA added there are reasons to believe that this move would be catastrophic to Ayurveda as well.
'Having failed to convince the government, IMA has no option but to take the people into confidence. IMA appeals to the nation to resist this indiscretion for the health of future generations,'' the members said.
It said India has seen life expectancy grow from 32 years in 1947 to 70.8 years in 2025 and this has been possible because of eradication of diseases like smallpox and neonatal tetanus by vaccines and access to modern maternal and child healthcare, while highlighting the positive role of antibiotics and other modern drugs in treating diseases like tuberculosis, plague, cholera and typhoid. It stated that advances in cancer care, advent of insulin and other drugs for diabetes and hypertension, as well as huge strides in managing heart diseases and stroke have a significant role in enhancing the healthcare ecosystem.
The association also cited mixing of medicine systems in China and said the move had failed there. 'China failed in its experiment of mixing modern medicine and Chinese traditional medicine; this also resulted in decimation of their traditional medicine. India has a robust chain of hospitals and public health services with 779 medical colleges and 1,36,325 MBBS doctors per year. We should not give away that advantage that our robust medical education system has created,'' the statement said.
