VIJAYAWADA: Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav approved the setting up of a new private Homoeopathy Medical College in the Chittoor district in line with the TDP-led NDA government’s efforts to bolster AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy) systems in the State.
The Venkateswara Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital will be established at Muthirevula village of Puthalapattu mandal in Chittoor district. The college, to be set up by the Srinivasa Education Society, will admit 100 undergraduate students annually into the 5 and half-year Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS) course.
The state will now have a total of eight Homoeopathy Medical Colleges, with three in the government sector and five in the private sector, with an overall intake of 600 undergraduate students annually.
The three government-run colleges located at Gudivada, Rajahmundry, and Kadapa offer 120 seats annually, while the four existing private colleges at Guntakal, Tirupati, Tadepalligudem and Vizianagaram have a combined intake of 400 students.
It is pertinent to note that these colleges play a key role in delivering healthcare services in the State.
Each college provides outpatient services to nearly 250 people daily and inpatient care to about 15 patients per day.
The establishment of the new college in Chittoor is expected to strengthen the AYUSH healthcare network and access to traditional systems of medicine in the Rayalaseema region.