BELAGAVI/SHIVAMOGGA: With a vision to include practitioners of traditional medicine into the mainstream, the State Government has plans to set up the Karnataka State AYUSH University at Sogane village near Shivamogga city. A Bill was passed in this regard during the ongoing session in the Legislative Council at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday.
“The AYUSH University will throw light on Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Homoeopathy and Sowa Rigpa (Tibetan medicine) medicinal practices. More research and development will be taking place at the dedicated varsity, a first of its kind in South India,” shared Medical Education and Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar.
With this, the district will now emerge as an education hub. The university is coming up on over 100 acres of land. The State Government has also sanctioned Rs 20 crore towards its establishment. Shivamogga MP B Y Raghavendra told TNIE: “This initiative would provide scope for direct employment to about 500 people and indirect employment to over 5,000. Above all, if the university starts a drug production unit on campus, it would again provide jobs for local people, and contribute to the all-round development of Shivamogga district.”
It was senior BJP leader D H Shankaramurthy’s initiative to establish an ayurvedic medical college in Shivamogga, which was supported by former CM B S Yediyurappa, who gave a new dimension to the idea. Talking to TNIE, Shankaramurthy said, “For the past few years, people across the globe are looking for alternate medicine. Ayurveda education is also picking up in most developed countries. Establishment of the AYUSH University would support research.”
Meanwhile, there are 953 colleges under the ambit of RGUHS including 105 AYUSH colleges and the workload on the varsity is more. As a result, the authorities are unable to focus more on AYUSH. Dr Sudhakar said, “A total of three doctors, including two from allopathy and one from AYUSH, will be recruited at PHCs in the state.”
However, JDS MLC Marithibbegowda questioned the rationale behind having a separate varsity. Though there is a dedicated university (Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences) for medical education, there is no need for another facility, he added.