Gujarat will have three new Ayurveda colleges to strengthen the ayurevedic education in the state under National Ayush Mission (NAM). The state will have new government colleges in Gandhinagar, Rajpiple and Dahod.

The initiatives to start 3 new government Ayurveda colleges was taken under National Ayush Mission for the upgradation of Ayush institutions, Ayush hospitals and dispensaries as well as  government Ayurveda pharmacy.

The college coming up in Gandhinagar will begin its academic year this year. The college is only waiting for the letter of permission from Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM). The college starting in Rajpiple is in its final stage and the hospital will soon start functioning and the college will start its academic year in 2017-2018. Whereas, the college in Dahod is still waiting for the approval from the state government.

Dr Kandarp R Desai, director, Gujarat Ayush says, “At present there are four government Ayurveda colleges and three more government Ayurveda colleges are in progress to start, out of which one ‘State Model Institute of Ayurveda Sciences’ will function from this academic year. The colleges will conduct Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) degree with an intake capacity of 100 students per academic year.”

Speaking on the initiatives taken by the Gujarat government to boost Ayush in the state, Dr Desai informed that the state will also start School Health Programme, under which a specially designed book is being published with all main information of Ayush and primary health care through Ayush, and will be given to children of standard 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th to encourage them for study it by means of competition etc. Ayush medical officers will also deliver some lectures to the children. This programme will be conducted in 100 schools of the state.

Government Akhandanand Ayurved Mahavidyalaya, Ahmedabad; Government Ayurved College, Junagadh; Government. Ayurved Mahavidyalaya, Baroda and Sheth J P Government Ayurved Mahavidyalaya, Bhavnagar are the four government Ayurveda colleges in Gujarat.

To promote Ayush, the central government in 2014 has come up with the NAM under which funds are allocated to the state for upliftment of Ayush sector in the country. The basic objective of NAM is to promote Ayush medical systems through -cost effective Ayush services; strengthening of educational systems; facilitating the enforcement of quality control of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani & Homoeopathy (ASU&H) drugs and sustainable availability of ASU&H raw materials (medicinal plants).