A government ayurvedic medical college sanctioned in 2008, after a gap of 41 years, is still a distant dream.
Following persistent efforts of chairman of Legislative Council D H Shankaramurthy, the then government under the stewardship of B S Yeddyurappa sanctioned the medical college in Shimoga city.
At first the proposal was to upgrade the existing ayurvedic college on Sagar Road to a 100-bed hospital and provide proper support required for medical students. The proposal also included attaching a hospital to the medical college and so the government took special interest to provide necessary infrastructure such as building and teaching, non teaching and hospital staff.
During the 2012-13 academic year, the government had set up minimum facilities necessary to start the course, but the Centre Council of Indian Medicine Parishat (CCIM) denied permission stating lack of infrastructure to commence academic activities.
Shankaramurthy then pursued construction of a three-storied building with 100 beds on the existing premises and got 84 posts for the hospital and 92 for the college sanctioned. However these posts have not been filled yet.
Later, a plan for construction of an ayurvedic medical college at N R Pura Road at a cost of `100 crore was formulated for which the government promised to release `35 crore. But, the college failed to get land from bagair hukum cultivators, who have approached the court in this regard.
In the meantime, the government has sanctioned `4 crore for construction of the hospital building behind the existing building. To commence the BAMS course, the college requires classrooms, separate hostel for boys and girls and other facilities.
The hospital has received advanced X-ray and other machines, but to operate these trained technicians need to be appointed. Of the sanctioned 44 teaching and 48 non-teaching posts for the hospital only three posts including that of the principal has been filled.