Even as the Karnataka government is making efforts to seek a re-approval of the 32 de-recognized Ayush colleges, a right to information forum Mahiti Hakku Jagruti Vedike (MHJV) has alerted the Karnataka Lok Ayukta on the state government move.

According to JSD Pani, president, Mahiti Hakku Jagruti Vedike, this move by the state government would seriously impact the quality of Ayush (ayurveda, unani, siddha and homeopathy) education. Of the total 57 Ayush colleges in Karnataka, more than half of the institutions are banned from offering under-graduate and post-graduate courses because of poor infrastructure and lack of teaching staff. The colleges were suspended early this month following a communiqué from the Union government and termination was effected under Section 13C of the Indian Medical Central Council (IMCC) Act, 1970.

The Vedike demanded to the Lok Ayukta to conduct detailed enquiry about the functioning of the colleges, dispensaries, hospitals in the Ayush sector. There are many colleges functioning with bare minimum infrastructure including Bhagvan Mahaveer Ayurveda College Gajendragad and Atreya Ayurveda College Doddaballapur.

Instead of making a representation to permit the colleges to function, the Karnataka government should initiate criminal action against those Ayush doctors who are practicing allopathic medicine. During the scrutiny, the state government will have a clear picture on the number of candidates seeking admission in such institutions. It is evident colleges without infrastructure and teachers can only produce quacks, informed Pani to the Lok Ayukta.

The students cannot learn anything about Ayush, however they will be granted certificates qualifying them as doctors who will resort to modern medicine approaches, he added.

One of the criteria to seek recognition for college is to ensure that the attached hospitals should have minimum number of patients. When students do not have any theoretical approaches, practical knowledge will be nil. This will dissuade patients to access such hospitals dissuading the recognition of the college. The surprise inspections by the Medical Council of India to these colleges will only reveal real picture, added Pani.

Karnataka has around 20,000 practising Ayush doctors. Annually, 3,000 Ayush doctors pass out of the 57 colleges in the state.