THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Ayurveda doctors in the state have come out against the government’s move to delink Ayurveda and other traditional medicines from the Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) and to bring it under a new Ayush University. Noting it will not benefit the traditional systems of medicine, the doctors said it will only destabilise the present health care system. Coming out against the move, former Pro Vice-Chancellor Dr C Ratnakaran said it is better to have all the streams of medicines under a single university. “With respect to academic interest, it is good not to delink Ayurveda and other streams from the present university,” he said.
Moreover, he said the Ayush system of medicine could have an opportunity for development only if it is under KUHS. “We already know Ayush is an underdeveloped sector. And if detached from the Health University, it is not going to help the development of Ayurveda,” he said. Noting a unified health system has now been developed with the coming up of KUHS, Ayurveda Medical Association of India (AMAI) general secretary Dr Rejith Anand said there is no urgent situation calling for bifurcating KUHS.
Stating all medical streams in other states are under a single university, he said, “Everything was going smoothly under KUHS. There is a unified system of fixing standards of colleges, exam procedures, research activities and sanctioning of institutes. A drastic change has come in the medical stream with respect to all streams of health care”. Anand said the association has already given a representation to the Health Minister in this regard.
Meanwhile, Government Ayurveda College Teachers Association general secretary Dr C Reghunathan Nair said the entire faculty is against it. “The KUHS statute itself says prominence should be given for the development of Ayurveda. In this situation, what is the urgency of delinking Ayurveda from KUHS?” he said. Stating the present system should continue, former executive member of the Central Council Of Indian Medicine Dr Udayakumar said the integration of all streams of medicine will only benefit the entire health system.
“One of the aims of KUHS is to coordinate the different streams of health care. Medical education as well as the entire health care system can only be developed if all the healthcare systems come under a single umbrella,” he said. Apart from the doctors, the Council for Ayurveda Students in Kerala (CASK) has also raised apprehensions. Noting there is no need for bifurcating KUHS, CASK secretary Dr Deepu K V said the government is thinking of a new Ayush University even as the Centre is looking forward to bring all the streams of medicine under a single university.