The Ayurvedic community in Kerala has started efforts to streamline its Ayurveda medical education by incorporating new courses in tune with modern times and solving anomalies in the prevailing educational institutions in the state.

Under the aegis of the Ayurveda medical education department of the Kerala Government, a top-level meeting of Ayurveda education experts was held in Thiruvananthapuram this week in this regard, it is learnt.

Sources told Pharmabiz that though the five Ayurveda medical colleges in the state at Thiruvananthapuram, Thrippunithura, Ollur, Kottakkal and Kannur follow uniform syllabus and examination pattern in accordance with the national standards prescribed by the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), many of the colleges attached to the various universities in Kerala follow different semester systems and pattern of education. Most of the universities are not able to finish the semesters within the stipulated period, and often ignore to conduct periodic examinations and assessment in time. The meeting of various heads from the universities would try to solve such existing anomalies and to streamline Ayurveda academic interests in the state.

While this is an internal process to streamline the existing system of Ayurveda education, efforts are also on to remodel the syllabus and courses in tune with the requirements of modern day healthcare needs. The Department of Ayurveda Medical Education has already recommended the Government an action plan to start new post graduation and research courses in Ayurveda. The recommendations included starting of Ph.D courses for the first time in Kerala and Calicut Universities, at Thiruvananthapuram and Kottakkal Ayurveda Medical colleges.

Besides, the report had recommended starting postgraduate courses in paediatrics and Panchakarma courses at Thiruvananthapuram Ayurveda College, and another specialized postgraduate course at Thrippunithura Ayurveda college. As part of the action plan, specialty Ayurveda clinics in cardiology, ophthalmology, industrial diseases, sports medicine etc. are being set up in various medical colleges. Similarly, efforts are on to establish the proposed Kottakkal Ayurveda University at Kottakkal, as the third university of its kind in the country after Jamnagar and Banaras Ayurveda universities.

Some sources opine the curriculum of Ayurveda education in the country need to be modernized in tune to the requirements of the modern times, geographical and needs of particular localities. For example, a graduate from any of the Kerala Ayurveda colleges would find it difficult to practice in North India as he would find it difficult to source certain herbs and medicine there. Vice versa, a BAMS graduate from North India will find it difficult to source his raw material and medicines in Kerala.

Similarly, though the Ayurvedic students are awarded a degree in Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS), the descendents of Sushrutha (inventor of surgery according to our ancient texts) are not allowed to practice surgery in their profession. Though our leaders boast of Ayurveda as a rich tradition of India, basics of Ayurvedic education have so far not been included in the school and college academic syllabus in any state to help children learn about the traditional system, lament sources.