Concerned over the low standard of education in the existing courses of Indian System of Medicines (ISM) all over India, the former president of the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), Dr Vedaprakash Tyagi, after mobilizing support from the public, has submitted a memorandum to the prime minister of India requesting him to find a solution to the burning issue.

 He alleges that a grave situation has arisen in the field of ISM practice that the new generation graduates and post-graduates in Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Yoga with half-baked knowledge of Indian medicines and they indulge in general practice, research, administration and education. Even the colleges conducting UG and PG programmes do not cover 50 per cent of the syllabus in each year of the courses.

Dr Tyagi points out that the parliament enacted the Indian Medicine Central Council Act in the year 1970. Next year, the CCIM was constituted, but it took 41 years for CCIM as well as the Union government to make regulations for enforcing minimum standards of education.

 Today, all the ISM academic institutions lack the minimum standards of education. In most of the colleges, the teaching staff are on records only and regular holding of classes cannot be thought of. Even the list of faculty members is not displayed on the notice board in several institutions. The teachers in almost all the institutions are found to be involved in duplicity as one teacher is enrolled in more than one college.

Dr Tyagi alleges that hospitals attached to the colleges are found to be locked in around 70 per cent of the medical colleges and the OPD and IPD data are fabricated in most of the instances. In the case of attendance of students, most of them are not attending the classes regularly, but clearing the tests. Barring a few exceptions in government and in some private colleges, post graduate students attend the colleges only at the time of submission of thesis and examination. They are more interested in running their private clinics at their respective addresses.

According to him, in Uttar Pradesh, students are forced to resolve to mass copying as regular classes are not held for want of teachers.

The memorandum also brings certain valuable points to the attention of the prime minister. It is said that since the last 40 years the syllabus of Indian medicine has not been reviewed and revised. No constructive change has been incorporated to keep the Indian System of Medicine at par with other branches of medicine in today’s competitive world.

The former CCIM president requested the prime minister to take steps to declare a Day for Ayurveda in the national level.